The Fantastic Fowers

Boy, Oh, Boy!

2011-05-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

We are full of joy to be having a boy! We can't wait to welcome another son into our family in September. He was very stubborn during his first ultrasound. We went in for our appointment. My Dr. was running late, which is rare. The baby was kicking around like crazy for the hour in the waiting room. Once it was time to be on camera the baby decided it didn't want to move around much. It wanted its hands over the face (Jane did the same exact thing) and wanted those legs crossed or a foot in the way of a clear picture. My Dr. tried for awhile to figure out if it was a girl or boy. At first glance he said girl but then said he thought it was a boy. So we left with a it could be either and don't go buy anything for one or the other. We were a bit disappointed! We decided we would call around and see if we could get in for a 3d ultrasound somewhere (my Dr. doesn't do 3d.) We found once place the could see us on a Saturday at the end of May but it was in Paradise which meant an almost 2 hour drive one way. We then heard about one here in town that could get us in the following week.
Thursday finally arrived and we were ready to go in and see our baby and figure out what it was. I brought in the paperwork I was told I needed. The office said it was the wrong paper work and that they didn't know if they could do the ultrasound. I still have no idea what kind of paperwork they wanted. The ultrasound tech said she would go ahead and do the ultrasound. As we went back in she saw that I was only 21.5 weeks pregnant and said that she can't really do a 3d ultrasound until after 26weeks. I told her I had no idea but that whoever works there in the office said it was fine and scheduled it. I thought she'd change her mind and not do the ultrasound at that point. She did say she would attempt but that she wouldn't get a great picture. So as she was starting out we told her we didn't know what it was and that's why we were doing an ultrasound there. She immediate said she could tell what it was and showed/told us that it was definitely a boy. She then told us she would reschedule us to come back next month to get a better 3d ultrasound at no extra cost to us.
We left happy knowing that it was indeed a boy. I thought for sure it was a girl. I was also somewhat leaning towards wanting another girl because I have everything already for a girl and wanted Jane to have a sister close in age to her. So I was a bit bummed for a few seconds then realized that Dawson was going to be SO THRILLED. He wanted it to be a brother so badly. Brad and I decided we would drive to cub scouts to tell Dawson. He was SO happy and jumped up and down and then gave me a huge hug. It was a very sweet moment.
After telling Dawson and making a couple phone calls we met up with Brad's parents for dinner to tell them. They were both so excited and I thought they might cry a little. From dinner we went to Target because I wanted to buy something for a baby boy. Little boy stuff is NOT near as cute as little girl stuff so it was a little trickier. I did find some cute onesies. One said little brother, another said brand new, and I can't remember what the other 2 said. We also have been eying this double stroller we knew we'd have to get. We showed Brad's parents which one we had been thinking about and since they were still so excited about having another grandson they went ahead and bought it for us. We are very thankful for them!
I have 4 months to now prepare for this sweet baby boy. I have no idea where his stuff will go. I'm not ready to move Jane upstairs into a room yet or out of her crib. She can make it up the stairs pretty easily it's coming down that she isn't as good at. Maybe a summer project will be to get some of her stuff upstairs.

Our Growing Family

2011-02-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

Yup, We are expecting. We are THRILLED, nervous, excited, scared, all the normal emotions that come along with pregnancy and an expanding family. We knew we'd have another baby one day but wasn't sure when it would be. We were just enjoying all the changes Jane has brought into our lives. Right around Jane's 1st Birthday we decided we'd start trying again in spring/summer for another baby. Well, there was obviously a different plan meant to be for us. I pretty much knew right away that I was pregnant but I took 3 tests that all said negative so figured I was imagining all these crazy things (crying watching tv, exhaustion, headaches, weird cramping, etc.) So a week after I got the last negative I decided I was taking another test and it came back immediately positive. Although I felt I was pregnant it was still a shock. Brad was pretty surprised too. Dawson is SO SO SO excited to be a big brother again-he's hoping for a brother this time but says if it's another sister he'll be happy. Jane is well, Jane, just doing her own thing. The week we found out she decided she was going to start putting herself to bed at nap time and bedtime. It was as if she knew she needed to be a big girl and do that on her own. So for the past month when I ask her if she wants to go night night she runs to her bed and goes right to sleep without fussing. It seems like a miracle to me and I'm amazed every time still. She walks every where. I can ask her if she's hungry or wants milk and she goes either to her chair or the fridge. If I ask her if she needs a diaper she goes to her changing table. It's fantastic and I know I'm blessed with such a sweet daughter. I hope this next one is just as amazing.

Christmas and New Year's

2011-01-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful again this year. I am always just so thankful for my Savior and try to take the time to remember his birth and all he did while he was here on earth during the busy holiday season. We woke up about 7am on Christmas morning to a very excited Dawson. We thought Jane might sleep in a bit but she woke up a few minutes after we all did and got to take part of all the fun. She loved her stocking and presents.We hosted Christmas dinner at our house again. We love having everyone here. It was so much fun seeing all the kids open up their gifts and being so excited for their new things. The house seemed so quiet after everyone left.
New Year's proved to be very exciting. It started to snow on New Year's Eve and we all got to wake up to a very white first of the year. Dawson was thrilled and loved playing in the snow. Jane wasn't too sure about the snow but loved being outside. Dawson wishes it would snow here more. I am not a huge fan of the snow but a little snow every few years is manageable.
We are looking forward to this new year and all it has in store for us. 2010 was fantastic and I'm sure that 2011 will be just as great if not better.

December Happenings

2010-12-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

December is always a busy month. Our house is all decorated inside and out as well as our Christmas trees. We have our nice tree when you walk in and a small tree for the kids to decorate with their things. Dawson loves having his own tree to be in charge of. I hope he doesn't mind sharing it as Jane gets older!
We have decorated gingerbread (graham cracker) houses with the Daw family. Jane enjoyed eating 2 crackers while the other kids worked. We also attended Cascade Christmas. Well, Jane was left with Brad's parents so we could actually enjoy the show. It was so much fun.
Jane went into the Doctor for a check up and weighs 18lbs6oz and is 29inches long. Her cousin, Lea, has been coming over twice a week for a couple hours. It's been so much fun playing with her. Jane has been off the bottle since her 1st birthday. The first couple days were tough but she has adjusted. She did get rather upset when she saw Lea with a bottle and needed some mommy time and fell asleep. We had done so well with her pacifiers. She has rotated through 4 different ones and we haven't lost any. Someone since her 1st birthday we have manged to lost ALL of them! I don't know if it's because she is more mobile and hides them well or if somehow she spits it out when we are out and about and I don't notice it. Needless to say it was frustrating trying to find the pacifiers and now she just has 1 that we are hopefully NOT going to lose....well at least for another 6 months when I attempt to take it away from her.
Dawson is doing excellent in school. He really has been enjoying learning how to play the recorder. He practices it ALL the time after school. I like hearing him play but after about the 20th time of the same song in one afternoon it does start to drive me crazy. Dawson is still an amazing big brother. He has such a loving sweet spirit. I don't know how I got so lucky! He still loves to snuggle up with me, holds my hand in public and will run up and hug me at school (most of the time) when I am there. I know it won't last much longer so I am trying to enjoy it as much as possible.
The rest of this month is going to go by so fast! We are looking forward to a wonderful holiday season spent with family and friends.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my (Betsy's) parents house on the coast. It was a small gathering for us but very nice. We didn't have Dawson this year-he was with his dad which always bums us out a bit. We missed his sweet spirit. Jane somewhat enjoyed her first real Thanksgiving dinner. She LOVED the pumpkin pie and for her birthday party with my family she had a slice of that instead of cake. I figured it counted as a vegetable for the day :) Jane had so much fun playing with her cousin, Iris. It'll be fun once Jane can walk and keep up with her! She did check out her smaller cousins Josie and Isabelle but wasn't too sure about them. What we really loved about Thanksgiving is thinking about all we have to be grateful for. We are so blessed. I am most thankful that for that opportunity to be a mom to my children. It is the greatest blessing I have been given. We were also thankful that Brad got a whole week off work to hang out with us!

What fun-Jane is ONE!

2010-11-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

I know, I know! Where did the last year go? I can hardly believe that Jane is already one. Her birthday was Sunday and being the Sunday before Thanksgiving all the talks at church were on gratitude. I just kept thinking how grateful I am for a beautiful and healthy family. Jane has brought us much joy and has been such a blessing.
She woke up on her birthday in a great mood. She was in a great mood all day until bedtime when I wasn't going to give her a bottle. I did break down and give her a bottle to help her go to sleep. She wasn't so happy today (the day after her birthday) since she hasn't had a bottle all day. She takes her sippy cup and just throws it and screams. I hope that this only lasts a couple days and then she will be fine.
We had a small party for Jane Sunday night. We had Brad's parents, his sister and her family, and Mary and her family over for tacos, cake, and presents. I think dinner turned out great. The funfetti cupcakes are always a huge hit with the kids and I attempted to make a chocolate butterfly cake for Jane. It turned out ok but slightly possessed looking. Oh-well, I tried. She did get butterfly shaped ice cream though. I couldn't mess that up with a cookie cutter! Jane LOVED her chocolate cake and spent forever eating it. She went straight into the bath after wards. Jane also really enjoyed opening up her fabulous presents. She wasn't sure about it at first but by the end was loving it. She had so much fun playing with all her new toys and her cousins too!

This is what the big 1 year old is up too:

*Stands alone
*Crawls so fast (especially if you are chasing her)
*Loves to sing and listen to music
*Laughs like crazy-mostly at her brother
*Pretends to read
*Eating more table foods--hates when I feed her baby food
*No more bottles (hopefully!)
*No weight/length check as of recently
*Takes a 2 hour nap most days
*Sleeps from 9:30-7 with one wake up for some milk or a pacifier
*Has 3 (almost 4) teeth
*Wears clothing sizes anywhere between 6months and 18months (depends on what it is.)
*Has developed some stranger anxiety
*Can get in and out of her swing and bouncy chair (both low to the ground)
*Loves her blanket at nap time and still wants to be rocked to sleep
*Overall Jane is a very happy little girl

The pumpkin patch and Halloween

2010-11-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

I figure I should blog about Halloween and the pumpkin patch before Thanksgiving! Time is flying by. We did our annual trip out to Hawe's Farm with Mary and her family. It's always still so warm so in our pictures we are still wearing summer clothes. Dawson always has a blast and Jane enjoyed it this year too. Dawson picked out pumpkins for everyone in the family. We only carved two. Dawson carved a warewolf and we carved Jane a butterfly. Jane was a butterfly (of course!) and Dawson was a skeleton/ninja. He put together 2 old costumes we had and made up a new one so we didn't have to buy another one. I was happy about that!
The night before Halloween we had our annual chili cook off/trunk-or-treat at church. This was the first year since Brad and I have been married that we actually went. It was so much fun and although it was raining the kids loved seeing the church classrooms decorated and just walking in a large circle collecting their goodies. We also spent a couple hours at the annual school carnival. Dawson had fun as did Natalie and Cora but not any of us adults or babies. We might just take them all out to do something else next year. Too many long lines and after 2 hours and 10 pieces of candy and a cupcake it just wasn't worth it.
On Halloween night it was sprinkling and cold so Jane didn't go out. Dawson went out with Mary and her family because Brad was sick and I was taking care of Jane, their son Asher, and Brad. We didn't have as many trick or treaters as usual which we were okay with.
All in all we had a fantastic Halloween once again!

Sweet baby (11 month old!) Jane

2010-10-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

Where did this last month go!? Jane has been keeping me busy as has Dawson. Jane had her 11 month birthday yesterday. She is changing and growing every day. I am still thankful that I have been able to be a stay at home mom to her and take care of her full time.

What's new with Sweet Baby Jane:

*Is trying to "mark it" during pat-a-cake
*Attempts dancing
*Can get around SO fast--no walking yet thankfully!
*Has cut 2 teeth-one on bottom and one on top but they aren't visible when she smiles yet.
*Sleeps through the night (except when those teeth are bugging her!)
*Takes usually one long (2 hour) and one short nap a day.
*Wants to be rocked to sleep and loves her blanket on her head when going to sleep.
*Still only drinks 4-6oz at a time every 2 hours.
*Loves cookies but no other food really. She eats graham cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies (all things she finds on the floor from other kids) but refuses to eat vegetables-only carrots once in awhile.
*She plays very well independently on her own but doesn't like it if I'm not in the room with her....I'm getting a lot of reading done!
*She tries to talk a lot more
*Does not really like her car seat-hopefully she likes it more when it's forward facing.
*No length/weight check this month because she's a healthy, beautiful, petite baby.
*She is still very nosy and likes to see everything that is going on and wants to be in the middle of it.
*Enjoys playing with kids and gets most excited when Dawson is around and playing with her.
*Has a fond attachment to her pacifier now--will be trying to get rid of that soon!
*Her fine motor skills are really developing and she can pick up the smallest of things (which I find in her mouth daily and she gets mad when I take it out.)
*Enjoys books, and music time
*Loves wooden spoons, one of her favorite toys for the month.

So next month she will be having her first birthday party and I will probably get teary eyed. Where does time go? She was just my little ball of a baby who just rocked and rocked and rocked with me all day. Now she just makes me laugh with her squished up face smile, sloppy kisses and sweet giggles.

10 Month Old Jane

2010-09-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Jane is now 10 months old. She is keeping me very busy and her personality is getting bigger and bigger every day. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not! She definitely knows what she wants and does all she can to make sure she gets it. She is one spoiled girl.

Here's what is new with Jane:

*Walks along furniture
*Can bend down and pick something up when standing while holding onto something
*Has attempted to climb the stairs a few times
*Puts EVERYTHING into her mouth
*Can clap
*LOVES music--she loves listening to her dads CD when she is upset and in the car.
*Continues to sleep from about 9:30-7:30 at night and wants to be rocked to sleep.
*Most days takes 2 hour naps--sometimes more sometimes less. Mommy loves this time!
*Loves to play with Cora, Asher, and Dawson-really any kid she loves.
*Still doesn't like to each much baby food....usually drinks 4 oz every 2-3 hours STILL.
*Loves to stand up and hang onto anything she can.
*Sits in highchairs when we go out to eat.
*Is now in a big rear facing car seat instead of her infant car seat.
*She is a very happy baby and most of the time mellow.
*Now wears size 3 diapers and mostly 9-12 month clothing.
*Her hair has some curls at the end and I LOVE it.

Dawson's having fun being 8!

2010-09-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! Turning 8 is a HUGE deal around here. Now that Dawson is 8 he was able to join Cub Scouts as a Wolf. He was a little nervous about it but he sure loves it so far! His leaders seem fantastic. I have to say I think he looks absolutely handsome in his scout uniform too!
Dawson has also finally lost his two top front teeth. I was wondering if he was ever going to lose them. He lost his bottom teeth a year ago in July. I hope it doesn't take another 14 months to lose another tooth.
This last weekend Dawson was able to get baptized. In our church we believe the age of accountability of making right choices is 8. So all children once they are 8 are baptized. It was a very special day. We had a pretty busy Saturday leading up to his baptism. Dawson was so happy to have a big family dinner before hand. He got a couple of gifts as well. Brad and I got him his own set of scriptures, Brad's parents gave him a book and a tote for his scriptures, and my parents gave him a baptism blanket. Dawson asked for a baptism blanket from my mom over a year ago. He came up with this idea somehow. He was SO happy to finally get it. The blanket turned out super cute. My mom found the perfect material for it. His baptism meeting only lasted about 40minutes which I thought was perfect. The only real issue was we couldn't get access to a TV/DVD player in the building due to them being all locked up. I had made a slide show of pictures of Dawson from birth until his 8th birthday and had it set to different Children Hymns. We watched it later at home that night. Dawson was just beaming the whole time and took everything very seriously. I am very proud of him and the decisions he is making.

Jane's 9 month check up

2010-09-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Jane went to the Dr. today for her 9 month check up. She's actually 9 1/2 months but it's when I was able to get her in. She is perfectly healthy and petite. She weighs 17lbs even and is 27 1/2 inches long. She is sitting like a pro. She now pulls herself up to a standing position and is trying to let go and scoot along whatever it is she is hanging onto. She crawls everywhere. She gets mad at me when I have to leave the room and chases me crying. She is full of smiles and kisses. I love her so much!

Isn't it Great to be 8?

2010-09-07T09:09:00.001-07:00

Dawson turned 8 yesterday. It is such a great birthday because now he gets to prepare for his baptism. He had a weekend full of parting. On Saturday we got up early and had a friend birthday party at the skating rink. Dawson has decided he LOVES roller skating. He had a great time and so did all his friends who showed up. I'm sure the kids would have loved to have skated longer if allowed too.
Saturday afternoon we went to Mary's to swim and hang out with family. My parents were in town as well as Crissy and her kids. She also brought up Lori's daughter, Iris, to spend the day with us. After swimming we had a yummy BBQ. Then lots and lots of presents. Dawson was sharing this party with his cousins, Natalie (9) and Cora (3) since their birthday's are all within 3 days of each other. After presents there was LOTS of cake. We had 3 cakes plus a pan of brownies. Every child deserves their own cake. Dawson stayed up late playing with his toys that night. He was up early Sunday playing as well. My parents got him roller skates for his birthday and he wore them ALL day-except at church although he wanted too.
Monday was Dawson's real birthday so we told him he could decide what we do all day. He decided to just lounge around in pajamas and play with his toys all morning. He got a lego table and a super fast remote control car that he was enjoying For lunch he wanted to go to Olive Garden-we were more than happy to take him. He had a great lunch. He got to order dessert and our waiter sang to him and gave him 3 mints (and a nickel) instead of 1 mint. It made his day! After lunch he wanted to go spend some of his birthday money at Target. He bought a couple more toys and came home to play with those. He then decided he wanted to go swim at Mary's. We swam for a bit and he played with Natalie and invited Natalie over for a bit. We then went to dinner to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Guadalajara, with Brad's parents and Dawson got sung to for a second time. He was glowing! After dinner we came home and he played some more, watched part of a movie, and enjoyed his birthday evening.
He had a great weekend and birthday.

Jane at 9 months

2010-08-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Jane is 9 months old today. Time sure flies! She has changed so much this last month. We are still so in love with her and just love that she is here and a part of our family.
Here is what Jane is up to:
*Crawling (not so good on all 4's yet but in the next week I'm sure she will be.
*Scooting around everywhere-she has figured out that she can leave the family room now which makes my days a little busier.
*Loves to try to play with my computer cord or anything plugged in she can get.
*Babbling
*Gets so excited when she see's someone she recognizes
*Laughs like crazy at Dawson
*Still refuses to eat much of any food and usually still just 4oz of formula every couple of hours. I did give her an 8oz bottle in hopes that she will eat more but it hasn't worked so far.
*Sits up so well on her own.
*Loves playing with all toys-her recent favorites are anything that belongs to Dawson or isn't pink and purple.
*Will watch a cartoon on TV
*Loves to be in the water-bath, pool, lake, etc.
*Still sleeps all night long-9:30-7 usually.
*Wants to have a blanket over her face when she sleeps.
*Has started taking at least one nap for an hour or longer a day as well as her short cat naps.
*Wants to be rocked to sleep-usually be me.
*No Doctor's Appt. this month so not sure how big she is but she is definitely getting bigger. She is almost out of her 6-9 month clothing and size 2 diapers.

I'm sure there is more that has changed or that she is doing. She is changing every single day and she has a mellow yet stubborn personality.

Josie Ann Eldridge is here

2010-08-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

My newest niece, Josie Ann, was born August 17th at 11:31pm. She was 7lbs 6oz and 19.5in long. I can't wait to go meet her! She looks absolutely perfect and gorgeous. Way to go Lori and Jayson (and big sister, Iris!)

A 3rd Grader?

2010-08-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have a 3rd grader. Dawson started school on Monday. He LOVES his teacher and really does love school. I think we lucked out again and got another awesome teacher. He just hates waking up so early for school. If school was from 9:30-3 it would be perfect for him. This year he decided that it was embarrassing for him to be walked up on the first day of school. He insisted on just being dropped off. I was a little sad about it-but the fact that his dad was taking him made it a little easier. He did let me pick him up from school so that he wouldn't have to ride the bus. I only have one picture of him on the first day of school and it's still currently on my phone so I won't be posting it :(
We got his STAR test results back from last year. I was pleasantly surprised. He only missed 2 questions on the Math portion-out of the 5 categories he had 100% in 3 of them. On the English portion he did pretty well also. He had one 100% on one of the 5 categories. He was also placed at a reading level 4.

End of Summer Vacation-Santa Cruz/Aptos

2010-08-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

Our last summer trip was spent down in the Santa Cruz area. We went with Brad's parents and sister's family. On the drive down we stopped and visited the Jelly Belly Factory for lunch. The line for the tour was over an hour long so we opted out of that. The kids were totally okay with it. We stayed at a house a few blocks from the beach in Aptos. All the kids had a blast playing at the beach. The first day we were there we drove into Monterey to visit the Aquarium. We had lunch there and stopped for some yummy cookies at the Nestle Toll House Shop. The kids went to the beach that night. The coolest thing about this beach were that deals and dolphins were swimming maybe 20-30feet from the shore line. The following day we woke up and went out for breakfast, went strawberry picking (Jane slept through that part), went to the boardwalk-the kids had a BLAST (minus the first ride Dawson had to go on and freaked out about.) Then that evening we went and hung out at Capitola beach and had pizza. The day after that we went on a bike ride through the redwood forest. Beach cruisers are not made for semi graveling roads in the redwoods! Jane enjoyed the bike ride on her new seat that is on my bike. The kids spent the afternoon at the beach once again. It was pretty chilly but Jane had a pop up shade tent and I laid in there with her and stayed out of the cold wind so it wasn't too bad. Our last day there we went to Farmer's Market at Cabrillo College, went shopping, stopped for some pretty yummy cupcakes, and ended the day at the beach again. The kids loved coming back from the beach and warming up in the hot tub at the rental house. We had a really nice time and it was a great get a away before coming back and getting ready for school to start.

8 Month Old Jane

2010-07-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Jane is now 8 months old! Here is what is new with her:
* LOVES to swim. She doesn't even mind going under water for a quick dunk.
* Rolls around the living room.
* Gets on all fours and starts to rock-she will be crawling soon!
* Can sit up on her own for about 2 minutes before toppling over.
* Sleeps really well at night. Usually goes down by 10pm and wakes around 6am then back to sleep after a bottle until 8:30am.
* Recognizes familiar people and gets excited to see them.
* Babbling a lot-put d and a together and will say dada but not in context.
* Starting to eat more baby food...DISLIKES green vegetables.
* Loves to sleep with a blanket over her head.
* Gets jealous when she wants attention and has to share it. (My niece, Cora kept touching her foot when my mom was holding her and Jane would scream until Cora would stop touching her.)
* Has been taking longer naps-usually one for 1 1/2 hours a day and another shorter one.
* Sits at the dinner table in her high chair.
* No height/weight check this month. She is a healthy baby.

Jane at 7 Months

2010-06-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Jane is now 7 months old. She is as sweet as ever. She definitely has a personality. She is happy when all attention is on her.

New things this month:
*Rolling over to get to places (not often but more than she has been.)
*Sitting up on her own
*Plays with bigger toys
*Great with moving her hands around and grabbing what she wants or pushing things away
*Loves to play in her activity center
*Sleeps in her crib in her own room(and has put herself to sleep 3 nights in a row so far!)
*Can actually eat baby food
*Loves to stick her tongue out when smiling
*Has discovered her feet and loves to put them in her mouth
*Loves watching other kids
*No Drs. appt. this month for a weight/length check.

I love that summer is here now and the weather is warmer. Last week I took Jane to swim over at Mary's house. Jane LOVED getting in the floaty and hanging out in the water. Mary's family and my family decided to go out to Whiskeytown Lake with all the kids. We had my nephew, Cruz, here as well. The kids had a blast and we didn't get to stay long enough. I actually enjoyed hanging out at the lake more than I thought I would. It should be a busy summer full of swimming. Dawson is loving swimming and is taking more swim lessons this summer. He is not thrilled about it but we think it is good for him. Plus he needs to do something with some of that energy he has.

SUMMER TIME!

2010-06-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

I LOVE summer time. I love not feeling so scheduled, I love sitting out by a pool and watching Dawson swim around and do crazy stunts. I am looking forward to taking Jane swimming this year as well...after all she has 4 really cute swimsuits she needs to use. I bought her one, Mary bought her one, her daddy bought her one, and then her noni bought her one. They are just so cute when they are so tiny.
Dawson is officially done with the 2nd grade. Where did the time go? I am so proud of him. He got a few awards again this year. He had 3rd trimester perfect attendance, a principal's math challenge, and an award for being a good citizen on the school bus. I'm not sure when they started giving out awards for riding the school bus but Dawson seemed happy about it. He had a lot of fun activities go on the last couple weeks of school that I got to help out with. He had a field trip to Turtle Bay Museum, a Spring Fling (each class or grade levels all do a dance performance, and a 2nd grade field day where all the classes just got to run around outside and play with toys and bounce houses. It was a blast!
We celebrated Brad's birthday on Saturday. My parents were in town to do some work on their house. So we had a BBQ with them, Mary's family, and Brad's family. It was a lot of fun. Plus we got to play Apples to Apples one of my favorite group games--I of course didn't even come close to winning but just spending time with the family is what makes it worth it. Brad and I feel so blessed that we have the opportunity to see family as often as we do and we consider our family our closest friends.

My 6 month old baby Jane

2010-05-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

Happy half birthday to my sweet baby Jane! (Well this Friday the 21st anyhow....I just happen to be 2 days early.)
She is such a sweet baby and I love her dearly. I can't even imagine life without her being a part of our family. She has brought us such joy (and sleepless nights and strengthening our patience....but really so much joy.) She just makes me smile when I look at her and she looks back at me with her gorgeous huge eyes and grin.
Here is what's happening with Jane now:
-Rolls over from stomach to back and back to stomach (but won't roll to get anywhere in the room.)
-Pushes her upper torso up with her hands when on her stomach.
-Loves Dawson and just beams at him
-Takes three 20 minute naps daily (usually---once in awhile we get a longer one in.)
-Sleeps most nights from 9:30-6:30 with one wake up for a pacifier or bottle.
-Holds her own bottle.
-Loves to smile at everyone.
-Can move toys from one hand to the other with ease.
-Wants to put EVERYTHING in her mouth.
-Is attempting to sit up and will sit up for a few seconds on her own before toppling over.
-Loves to stand up when you hold her upper body.
-Loves to make sounds and babble.
-Enjoys music and when people sing.
-Gives big sloppy kisses.
-Loves peek-a-boo or any interactive game/song.
-Is still a momma's girl.
-Weighs 13lbs 12oz and is 26 in long.

Dawson

2010-05-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

Dawson loving Jane during our indoor camp out last weekend. We roasted s'mores in the backyard fire pit and then Dawson camped out in our room. He LOVED it and actually asked to go to bed which never happens.
Dawson is almost done with the 2nd grade. It seems like he was just a little baby or toddler running around. I also feel like I just took him into kindergarten--where does the time go?
He is finishing up his 3rd season of baseball and he has improved so much! He has always been able to run the bases because he has such speed. He has improved so much at catching and hitting the ball which makes for a much more exciting game. He will start up his 3rd season of soccer this fall. He gets to play on an all boy team which will be good for him. Although he did tell me he wants to play on the boy/girl team because he is always better than the girls. He cracks me up.
The other night Dawson and I were sitting in the hot tub and chatting about different things. As he is playing around and we are chatting about growing up and tells me that he knows there is a God. It was so sweet to hear his testimony and I didn't even have to prompt him! I then took a minute to bear my testimony to him. It was a special moment to me and probably one he doesn't even remember happening. I know that all the hard work of going to church, daily prayers, and scripture study are paying off!

Mother’s Day

2010-05-10T10:37:00.001-07:00

I LOVE Mother's Day. We don't ever do anything extreme and fancy. I just like thinking that it is a day about me and celebrating being a mother. The only other day that can be somewhat about me is my birthday but as I get older that is not as exciting. Brad was very sweet to get up and feed Jane around 6:30 so that I could sleep in a little. Dawson crawled in bed for some snuggles around 7:30. I had told him that's really what I wanted for Mother's Day was for him to snuggle with me. He lasted almost a half hour which surprised me. About 8:30 Dawson, Jane, and Brad brought me breakfast in bed. Honey Nut Cheerios and a glass of OJ never tasted better! It is always a little strange eating breakfast in bed while everyone watches you. After eating I was giving my beautiful mother's day necklace from Brad and the kids. It is a silver heart with a butterfly and crushed diamonds. I had maybe left a HUGE hint that I wanted this by marking it in a catalog and leaving it open on the coffee table. They also gave me a sweet card. Dawson gave me his own present that he had worked on at school and it was so sweet. He had made a big card with a very sweet thank you and why he loved me on the inside….he included that he is thankful I do homework with him (I hate homework time so that meant a lot.) Inside was a lamenated bookmark with dried flowers and 3 handmade cards with envelopes. He had made sure to use all the colors that I love. It was very touching. He was extra full of hugs and kisses for me. Jane on the other hand decided it would be a great day to only take 2 twenty minute naps and to be a little cranky. She's still a sweet baby though.

I was also fortunate to be able to spend part of Mother's Day with my own mom. Brad made this possible by teaching my primary class at church for me. He is the greatest! It was so nice to spend some time with my mom and Mary. I still appreciate and look up to my mom more than she can possibly even know. She is one of my best friends and I am so glad that she is there for me always. I love knowing that I can call her and just tell her whatever is on my mind and she will patiently listen and give me words of advice or encouragement. Sometimes I hang up the phone with her and feel bad for talking so much but she continues to call and answer my calls so it must not be that bad!

After spending time with my mom Brad, the kids, and I went up to Brad's parents house to spend some time with his mom. She broke down and baked us cookies even though we told her not too since it was mother's day. She couldn't help it. She is a fantastic mother in law and I'm so blessed to have her in my life. In the almost 4 years that I have known her she has taught me so much. She also gives me a lot of encouragement to be a great mother.

We then went over to Mary's and had dinner. Her husband, Ben cooked a delicious dinner for us. I was very thankful because I was NOT going to cook dinner on Mother's Day which meant I would be eating most likely ravioli or cereal. Mary was also generous enough to share some of her ice cream cake with me. It was super yummy.

Race For the Cure

2010-05-10T10:18:00.001-07:00

This last Saturday my family and I were a part of 5k Race/Walk for the Cure for breast cancer in Sacramento. My sister, Lori, had set up a team with a couple of friends and co workers. The team (Walkers for Knockers) had 50 (or more) people on the team which was awesome. It was a fabulous experience and one I hope to get the chance to do again. I think we all enjoyed it so much because my mother was there walking as a survivor with all of us daughters.
After the race we meet up with an old foster sister of mine who was also visiting some family in Sacramento. It's always great to see her, her family, and her sisters. I got to meet their daughter, Amara who was born just 5 days before Jane. What a sweet baby she is!
After meeting up with them we drove into Vacaville to Crissy's house. My cousin, Danielle, came over to visit with her 2 1/2 week old son. He was so precious and I was thrilled to finally meet him!
It was such a busy and exciting day for us!

Jane-5 Months

2010-04-21T21:16:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? It seems like she was just born but today is Jane's 5 month birthday. She is absolutely adorable and we love having her in our family. She brings us so much joy. She really is a happy and fairly easy baby.

What's new about Jane:

Swivels around on her stomach to get to toys
Pulls on her musical hanging toys or reaches for other toys that are hanging above her
Loves to suck on two (sometimes just one) of her fingers
Drool, drool, and more drool
Refuses to eat any baby cereal or baby food
Continues to sleep from about 9:30pm-7am (love it)
Most days won't take a long nap but rather a few short naps
Recognizes familiar people—she really lights up when she sees Dawson, Brad or I
Lots of giggling and baby babbling
Attempts to hold her own bottle
Loves to be in a sitting up position and seeing all that is going on
Is ticklish
Loves peek-a-boo
Loves her swing and vibrating chair
Loves to be rocked to sleep
Loves to be outside, especially for walks
She is still a momma's girl

Easter and Spring Break

2010-04-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

On Easter I woke up fairly early with Jane and waited and waited for Dawson to wake up. Brad woke him up at 8:30--I don't ever remember having to be woken up for a holiday growing up. We were always up extra early and I'm sure that drove my parents crazy. He enjoyed going through his fun filled basket and helping Jane go through hers. She was fascinated with her basket and just stared at it and wouldn't look at me to get a picture. Dawson then had a small egg hunt with just himself--not as exciting as an egg hunt with his cousins but he had to spend the majority of the day with his dad so he didn't have time for an egg hunt with his cousins. After Dawson took off we headed over to Brad's sisters house for an amazing brunch and a good time visiting with family and friends. Jane LOVED all the attention and she was as cute as ever all dressed up.
The afternoon we got Dawson back and headed up to Sunriver, OR with Brad's parents. We were not sure if we would make it or not due to the snowy weather. We ended up sitting on I5 right outside of Dunsmiur for 2 hours. It was NO fun at all but Jane was able to get out of her carseat and stretch. The drive to Sunriver usually takes us about 4 1/2 hours--we made it in 8 hours. We were so exhausted and sore from sitting in the car and being on edge driving in the snow. It snowed lightly on and off up there which Dawson loved.
We had a great time in Oregon as usual. I love going to the outlet's to shop. I got a couple great deals on clothes for Jane and some shoes for me. Monday we spent mostly shopping around Bend. On Tuesday we made it a fun filled day for Dawson. We headed back into Bend and took him to a fun center. We went bowling (I scored a 145 which shocked me....maybe those bumpers helped a little the first couple throws.) For whatever reason everyone had bumpers--we couldn't figure out how to change it and it just made the game all that much more fun. After bowling we went to the attached arcade and Dawson played some games and scored tickets to cash in for little prizes. We then went on their bumper cars which was a lot of fun. I love watching Dawson laughing and having a great time. After playing around town we went back to the house we were renting and Dawson went for a walk in the snow with Brad's dad. Brad and Dawson went out and kicked the soccer ball around in the snow and had a snowball fight....Dawson likes throwing snow balls just not having them thrown back at him.
Jane had an okay vacation. She didn't sleep well (she's used to her nice cozy bed not a small travel bed.) So needless to say Brad and I didn't get much sleep. She loved hanging out with Brad's mom (and I enjoyed the break from having to hold her and entertain her all the time.) I am thankful we brought her play mat up because she does love playing with her toys on there.
Our vacation didn't last long enough as usual but we were so happy to get away for a few days. We are enjoying the last couple days of spring break hanging around the house. I can't wait for summer! It is so nice having Dawson and Brad around all day.

Jane-4 Months

2010-03-18T08:08:00.001-07:00

My sweet Baby Jane is 4 months old this coming Sunday, the 21st. Where does time go? She goes to the Doctor on Monday to see how big she really is-she looks petitie to me. I can't believe how much she is growing and changing every day. She is the most perfect and beautiful baby and I'm so lucky she is mine. (Can you tell I'm just a little bit proud? I had to wait a long time for her.)

Here are some things that Jane is doing now:
*Holds her head and neck up pretty high and can look all around when laying on her tummy.
*Trying SO hard to roll over. She can get to her side and that's about it.
*Giggles, giggles, and more giggles.
*Full of huge smiles.
*Sleeps most nights from 10:30-6:45 with one wake up for a pacifier.
*Recognizes her toys, Brad, Dawson, and I and gets so excited when she see's us.
*Loves to "talk" to anyone or just herself.
*Loves listening to music.
*Is a fan of TV and her favorite show right now is American Idol.
*Such a great traveler. We have had to take a few day trips to Vacaville and back and she has done a fantastic job
*I think she is pretty nosy-she likes to see what is going on and who is around her. She just might be a social butterfly.

I am sure I am missing some key elements of what she can do by now. It's fairly early in the morning and my mind isn't 100% awake yet.

Cruz's Baptism and St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my nephew, Cruz, was baptized. It was a great day and full of fun. We woke up early-or should I say early for a Saturday but normal for a weekday. We drove down to Vacaville for the baptism and went out to a great lunch with all the family after wards. Cruz was so proud to be the center of attention on his very special day. I made Cruz cookies and brownies upon his request for everyone who attended. I also made him a slide show of pictures of him from a baby until present day to play while he was changing his clothes after his baptism. The slide show turned out so cute and I think made many of us teary eyed.
Yesterday was Saint Patrick's Day. It's one of my favorite holidays--actually I love all holidays. It gives me an excuse to have a party. I woke up a few minutes early to surprise Dawson with green pancakes. He thought they were pretty cool but tried to say that I just added food coloring to the batter and leprachon's had nothing to do with it. So while he was at school I ran to the dollar store to get some supplies to decorate the house with. I had streamers everywhere. I had gold balloons and yellow candies on the table (I couldn't find gold-guess that's what I get for waiting until the last minute.) He thought it was so awesome when he got home. Seeing his face light up over a little decorating is what motherhood is all about. To end the day we celebrated with another nephew, Seth, his 5th birthday. He sure is a lucky kid to have his birthday on St. Patty's Day.

Don't forget to say "I love you"

2010-02-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

My thoughts and prayers are with a family friend today. He lost his oldest son less than a month ago and lost his wife yesterday. I can't imagine the heartbreak he or his other son are feeling and what they must be going through.
It has made me appreciate my family even more than I already do. You never know when your last hug or chance to say that you love them will be. Make every moment count and cherish all the big and small moments.
I am thankful that I believe that his wife and son are together in Heaven now. I know that this is God's plan and one day we might understand why they were both taken when they were.
My dear friends and family-please know that I love each of you and am so glad that our lives have crossed paths. Please make sure to tell your dear ones how much you love them and how much they mean to you.

Valentine's, Parties, and Babies

2010-02-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty low key Valentine's Day. We woke up and exchanged gifts. Brad got me this red water pitcher I really wanted filled with chocolate. It's Le Creuset and I got an e-mail offer from a local store who had it on sale and gave a $10 coupon off that price so we could get it for $15 rather than $45. I kindly forwarded the e-mail to him as a hint. We gave Dawson a couple Lego toys he had been wanting along with a small box of chocolate. He was SO excited. The picture I have of him with the toy isn't the greatest though. Brad got a box of recess chocolates from me. Since Jane is just a baby we didn't do anything for her other than dress her up as a very cute Valentine.
This past weekend Mary, her daughters, Dawson, Jane, and I went down to Vacaville. We celebrated 2 of our nephew's birthdays. Cruz turned 8 (on Valentine's Day) and Josh will be 3 in a couple of days. They had a super hero party and Jillian did an awesome job planning it. The kids all had a blast running around with their super hero capes. After the birthday party we put on a baby shower for my cousin Danielle. She is due with her first baby in mid April. It was a really nice shower. After her shower we headed over to my Aunt Suzi's house for some scrapbooking. It was so nice to get started on Jane's baby album. I didn't get as much done as I wanted since I had Jane with me but I did get a few pages done. It was a very busy day and I was exhausted!
For more family news Lori has officially announced that she is pregnant with baby #2! We are so thrilled for another baby in the family. It is so much fun watching the kids all play together. Hopefully as they get older we can take them all camping and on vacations so that they are all close. Brad's sister Jill just found out that she is having a baby girl (due on my birthday in June.) It's hard to believe that I will have 16 nieces and nephews by the end of summer.

Just Some Pictures

2010-02-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

All about Jane

2010-01-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

Jane is 10 weeks old now! Time sure is flying by. Yesterday I put away the last of her newborn clothing. It was a bit sad but she still has so many new cute things to wear. I just wonder if I will ever have another daughter that can wear the clothes again since we are storing them away. I took Jane in for her 2 month check up and her first set of shots. She did a great job and wasn't too fussy at all. She weighed 9lbs 10oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. She has gained 3lbs since birth. I looked up how big Dawson was at his 2 month appointment and he was the same length but a little over a pound less so I think Jane just might be a little bigger than him. Jane does not have the same eating issues that Dawson did (thank goodness!) I couldn't handle another puking baby. Jane can hold her head up now and loves to look around. She enjoys "talking" to people and showing off her absolutely adorable smile that would melt anyone's heart. She enjoys hanging out in her swing or laying on her play mat. She has a mirror on it so she can see herself and she gets all excited. She also LOVES her brother and cousins. She gets so happy when she sees them (and her Aunt Mary!) So far she seems to definitely be a momma's girl...which I really enjoy for the most part unless I want to get something done. The best part of all is that she sleeps almost all through the night now. If she does wake up it's only once. I am enjoying my sleep again. I am not a huge fan of waking up every 1 1/2-2 hours and being awake for an hour at a time. The picture of Jane and I wearing hats is at my Grandmother's 80th birthday party. She hosted a tea party for her friends and family (girls only.) It was so much fun!

What a busy month!

2010-01-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

My brother and his family have moved back to California. It has been awesome getting to see them a few times already since they've been back. I am hopeful that he will find a job soon.
Christmas was held at our house again this year. It was a fun filled day! We love hosting everyone at our home. Jane stayed awake for the opening of her presents. This year we had Dawson on Christmas Eve so we did presents that morning, went out to brunch, then went to a Christmas Eve dinner with my brother-in-laws family. Dawson got to open up Santa gifts, other family gifts and his stocking the day after Christmas. New Year's was rather uneventful. We stayed at home and watched the ball drop. Jane decided to stay up until 2am-she was the party animal that night! We were begging her to fall asleep.
Last Monday I finally had my gall bladder surgery. My recovery is going as quickly as possible. It's hard to get a lot of rest when I'm up during the night a few times with the baby and can't get a great nap during the day. I hope within the next week I'm feeling much better. I am thankful to have it over with and to not have to have that type of pain again.
Jane also had her baby blessing a week ago. Brad did an awesome job on her blessing. It was very touching. I was so happy that my family (minus Crissy) were able to be there. Jane looked absolutely beautiful.

So Much to Blog About...

2009-12-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Jane is 3 weeks and 1 day old today. How times flies! I took her in for a 2 week check up last week and she weighed 7lb 3oz. She gained 1lb 3oz in just 2 weeks! I was impressed. It means she's getting plenty to eat. We are working on getting into a routine now. My biggest worry was being able to wake up and get Dawson to school on time. His school starts at 7:45 which makes for us being up rather early. Jane is usually asleep during this time so getting Dawson up and ready and to school has not been a problem. I have been able to get out of the house a few times which is nice. I haven't been able to spend as much time with Mary's kids but hopefully now that Jane is a little bigger I will get back to seeing them more. Cora loves baby Jane. Asher has only really noticed her once and wanted to play with her feet and was laughing. It was pretty sweet.
Brad and I took the kids into Sears to have their pictures taken together and seperate. While we were at the mall we also decided to take them to see Santa. It was perfect going during the week. There was no line at all to see Santa and Santa really enjoyed holding Jane. Their pictures all turned out so cute and I had a hard time choosing my favorite ones.
Brad has officially passed his last Master's class and is a graduate now! I'm so proud of him. He had his winter concert last week and has nothing to worry about for school for a couple of months. I've already noticed a huge difference and we have gotten to spend a lot more time together. It was almost strange to be able to sit and watch TV together knowing he didn't have to get up to go back and do homework or work on musical music.
We had a great Thanksgiving. Jane was 5 days old and was an angel. She did decide to wake up as soon as it was time for us to eat as did Mary's son Asher. Gotta love the babies though! Brad and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house (although we didn't do all the work....every time I got up my mom told me to go sit back down.) It was really nice to have my family here and I am thankful they were willing to travel here. For the past 10 years we have always gone to my Aunt's house and before that my Grandparents house. I just knew I wouldn't be able to travel yet.
We are looking forward to having Christmas dinner at our house again this year. Our home is all decorated now and we are definitely in the Christmas Spirit. We love this time of year. We have so much to be thankful for. My brother and his family are moving back to CA this week! I can't wait to have them close by and to get to be around their kids more. I hope he is able to find a job here in Redding (or near by) so that we can get together a lot. We are also excited that Brad's sister is having another baby. She is due on my birthday (June 21st.) She just told us last week-although I've had a feeling since mid October that she was. It will be nice for Jane to have another little cousin. We are hoping they have another girl since they have 3 boys.

Jane Elizabeth Fowers

2009-11-24T14:06:00.001-08:00

Sweet baby Jane was added to our family on Saturday, November 21st, 2009. She was born at 12:45pm weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces and 18 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful and the perfect addition to our family. Dawson adores her and is thrilled to finally be a big brother.
I went into labor early Saturday morning. I went to bed feeling like she was lower than normal and it was hard to walk. At 3am I woke up to a contraction (I was also dreaming I was in labor at the same time.) I didn't think much of it because this had been happening for a couple of weeks now. I went back to sleep and woke up 15min. later to another contraction and dreaming again that I was in labor. I decided I would time them. They were not too consistent about every 6-10minutes. Around 4:10 I decided I should wake Brad up and go to the hospital to get checked just in case. We got there around 5am and I was still only dilated to a 4 (I had been a 4 since my Drs. appt on Wednesday.) I was a little disappointed about that. The nurse hooked me up to monitor my contractions. After an hour she said they weren't regular so they might send me home but the Drs. were changing over at 7 so they would wait until then. At 7:30 they checked me again and I was still a 4 with irregular contractions (3-8min. apart.) They mentioned sending me home again...I was not so happy about that At 9am the nurse came in and checked and said that although I hadn't dilated anymore I was showing some progress so they would admit me. I then asked for an epidural because I was tired of the pain and figured at the pace I was going this was going to take a long time. The anesethelogist came in around 10 and got it going. I wasn't feeling much just a little pressure here and there but the monitor wasn't picking up contractions at all. I thought great the epidural stopped my labor and this is going to be awful. The nurse checked my progress around 10:45 or so and said I was now 6cm and 100% effaced. I was shocked! She said my water needed to break and if it didn't break soon she would try to help me with that. At 11:15 I'm having Mary read to me what is for dinner and the other options in the cafeteria when I felt a lot of pressure and told her to hold on. I then heard and felt a pop (she heard it too) and sure enough my water broke. We got the nurse in there and she checked and said sure enough that was your water and you are now a 10 and ready to push. The Dr. came rushing in and I started freaking out. The baby's heart rate dropped so they put the internal monitor on her head (which was tangled up in her hair after I delivered.) They gave me oxygen to help me and the baby out. With the epidural going I couldn't feel anything so the nurse turned it off. Within minutes I was feeling intense pain! I ended up pushing for 3 contractions then took a 10min. break. I then pushed again for a few contractions and they said to take a 15min. break. I was having to breathe through the contractions that were very painful. Mary became my focal point for whatever reason and I just kept staring at her and saying breathe. She lost it at one point and laughed at me. I apologized after wards for being a little bit crazy/creepy by looking at her. All the sudden I had the worse pain/pressure feeling and the nurse had me try to push and sure enough Jane was ready. The Dr. came back in and I pushed a couple of times and out she came. It was rather scary and exciting at the same time. It was not my finest hour in life and I'm thankful to not be pregnant anymore. I have so much more energy and am feeling more like myself again.
Brad has been an awesome dad and husband. He just loves his daughter. Dawson wasn't able to come see us at the hospital because of h1n1. He adores her though and has been a huge help when he's around. He just looks at her and you can see his love for her. Nothing makes me happier than that. I'm sure he will be very protective of her.
I have to end my post with a HUGE THANK-YOU to my amazing twin sister Mary. She showed up at the hospital at 5am (with her make up on) and went through labor and delivery with Brad and me. She brought us food when we needed it and kept everyone updated. She let me squeeze her hand and stare at her when I was freaking out. She kept Dawson Sunday night and took him to a movie on Monday so Brad and I could have some time with Jane. I can't thank her enough. I also have to thank all my family who came to visit us and who have been helping us out. It means so much to us. We are indeed blessed.

Halloween and Pregnancy

2009-11-02T11:17:00.000-08:00

Dawson had a fantastic Halloween. We didn't get to carve pumpkins with Mary and her family this year because time just flew by and our schedules were a bit crazy. Dawson and I carved pumpkins together (Brad has been SO busy at work with musical.) I let him be in charge of his own pumpkin and he was very proud of his creation.
Halloween was a busy day. Dawson had his last soccer game of the season followed by their team party. Brad and I stayed at the house to hand out candy and babysit Asher while Dawson went out with Mary's family and his dad. He had a blast and loved being a skeleton. I loved that he was a skeleton because it's a costume he got last year for Christmas so I didn't have to buy him a new one this year.
Today I am 35 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I am pretty sure I will be having this baby early. I went to the Dr. last Thursday and was already dilated to 1 1/2cm and 70% thinned out. I have been having inconsistent contractions daily and my hips are killing me. Brad and I feel pretty ready for the baby but it is a stressful time of year with him having his school's musical and finishing up his Masters Degree. Once Dec. 10th comes life won't be as crazy for him. I just worry about going into labor at the worst possible time for him. Thankfully I go to the Dr. weekly now so should get updates on my progress and if he thinks labor is close.
And another Dawson update is that he's FINALLY able to read chapter books and loves it. I'm so proud of him. I'm so amazed at how well he can read now compared to what he was doing a year ago. He's also really good at Math and seems to enjoy it. He does not really enjoy spelling at all.

33 Weeks Pregnant

2009-10-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

I went to the Doctor today for a routine checkup. He says everything looks good so far. I was worried that the baby was transverse (sideways) due to where I feel movement. He said he's pretty sure that she's curled up on my right side with her head down and her bum by my belly button which is why I feel the movement where I do. I am glad to hear that but as time goes on we will know for sure. I was worried that I might have to have a c-section. Brad and I are finishing up our childbirth education classes. It has been a good refresher for me but thinking about the labor process gives me anxiety. My Dr. did tell me that I should be able to get some medication even if I'm progressing quickly if I request it. He also said that I shouldn't have to push for 2 hours like I did with Dawson. I sure hope I don't! It was too tiring. We are getting more and more anxious as the time draws nearer. I am hoping to have the baby between 37-38 weeks so keep your fingers crossed for me! If I have her a little early it means I can get my gallbladder out sooner. I have had a couple attacks recently that were pretty intense and resulted in driving to the ER only to have the pain disappear on the drive there. Brad has been pretty good about it and is very helpful.

Disneyland and Baby Shower

2009-10-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

Dawson had the opportunity to go to Disneyland with Mary, Ben, and Natalie. I baby sat Cora and Asher for the weekend as a trade off. He had a BLAST and can't wait to go back. He did come down with a bit of a cold on his 2nd day there. He was exhausted by the end of the day and ended up sleeping through the fireworks show. He was very brave and went on all the fast roller coasters.
This last weekend Mary threw me a baby shower. It was fantastic getting together with a bunch of family and friends. Mary did a great job planning it and it meant a lot to me. She made an edible fruit arrangement and a butterfly cake. She didn't like how it turned out but I thought it was very cute. I am feeling more prepared for baby Jane's arrival. I do have my moments of anxiety where I am not sure I can do it (but it's a little late for that now isn't it?!) The picture of me in front of the fireplace is me at 31 weeks pregnant. I think I grow more and more each day.

2009-10-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy Pains and Joys

2009-09-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

This pregnancy started out awesome for me. I found out I was pregnant at 3 ½ weeks and kept waiting for morning sickness to kick in. I had morning sickness for 5 months or so with Dawson. I never had horrible morning sickness during this pregnancy. Sure I had my moments of not feeling great or loss of appetite but it was not bad at all. I didn’t gain any weight until the 20^th week of pregnancy. Those were the weeks.

Around the 18^th week of pregnancy my leg/pelvic region started to ache. It has not stopped since and I’m now 30 weeks pregnant. I have not confirmed it with the doctor yet (I go in next week) but am pretty sure it’s called pelvic girdle pain. It should heal itself after I have this baby. I have put in bold print the symptoms that I have. Here are the symptoms of PGP:

· Present swelling and/or inflammation over joint.

· Difficulty lifting leg

· Pain pulling legs apart.

· Unable to stand on one leg.

· Unable to transfer weight through pelvis and legs.

· Pain in hips and/or restriction of hip movement.

· Transferred nerve pain down leg.

· Can be associated with bladder and/or bowel dysfunction.

· A feeling of symphysis pubis giving way.

· Stand with a stooped over back.

· Malalignment of pelvic and/or back joints.

· Struggle to sit or stand.

· Pain may also radiate down the inner thighs.

· You may waddle or shuffle.

· Aware of an audible ‘clicking’ sound coming from the pelvis.

Needless to say it is no fun at all. It makes the smallest tasks so difficult at times.

Around 22 weeks pregnant I woke up one night with this awful pain in my ribs and back. I was scared to death and was at my parents house without Brad. I had a few more episodes like this and decided it was time to go to the Dr. I had an ultrasound done of my gall bladder and sure enough I have gall stones. UGG! So now I have to really watch what I am eating. This is the time of my life I shouldn’t have to worry about everything I am eating and now I have to be so cautious. I can not do anything about the gall stones until after I have this baby and then it will be at least 6 weeks after that. I hope to have the baby 3 weeks early so that I can it removed right after the first of the year. I will have to endure the holiday’s with this and that will be no fun!

I have also from early on experienced round ligament pain. It is also AWFUL pain to endure. It usually feels like a knife stabbing into the lower side of me. It alternates sides or occurs on both sides at the same time. It has brought me to tears more than once. Needless to say between round ligament pain and the pelvic pain I have a rough time rolling over in bed at night or getting up in the morning. It’s not so pleasant. I also get leg cramps on occasion and those are also horrible. I got them toward the end of my pregnancy with Dawson but this time around they happened much earlier on. I feel like with all this pain there is no way I can go through with another natural childbirth but then again I can’t go in thinking I can get medication since they told me I couldn’t have anything last time because I progressed so quickly. I am hoping for a very speedy labor again!

I know that all this pain will be forgotten and worth it the day that I have baby Jane. I am looking forward to holding, snuggling, and kissing her. I am anxious to see what she looks like and to have my whole life as I know it changed! I know she will be a great added blessing to our family. Now let us hope she shows up in 7 weeks and not 10+ weeks.

Labor Day Weekend/ Dawson's 7th Birthday

2009-09-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Brad and I hanging out at my parents house.
The Birthday Boy at Chuckee Cheese

Mary made the cutest cakes for the kids!
The Birthday Kids

For Labor Day weekend we headed over to my parents house on the coast. Mary and her family went as well. We had a party for the kids on Saturday. Dawson turned 7, Natalie 8, and Cora 2. It was a mellow party and the kids had a lot of fun. I can't believe that Dawson is already 7. He is growing up so quickly. I love that he is such a sweet kid. He is always full of hugs and kisses for me (as long as his friends aren't around.) He is doing an awesome job at school. He is overall such a happy kid. I am so blessed to have him and to be able to raise him.
Monday night his dad threw him a party at Chuckee Cheese. I'm not a huge fan of the place but Dawson had a great time. I just sat back and watched him and enjoyed not being the host of the party. Dawson's big present from Brad and I is a trip to Disneyland in a couple of weeks. He is going to go with Mary, Ben, and Natalie while I watch Cora and Asher. They are going to have a great time (as am I!) I don't think I could physically walk all around Disneyland.
My baby belly is getting bigger and bigger each day. I'm just about 28 weeks pregnant and everything is going pretty smoothly. I definitely have an appetite now and feel like I eat non stop some days. Baby Jane moves around a lot and it still makes me laugh sometimes. Brad saw her move my whole stomach yesterday--it freaked him out a little bit but he thought it was neat. I am anxious to meet her in less than 12 weeks (hopefully) and see what she looks like.

Back to School

2009-08-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

School started back up on Monday. I can't believe that Dawson is already in the 2nd grade. It feels like I just dropped him off at Kindergarten. He loves his class and teacher so far. I hope it stays that way. On the second day of school he ran out of class and told me that he has a new crush. She's a new girl to the school that is in his class. She isn't as blonde as his previous crushes so I was a bit surprised but at least he is opening up to other types. The first week back is always hard getting back into a schedule. Brad starts up his musical auditions then practices next week. It's always a tough transition. I get used to having him around most of the day during the summer then all the sudden he is working 12 hours a day. We are just hoping that I don't go into labor the weekend of his musical (the weekend before Thanksgiving.)

Dawson also started his second year of soccer. His cousin, Natalie, is on the same the same team so it should be a fun season. The team seems fairly young so they probably won't do all that great but I think they will have a good time. I just enjoy watching Dawson play any sport. He has so much more athletic ability than I ever did. It just comes to him and he loves it.

I'm now 25 weeks pregnant and growing daily. The baby has days where she kicks non stop and other days where she doesn't move around much at all. I love it. The only part I do not like is all the ligament pain and sciatic pain that I have been having. I have been going to a chiropractor and that seems to help a little. We have the nursery pretty much set up and love it. It's so adorable and perfect for us. She is one lucky baby.

High School Reunion, Sunriver, and baby update

2009-08-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. I drove over to my parents house on Friday afternoon and came back home Sunday afternoon. Friday night everyone was supposed to meet up at the bars. Since I'm not a drinker and I'm pregnant I didn't find that appealing. Mary and I went and got ice cream across the street from the bars instead. We some some interesting characters out late at night in Arcata. We had a good time visiting with old friends and seeing people from the past. I was pretty tired by the end of the night though. In the picture above is one of my great friends, Katie, who I still keep in touch with, myself, and Mary.

Brad and I took Dawson back up to Sunriver. We always have so much fun there. Brad's parents also went. It's nice to spend time with them outside of our daily lives. We went the day after I found out I am having a baby girl so Penny (Brad's mom) and I went to a few baby stores. We found a few things that were adorable. I was a bit disappointed in some of the speciality stores with their baby girl clothing. They just didn't have any cute dresses! We took Dawson to the Sunriver mall and let him have an afternoon of fun. We had lunch, rode in bumper cars, jumped in the bounce houses, played mini golf, got a treat, and got to play in the toy store.

Here I am at 21 weeks pregnant. I feel like I wake up bigger and bigger each day. The baby is moving around a lot which I enjoy. Brad has felt her kick a few times. Mary felt her kick once and Dawson has felt her kick as well. I think it kind of freaked Dawson out because he says he doesn't want to feel it again. We are setting up the nursery (I know already!) We had found a crib and amroire that we loved back when I was only 7 weeks pregnant and last summer my mother in law had bought a red changing table and baby girl bedding that was on clearance at a baby store here. We are loving how the room is coming together. It should be complete in the next week or so and I will post a picture. I never got to set up a nursery for Dawson so this has been exciting.

It's a GIRL!

2009-07-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I had my ultrasound at 21 weeks pregnant. Brad, Dawson, and Mary were able to go with me. The whole week before the ultrasound I kept having dreams about it and the equipment not working, the baby not looking like a baby, not knowing for sure what it is, etc. The night before I dreamed twice that it was going to be a boy. I was pretty sure it was a boy and was content with that.
We got to the appointment and had to wait (as usual) for what seemed like forever. I finally got called back and before I knew it my baby was on a 36" screen TV for everyone that went with me to view. There was also a resident doctor there that day so we got a super detailed ultrasound. My Dr. spoke out loud about everything he was looking for, looking at, and had some cool comments. He wasn't able to tell right away if it was a boy or girl but went back later and announced it was a girl. A part of me is still in shock about that because I thought for sure it was a boy. I am SUPER excited as is Brad. Dawson was really bummed because he wanted a brother. He did like seeing the baby on screen though. He loved when they baby yawned and when the baby covered her face with not only her hands but her feet. It made everyone laugh. The 2 pictures we got from the ultrasound are not all that great because of the fact that she kept her hands in front of her face the whole time so I won't be posting it. You really can't tell what anything is.
I have already had the chance to go baby shopping with my amazing mother-in-law. She is so excited to have another granddaughter. There are a lot of really cute baby girl clothes and items out there.
We have decided that we will be naming her Jane Elizabeth. Jane is my middle name as well as my Grandma Betsy and cousin Chelsea. Elizabeth is Mary's middle name as well as my Aunt Suzi's and 2 of my other nieces, Mae and Cora. We LOVE the name and is represents both sides of the family.

Camping at Burney Falls

2009-07-19T14:22:00.001-07:00

Brad, Dawson, and I drove up to Burney Falls campground this past Monday and stayed until Thursday. We met my parents, brother and his family, and all my other siblings up there throughout the week. One of my aunts and 2 cousins were also able to go. We had such a great time. I wasn't sure if Dawson would like camping but he LOVED it. He wants to go again. He especially enjoyed making s'mores each night. He even slept in a tent with his cousins with no adults. I was proud of him. Brad and I slept in his parents camp trailer. Dawson could have slept in there with us. It was pretty warm up there all week so we went swimming every day to cool off. The kids all loved going to swim in the lake and building sand castles. Mary and I went up for a day trip on Friday to visit with the family again. We had a nice time again. I was happy to be done with camping. I really appreciate my bed even more and hot showers that are NOT timed.

Dawson after swimming at the lake at Burney Falls. It was SO hot this week.
Brad, Dawson, and I at the trail head to walk down to the falls. Dawson went twice with my brother. I couldn't make it due to a really bad pain in my leg and Brad had a sprained ankle.
The kids went snipe hunting every night. It was hilarious. If you do not know what snipe hunting is it's a non existent bird that you take people out after dark to hunt for. The kids learned a snipe call from my dad and took out a large ziploc bag to catch it. They even set a trap one night. During the day they would look around the campsite for snipe holes.
Dawson on his first hike to the falls. He really loved this hike.

A busy couple of weeks

2009-07-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks have been filled with visiting family. My brother and his 3 ADORABLE kids came out from Utah to visit. They stayed at my house for a couple days before heading to our parents. Brad, Dawson, and I went to visit them more at my parents house for a few days. We had a great time relaxing, going to the beach, eating at some of my favorite places, and just being with the kids. I wish that they didn't live so far away.

For the 4th of July we went to Weaverville. We went there on the 3rd and walked around town and took Dawson to the museums/tourist things to do. On the 3rd they also had their annual fireworks show. We took Dawson to the park so he could walk around and play at the very small carnival. He loved the fireworks. We stayed the night there at a hotel and woke up early Saturday so to go the town's parade. It was a lot of fun (a bit hot but luckily since I'm pregnant was able to sit in one of the few shaded spots and hold the little babies.) After the parade we came back home and Dawson went to visit with his dad. We watched the fireworks in Redding the night of the 4th up at the hospital....it's a pretty good view from there! Mary and Natalie came with us and then Mike, his girlfriend, and Dawson showed up so we got to enjoy the show with them.

Brad and I bought a fetal doppler online so we can listen to the babies heartbeat whenever we want. It's amazing and sounds just as clear as if we were at the doctors office. Dawson loves to listen to the baby and has been talking to it more and rubbing my stomach. He is so excited. We are very excited to be finding out in 2 weeks what we are having. We want to start just being able to look at more gender specific baby stuff.

Tennis, Turtle Bay, Doctor and Family visits

2009-06-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Monday Dawson started back up with Tennis. He LOVES it. Natalie decided she would go too (she didn't want to at first but when she found out she could swim afterwards she decided it was worth it.) She ended up loving it and will continue playing as well.
Yesterday (Tuesday) Brad and I went to my Doctor for our prenatal monthly check up. We waited for about an hour before the Doctor saw us--always a bit annoying, especially when my appointment lasted maybe two minutes. I don't usually have any questions or concerns and the ones I have I usually google online or just know it's normal. We got to hear the babies heartbeat. It was a strong and steady 145bpm. I wanted to just lay there and listen to it all day! I have felt a few other really faint movements but nothing really strong. We go in next month, July 23rd, for the ultrasound and we are DEFINITELY finding out what we are having. I am so anxious to know and wish I already did know.
After my appointment Brad and I went to Mary's. We were sitting around and talking and all the sudden Asher rolled over. It was his first roll over and he acted like it was no big deal. He wasn't angry or crying at all. He rolled over 2 more times and then Mary got the camera out and he decided he was done. It was an exciting moment.
Brad and I took Dawson and Natalie out to Round Table Pizza for lunch, then to Turtle Bay museum, and ice cream. It was a busy afternoon. The kids had a blast at Turtle Bay. They have a bunch of displays that deal with Shasta County history, science, animals, etc. It is super kid friendly and there are a lot of hands on activities. The display we were most looking forward to was the LEGO display. This artist makes sculputres and pictures out of only legos. It was really awesome. They even had a classroom set up where you can make your own lego creation and put it up on display for the week. Dawson and Natalie both LOVED that. I got there and realized I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures. That bummed me out a bit.
When we got home my cousin Sarah from Long Beach, her mom, and another cousin, Amy who lives here in town came by to visit. We had a nice visit with them. It's always good to see them and catch up.
My brother will be here tomorrow for a couple of days with his kids. I'm so EXCITED to see them. They will be going to the coast to my parents house after this so we are planning on going over there for a few days to spend more time with them. I wish they lived closer. It's tough to be favorite auntie when I only get to see them once a year.

Aahhhh....Summertime!

2009-06-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

I am LOVING summer vacation so far. Dawson gets to stay up late and sleeps in. We have had fun playing many games (go fish, war, i spy, yahtzee, etc.) Dawson is at a fun age to be playing games with. My oldest niece, Kayla, graduated high school last week. Dawson and I went down to Vacaville to celebrate with her. I am so proud of her. It was great visiting with all the family, especially my brother who came out from Utah as a surprise. Lori's daughter, Iris, giggled at me and we had fun playing together. I was pretty tired after those couple of days. My parents stayed at my house that weekend and we had a really great visit as usual.
Last night I was at a church BBQ party. It is always fun to get to visit with people that I never get to see at church because everyone is always teaching or something. Mary went with me and that was a lot of fun. While we were there I am pretty sure I felt the baby fluttering around for a few seconds. It didn't last long but it was defiently something. I got home and was telling Brad about it and wrote it down in my pregnancy book and then it happened again. It was awesome. I hope that it continues to happen more frequently. I can't wait to feel it kicking a lot and to have Brad be able to feel it kick as well. I go to the Dr. next week for a check up.
On Tuesday Mary and I were so lucky to be able to visit with 3 girls who we consider sisters. They lived with us as foster sisters for about 3 years when we lived in Weaverville. We had such a great visit with them and their families. We had a yummy BBQ. The kids all got along great. We don't all get to see each other often--the last time we got to see them all together was at my wedding 2 years ago.
Brad is finishing his last day of his music/art camp today so then he will officially be on vacation too. We are looking forward to a relaxing vacation and going on a couple trips.

The last week of 1st Grade for Dawson and Grandparents 60th Anniversary Party

2009-06-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

Dawson finished 1st grade this past Thursday. He has a busy and fun filled week at school. On Tuesday 3 of the 1st grade classes went to the YMCA for a swim/play day. They got to swim and do outdoor play activities as well as have a picnic lunch. Dawson had a great time and I loved being there and getting to talk to other moms before the school year ends. I also had a great talk with Dawson's teacher (who we are going to miss!) She had the nicest things to say about him and was very complimentary on how well we are raising him. On his report card she wrote that he is a memorable child. On the last day of school the 1st graders from Dawson's class and another class rotated classrooms and did fun acitivites at different centers. I was in charge of teaching them how to hopscotch--they all had a great time. They then got a pizza party and ice cream sundaes. Right before leaving the 2 classes did awards. Dawson got 4 awards--the most out of both classes (I was so proud of him!) He got perfect attendnace for 3rd trimester, perfect attendance for the whole school year (the only kid in both classes to get that), collaborative kid award, and outstanding citizenship award (only 6 kids in each class get that a year so it's a big deal.) For earning the citizenship award he got to have lunch with the principal. After school was out Mary and her family and Dawson and I (Brad was still at work) took the kids out to eat at Olive Garden and somehow Dawson manged to eat his 3rd lunch of the day (he did not have dinner that night.) I just can't believe how quickly he is growing up. I am amazed still each day by how much he grows and learns each year. I am blessed to have him and am so proud of him.
Last night we had the opprotunity to travel to Fairfield to celebrate in my grandparents (dad's side) 60th wedding anniversary party. My mom's parents will celebrate their 60th anniversary next summer. We had a great time visiting with all of my dad's family. Instead of just having dancing/music all night they asked that each person in attendance share a talent--anything musical, something that had written, dance, etc. It was great fun seeing all the family share in what their talents were. I was very entertained and the night flew by! We didn't get to bed until 1:30 in the morning. I hope that Brad and I are as fun loving and full of energy like they are when we have been married for 60 years! They are truely a great example to all of us.

I'm so proud of Dawson

2009-05-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dawson has been making great choices recently. He really is such a big help. I know that when I have this baby he is going to be an awesome big brother. This past week he finally passed level 2 in math at school. He has been working on it since January. He was so excited! Today I was teaching him how multiplication works and he figured it out instantly. He was telling me all the 2's and 10's. I love those light bulb moments--now if only he will remember it! He always makes a huge mess upstairs so we had a deal that each day he would clean a different area. The first day he cleaned off the stairs and the hallway. The next day he was in charge of cleaning his bedroom. He was up there FOREVER and I figured he was just playing (he gets easily distracted!) I told him the he could finish it up the next day because I wanted to spend some time with him before he had to go to bed. He looks at me and says "Why would you say you can finish it tomorrow?" and motions me upstairs. I go upstairs and he had cleaned his bedroom and play room. He was very proud of himself and I was so proud of him. He worked really hard. I was babysitting Natalie, Cora, and Asher the other day while Mary and Ben went on a date. I had laid Asher down for a few minutes and Dawson took it upon him to play with him and talk to him then fed him a bottle. He hasn't shown much interest in Asher up until that point. It was so sweet watching him talk to Asher. Dawson also continues to pray nightly for our baby that it will be strong and healthy. This prayer never gets old to me and just touches my heart. He is so caring at such a young age! I hope his great attitude and cheerfulness keeps lasting.
As for my pregnancy I have been doing really well. I have not had morning sickness at all. I do get sick to my stomach still if I eat chocolate (which I have tried a few times!) I do not really care for a lot of food right now it all tastes so blah. I am hoping that changes soon. I am also just so tired all the time. I remember being pretty tired when I was pregnant with Dawson. Tuesday Brad and I went to my doctor. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat...it was 150bpm. It was awesome to be able to hear it and everything is looking good. I have lost 2lbs (probably because I can't eat junk.) I was happy about that. I'm now 12 1/2 weeks pregnant so I imagine that in about 2 weeks or so I will get my appetite back and start gaining some weight.
There are only 8 school days left and so much to before school gets out. I am going to be helping out in Dawson's class a few days and hopefully going on a field trip with Natalie's class. I think that I am done subbing for the year--there probably won't be many jobs and there are only a couple days that I could work. This school year went by so fast!

I love being a mom

2009-05-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day on Sunday. I woke up to Dawson climbing in bed with me all dressed (although he had to change because it was Sunday.) Brad and him each gave me a card, some roses, a kitchenaid cast iron pot I wanted, and Dawson designed a plate for me. I got lots of loves which always makes me happy. I also go to help Dawson give his first talk in primary. He read most of it on his own and I was so proud of him! My mom and dad were in town. It was great to be able to spend time with my wonderful mom on Mother's Day. After church we had lunch over at Mary's house and visited for awhile. After my parents took off we went to my in-laws to visit then over to Jill's (sister-in-laws) for a BBQ. It was a ton of fun and very relaxing for me.
I have been working a lot these last couple of weeks and have been SO tired. Today was my only day off of work for the week so I planned on sleeping in. I got a call from Dawson's school at 8:30 saying he was sick. I went and picked him up and we slept on and off until almost 4pm while we watched movies and various TV shows. It felt so good to catch up on my sleep! Mary, Cora, and Asher also surprised us with a visit this morning so that was nice.
On Thursday, I will be 11 weeks pregnant. So far everything is going great with this pregnancy. I have not gained any wieght :) In fact I have probably lost some. I can't seem to eat chocolate and most food sounds blah! I'm sure that will change shortly though. Dawson still says the sweetest prayers each night that the baby will be strong and healthy and that I will make the right food choices. It cracks me up. He takes good care of me as does Brad. They bring me water or snacks if they are up and getting themselves something. I feel so blessed! I am looking forward to going to the doctor next week and hearing the heartbeat. It will just help make everything seem real and let me know that everything is really okay.

We are PREGNANT!!

2009-04-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

I found out that I was pregnant when I was only 3 weeks and 4 days along March 23rd--3 days before baby Asher was born (Mary's son.) I was so happy to find out that I was pregnant. I might have been in a little denial for the first few hours because it was something I had been wanting so badly for so long. I had a dream Sunday night about taking 2 pregnancy tests and the first one saying "I was a little bit pregnant" and then taking another one that said I was. So when I woke up Monday I decided to test. I took one and the line was SO faint that I swore it wasn't there. I took Dawson to school, came home and went back to sleep for another hour or so. I woke up and decided I should take another one because that first one was a cheapy dollar tree test. I took another one (not a dollar tree one) and there was for sure a line. So I was feeling pretty excited about it. I went to Mary's house to talk to her about it because I was a little bit freaking out. We went to Target and I bought a digital test and took that one around noon and it clearly read "pregnant". I was SO THRILLED. It seemed to take Brad forever to get home from work so I could tell him. I left him a baby bib and a card in his office saying "congrats daddy". He was so excited. We decided not to tell anyone until I was able to go my Dr. and to see the heartbeat. The Dr. scheduled my appointment for May 14th (11 weeks!) I was going crazy thinking something was wrong with the baby. I met with the nurse on April 22nd (7weeks6days) to confirm pregnancy. I told her my concerns and fears and she told me that it was just a waiting game. I left the office feeling so down. I was in the car and just started driving away from the office when the nurse called my cell phone and told me to come back, the Dr. would do a sonogram. I couldn't believe it! It was truely and answer to my prayers. I quickly (and safely) turned around and went back. The Dr. came in and I got to see the baby (we are calling it a blobby because it looks like a blob and a baby right now.) I was able to see the heartbeat right away and it was so amazing! I have to admit I got a little teary eyed. I don't know if the Dr. or nurse knew how much this meant to me even though I tried to express my thanks to them....sometimes words don't cut it. Brad and I are happy to finally be able to tell people that we are expecting on December 3rd. Dawson is so HAPPY and prays everyday for our baby to be healthy and strong. He is going to be an amazing big brother. Before we told him I was pregnant he prayed every night that I would have a baby. Brad has already gone a little bit baby crazy and bought a cradle, crib, and amroire. We did find them all for a good deal online though. We figure we would by that stuff because we have PLENTY that we will need. I haven't had TOO much morning sickness yet--I just have a little here and there. I'm sure it will get worse because it didn't get bad until later on when I was pregnant with Dawson. I'm always SO tired though and could sleep 10 hours every night and still take a nap or two during the day. I don't really care for chocolate either (mentally I think I want it but then I put it in my mouth and it's gross---I wish it was that way ALL the time!) Keep wishing us luck in this pregnancy! We hope it all goes smoothly.

2009-04-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Cora Daw. Isn't she absolutly adorable! I hope one day I have a daughter as cute and as sweet as her.

After the egg hunt....Dawson got the most eggs this year I think (thanks to his fast little legs!)

The Easter Bunny came! He was super excited (just not to have his picture taken)

Myself, Dawson, and Brad---Dawson was annoyed that we wanted a picture with him. He had better things to do (like go through is eggs.)

We had a fantastic Easter Sunday. My mom and all my sisters and their families got together. My dad had to stay home and my brother was in Utah wit his family. We went to church then had an egg hunt and BBQ. It was a ton of fun--especially with baby Iris and Asher. Cora was loving Easter this year--in fact I think she ate chocolate most of the day.
We had the week off of school so Monday morning Brad, Dawson, and I woke up and went to Sunriver, OR. We were there until Thursday. We had a great little vacation with Brad's parents. It snowed the first 2 days (didn't stick) and was pretty cold. When we got back into Redding the weather has been in the upper 80's which is a nice change.

2009-03-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

The past month sure has gone by fast! I worked a few days teaching but spent most of my free time with Mary before she had her baby Asher. Asher was born on March 26th at 12:29pm weighing in at 6lbs 7oz and 19in long. He is adorable and I love him as much as I love her girls. I was fortunate enough to watch Natalie and Cora from Thursday morning until early Sunday afternoon. We were busy and had a great time. They are both so excited to be big sisters. Cora just loves to kiss her new brother. It is always so excited to add another baby into the growing family. Dawson also is in love with his new cousin and is looking forward to teaching him new things. Before Mary had Asher he told Mary that he needed to just find the hole and pop out. I don't know where he got that idea from but it sure made us all laugh! If it was only that easy right?
Dawson has started his second season of baseball. This year he is in the FARM league (slow pitch with the pitching machine.) He is doing pretty good and enjoying it. I forgot how time consuming baseball is compared to soccer! 2 hour practices and games...the poor kids get so distracted. It is fun to see how much more they can understand and do this year though. Mike is helping coach which Dawson loves. His cousin, Tyson, is also on his team (the Cardinals) so they are having a lot of fun together.
Lori's daughter, Iris, is already getting so big. They stayed the night one night last week on their way up to my parents house. It was so nice to catch up with them and hang out. I just wish I lived closer to them so I could help them out more when Lori goes back to work.
Mary and Ben are settled into their new house (well my parents house that they are renting.) They are loving it and I LOVE having them so close by. I feel like we see each other almost daily. I'm blessed to be able to watch their children grow up.

2009-02-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

The past couple of weekends have been busy. Mary and her family moved into my parents new house. It has only been a week so far but it's awesome to have them less than a mile away. It's less than 2 minutes to their house now. I'll miss it when they have to move out but at the same time that means my parents are going to be there so that is just as awesome. Hopefully Mary and her family will find a home near here too.
Brad and I got Rock Band 2 for our playstation3. We were in Circuit City the other day and got a great deal on it. We are having fun playing in our new band we created "Nannerpuss" after the Denny's commercial that is on TV right now. Dawson is learning to sing and play guitar on it and is doing quiet well. He's on the easy level and getting an average of 60%--not bad for a 6 year old....and probably better than what I would be getting. It's a fun family activity.

The past month

2009-02-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

Iris and I

I haven't updated my blog in over a month. I don't have a real excuse. January was a pretty slow work month for me. I got to catch up on my sleep which was great. Lori and Jayson had their beautiful daughter, Iris. She was born on Lori's birthday (Jan. 22nd.) Mary and her family are in the process of packing their rental house up and are moving next weekend to my parents new house they bought on the west side of town near me. I am looking forward to having them 3/4 of a mile away. Cora started saying "Brad" a couple of days ago. So she pretty much says: hi, bye, dad, and brad. It's pretty cute when she says it but I wish she was saying Betsy and Mary wishes she'd say mom.
Dawson is still doing a great job at school. He was sick for a couple of days but didn't miss school. He then got me sick and I've been fighting this sickness for over a week now. Brad is doing well. He is taking classes towards his Master's degree. I feel like it will never be over but hopefully by this summer his classes will be done and he will start his project. He just had his yearly celebration of the arts at work where a couple of his classes performed and did an excellent job. He really does a great job teaching music. He has some great students and parents that support his program. My job was to hand out See's chocolates to each person. It was a great job because it meant I got to try all 3 kinds they had (yum!)
Our living room is now finished and looks awesome! I should take a picture to post it on here. Penny (Brad's mom). It's all red and gold (not shiny gold) and just looks really modern and gives the room a wow factor that we wanted. I have enjoyed just sitting in there and reading. It's also nice to see people sitting in there when they come over--they feel like they can enjoy the room now.

2009-01-03T22:37:00.000-08:00

Since we had another week off at Christmas we decided to go to Brad's parent condo up in Sunriver, Oregon. It's a great place to vacation (not to mention CHEAP for us.) Dawson had a blast playing in the snow. The weather wasn't too bad---and as many of you know I am NOT a fan of the cold. I had fun going down the sledding hill once with Dawson and then he was off on his own loving it. He said his bum hurt the next day and he wouldn't sled the next day we took him. He really loved making snowballs....and throwing them against the window when we weren't expecting it. We have another 2 days of vacation and then back to school and work. It was a wonderful two weeks off together and we enjoyed our time together as a family.

2008-12-28T10:20:00.001-08:00

The month of December FLEW by. I hardly had time to sit and think. I have been subbing for a 2/3 combo class for a teacher who had knee surgery. I have one week left after break. I have enjoyed my time with the students but am really missing working in Dawson's class once a week.
Brad and I offered to have Christmas here at our house. My mom just had reconstructive surgery on her arms and chest. We have yet to see the full effects of surgery but what we can see she looks awesome and she seems so happy. We had to do a lot of work to get prepared for Christmas here. Everyone helped pitch in so I wasn't stuck with a TON of work. I was really thankful for that. We had about 29 people here for Christmas dinner. I hardly got to sit down that day but it was so worth it. I loved being around my family and loved ones and providing a wonderful Christmas for them.
Dawson was spoiled as usual--it is hard not to spoil him when he has so many people who love him and care about him. We are thankful he has so many awesome people in his life. He got to spend time with everyone the week of Christmas. I had him on Christmas Day and enjoyed watching him come downstairs to see what Santa had brought him.
Brad and I also have redecorated our living room this month. His parents big Christmas gift to us was recovering our 2 sofas in there. They were in excellent condition just pink and teal (can we say 80's?) They are now red and we love them! Brad's mom made us new curtains and recovered our piano bench as well. It looks amazing and looks like a totally new room. We also finally found artwork we love for that room and got it hung and bought new coffee table--the other one was just way to big for the space. We are thankful for all that his parents do for us. Our lives are so blessed with having them close by. I look forward to the day when my parents live close to us as well.
We really missed having Lori and Michael and their families at Christmas. Hopefully next year. Lori is due in less than a month with baby Iris--we are looking forward to seeing her and took bets on when she would be born and how much she will weigh. Mary has 3 months left until Asher is here--I'm happy that they are having a baby boy.
Brad and I have one week left of vacation before returning to work so we are taking Dawson up to Sunriver, OR to play in the snow. It should be a lot of fun as long as we can actually make it up there.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-07T11:53:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thanksgiving Week

2008-11-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

It is Thanksgiving Week. I love working in the schools because I get all these wonderful vacations. I am going to be working the whole school month of December (3 weeks) and the first week back in January in a 2/3 combo class. I met the class and it seems like we will have a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to getting to be in one classroom. I'm bummed that I won't be able to go in weekly and help in Dawson's class though. Dawson had a Thanksgiving performance at school. He and another classmate had to tell a joke together and he did a great job. He is not shy in front of people like I was. He's quite the opposite which makes he happy.
Brad's musical Once Upon a Mattress is finally over for the year. It turned out great and I enjoyed watching it. One of Loni Anderson's granddaughters attends his school so she was there again this year to watch her in the musical. She brushed up against my arm as we were walking down the aisle. I can now say I had an encounter with a famous person.
My parents bought a house here in Redding and will be retiring there in a few years. I'm looking forward to that. It's less than a mile from my house. Mary and Ben will be renting it from them so I am looking forward to having them even closer.
Since it is the week of Thanksgiving I should mention that I have so many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for my family--I can't even start to mention people because there are so many people in my life that I am indebted to forever (parents, in-laws, sisters, brother, nieces, nephews (Mary is having a boy!!), aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). I am thankful for how hard my husband works for me and how much he loves me and Dawson. I am thankful for the freedom we have living in America. I am thankful that I don't have to work full time right now, for my beautiful home and our cars. I am thankful for all my great friends I have. I am also grateful for my church and all that it has done to help me so far in my life. My list could go on and on and on but to sum it up I feel so blessed and everyday I am so thankful for my life and where I am at. I feel like I am in a really good place right now and I have worked hard to get where I am.
I hope everyone enjoys Thanksgiving and remembers to give Thanks for all that they have.

Babysitting

2008-11-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Last night Brad and I babysat Mary's 2 daughters. They both spent the night and it was so much fun! We got up early and made french toast and eggs. Mary said Cora did not like french toast but she sure LOVED mine :) I guess I make it better than them. Brad's sister's kids also came over for a couple hours. We had told Dan (brother-in-law) that we would babysit one night for his birthday present (that was back in September.) They finally took us up on our offer. We ended up having a houseful of children (7 total.) It was a ton of fun and all the kids had someone to play with. I especially enjoyed listening to them talk to each other and giggle. Dawson has his last soccer game of the season today. It should be fun and I am looking forward to having my Saturday's back until March when baseball starts back up.

2008-11-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been busy. Lori had her baby shower on October 25th. It was a lot of fun--now we just have to wait until January for baby Iris. The picture of Cora and I was taken there. Mary finds out today if she is having another girl or boy. I get to go with her and am looking forward to that. Mary's family and Dawson and I went to the pumpkin patch. It was an adventure! The kids had a lot of fun choosing pumpkins. We decided that Natalie and Dawson were old enough to gut and carve the pumpkin on their own and they both did a fantastic job. Dawson loved all the gooey guts and using the knife. It rained on Halloween but the kids did not mind. They had a blast trick or treating and both filled up their buckets with candy. Dawson was Darth Vader and I decided at the last minute to dress up like a witch. Cora was also a witch and Natalie was a vampire princess. We have truly enjoyed having Mary's family close by and to do be able to do these activities with them. I feel like my life is so blessed.

2008-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

I've finally decided to start our family blog. Currently Brad is in full swing at school and working on this years musical production "Once Upon A Mattress." He is also working on finishing his Masters Degree and will HOPEFULLY be done sometime next summer. I am working as a substitute teacher again this year and still loving it. I LOVE being able to have flexibility with my schedule. I also love being able to go in and help out in Dawson's first grade class. Dawson is doing fantastic at school and really loves it. He has been busy with tee-ball, hip hop, and soccer this year. I love watching him grow and perform in his talents.