Wedding Bells

October brought a wedding to our family! My dad got married to the lovely Janice and we're happy to have her in our family.

Here are pics of the very nice, yet very hot day. The boys had a blast at the temple playing with their cousins while I witnessed the ceremony. Thanks goes to Pops for staying out with Lumber and making sure he didn't get mauled by the girl cousins.



Dad and Janice and all their grand kids


The Luncheon was wonderful. However I was very nervous with four boys and all glass plates and glasses...only one glass broke the whole time we were there...pretty impressive if you ask me. :) Boss enjoying trying to act like and gentleman.


Crate had a blast playing on the restaurants patio...actually all the cousins did. It's amazing how every time we get together the cousins play perfectly together. They played hide and seek and tag most the afternoon.





I'll leave out the pics of my sisters and I laughing our heads off at the funny poses we were making for Pops who was behind the camera. Let's just say we were all a little tired and wired and laughed so hard several times I might have peed my pants...or dress. I guess that's what four kids will do to you. I had a great time hanging out with them. I seriously couldn't sit up straight I was laughing so hard...J, you gotta see the picture he took of you with the numerous plates of cake...it's a good one. I thought about posting it but I'm not that mean. :)

Pops had fun messing around with the camera taking pics of the family on the lawn at the Temple






If you didn't know better you would think this is Crates mother...not me



If you ask Crate who is "BFF" is he'll say "Jen, Jent" which means Aunt Jennifer. He loves my sisters and even better my sisters love him like their own. My kids couldn't ask for better Aunts. They love my boys and act so excited each time they see them.

And if someone was looking for Crates dad they would probably point this guy out...

Uncle "chi chi" (AKA Uncle Casey) is by far Crates favorite uncle. Now you know where Crate gets the red hair from!

After the wedding and luncheon the brother in laws left for a guys day at some car races my B-in-law had tickets to and the sisters and kids came back to our house to hang out. The kids played and played together and my sisters were kind enough to clean out my closet with me. It was a big project I was dreading to do and it got done that night. Thank goodness. I owe them big time.

Halloween 2011

As always Halloween was a blast this year. I tried to get the boys to do a family "theme" for the evening but the each wanted to be something different. And lets face it...this night is for them.

Buster wanted to be a ninja, Boss wanted to be a scary skeleton...he had to make sure it was scary, Crate wanted superman and Lumber...well thanks to my good friend Heidi, he was a skeleton like Boss.

Pops took them out around the neighborhood while I stayed and passed out candy then we switched and he stayed home while I took the boys to the party they were invited to down the street. Thanks to Erin for making it another great Halloween party!

(Crate did not want the pictures taken...he wanted to grab his bucket and head outside)



They've enjoyed swapping candy and I think Buster has been using pieces of candy to bribe Boss to do Busters chores for him...Poor Boss loves his big brother so much he'll do anything he says. Stinker Buster...he gets away with it all the time.

I think my computer might have officially crashed. All I see is a blank screen...not good. Thankfully it's not the only computer in the house but it is the one I'm very used too. I'm hoping Pops can fix it and hoping he can fix it soon.

Boss lost his first tooth tonight...it was very exciting once we discovered it was gone..the only a problem is....we don't know where it went. I'm thinking Boss swallowed it and didn't even realize it...that would be typical of him. I keep telling him he looks so cute with a missing tooth, he also looks so much older which makes me very, very sad. I'm not ready to have my kids grow up, I cherish their innocence and don't want to watch it fade away. He wrote a note to the tooth fairy hoping that will be good enough to get some cash...I hope Pops has some cash on him or I'll have to raid Busters piggy bank...how messed up is that? Luckily I'm not fighting for mother of the year around here.

Crate is defiantly a two year old now and loves to act like one. It's quite embarrassing and I'm sure people that witness his two year old fits think I have no control over my children but then again those who judge me probably have never had a two year old themselves. He threw his first outburst a couple of weeks ago while I was visiting teaching...it wasn't so classy.

Buster got a few new books at the school book fair and woke up at 7am today just to read more of his book. I was happy that's the way he spent his first hour of the morning and I was even more happy he didn't wake me up. Pops was gone by 5 am today and so that meant I could sleep in as long as the little monkeys slept...the two youngest slept til 8am and so did I. I felt like a new woman considering my wake up time during the week is 5am.

Little Lumber continues to be the PERFECT baby. I have nicked named him "perfection" but pops says we can't call him perfect til he changes his own diapers...I don't agree. He sleeps through the night, I have to wake him up at 5am to feed him so I can exercise, he goes right back to sleep and sleeps in until 7:30 or 8am. He is asleep usually by 8:30 at night too. He is strictly nursing and nurses like a champ. He is very content, happy and easy going. I pray it stays this way ALWAYS. I know it's a huge blessing he has this type of temperament, with all that is going on right now in our family life I know I would end up in a mental ward if he was a super needy baby. Little miracles that the Lord has blessed us with have not gone unnoticed.

I have a ton of pictures to post of recent fun activities and a lot to catch up on so hopefully the computer will be up soon. Time is flying by and I think it's absolutely insane that it's already November. Again...can time just slow down for a few moments? My kids are growing to fast...my husband is getting older which means I'm getting older, which means I'm supposed to be more mature which isn't always the case. I miss being able to blame my stupid thinking or stupid mistakes on my age...now I have no excuse. :)

Time for bed. I have a gratitude post in the works...its getting longer and longer which in this case is a good thing. :)

Actually it's time to raid son number one's piggy bank...is it sad he's the one with the most cash?

It can be done!

I can take the four boys out for the entire day by myself to a public place and have it go smooth. Even was able to nurse in public and not be noticed by anyone. Maybe our lives can continue on...

The birth story ~ Part II

It's about 4:30pm and the nurse brings me a birthing ball.

Let me get off topic here and make mention of my nurse. First off doing a natural birth in a hospital is always a gamble when it comes to who your nurse is going to be and how supportive they will be of your decision to have a non-medicated birth. I lucked out. This girl was simply amazing. She mentioned she was excited to be apart of a natural birth and she said she wanted me to be in charge of the situation and that I should tell her what I wanted and needed. She gave me space, kept the lights low, controlled who came in and out of the room and was simply perfect. She was literally an answer to a prayer.

Back to the story...


I'm using the birthing ball and my other life saving device...my iphone. I was starting to loose more fluid and beginning to get very uncomfortable so I grabbed my head phones, turned on Pandora and found a station playing soft classical baby lullabies. Listening to the familiar tunes of these sweet lullabies kept my mind focused. As I listened and with each contraction I would repeat in my mind. "This contraction is good for my body." "My baby is moving his way down." "I am strong and in control" "This is easy" "Each bit of discomfort brings me closer to meeting my little baby" "Heaven is with me" "I am not alone" All these little phrases helped to keep me calm and quiet. (Thank you Ashlee). I was honestly still enjoying what was happening due to my excitement of meeting my baby.

It's now close to 5pm and I'm still at a 7. I was o.k. with that as I knew inside me progress was being made. However the doc on call thought it would be best to start the pitocin. I agree and the nurse agrees to put it on the lowest drip setting possible. I knew it wouldn't be long.


I decide to change positions and get on the bed. My nurse suggests I put the back of the bed up right and rest on my knees leaning over the back of the bed for support. I begin to break out in a sweat...this is when I knew I was almost done. Pops begins to rub my back while my sweet nurse grabs some lotion and begins to rub my feet. I still have Pandora playing and I started laughing between each contraction. I told my nurse and Pops that I felt like I was at a spa. Life was good between the contractions...pretty intense during them though. All of the sudden I felt a strong gush of fluid and I instantly say...it's time. My nurse calls the doc and when she comes back in I tell her I need to push. Another nurse and the resident are in there at this time and the other nurse tells me...don't push the doctor isn't here. My nurse quickly says to me "do whatever your body tells you to do, we'll take care of you, everything will be fine." After a couple urges to push I take out my headphones and turn my body around and get in position. I knew he was coming.

I tell the nurse again..."I need to push hard" She says go for it. Listen to your body. For the first time during any of my labors I was able to stay focused on what I wanted to happen. And I did listen to my body. I blocked out all sounds and just communicated with my baby. I let me know we would both be o.k. and I was ready to do this. I told him I would do my part as he would do his. I kept saying to him "we're a team" there is no doubt in my mind that he knew exactly what was happening and understood everything I was saying. At this point I knew I was receiving help from others whom I could not see. It was a beautiful experience.

Once again I tell me nurse I'm going to start pushing hard. She says go for it. All of the sudden the Hospital OB is there and a few other nurses but then 30 seconds later Dr. Bruce, the doctor on call, walks in. He gets dressed, they break down the bed and it all began. It was painful but again at this point my excitement was overpowering anything else. With Pops holding one knee to my chest and a nurse holding the other and my sweet nurse fanning me with the food menu ( I instantly became so hot and sweating really bad. My nurse grabbed the strongest thing she could to fan me and get me to cool down)I began to push hard. I could see that Dr. Bruce was letting the resident do all the work. I heard "He's right there! Push! Push!" and pop out comes his head. For a split second I was so relieved cause I knew one more push and he'd be in my arms. I begin to push one last time...so I thought.

My poor baby was stuck. Head out, body in. I see Dr. Bruce quickly move the resident out of the way and he tells me to push NOW! I try ... nothing. He tells me to push again with the next contraction. I quickly reply back "I don't know when I'm having a contraction!" I was in so much pain from the pressure of the baby's body I felt like I lost control and I didn't know if I could have enough strength to push him out of me. Again and in a strong voice the doctor says "Push Now! You've got to get him out!" I give a solid push with all my might, Doc's hands go up and grab his shoulders and he purposely tries to break Baby Jack's clavicle to get him out. With that last push and a broken clavicle Jack pops out! The doctor holds him up, he's crying and the nurse says "he looks like a big guy!" For the first time in all four deliveries I get to hold my baby right away. He's perfect.

All my fears were washed away. Pops kisses me on the forehead and says, "you did it. I love you."

Doc explains what he did and why. He says to the nurse "Check him out, I heard a pop and I know I broke it." I hand Jack back to the nurse but all three nurses that checked him out said it's not broke. Doc says "it's gotta be, I head the snap." Jack's moving his arms perfectly, he gets checked out and no sign of any major break. The doctor is positive it's broke in two. But it's not. I call it a miracle.


They roll the scale in to weigh this little guy and honestly at this point I'm not paying much attention. I'm now freezing cold and trying to get my focus back when I hear the nurse say "Mom! Look at the scale!, Where's your camera dad!" We look and the doctor says "Wow!!" And the nurse calls out "11 pounds 2 oz's. 22 inches long. He's a toddler" I was shocked and started laughing. I think I laughed because once I heard his weight all the sudden every part of my body hurt more. The idea of birthing an 11 pound baby sounded really painful. I think the whole room was in shock at what just took place.

Again, with the last few minutes being really intense and pretty scary I recalled once again that I didn't do this alone.

5:26pm Jack was here safe and sound and I was happy. This was the birth experience I had hoped for. The labor was calm and quiet. I learned a lot about myself and the power of the human mind. I learned about heaven and the help sent from above. I learned Jack was just as excited to come as I was to have him here. He just needed to come at the time of his choosing and I was am grateful to have been patient enough and waited a few days shy of 42 weeks to have him here. I was grateful to Pops for supporting me through another birth and standing by my side silently cheering me on. I was grateful to family and friends who told me they had been praying for weeks for a safe delivery. I learned more about the power of prayer, especially multiplied by many people. I felt like I learned about who loves and cares for me. Most importantly I learned the Lord loves me and sent angles seen and unseen to help me. I learned I wasn't left alone in my darkest hour. It was there I was lifted up the most.



To be continued...

The birth story~ Part I

I feel like this birth story started long before the actual day of birth. First off, Baby Jack came as a surprise to us. We knew our family wasn't complete yet but considering the other boys took much longer to come than we wanted I figured it would be another few years before I got pregnant again. When I found out I was pregnant I cried. I was excited but very nervous. Since our insurance doesn't cover maternity care we had saved to pay for the care and delivery of Crate and I wasn't sure if the pocket book could handle another cash payment for a baby. When I found out I was pregnant it was about a week or so before Christmas. I was planning on telling Pops the news on Christmas but I broke my silence a few days before...I had to explain the sickness. When I told him I wasn't sure what his reaction was going to be. I was relieved to see him excited and he assured me all will be well and I didn't need to worry about the cost. I think deep down we both new the Lord knew our limits and our situation and if we did our part in preparing for this little guy he would make up the rest. And He did.

Fast forward about nine months. All is well with the pregnancy. I am healthy, still exercising daily and starting to have random contractions. I figured this baby was going to be the one that throws me off and comes early. Not so. Contractions continue for the next five in a half weeks. Sometimes they're really strong and I think it's time to get going and other times they are there just to tease me. Either way I felt my body getting tired from weeks of contractions.

Fast forward a bit more. My 40 week mark arrives. By this time I have been dilated to a three for the last three weeks. I go to my appointment and nothing more has happened. He asks me when I want to be induced. I tell him I don't and I say..."When I see you next time it'll be in the hospital." 41 weeks rolls around and I go to my appointment again at the doctors office not the hospital. This time he tells me he'll let me go another week but once I hit 42 weeks I need to be induced. I agree and this time he tells me, "No more appointments here...next time I'll meet you at the hospital."

During these last few weeks I got a lot of mixed comments. Some people would say things to the effect of "Good for you for holding out, hang in there." And others would say something like "why torture yourself any longer. Schedule your induction today." I was torn. I knew I wanted to avoid an induction at all costs but then I would think "am I just postponing the inevitable...should I just get it over with?"

I knew I had to get things cleared up for my own sake before this baby came and maybe get things cleared up for his sake too. After talking with Ashlee (ashleemiller.com) I was confident all was well. I knew this baby would come at the time that was best for him and I and I knew he wanted to come to our family and I knew my body would be ready for his arrival.

Friday night comes (9.9.11) Buster and Boss happen to be spending the night at their cousins house for a birthday party so it was just Pops, Crate and I. We got a sitter for Crate and went out for dinner and then to Costco for groceries. My contractions started and were consistently 10 minutes apart but not painful enough that I needed to worry. We get home, put everything away and they continue to come still 10 minutes apart. I mentioned to Pops that night that it would be cool to have the baby tomorrow cause then his birth date would be 9.10.11. He replies back it would be cool if I had the baby tomorrow cause then he would have a good excuse not to go to the stake youth activity. :) We go to bed and that's that.

Now it's Saturday morning 9.10.11. 3:17am my eyes pop open and I think to myself...did I just pee my pants? I jump up out of bed realize that my water may have just broken. It wasn't a gush like it was with Crate and it wasn't a constant heavy leak so I really didn't know what was going on. I took care of things and laid back down but couldn't fall asleep. I was to excited thinking this might be the day. I figured I better get some things taken care of if it was the big day.

From 4am to 7am I cleaned every nook and cranny of this house. I did four loads of laundry, swept and mopped the floor, paid the bills online. Ordered Buster some new tennis shoes online because I was planning on getting him some that afternoon. I registered myself with the hospitals online forms. Prepared lunches for Monday for the boys and then feel asleep on the couch from 7am to 7:30am until I heard Crate. I got him out of bed and went in to tell Pops what was going on. He was already getting ready for the youth activity. I asked him to go for a walk with me before he left to try and determine if things would progress or if he could go to the activity. We walked about 2 miles at a very slow pace and by this time the contractions were closer together a bit more intense so we decided he'd better hang around.
After the walk I called my mom to come get Crate in the next few hours and I showered and got ready for the hospital.

11am we leave for the hospital. Again, I was apprehensive to go since I wasn't in horrible pain but I needed to get medication four hours prior to delivering so I wanted to make sure I was there in enough time. I just didn't want them to send me home.

We park in the parking garage and I told Pops I was taking the stairs not the elevator down. He didn't like that idea but I wanted to keep things going. We arrived in triage, I explain to the nurse what's going on. I told her that something was leaking from me but I wasn't sure if it was a broken bag of water or not. She does a test and confirms that it is amniotic fluid and proceeds to see how dilated I am. She says "your a solid 5 almost 6" and I blurted out "I Love You!" I was so excited to be that far along. I was thankful my body was progressing at a rate that was a bit uncomfortable for me but totally doable.

I get checked in, change into a gown and start walking the halls. Pops runs to get lunch and I continue to walk coming back into the room every 45 mins so they could monitor the baby's heart beat for a few minutes. Pops does his favorite thing (not) and walks the halls with me. At about 3:30pm the nurse checks me and I'm at a 7. At this point the only major feeling I have going on is excitement. I felt like I didn't care how much pain I was in I was just excited to meet the new baby. And the beauty of it was that I was progressing but still feeling pretty good. Pops has some work stuff to take care of so I hop in the shower and relax in there for the next 45 minutes. I get out and want to start walking again but the nurse informs me that the doctor on call would like to start me on pitocin since my water has been broken for 12+ hours. After the shower I knew things were starting to pick up so I ask her to hold off on starting the drip for a few more minutes.

Then things started getting intense.