Kicks

This little man has loved playing soccer this year.

He must take after his Pops... Chris' entire fam (6 kids) played high school soccer and his dad was a high school soccer coach. The game might just be in his blood.

Then again, this 5 year old just loves to be outside, be with friends, and have fun... whatever the activity or venue.  

I love that he has a smile on his face in all his 'action' pics.

Lexi went on her first outing (besides 2 trips to the hospital for blood draws) to Parker's last game when she was not quite 2 weeks old.

She wasn't super impressed and slept the entire time.

 Maybe she'll wake up in time for the spring season.

Then again, with the way she sleeps, maybe not.

 

In hindsight I realize it was a little mean to make these cute kiddos line up for team pics facing the bright sun. Sorry troops. Their squints are kinda cute though right?

Here's to a fun Fall season and lots more fun memories to come!

GO BANANAS!!

p.s. That's not really their team name but I can't remember it right now...maybe when I get some sleep it will register.;)

One month old

Lexi is ONE MONTH OLD today!

Talk about a sweet baby!

It's hard to believe that just over a month ago this cute little munchkin was swimming around in my belly. It's MUCH more fun having her out than in, let me tell you! I feel a million times better than I did pregnant and I am just soooo happy to have her safely here with us! She has been such a fun addition to our family and I feel so blessed at the opportunity of raising such a precious little person. There have been adjustments, as to be expected, but I really am loving having a newborn again! I just want to hold her all day... and often I do...probably more than I should, but I can't help it --I just adore her!  

Parker and Emmie have been sick for the past 12 days or so, so we've been trying to keep them away from Lexi and myself as much as possible so as not to pass on their germs. I have felt guilty with them watching more TV and Parker playing more Wii than I would normally ever allow, but I keep trying to remind myself that it's for good reason and just temporary. That has definitely been the hardest part of this month, but so far the baby hasn't gotten sick so our quarantine efforts have been worth it. Can I say that very few things stress me out more than having sick kids!?
It's going to be a looong winter and sad to say but I don't think Emmie will be going to nursery for the rest of the year! It's just a guaranteed ticket to get sick!

Lexi is waking up during the night every 3 -3 1/2 hours but she pretty much just takes care of business and goes back to sleep without crying (or very little). The sleep deprivation has kicked in for me and I have had a hard time making it through the afternoons this last week. I am not a big pop drinker, but I decided today that I might have to give in to having a Pepsi now and then to help me out!

Lexi does spit up more than my other two did, and seems to struggle a bit with some tummy trouble. She definitely knows how to use her lungs to let us know she's not happy, but most of the time she is very easy to appease -- the tricky part is just having the free hands in the moment to pick her up!

These two are also in love with their new sis! Parker loves to talk to her... the other day I heard him telling her (standing not to close because of his germs) that she is the "cutest baby" he's ever seen, and the "tiniest baby", and that she's his "very favorite" and that he loves her sooo much. He's always concerned of where the baby is if she's not in the same room and always wants to make sure she's okay.

Emmie is just so excited to have a real life doll to play with! She is darling with her and always wants to see the baby and also make sure she's okay. For the first few weeks Emmie would tell Lexi over and over, "HI! I'm Emmie. And this is my Mom. And she's going to be REEAAL nice!".  My favorite quote though in this last month was soon after we brought Lexi home and upon examining the baby for a minute, Emmie let out this huge gasp and yelled,
"She's ALIVE!".
That she is. And we are so grateful!
We are excited for everyone to get completely healthy around here so that we can actually function like a real family again, but besides that,
LIFE IS GOOD!!!
(If half this post didn't make sense, blame it on my lack of sleep! I'll have to proof read when I'm actually coherent...which unfortunatley isn't too often these days.:)

Jake, Izzy, a baby, and a Fairy Godhusband

 Is it really November???
I keep wondering what in the world happened to October, and then after some serious thought (a little more than I'd like to admit), a little light bulb goes off in my head and I remember....


(3 weeks, 5 days old)
"Oh, yah, THAT'S what happened!
ALEXIS!
I had a baby!".
I'm blaming my onset of amnesia of this significant event on severe sleep deprivation. I have no other explanation.

Anyhow, we let the entire month get away from us without doing anything especially Halloweeny. But having had a baby on October 4th, I have a good excuse, right?! Whatever. Still sad...no pumpkin patch, no pumpkin carving, no parties, not even Halloween crafts or treats (not unless you count the handfuls bagfuls of candy corn I consumed)....but yes, having a baby was much more exciting than all of those things combined... for ME at least. I don't know for my 3 and 5 year olds. Or my husband...

Okay, so we DID do one thing. We hit up Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point when Alexis was a few weeks old. I've always wanted to go and since we have an annual pass this year, we decided it was now or never.
Never might have been better...

I won't get into it (okay I might!), but let's just say that I was regretting it in the first 5 minutes.
Why so?
 Let's see...the freezing cold wind that none of us were really dressed for might be to blame, or the rocky terrain that made stroller pushing an earthquake simulation for poor Lexi - not to mention had she and I stranded in various spots because we literally couldn't get to the next attraction (it was WAY too cold to take her out of her seat), OR the fact that despite our annual pass "discount" we still paid a whopping $30 (THIRTY DOLLARS!) for some lame, overpriced carnival, might have added to my irritance...!
 But oh well.
 It didn't turn out to be what we expected but in the end the kids still supposedly had some fun and that was the point. 
AND it's good that we went so that we know to never go again! :)


Back to Halloween.
Needless to say I just wasn't prepared for the holiday this year. P and E decided a few months back that they wanted to be Jake and Izzy from Jake and the Neverland Pirates (a show on Disney Jr).
You know, these guys:

And despite the fact that I knew months in advance what they wanted to be, I could not will my oversized, unbendable, nearly handicapped prego body to get their costume digs together before October. I had gathered a few items since September here and there, but never in completion. Fast forward through Lexi's birth, &  before I knew it, and in the midst of having sick, goopy coughing kids for 8 days straight (& still going...),
  Halloween was upon us. 
But no need to fear when the Fairy Godhusband is near!
That's right. My husband is not only handy, but crafty!
Jealous? :)
This guy came to the rescue and made Parker's entire costume.
 While I injested hoards of candy corn.
Don't worry, no sewing machines were involved, but a couple of old shirts, some scissors and yellow duct tape came in quite handy....I owe him big time!

Here is the final product:

Walah!

 Jake and Izzy!

They were sooo excited for their costumes.

And yes, Izzy the Pirate is wearing Jessie the Cowgirl's boots...

but judge not, they were red and that's all that mattered. Phew.
So in the end, Halloween was a success.

And as for this cute little one, she just sat back and enjoyed the chaos.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Happy Halloween

....from a couple of pumpkins.

A 2 week vacay... I deserved it, right?

I have spent the last 16 days snuggling this:

and kissing and squishing this:

While eating far too many of these:

(Yes, I know, great for ridding that postpartum belly gush...)

While having many of my meals (that I did not prepare) served to me here:


(For the record, that it is not my bed. And yes, this is the best picture I could find. I don't advise googling 'breakfast in bed'. And is that the hugest tray you've ever seen? Pretty much I think they brought up the whole kitchen table. Just sayin'.)

While Chris took care of them:


...and everything else.
Sound blissful? It was!
Awesome husband? He is!
My mom stayed to help take care of the kids and house for four days after Lexi came home

(bless her),
and Chris was able to be home from work for all of the rest of the days other than 3 out of 15! I have definitely been spoiled and loved spending all that one on one time with my newest baby girl while all other operations around here were taken care of! I think Lexi kind of liked it too.
 She's my newest pal.
And quite possibly my favorite child... for the moment.
Don't tell the others.
She's been such a great little baby!
Okay, so why wouldn't she be when I've been able to promptly meet her every whim and fancy since she's all I've had to worry about for 2 weeks straight? Still, I think she's pretty great. For now I am checking the "great baby" box.

Yesterday it was back to business as usual...no more vacation time (aka snuggling my baby in bed all day while Chris tackles the dirty work). Poor Chris ended up contracting Strep on Tuesday and has since been banished to the basement bedroom since he walked in the door from Instacare on Tuesday.  We haven't seen him since. Really.  Don't worry, I delivered him some pajamas and I leave food and Ib Profen by the door.
We take germs seriously around here. ;) No joke.

Beyond that, life around here has been a big thumbs up!
Okay so a little more sleep would be nice, nursing that didn't feel like a baracuda were latching on to me every three hours would be a huge perk, and a 3 year old who were more proactive about going potty in the potty would make life EXTRA fantastic, but overall I really can't complain!

I mean, how can I when I have this little munchkin staring up at me?

(18 days old)
*Sigh*.
I love her. :)

She's here!!!

We are sooooo happy to announce the arrival of our sweet baby
ALEXIS FAITH
aka
LEXI


(picture taken at 6 days old)

ARRIVED: October 4, 2011

AT: 10:33 a.m.

WEIGHING: 6 Pounds even

18 1/2 inches
Our smallest baby by 9 ounces and a whole inch!

A run down of "The Story"...and please excuse the abundance of bed head in these photos:)

Happy as a clam, bed head and all... ready to have this long awaited for baby!

At 4 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4th, (37 weeks, 6 days pregnant) I awoke to a strong contraction (totally normal for me for weeks on end) and an even stronger need to relieve my bladder. Wincing in pain and just SO BEYOND READY TO BE DONE with by FAR my hardest pregnancy, as I waddled to the bathroom I chanted over and over in my head, "Please let my water break, PLEASE let my water break!".
Well, my wish came true!
Next thing I know, I felt this HUGE GUSH of water. I couldn't believe it! I was SO EXCITED but at the same time wondered if it were possible that I had just peed all over myself, LOL. After finishing my trip to the bathroom and confirming that it was definitely my water that had broken, I poked my head out of the bathroom and urgently told Chris to wake up. I don't think I've ever seen him scramble so fast in 11 years, no joke. My past pregnancies had ended in inductions, so this movie-like scenario was quite the new experience for us.
I was shaking with excitement and just thrilled to have this day finally arrive!

Having been 90% effaced and dilated to a 3-3 1/2 for weeks, we moved FAST not wanting to have this baby in the car! So Parker and Emmie came along for the excitement to the hospital and Grandma and Grandpa Hansen soon after met us there to pick them up. The kids didn't mind being woken up at 4 a.m. and were happy to be a part of all the excitement that we'd been building up to for months.

Upon arrival to the hospital my contractions had stopped and I was relieved to find out that I was dilated to just 5.5 cm. I quickly got my blessed epidural (given via a neighbor in our ward!) and we waited for a bit before starting pitocin so that my mom could make it up from St. George for the birth. As she got closer we turned up the pitocin just a tiny bit and by 10:15 I was ready to start pushing....3 sets of pushes later, our little Lexi was finally here!!!

SO EASY! I have been blessed to have three amazing deliveries! No problems, perfect epidurals to where I am still feeling the pressure and know when to push... I have been very lucky! I was worried that this time would be my "nightmare" labor story since I had not yet had one, but everything worked out perfectly. Including that my doctor even was able to deliver me. Had we had to deliver right when we got the hospital, it would have been one of his colleagues.

The proud Pops!

The oh-so happy mama right after delivery... not only thrilled to have her baby girl safely here, but soooo glad to have that baby out of my belly! This was truly such a hard pregnancy on me! I had been having painful contractions since 28 weeks and my body was in pain almost all of the time. After several recent breakdowns I even went out a few weeks back and bought a belly support band. It really helped - I wish I had found it earlier! Basically I was pretty miserable this last couple of months.
I also had some 'minor' surprises/issues this time around...Do you see the "pregnancy mask" sprinkled all over my cheeks and above my upper lip that I attained during this pregnancy? Cute, eh? Yep, I walked away with all kinds of treats this time. With Parker I didn't even get stretch marks. I thought I was home free after having him. Wow, was I wrong. :) I even grew an age spot on my cheek this time. Serioulsy?! I guess it's true that the older you are and the more pregnancies, the harder it is on your body. Chris has been good to remind me of the older part these last few months. I did turn 32 a few weeks ago so maybe there is truth to it. :/

But in the end it has of course been all worth it for this....

Our precious baby Lexi! We adore her!

Grandma H brought the kids up later that day to meet their new baby sis. They were darling with her and Emmie was beyond excited. She kept saying things like, "she's so CUTE!" and "Oh, I think she wants ME to hold her", and "MOM! You POPPED!"...(she said some pretty funny things but between meds and sleep deprivation I really can't remember...!)

The proud grandparents!

Alexis struggled with low blood sugar those first few days (common for such small babies) and has high levels of jaundice so she is our yellow baby, but she finally checked out good today after another trip to the hospital (although her levels are still 14.3), and now we are just trying to get used to the eating thing...Don't get me started on nursing.... PURE TORTURE those first few weeks I tell ya! 

2 1/2 days old... coming home from the hospital!  It's been such a nice warm Fall here in UT but it actually snowed the day we brought her home (it had melted by the time we left however)! I LOVE this time of year and am definitely having visions of  Halloween/Harvest themed birthday parties in the future. SO FUN!!!

We are definitely in love over here and so happy to finally have this sweet baby girl here!
What a miracle having a baby is!
 I am LOVING having a newborn again (if I can just make it through the nursing thing!)!

Oh so exciting stats

Amidst my pregnancy-related reluctance to blog this last few months, I failed to record Parker and Emmie's 5 and 3-year-old stats.
Better late than never, right?
Not that anyone out there is slightly interested in my children's height and weight but for my own record keeping sake, here we go....

P-Man turned the big FIVE in July (in case you missed like 3 whole posts about his birthday below) and his stats go as follows:

WEIGHT: 41 lbs, 51st % ile

BMI: 15.32, 47th % ile

HEIGHT: 43.5 inches, 59th %ile

I am pleased to say that despite a 5'2 mama, he is doing just fine in the stature department!;)

Missy Em turned 3 back at the end of August and her stats are right up there by her brother's...
WEIGHT: 30.2 lbs, 46th %ile
BMI: 15.3, 36th %ile
HEIGHT: 37.25 inches, 57th %ile

So happy to have happy, healthy kids!
Now if #3 would just arrive, her mom could get back to being happy and healthy too....:)

Last year at this time...

I was flipping through some of our self-attempted family photos from last Fall and was noting how much our kiddos have changed this last year...
among other things...

It was a bit of a windy day to say the least so you can see why these didn't quite turn out.

 

I think that the last time we actually had a real photographer do a real family photo was...

hmmm okay maybe never!

Well, besides during Emmie's newborn shoot my friend doing them let us all jump in and she shot 3 or 4 pics of us all. That doesn't really count though. Emmie didn't even have a shirt on...

Every year, I really, really, really want to have them done professionally but if it weren't just so darn expensive. $300-$500 is a LOT to pay when theoretically you are going to (hopefully) get new ones every year! I know it's worth it (by the right photographer)- trust me I am kind of freak when it comes to pictures and how important they are (if you haven't noticed from the billions of very amateur shots I take), but when it comes down to it, Chris and I just have a hard time shelling out the money!

On a side note, Chris had a huge ditch he had to race over and leap across to get back to position after hitting the timer on these ones last year. It was pretty funny watching him race to get into position on time! At least it got the kids smiling, right? Doesn't he look like he just slid into home? And he's SAFE...

Meanwhile, I guess doing our own these last few years with our trusty tripod has worked out for us okay. Not perfect (note P's peekaboo ankles/socks), but regardless I am so glad we have these!

And look what I even came across in one of our attempted picture outtings last Fall -

A WAIST!

Don't mind the crinkled/not so flattering shirt (& nevermind my vain-ness in fantasizing about having a waist again) - but just a year ago, I HAD A WAIST!

How things change in a year's time....

This year in it's place is a 25 lb watermelon....

disguised as a cute baby girl who will be joining us probably within this next week!

So says the doctor anyways. We'll see!

We took these pics a few weeks back (I was 2 days off of being 34 weeks) at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens. I didn't have the idea to take pics of the kids until we were all ready to go. So we're dressed totally random and not in what I would have chosen for pics, but let's face it, I don't have any clothese that fit me anways not to mention it was too hot a day for any of the cuter new fall clothes I have waiting in the closet for the kiddos. But whatev, right?

I at least got a few cute shots of the kids for our Fall 2011.

I feel like we'll never be leaving the house again once #3 arrives.
I'm okay with it.

It's a good thing I'm a bit of a homebody.
 I'm just glad I got some satisfactory Fall pics of the kids checked off of my neverending list of things to do.
Next up.... NEWBORN pics! I need a real photographer for that one...;)

We're getting pretty eager to meet this little watermelon and can't wait to welcome her into our home!!!

Three

Dear Emmie,

Three?! Really??? I didn't expect my baby girl to grow up so fast on me! These last three years have flown by and we have been so blessed by your presence in our family.

Here are a few things about you at THREE that we want to remember...

• You have such a contagious smile! Those cute dimples are irresistable and once they reveal themselves, those around you start smiling too, including your mommy. I just love those little impressions in your cheeks.
• You still love to suck your thumb! In fact, you have developed a nice little bump on it from all your suction. Live it up this next year because the doctor said it's a-okay for you to suck away for now, but once you're four - it's time to stop.
• You LOVE princesses! You love to watch them in movies, play with your princess dolls and figures, dress up like them, dance like them, sing like them, and you even love to make your good-sport big brother make believe he's your prince. Believe it or not I have not encouraged this love for "pimpesses", but the love affair got started last Christmas when Grandma and Grandpa H. gave you your first set of princess dress up.  From there there was no stopping you. The other day I even caught you laying down as Sleeping Beauty, pretending to be dead (nice), and telling your Prince - aka Parker - to kiss you and bring you back to life. And yes, the good sport that he is, he kisses you on demand....
• You are very self sufficient. You have been dressing yourself for well over a year and you can entertain yourself for long periods of time. I often look over to see you singing and dancing in the corner, off in your own little world. When you are in these modes it can take quite a while to get your attention!
• You are LEFT HANDED like your daddy! This trait is usually accompanied by an artistic side so I am eager to watch you cultivate your talents!
• You just started a new dance class - ballet, tap and jazz and you are loving it!

• You are super friendly and love to be social. Whenever we are out you love to wave and say "Hi" to all the other kids you see and you call all of them your friends. I hope you will continue this and always strive to be friendly with everyone around you.
• You are a great eater! Your favorites are homemade mac n cheese (or any mac for that matter), pizza, waffles, and Danimals. You also love tacos (made with ground turkey), manicotti, chicken, rice, apples and peanut butter, carrot sticks, corn on the cob, noodles, mandarin oranges, and you love love LOVE bread/rolls and BUTTER. You'd eat a whole cube of butter if I'd let you. And of course, like your brother you love treats and chocolate. You don't get to partake however unless you've eaten your meals and you usually do!
• You are a great sleeper. You are in bed by 7:30ish  and will sleep until 7 or 8 if it's quiet. You refuse to sleep without your lamp on everynight however. It's a ritual and a necessity and you won't have it any other way.You take a nap in the afternoons and are pretty grumpy if you don't get it.
• We are working on potty training. You are getting close but aren't quite there yet! It's mostly my fault... I just couldn't deal with attempting it last spring being so sick with this pregnancy for 22 weeks straight. So we've recently started but you have my same attitude that pull ups are just easier these days! I thought the Dr. would be disappointed, but he said that less than 20% of 3 year olds at their annual appointment are potty trained and said you are closer than most! We are taking it in stride and we'll be there soon.
• You LOVE your nursery class at church. You go happily every time and it's been so nice that you are so well adjusted in that way.
• You are completely in love with your purple blankie (whom we just call Banky). It goes everywhere we do and is an instant source of comfort to you. Because of that special power, I think I love it almost as much as you do and wish we had 4 more of them... :)
• Other things you love these days are being outside with friends, riding your trikes and scooter, coloring, play dough, playing with your babies, swinging, going to the park, changing outfits numerous times a day, the TV shows Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Dora, reading stories, the movies Cinderella, Enchanted, Monsters Inc and Tangled, your dance class, and the color PINK!

You are so excited for your new sister to arrive and I know you will be such a big helper once she is here! I am so grateful that you will have a sister to share your life with. She will be very lucky to have you!

You are a huge blessing in our lives Emmie and we love you to pieces!

XOXO

Love,

Mom