Nothing to exciting to report. I am now just over 30 weeks along in my pregnancy and the end cannot come soon enough. At least I say that now :) Ian insisted on a picture of me in my superman shirt. Both the boys thought that it was the best shirt ever. In pregnancy news nothing excited to report. All is going well -I still am taking zofran for nausea 24/7. Somedays I think "I am 30 weeks I am sure I will be just fine without it." I am quickly reminded that is not the case.
The weather in Utah has been everywhere. Snow. sunny, windy (very windy) so we have been spending a lot of time indoors. I think the boys are starting to go stir crazy. Little do they know this is just preparing them for this summer when baby sister arrives.
Ian surprises me everyday. The other day Ian and I sat down and finished some of the homework he will be missing while we are gone next week. I had no idea he could read and spell so well. I mean, I knew that he could read to some extent but he was amazing! He can count to 30 without any help. If you remind him of forty, fifty....then he can count what seems forever or at least until he gets bored. We decided to go ahead and put him into Kindergarten against all "utah county" rules. The class size is very small this year and lets face it he is already going to be bored out of his mind. So we'll put him into Kindergarten and try to challenge him more at home.
Finally this last weekend the sun came out and the wind stopped so we loaded the boys in the car and headed to the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival. The boys were not very excited to see the flowers but we told them we would take them to the dinosaur museum after and they were ok with that.
They loved rolling down any hill they could find. Aaron was unsure about the grass touching his legs but he slowly got used to it.
We tried countless times to get a good picture of the boys together. Most of the time it turned into a wrestling match. This is the one that turned out not too bad!
Yep, tried to get one with the boys too. This was the end of our night- they were sick of flowers. Ian is trying to give me bunny ears and Aaron is trying to knock me over. Oh the joys!
I have never really cared too much for Spring. Probably because I have always lived in Utah, and lets be honest Spring does not really exist here. However this year it has been quite exciting! We have been getting a lot of rain (mixed with snow here and there) and are loving watching the tulips and trees begin to bloom. Thanks to a good ole college friend we even planted a couple raspberry bushes this year!
The boys and I are so excited. They loved helping Tim dig the holes and then prepare the ground for the new bushes to go in. Even better is we will get good and edible raspberries this year! While I would love to have a garden (although I do not know what I would eat out of it besides lettuce and carrots) our location does not really make it easy. I am already trying to figure out how to keep the neighborhood kids out of my raspberry bushes. I think I will tell them they are poisonous or possibly some kind of an electric fence device. As you can see I am still working on it :) We even planted some wheat grass in indoor planters to use for smoothies in the morning. If all goes well this year (and I don't manage to kill everything) hopefully next year we will be brave enough to try growing a few more things.
Ian has discovered long boarding/skateboarding. I am not sure how I feel about this (mostly because we live on the mountain side) but he is really good. He does not have enough weight to turn the board but enjoys jumping and trying to. The first time he stepped on it he turned to me and said, "Mom, I think I should put my helmet on." After about two runs down the driveway he found his confidence and decided he no longer needed the helmet. Too bad mom makes him wear it anyway :)
We headed out to eat for family night to a place called Chubby's Restaurant in town. The food was really good. Tim decided to go for the Chubby's challenge...which you see below. Grilled cheese, two burgers and all the fixings, grilled cheese, hamburger, fixings, and topped with another grilled cheese. The catch was you only had 15 minutes to finish the entire meal.
While I really had no doubt that Tim could do it, I was just worried I might puke watching him. Much to our surprise he had 15 seconds left and about 20 french fries. At which point he decided it was simply not worth it. I was still impressed considering he also helped Aaron with his dinner while eating. However just looking at this picture makes me want to puke....gross...end of story!
As I mentioned earlier it has been raining a lot. Sometimes the boys just need a better outlet to release all of their energy. They love Kangaroo Zoo! It is a giant warehouse with inflatable toys everywhere- and surprisingly clean! Plus during the day we are usually the only ones there, which is even better.
As you can see Ian still has no fear....
Aaron is just happy to be able to go up and down all by himself now!
Our old neighbors came down for a visit this last week. Aaron and Trace are just 6 months apart and they got along so well! It was great having them come and stay. All of the kids had fun playing. We even went swimming one morning (with the rest of Utah County since it was spring break) and they all had a blast. Hopefully we will get to see them again soon!
In other news as of April 1st Tim can only wear Navy Blue scrubs to work. Tim's mom found a pair of navy blue scrubs for the boys. They do all look rather handsome in their matching clothes. As you can see the boys love pretending they are just like daddy.
As soon as they put on their scrubs they tell me good-bye and headed to daddy's car to go to work.
These boys have been "growing like weeds." Aaron's vocabulary improves daily and Ian seems so grown up to me. Plus, what post would be complete without mentioning superheroes, as you can see Ian has taught Aaron well.
Easter Weekend was beautiful! The sun was shining and it was the perfect weekend to celebrate Easter! Tim's parents were in town for the week so we decided take them out to the Larry Miller Motorsport track. Tim and his dad had fun doing a couple races and the boys loved watching them on the bleachers in the sun.
On Saturday we woke up early and headed to the Easter Extravaganza at Thanksgiving Point. The boys headed straight for the tracker/train ride. Ian wanted to sit right behind the tracker (great for his lungs I am sure). The driver even showed him how to drive the tracker after they finished the ride. It was definitely one of the highlights of his day.
Aaron practically blended in with the cows and just smiled the whole ride.
What better to do after a tracker/train ride than getting your faces painted. The boys both wanted spiders and were very happy with the results.
Then it was time for the egg hunts (not much of a hunt involved but still fun). The have four different egg hunts going on at the same time with different age groups and they do them every half hour. Ian went first and we all got a good laugh. We were not aware that he was only going to pick up the orange eggs, he decided that all on his own. Orange is now his favorite color. Aaron went the next round and had fun picking up all different colors plus a couple bags of chips :)
We headed over to see the farm animals next. Both of the boys loved the pony rides. Aaron is usually afraid of getting on the ponies but was really excited this time. Another highlight was seeing the white peacock. I believe the boys were hoping it would start kung fu fighting just like the evil white peacock on Kung Fu Panda 2.
The boys then enjoyed making bunny ears, decorating cupcakes, and making superhero stuffed animals. I also thought it was funny we took a picture with the chick-fil-a cow and not the easter bunny :) Oh well, they still look cute!
The boys had so much fun and we had so much fun watching them. It is definitely something that we will look forward to doing again next year!
That night we had our own Easter egg hunt outside with baskets the boys made with Tim's mom before they fly back home.
Easter morning the boys woke up and found easter eggs hidden throughout the house with a surprise from the Easter bunny. I was not feeling well and unfortunately missed most of the morning. In normal Easter tradition they did not get new Sunday dress clothes. They are both growing like crazy and got all new church clothes about a month ago. So we changed it up and found the boys matching ironman swimsuits.
Later that week my family came down. The boys were so excited for more Easter presents and loved the new slip n'slide my parents found them.
This was one of my highlights of the week. Ian asking my mom in great confusion, "What does this do?" As you can see he was holding up the blue easter grass from the bottom of his Easter bucket. Due to the mess I do not use "easter grass" anywhere. After my mom put some in their baskets I now know why... weeks later and I am still finding pieces of it throughout the house.
I am so grateful for the joy the gospel brings to our lives. We have been loving reading our scriptures together as a family. The other night Ian asked, "Does Jesus live with Thor? Since Thor lives in Asgard, which is up there (pointing to the sky)." While it made me laugh, it also made me realize that we could do a better job of making Christ the center of our home. If only the boys knew their scriptures like they do superheroes. Elder Richard G Scott spoke on that exact topic in General Conference that next weekend. If you get a moment take the time to read through his talk (linked here). I will close my blog with a portion of that talk that I found helpful.
"We need not worry if we can’t simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. He has spoken of a time and a season for all things. In response to our sincere prayers for guidance, He will direct us in what should be emphasized at each phase of our life. We can learn, grow, and become like Him one consistent step at a time."
The first of March was rather exciting for the boys. To prepare and make room for this new baby we moved the boys into the same room! We waited until Tim had his long stretch of eight days off of work knowing that the task might be frustrating. The boys are actually in this picture you just can't see them -they are hiding in Ian's bed.
There room is superhero themed. What else could it possibly be? They absolutely love it!
Yes some bins are missing logos, that's what happens with a two year old on the loose. The logos are stuck on with glue dots. As they get older and one day outgrow the superhero theme they can easily be removed without damaging all the bins. The downside to this...Aaron knows they can easily be removed. Yes, Pike stands in the boys room and waits for me to open the curtains in the morning to enjoy the sun rays.
As for how the boys did...the first night they talked and laughed for just a few minutes and then were both fast asleep. The rest of the week went the exact same! It was too easy -which is what made it scary. Wouldn't you know the next week (when Tim returned to work) let just say I thought I was going to pull out all of my hair. They were driving me absolutely crazy...talking, yelling, screaming, spiting, teasing, taunting... I thought I was going to lose my mind. Normally if a child gets out of bed or does not behave in bed they get a warning, if it happens again then their door is shut the rest of the night. Our door locks are reversed so I can lock them in -best advice our pediatrician ever gave us! If you are struggling with bedtime try it- so much easier than the countless hours of putting them back into bed until you feel like you are going to throw them through the bed. So now the dilemma -you can't exactly close the door with both of them in the room, especially if only one child is the problem. After of few days, and a lot of hair loss, I finally figured it out. Aaron needs a couple minutes on his own to settle down for the night. So I put Aaron to bed first and allow Ian to read another book or two. Then Ian heads to bed. While this method is not flawless it seems to help. They tend to go in phases, one good week of bedtime, one bad week of bedtime. We are currently on "one bad week." I really hope all the kinks are worked out by June when this baby arrives, but something tells me it will not be the case.
Other than attempting to get ready for this baby to arrive we have been loving the weather. Just this last week it was in the high 60's. We had the bikes out and were riding around the neighborhood enjoying the sun. Then one morning we woke up and there was about four inches of snow on the ground. I discovered this when Aaron come running in our bedroom from the deck in his underwear. snow boots, with a snowball in his hand ready to fire. So we put on our snowsuits did a little sledding and then Ian decided he would make a snowman.
Aaron helped for a little while, then decided he was done. Sometimes I am not quite sure what to think of this boy. He just decided to rest for a few minutes laying in the driveway.
The finished product! He did the entire thing all by himself and was so proud! Can you tell he got tired of making snowballs. The head of the snowman is quite funny.
Next week it is supposed to be warm again! Who know what the weather will be here in good ole Utah!
Another month has come and gone. We are not sure where the time is going but I am happy in some ways (my growing stomach) that it is going by quickly! We started out the month of February decorating for Valentines Day. The boys help cut out and decorate all of the hearts. It became much more exciting when I pulled out the paints and let them go to town.
McKenna came over and helped me out with the boys that night! They absolutely adore her!
So pretty! Yes, Ian still does not like his picture being taken.
That weekend we headed up to Logan while Daddy worked. The boys and I were very excited for some delicious Chinese food! Ian loved using chopsticks just like grandpa and daddy do.
It took Ian a few minutes to figure it out again. Don't worry he became pretty proficient at using them.
Aaron decided he loves "Egg Drop Soup." He slurped like this until the bowl was completely empty.
Valentine's Day had finally arrived. Ian of course loved his preschool class party. At home daddy made delicious valentines pancakes, then after school we all went skiing up at Sundance (well Aaron and I just sat around and played in the snow). The ski instructor and Ian had fun making hearts in the snow. That weekend Tim and I headed out on a date! It was the first time we have ever left the boys with anyone besides my parents. Kenna babysat the boys while Tim and I enjoyed a double date with Adam and Stephanie. Dinner at Tucanos then we headed to see "Safe Haven." Yes, we made the guys go and I think they enjoyed it :) The boys slept better that night then they ever had and were non-stop talk in the morning. Apparently we should have Kenna babysit more often.
We have seen a few snow storms roll through. Unfortunately the snow does not stay for long. By the next day it is completely melted ;( As soon as it starts snowing the boys and daddy run out to enjoy it!
I am not sure that I have even mentioned the exciting news! Aaron is potty trained! I could not really tell you when it happened. Sometime in January. He has been going on the potty...forever, but he is officially in underwear. Now we have two boys running around acting like superheroes in their underwear!
They have also enjoyed laughing at everything! This can be good or bad. Ian busted out laughing when Aaron said "poopy" at the table. Now Aaron thinks that it is hilarious to say "poopy" at all times. It has not been an easy thing to correct.
Last week they also moved into the same room! I want to make sure they are well adjusted before the baby arrives. We headed to ikea to picked up a few extra storage bins, the boys had fun mapping and marking out our route in the store. I was surprised how easy the transition to the same room was. I think they sleep better in the same room then they do in separate rooms. I am really hoping it isn't a fluke.
Mostly the boys have been....boys. Some days I look at my stomach and go, "what the heck were we thinking. These two are driving us insane, how could we have thought it was a good idea to add a third." Then they always do something that reminds us how much we love and adore them and we realize that everything will be just fine!
Ian will sneak into our room and take my phone when he wakes up. That morning he had taken 128 photos of himself. Looks like he was having fun! It always makes me smile when I find all of these photos!
When ended the month of February celebrating my 28th birthday! My parents and hunter came down to visit that weekend and brought me my favorite plum cake! Then on Monday night Aaron woke up at 2:00 am puking. It continued all day even the smallest amount of water would come straight back up. He started to become very lethargic and if he wasn't puking he was laying there with his eyes closed. We had planned on taking him to the doctors office in the morning if it still continued but at this point it did not seem to be letting up. So we took him to our pediatrician and he was borderline being hospitalized. They gave him some dissolvable zofran to see if we could actually get some fluids to stay in him. And told us if he threw up again to bring him straight into the hospital. Poor baby. Thankfully the zofran helped and he was able to actually keep some water and even a little graham cracker down.
The next morning it was my birthday! At 6:30 am Ian came racing in my room to tell me not to get out of bed until he came and got me -I had no intention of getting out of bed anyway :) At 8:00 he came in and brought me a beautiful handmade card, and they had made me breakfast.
Picture of me and Ian. Birthday balloons. Happy Birthday I love you Mom Ian. He ran out of room so the 'an' is on the other page :) Daddy helped him spell a few words.
A few friends dropped by in which I warned them all to stay far away -only out of love! Then that night I started with that nasty stomach bug. By morning I was feeling completely drained and started having contractions every 20 minutes. We called the doctor who told Tim to give be a bag of fluids and if the contractions did not stop then I would need to come into the hospital. This is where having your husband as a nurse was a major bonus. Tim put in an IV and had a bag a fluids running in a few minutes. Thankfully the contractions stopped and I was filling a little better. No more than 20-30 minutes after Tim gave me my IV did he start puking with the stomach bug as well. Ian was the only one safe....he was sent to his bedroom or downstairs to play and told to stay away from everyone as much as possible, while the rest of us rotated using the restrooms.
It is now Friday and we are all feeling much better! I have come to realize that if Aaron was borderline hospitalization we should have just taken him in anyway. The poor thing is still recovering and trying to bounce back. He is doing well enough that we can't take him in now, but I wonder how much faster he would have bounced back had we taken him in for some fluids. Today was cleaning, scrubbing, sanitizing day! After our horrible couple of days the house is actually looking livable again. Ian has not caught this nasty bug and we are hoping it stays that way.
We are so excited and still in complete shock/unbelief that in June we will be welcoming a baby girl!
It has been a bumpy road so we did not share the exciting news with anyone for a very long time. Between 8-12 weeks I had a horrible cold that turned into pneumonia. When you are pregnant they don't like to put you on medication but thankfully finally put me on a z-pack (strong antibiotics). At my twelve week check up I mentioned to the doctor that I notice these hard lumps on my lower stomach that were kind of irritating. I have multiple inguinal hernias, both sides. Only 3% of woman ever get these -lucky me! Mostly like from the intense coughing when I had pneumonia. Not a big deal but it looks like I will get to have yet another surgery...hopefully after baby!
At 13 weeks, I had what they call a subchorionic hemorrhage. Apparently 20% of women get these during there pregnancy but they are relatively small around a centimeter or two. Mine happened to be six to seven centimeters. They don't know what causes them but it possible for the clot to get between the placenta and uterine wall and cause a miscarriage. This landed me on bed rest until the hemorrhage hopefully resolved itself. So we decided it best to keep the news to ourselves and see how things continued. At 15 weeks I had another hemorrhage but thankfully all is still going well. Our immediate families found out the news over Christmas time. My parents found out a few weeks early due to the fact that we were supposed to be heading up to Logan and I ended up in the hospital with the hemorrhage instead.
For Christmas we gave our parents a photo book. The last page in the book was a picture of the ultrasound with the caption, "Coming June 2013." My parents found the news out early so we did not get to see their surprised faces but Tim's parents did not have any idea...
The news spread a little through our family but not much since we were still unsure how things would end up playing out. Even our boys did not know that they would soon both be big brothers. We finally made it to 20 weeks and had our big ultrasound to determine the gender and make sure everything was still looking good.
Ian had been drawing these pictures of our family since before we knew that we were expecting. About a week before our ultrasound he drew this one. So I asked him if I could write down their names of who they were. As you can see I started to write Tim and Ian corrected me...duh, did I not notice the long hair. I love that we are all holding hands. The last one is named Ironman (he told me how to spell it), however do you notice the long hair. Keep in mind he had no idea that we were going to be having another baby. When we finally told him the news he was ecstatic!
We brought the boys with us to the ultrasound. They were great and Ian loved watching the screen. He would point out the babies hands and feet. This was his favorite moment, when the baby was waving at him.
We explained to the kids that we would find out if this baby would be a brother or a sister. Throughout the beginning of the ultrasound Ian kept asking, "Where is his pee pee?" We then found out the exciting news that it was a GIRL! For the next 20 minutes he kept asking the ultra sounds tech, "Is it a boy yet?" She thought it was hilarious, as did we. I tried to get some video of the boys to share with family but as you can see the boys were not very excited. They just wanted ironman or hulk and not a "boring girl."
We are so excited but I have not dared to buy anything. I have another ultrasound next week so maybe I will finally get up the nerve to actually buy something pink :) So while the road has been bumpy it looks like things are starting to smooth out. I still have to take it easy and try not to do to much. No lifting, etc. But the hemorrhage seems to have resolved so now it is just hoping that with all these other random symptoms I don't go into early labor. I still can't believe it's a girl! So excited!!!
