Three Years

It’s Christmas Time at our House

When we moved into this house, the bedroom above the family room was large enough to hold three twin beds, a couple dressers, and two nightstands. I thought it would be so wonderful to have all three of my boys share the same room. The first night was a little chaotic and involved a lot of wrestling. After a few nights, the boys seemed to really love sharing a room. For the most part, it has worked out really well with only a few nights of pure fighting (between kids and then Colby and I getting mad at them).

I have loved decorating this room for the Holidays and I’m not sure I’ll ever take it down. It’s complete with a six foot Christmas tree, two smaller trees on their end tables, a cozy fireplace, and Christmas pillows galore!

It’s My Party | Cohen Turns Three

Cohen has been anxiously waiting for his birthday to come! He knew after Aaron was born, his birthday would be the next thing we celebrated! For the last month, anyone he saw, including the crazy lady who came from across the street at the courthouse, was informed it was his birthday that day. We had to keep telling him it wasn’t until June. When we asked Cohen what he wanted for his birthday, he would simply reply, “a blue present and sprinkles!”

Twenty minutes before his party was supposed to start, he fell asleep…

We woke him up just after everyone arrived and the party began complete with “sprinkles” as he wished!

While everyone sang Happy Birthday to him, he had this look on his face…
Of course he went straight for the blue presents FIRST!

We had an enjoyable night celebrating Cohen’s third birthday with our family!

Cohen is such a sweet little boy and we love him so much! He loves his older brothers to death and is slowly getting use to the idea of having another little brother around! He loves getting up each morning (sometimes still in his PJ’s) and riding his little red bike. He can belch on a whim and laugh at the simplest things. He continues to be a Daddy’s boy, but hopefully loves his “Mama” too. We hope you enjoyed your birthday buddy!

Aaron’s Birth Story | Part One

Tuesday, May 31st 6:00 a.m. | Colby loaded up the van and took all three of my oldest boys to Disneyland with the help of his Mom and Sisters. Diana’s dance team was dancing in Disneyland and since we have season tickets, I gave him permission to take the kids and enjoy the week with his family. I figured this would give me some alone time before the chaos of four boys.

Thursday, June 2nd 11:00 a.m. | I had a doctor appointment in the clinic to be checked. Dr. Jones checked me and I was dilated to a good 4-5 and 60% effaced. I was shocked but not surprised. I have always dilated to at least a 4 with all three of my other pregnancies around this time. I called Colby after my appointment and told him the news. He seemed a little worried, but I told him things were good. We looked up flights (just in case) and there were plenty of flights Colby could hurry and get on if things got too serious. I was comforted knowing that if he had to hurry and get home, he could.

Saturday, June 4th | At this point I was contracting all the time. Sometimes my contractions would be 3 minutes apart and sometimes more like ten minutes. Sometimes the contractions would be really painful while others weren’t too bad. I took it easy the entire day watching T.V. I called Colby several times during the day giving him updates about how I was feeling. I was definitely contracting more and more and explained to Colby I was getting a little nervous.

Sunday, June 5th |  I was at my parents house eating dinner. Colby was on his way back from Disneyland with my three boys, but wouldn’t be home until around midnight. As I sat on the couch, my contractions seemed to be hurting more and getting closer together. I thought that relaxing on the couch would help, but it didn’t. Eventually, my Dad asked me if I was okay and I started to tear up. I had been trying to be strong and take every contraction at a time, but I was definitely hurting pretty bad. He told me he would take me to the hospital to get checked. However, being a previous L&D Nurse, I knew they might send me right back home if I wasn’t fully in labor. My Dad convinced me to just be checked. We went down to the hospital and they put me on the monitors. I was dilated to a 5-6 at this point and definitely contracting.

To make a long story short, Colby arrived at the hospital around 1:00 a.m. I was still contracting and dilated to a six. Throughout the night my contractions slowed down a little bit and I was sent home around 7:00 a.m. I was definitely frustrated and still hurting! I was previously scheduled to be induced the following Saturday, but wasn’t sure how I would make it to Saturday hurting and contracting the way I was.

Monday, June 6th 8:30 a.m. | I was laying in bed at home trying to relax. My phone rang. It was Dr. Bailey. He told me he didn’t know I had been at the hospital through the night and told me to come back at 1:00 p.m. to be induced. Again, I was frustrated I had been sent home, I was still contracting, but also relieved that I didn’t have to deal with being dilated to a six for an entire week like I thought.

June 6th 1:30 p.m. | We got checked into the hospital and about an hour later the nurses started me on pitocin.

June 6th 3:30 p.m. | Dr. Bailey checked me and broke my water. I was dilated to a 7 and decided to get my epidural. In hindsight: I should have listened to my Dad and got my epidural BEFORE Dr. Bailey broke my water. Parents always know best right?!

June 6th 4:10 p.m. | The BEST Nurse Anesthetist (AKA my amazing Dad) gave me my epidural and I was able to rest for about 30 minutes. However, that didn’t last long and I was feeling a TON of pressure!

June 6th 4:45 p.m. | Misty (my nurse) checked me and I was completely dilated and effaced. I was relieved, but yet still hurting a little bit because I had progressed SO fast. Dr. Bailey was called and the nurses started to get everything set up for the delivery.

June 6th 5:10 p.m. | I was able to start pushing at this time.

June 6th 5:24 p.m. | My forth handsome little boy was born with ten fingers, ten toes, the cutest little face, and some chunky legs! He weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. He weighed the most out of all four of my boys!

Please excuse the fact that the pictures are posting in the wrong order. I have tried to fix them three times and I gave up! Enjoy them from the end to the start instead…

Part Two Coming soon!

Should It Be Over Tomorrow

Being almost 37 weeks pregnant I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our fourth son. My body is aching, my feet are swollen, I am contracting like crazy, my clothes don’t fit, and I can count the hours of painful sleep I get each night on one hand. As with my other pregnancies, when you get to this point, sometimes you just want the baby to come out sooner than later. I have found myself being significantly more tired, overwhelmed, and flat out exhausted with this pregnancy than I remember feeling with my other three. Whether it be my age, my busy life, or the fact that I have three other children running around needing my attention, this pregnancy has definitely made me feel old.

As I was relaxing on my bed earlier this afternoon, I realized that while these last few weeks are some of the hardest, they are also some of the most sacred. My boys are anxious to meet their brother who they knew before they came to this earth. What a wonderful time that will be for them to see him and know that he is their brother, not just in this life, but forever! It’s a blessing to know that this wild and crazy family Colby and I are raising will be a family for eternity!

Although my body aches and some days are harder than others, there is nothing I love more than feeling those little kicks in my belly or the small frequent jolts when he gets the hiccups. Being a mother is one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences! I realized today, that while I am uncomfortable, I may never be pregnant again! I may never get to see a baby on an ultrasound scan, feel the little kicks, watch my belly grow and grow as the weeks go on, or even later deal with the pains of labor.

Should it be over tomorrow, I want nothing more than to remember how wonderful it has been to carry four little boys in my belly! I am extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity to be a mother! Should it be over tomorrow, I want to remember the pains, the worries, the sleepless nights, the painful contractions, and even the swollen feet. Should it be over tomorrow, I want to remember how sacred it has been to bring such special spirits to this earth. I need to be better about teaching them the gospel and loving them more and more each day. I need to remember that Heavenly Father has trusted me with them and it’s my duty to help bring them back to him. Should it be over tomorrow, I want all my children to know that I love them and care for them beyond anything I can describe. Should it be over tomorrow, I want them to know, it was all worth it!