Our Walk

While my mom has been here, she has taken the girls on several walks.

On one of these walks, she discovered the little neighborhood that's behind our backyard.

However, this little neighborhood is quite secluded, and it sits back of the main road.

So on my parents last day here, my mom took us all on a walk.

 

Halle gets tired pretty quickly, so my mom has to pull her along.

 

There is a little stream that runs through the neighborhood.

I took this picture because the stream ran in front of a house,

and I was just fascinated that a yard could look like this.

 

 Even though I've lived here for a year and a half, I'm still struck with how big the trees are!

And it's crazy that these trees grow in the middle of neighborhoods!

 

 One of the streets we went on had a little pond.

I just loved how some people had parked this boat.

It was so quiet and peaceful tucked away from everything...

 

 

 

And of course, I couldn't help but snap some photos of my favorite gals riding their bikes.

I love this picture of Halle because it reminds me of what a happy girl she is.

She finds pure joy in pretty much anything.

I just love her!

 

Ava is getting pretty darn good at riding her bike.

She loves to zoom ahead of us on our walks, and she is very careful to stay on the side of the road since there aren't sidewalks here.

 

 

To me, this picture says a thousand words.

As I was taking a picture of Ava, Halle came running up, which is usually what happens.

Halle is always on the run, and is a busy, busy girl.

 

AFter our walk, Halle came home and put on her hat.

Go figure!

12.21.12

12.21.12

 

That's the day Colbie turned 1 month old.

Words simply cannot express how much we love having this little bundle of joy around.

 

 

She gets oodles of kisses and hugs every single day.

 

 

She is turning into quite the chunker.

She has officially outgrown all newborn clothes....

which is something Halle didn't do until she was about 3 1/2 months old!

She weighs about 10 lbs (I'm guessing) and has grown about an inch or so.

She is getting some lovely little rolls around her thighs, which I just adore.

 

 

Colbie loves to sit up and look around.

She has the most curious eyes and is constantly soaking up her surroundings.

 

 

This month, Colbie shed her first layer of skin... it reminded me of a snake. :)

Then she has had a case of baby acne. :(

And we've been battling a round of thrush. (Ouch).

 

 

But despite scaly skin, acne, and some rough feeding sessions,

Colbie is the best darn baby that ever lived on the earth.

Seriously.

 

 

Except for when she puts her hand up in protest because I take waaaay too many pictures of her.

21 Days

 

Little Miss C has been in our lives for 21 days now. Those 3 weeks have gone faster than I have wanted them to. She is growing and getting bigger everyday, and I'm not really liking it, to be honest with you. I just want to keep her a little snuggly baby and mug on her as much as possible.

 

 

At her 2 week appointment, Colbie weighed in at 8 lbs. 8 oz (51%) and measured 21.5 inches (85%). Since she had dropped down to 6 lbs 13 oz, I was impressed with how much weight she's gained.... almost 2 lbs in 2 weeks!

 

 

Colbie is such a joy to have around... we all just want to hug her and kiss her and smell her... she is definitely getting lots of lovin' around here... but who can blame us?

 

I was talking to Nate the other day about how much we've changed as parents over the past 5 years. With Ava, I was constantly stressed about what all the books said, and if I was doing everything I was supposed to.... and I was always anticipating the next stage. When she was crawling, I looked forward to when she was walking... and I feel like I missed out on just letting her be a baby.

 

Then Halle came along, and turned our world upside down. I struggled adjusting to 2 kids... partly because it took me a long time to recover, and partly because balancing time between kids is a lot different than just soley focusing on one kid. Ava was at a difficult age, and between working and school and life, I was just frazzled 110% of the time.

 

 

Now that Colbie is here, I feel like I am more mature as a parent. Things that would have stressed me out with Ava no longer stress me out. For instance, I have a load of laundry that needs to folded, bathrooms that haven't been cleaned, my children were in their pajamas (and didn't have their hair combed) until 3:30 this afternoon, and that's only because our neighbor asked if they could go over to his house and play, and my hair has been pulled into a ponytail for the 4th straight day...

but I don't really care. Why? Because today I cuddled with Colbie in my bed after her morning feeding, and then Ava came in and we just chit chatted. I did more cuddling with Colbie while listening to Ava and Halle play Barbies in their room... and then I watched them play "Pouty Lip" on the couch. (Pouty Lip is a game they made up where they basically stand on the arms of the couch and jump onto the cushions while screaming "Pouty Lip!".... and I don't even care that they are jumping on the couch that way. Why? Because it's not the couch we are going to have forever, and because they are giggling and not fighting and because they aren't watching TV.) We also made snowmen out of milk jugs and sorted through their scissors, markers, and crayons...

 

I have cleared our schedule of everything so that we can have these days to just do whatever we want to. Ava isn't in preschool, and I haven't enrolled the girls in any classes because I just want to enjoy this time in our lives before life gets crazy when Ava goes to school next year. I want to be able to wake up when we want to and to lounge around if we want to, or we can go to the library, or to Target, or wherever. Basically, I just want to be free and enjoy time with my kids. We come and go as we please, and I think that's helped me to enjoy Miss Colbie and has made the transition to 3 kids a lot easier.

 

Another thing that has been less stressful is nursing Colbie. With my other 2 girls, I was working, and so I was constantly on a feeding schedule. I had to nurse them right before work, and then worry about pumping, and then nurse her on my lunch break, worry about pumping again, and then nurse her right after work... and when we went out into public I was always worried about what other people would say, so I would go nurse in a bathroom or in my car....

and guess what?

I don't care what people think anymore. Partly because it's against the law up here to say anything to a nursing mother, and partly because everyone nurses in public. Some even nurse without covering themselves. So, if I have to nurse when I'm out and about, I just do it. And it has made a world of difference. I am actually enjoying nursing... somewhat. :)

 

 

Time is such a precious thing. Each moment that passes is another moment closer to the time that my girls will be going out into the wprld and I will no longer be their main influence... and that's a scary thought for me. Our three little girlies are gifts from God, and He has entrusted Nate and I to teach them right from wrong, and to teach them the gospel... and all I want is for them to realize just how precious they are to Nate and I and to our Heavenly Father.

Friday Photo Dump!!

Here are some pics taken this week. I love looking at pictures and seeing my life in little snippets. :) I feel like pictures reflect what's going on in lives....

 

We have spent many days at McDonald's. They have awesome playlands, and their kids meals come with awesome toys. It's the perfect place for me to go on rainy days with my kids and when I don't feel like cooking. :)

 

Colbie loves her binky! This pic cracks me up because it looks like she is protecting her binky from being taken out. 

 

Bath time! I just love the look on her sweet face!

This was taken before church one Sunday. Both the girls wanted to wear their high heels (yes, both of them have high heels!!!) and they had fancy hair!

Tee hee hee.... I love it when Ava wears this hat. I love the way it smooshes down her little face. 

Here's a panoramic view of our kitchen and living room. Do you like our little tree? Nate and I bought it the first year we were married at Big Lots for $20. :) Gotta love those poor college days...

nothing has changed ! :)

Merry Christmas!!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Miss Colbie Anne

For one of my baby shower presents, a friend of mine gave me a pen and a notebook... It has been such a fantastic gift! I took them to the hospital and was able to jot down thoughts and feelings that I had. I wrote about Colbie's birth and just what an amazing experience it was about 6 hours after she was born. I just wanted to share that little entry here...


November 21, 2012
I just had a baby 6 1/2 hours ago. Little Miss Colbie Anne Cash was born at 1:37 p.m. and weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and she is 20 3/4 inches tall.
This whole pregnancy has been busy.... Dr. appointments every 2 weeks, ultra sounds galore, weekly shots... and it all came together today.
I went in yesterday for my 39 week appointment. My doctor and I discussed being induced this week because my mom was flying in today, and I didn't really want to be pregnant while she is here. My doctor checked me, and I was at a 4, and she told me she thinks the baby is about 7 lbs. I thought she was nuts!!! My doctor told me there was an opening to be induced for 7:30 a.m. this morning. I took it. After my appointment, I went home, finished my laundry, swept the floors, did the dishes, and took out the garbages. I can't tell you how nice it was to be able to finish up all the little things! I woke up about 4 a.m. this morning, and just couldn't sleep. I had to call the hospital at 5:30 a.m. to make sure they had room for me, and sure enough, they did! Sweet!
I showered, and got ready, woke Ava up around 6:30, and we had breakfast together. We got everything ready and took the girls to my neighbor's house. Nate and I arrived at the hospital around 7:45 a.m. We checked in, got our room (#320), and got settled in.

 

 

I was given Pitocin around 9:30 a.m. and got the ball rolling. Dr. K cam in around 11:30ish and broke my water. It was her day off, but she came in just to deliver my baby. At my appointment yesterday, she told me I couldn't go into labor that night because she had a concert, and she had a hair appointment at 9 a.m. but she would be in after her hair was done. :) After she broke my water, she had to do some Thanksgiving grocery shopping, but she'd be close by. Meanwhile, my neighbor drove to the airport and picked up my mom for me. My mom arrived around noon, just as the contractions were starting to get a little intense. At 12:30, the contractions got super intense, and I asked for an epidural. I really wanted to go natural, but when Dr. K broke my water, I was only at a 5, and I didn't know how much longer it would be before I was fully dilated. The epidural guy showed up around 1:10 and gave me the epidural. His name was Nate and he grew up in Sugar House and went to Highland High (where my dad grew up and went to high school) so it was fun to talk to him in between contractions.
After my epi was in (about 1:20), I told my nurse I could still feel everything on my left side. My right side was totally numb, but the left side was a different story!! It was such a weird feeling having an invisible line drawn down my body, and being totally numb on one side, and feeling the most intense pain ever on the other.... sheesh! My nurse (Nora) had me turn on my left side to try and get the epi to work on my left side by letting gravity work it's magic, but as soon as I turned, I had to push. The pressure to push was so intense, I didn't know if I could hold her in! They called Dr. K (who was eating lunch in the cafeteria) and she came up and checked me... sure enough, I was at a 10, and she gowned up while the nurses got everything ready. I started pushing around 1:30ish, and I am so glad my mom and Nate were there to remind me to breath. It was so hard to breath, and all I wanted to do was get Colbie out of me! My mouth became extremely dry, and my lips felt like they were on fire! Half way through pushing, I asked for my chapstick, and that helped me to calm down a little bit. :) I pushed really well about 3 or 4 times, and then the doc told me to just hold on for a second, but I told her no... I'm just gonna push and get this baby out! Plus, I could feel half of everything, and it felt like I was on fire!!! But after the really big pushes, they had me do a few short pushes, and Colbie arrived at 1:37!

 

I was able to hold her immediately after while Nate cut the cord, and the doc stitched me up (I only had a 1st degree tear... not too bad). I was just able to hold her for a long time. They weren't in a hurry to clean her up or weigh her.... It was so nice to just have those moments together and really let everything soak in. I tried nursing her, and she nurses like a champ. She nursed for about 45 minutes, and then I had to break her off so they could weigh her and what not.

 

Colbie is so sweet and mellow. I fed her twice at night (@ 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.) and she didn't even fuss. She loves to have her hands by her face, but that doesn't come as a surprise because that's how she was inside me. Every ultrasound picture shows her little arm up by her cheeks. She also loves her binkie! She has the cutest little bum! Because Ava and Halle were so tiny, they didn't have a bum crack... it was more like a little hole, so I think it's cute that Colbie has a little more meat on her.

I know Heavenly Father had His hand in the timing of Colbie's delivery. It was such a blessing to have Dr. K there and to have my mom there. This has definitely been the best recovery and the labor wasn't too bad. :) I feel awesome, and Nate was even able to spend the night! Nate was able to take today off, and since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, he has that off too... but he also has Friday off because of the holiday, and he took Monday off as well. This is the longest he has ever been off, and I know it's one of the tender mercies of the Lord.

 

     I was discharged from the hospital around 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving. They had to wait til Colbie was at least 24 hrs old and had to run some tests, and then we were both given a clean bill of health to go home! Hooray for short hospital stays! Her bilirubin levels have been super low, so she didn't need to be under the lights, like Ava and Halle were. :)

 

     I have been blessed to have a healthy pregnancy this time around. However, I was classifed as mild pre-eclamptic. My blood pressure was a little higher than it should be, and I had some swelling and was starting to spill protein into my urine, so I really think it was great timing that I was induced. I am so thankful to my loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me so much.

     Since being home, things have gone so smoothly. My recovery has been awesome. Colbie eats like a champ, and sleeps like a champ too! She eats around 8 p.m. and then around 10 p.m. and sleeps til about 3 a.m. She eats, and goes right back to sleep and wakes up around 7:30 a.m. to eat again. The awesome thing is she doesn't cry, I just wake up to her grunting and stirring...
     Honestly, I never realized how hard Halle was until I've been able to breeze through my recovery with Colbie. I'm sure it has helped that my mom takes care of my other two girls, and I have been able to soley focus on what Colbie needs. Ava and Halle have adjusted extremely well to having their new little sister. They are such amazing helpers, and just give her lots of loves and kisses.

I just love my little family and am so grateful to have three wonderful daughters and the most fabulous husband. I can't even imagine how different my life would be without them!
   

Introduction

Hello everyone.

We would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family...

 

Colbie Anne Cash

born November 21, 2012

at 1:37 p.m.

 

7 lbs. 8 oz.

21 in. long

 

She is an absolute dream.

More about that later...

 

But for now,

let's just oogle over her.

 



 

I reached 36 weeks of pregnancy on Wednesday.

Whew...

I feel like I am ready to explode!! It seems that I simply cannot expand or grow anymore....

but somehow I do.

 

I went in for my weekly appointment on Tuesday, and I am dilated to a 1 cm, but no effacement yet. This little girl is still pretty high, but my cervix is soft, so I guess we'll see how things go this next Tuesday.

 

I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy. They usually hit me super hard at night, and come quite frequently. I even started timing them last night in hopes that maybe, just maybe, I would be in labor. But they stopped after about an hour and I was able to sleep through the night (well, exept for the 5 times I got up to use the restroom...).

 

I have gained about 30 lbs, which is about normal. :) Weight gain has been the last thing I've been worried about with this pregnancy, but I'm happy that I'm in the normal range. I also don't have any new stretch marks (hooray!) but that's been at the bottom of my worry list as well.

 

On a little side note... it really drives me nuts when all women are worried about is weight gain and stretch marks. If you don't want them, don't get pregnant! Those two things are absolutely inevitable! Sure, my body isn't going to go back to what it was... I will have saggy boobs and my stomach is absolutely hashed, but it is what it is. I've now successfully grown 3 humans inside me.... I'm bound to be a little out of shape. :)

 

I think we've settled on a name for this little girl. For a long time, Nate was really set on one name, and I was set on another... and neither one of us liked the other's name.... and neither one of us was really willing to budge.... so we just avoided talking about names. Then on Thursday, after the girlies went to bed, we sat on the couch and hashed out names. It was a grueling process... going through names, agreeing or disagreeing on them, going through nicknames.... oi. I really hope our next kid is a boy because coming up with another girl name will be brutal! (Yes, we are planning on another one... who knows when, though...)

 

BUT... we've narrowed it down to 4 names, 3 of which were not originally on either of our lists...

And today, I think we've narrowed it down to two names with one being the front runner. But, we're just going to have to meet this little girl before we decide for sure.

 

I am ready for this pregnancy to be done, and to have my body back to a somewhat normal shape. :) So, please pray that I have her this upcoming week!! :)

This Man

I just wanted to take a minute and write about this awesome guy. I wish I could write down all the amazing things he does for our family, and I wish words would be adequate enough to express my appreciation and love for him. But I'm not very good with words, and I'm sure this post will sound like rambling to most of you, but I just want to attempt to share some of my feelings...

It was 7 years ago that Nate and I started dating. I knew that I wanted to marry him even before we went on our first date. Through working with him for 9 months and getting to know him, I saw many sides of him. Let me be clear... at first, I did not even like him or thought he was cute. But gradually, we got to know each other as friends, and gradually, I started to like him. I'm so glad that we were friends first. There wasn't any pressure to impress him, and I wasn't constantly worrying if he thought I was cute... I just didn't care! But eventually the inevitable happened, and I started to fall "in like" with him. I was seeing other guys, and dating a ton, but I always found myself comparing these guys to Nate. And pretty soon, it became crystal clear on who I wanted to be with.

It's funny how I always found myself wanting to be with him... but after 7 years that want has turned into a need. I need to be with Nate. He is my rock. He knows who he is and what he wants from life, and is unwaivering in his faith. I would be utterly lost without him. He doesn't require a lot of attention and is happy with whatever he has. He is a home-body and can be pretty quiet at times. Some people think that because he is quiet, he doesn't have opinions, or that he can be a pushover... However, once you get to know him, you will find that he does have opinions (and they can be quite strong at times) and that he isn't a pushover.

Nate is an amazing husband. People often say that the first year of marriage is the hardest.... but I have found that to be completely untrue in our marriage. Nate and I have had trials and hard times come our way, but actually being married hasn't been hard at all. In fact, I would never want to go back to the dating scene. Being married to Nate has brought me complete joy and happiness. I have never felt tied down, in fact, I've felt very much free and alive. Nate provides me with a sense of purpose and direction that I need at times. He encourages me and supports me in anything I do. 

At night, he falls asleep pretty much the minute his head hits the pillow, and I lie awake just thinking about how lucky I am to have him by my side in this journey. I thank God every night that Nate is mine and that we are sealed for eternity. To some, eternity might seem like a long time to be with someone, but I don't think it could ever be enough.

Though we have gray hairs appearing, crow lines forming, the pounds on the scale go up and down, and our joints creek and pop when we walk up the stairs, I wouldn't want to experience life with anyone but Nate.

 

Little Miss Ava turned 5 on the 19th. It's so surreal thinking Nate and I have beenparents for 5 whole years. My oh my... the time has flown! Everyday I look at Ava and am amazed at how grown up she is and just how darling she is. She is so compassionate and sensitive... Heavenly Father definitely knew I needed her. :)

 

For Ava's 5th birthday, I wanted to do a little more than I have in years past. I think 5 is a big milestone birthday, and combine it with the fact that I'm due pretty much any day and we won't be going out for awhile, we spread her birthday over several days.

 

 

 On the 18th, we went to the pumpkin patch and picked out our pumpkins. Ava was very specific with what she wanted. It had to be dark orange and tall and long... yep, those were her specifications.

 

 

On Friday (Ava's actual birthday) we ended up sending Nate on a surprise overnight fishing trip, so we made her birthday a girls day.

(On a side note... Nate deserved to go on a little man adventure to Seaside to go fishing. It was the last available weekend before the baby comes, so I collaborated with a couple of his friends and we totally surprised him! There will be more on that later, though...)

 

So for our girls day, we went to the movies and saw "Hotel Transylvania". It was only Ava's 2nd time going to the movies and Halle's first time going, so it was quite an adventure. We don't ever go to the movies, so it was a real treat!

 

 

After the movie, we headed to McDonalds. It's fun going on Ava's birthday because they have their Halloween buckets for the kids meals.

 

 

Ava has also spent many hours riding her new bike! She has been learning to ride without training wheels, and I'm sure she'll have it down in no time. She's been wanting a bike forever, and I had her convinced that she needed to ask Santa Claus for one. Well,  she was super surprised when she got it for her birthday!

 

 

Then, on the 27th we had a friend birthday party for her. She wanted a Halloween costume party and only wanted girls to come. I have a rule that she can only invite as many friends as her age, so this year we had to pick 5 friends. 3 of them couldn't come, so we had a little party with just 2 girls, but it was great because they just wanted to play. We decorated some foam pumpkins and had a pinata (another one of Ava's requests) and ate cake and ice cream. Nothing major, but it made Ava's day. She also wanted a spider cake... as we spent time looking for cakes, she specifically wanted a spider cake and she didn't want it to be cute. She wanted it to be scary looking.... Well, we comprimised and found a cake that she liked. I thought it turned out pretty well. :)

 

 

While there are moments that Ava drives me crazy, I would honestly be lost without her. She is such a big helper, and she has amazed me with her ability to help me out. When there are days when I need to lie down and just rest, or when I need her to pick up something because I can't bend over anymore, she is my special helper. She is very eager to mind and to please Nate and me.

 

Ava is very smart and has an amazing ability to learn songs pretty much after the first time she's heard it. She knows the first 5 Articles of Faith because we sing them at night. She loves to sing and I can often hear her making up her own songs. Ava loves to go to Primary and loves to get picked as the Reverence Child or to get "mail" which means she's either giving the talk, scripture, or prayer the following Sunday. She really takes to heart the teachings of the gospel. One night, we were reading the scriptures and we were reading about how we can pray and ask Heavenly Father if the things we are reading are true. I stopped reading and told Ava that she can pray to know that the gospel is true, and know for herself... she looked at me and said, "Mom, I already have. I know the gospel is true. It makes me happy." She knows she can pray when she is sad or needs help, and her prayers are becoming more and more personal.

 

She is so darling, and I can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring!

Small Miracles.... Great Evidence

     I have been going crazy the past 2 weeks getting ready for a craft boutique I'm in, so I'm a little behind on what's been going on around here. However, I just wanted to take a minute to reflect on some things that have happened lately.
     You would think that since we're having our 3rd child, we would be a little more financially prepared and have everything we need... However, this is not really the case. Yes, we are no longer students and Nate has a grown up job, but we also have more expenses and 2 other kids to provide for... and to top things off, we sold ALL of our baby stuff and girl clothes before we moved up here because we had no where to store everything.  Needless to say, the past year I have been nervous about how we are going to manage to get everything ready for this baby.
     Some people may put off having kids until they are absolutely stable, and while this is great for them, Nate and I felt that another child was to come to our family, and knew that the Lord would provide for us if we followed the promptings we were having.
     So, a year ago, we started preparing to have another child.  This decision was a huge leap of faith for me, and it has been absolutely nerve wracking at times. But I cannot tell you just how blessed we've been, and how I've seen small miracles come about. These small miracles have been great evidence that the Lord really does have a hand in our lives and is aware of our needs. My faith has been greatly (and I mean GREATLY) tested and has been stregthened. I have learned more about myself and have had to rediscover my testimony this past year, but it has been worth it.

I wanted to just take a few seconds and record some of the small ways the Lord has provided for this baby...

     1. We needed bunk beds for the girls, so we saved up and bought them some. But have you ever looked at bedding? It can be quite pricey, and of course I wanted their bedding to match, so I went on the hunt for matching comfortors. One day, I was at Target just browsing around when I saw a pink twin quilt on the clearance rack. I looked at the price, and it said $7.50. As you can imagine, I quickly snatched it up and went scouring for another one to match. A few rows over, I found one, but some lady was looking at it. Well, she looked at it and looked at it and looked at it some more.... I finally went to an aisle near her and watched her, praying she would put it down, and a half hour later, she set it down!! Yes, I stalked her for a long, long time, but it was worth it! I got both of the girls' bedding for a total of $15.00.

     2. My friend just gave us her carseat. Wow.

     3. My other friend gave me her old maternity clothes and her baby girl clothes since she's done having kids. I can't tell you how greatly this relieved some stress of mine! Baby clothes are expensive, and while I do shop at Goodwill and DI (and proud of it!) each piece can still add up!

     4. My friend threw me a shower. I blogged about that awhile ago, but it was a huge blessing, and I received a lot of things I needed.

     5. My other friend (don't I have great friends?) was moving away, and gave us her swing and a play mat.

     6. There has been a couple of consignment sales here, and I have been able to purchase some things for dirt cheap. I found a snap 'n' go stroller frame for $10 and a bouncer for $15 as well as clothes for all the girls for cheap. Let me tell you, shopping for 3 girls is fun, but extremely exhausting!

     7. We have been provided with a bigger place to live, and just the way it came about and the timing of it was amazing.

    8. And today, I needed some maternity pants and rain boots for the girls. I was stressing about the price of all these things, and I decided to take a look at Goodwill. I didn't have high hopes because it's always hit and miss. For instance, a couple of months ago, I struck gold when I found winter shoes for both the girls. I found a pair of rockin' Puma shoes for Ava and some cute white shoes for Halle. So, I set out, thinking my hopes would be dashed and I would have to go to Ross or something. However, I found rainboots for both the girl, and I found 2 pairs of maternity pants for me. Now seriously, what are the odds of that happening? I have been on the lookout for pants for awhile, and I always browse the racks at Goodwill, but have found nothing. But today I found 2 pairs! And one pair was even brand new with the tags still attatched! And finding rainboots in the exact sizes for both my girls is practically unheard of... but the Lord provides.

     9.  One of the last things I needed was white onsies. They aren't too expensive, but I always like to have a onsie under each outfit... and if this baby has blowouts like Ava and Halle, then we'll be going through 2 or 3 outfits a day, and that adds up to a lot of onsies... especially if I don't want to be doing laundry every day... but I went to pick something up from my friend who had a baby back in June, and she had a bag full of white, newborn onsies.

     10.  For the past 17 weeks, I have been getting weekly Progesterone shots to reduce the chance of preterm labor. When I first heard about these shots, everyone told me how expensive they were, so I was highly concerned as to how we were going to pay for them... As I talked with my doctor, she told me how they actually go through a compounding pharmacy, and it should be about $7 a shot. So, instead of paying hundreds (and these shots get up to about $1500), we've been getting them for dirt cheap. Then, Nate had to learn how to give these shots to me. Normally, I would have my mom show us how, but obviously we live hundreds of miles from her. I didn't know of anyone else to help us. Then, I remembered that my visiting teacher is a nurse, and she was able to show us how to inject them into my thigh muscle. :)

     11. One of the major blessings we have seen has been my health. I have been closely watched this pregnancy, and so far so good. I have had energy to keep up with my kids, and to complete another move. I know Heavenly Father has blessed my body. He knows that I don't have a lot of help up here with the kids, and with doing everything, and I know that's why things have gone the way they have.

      These are just some of the ways we have been blessed. Some may say these aren't miracles... that they are just coincidences, but I don't believe that for one second. These miracles are proof that God exists and that He hears prayers. He hears my prayers, even when they are uttered in the shower or while I'm crying into my pillow. It's also proof that when we pay tithing, the blessings of heaven really are poured out upon us.

    

Best Friends

     Having 2 children close together is difficult... Ava and Halle are only 22 months apart, and in the beginning, I felt extremely overwhelmed and was just exhausted by the amount of work that went into taking care of these two girls. But as time has gone on, it has gotten a lot easier. Ava is a lot more independent and can dress herself, brush her own teeth, and help me with simple chores. Halle is now potty trained, and is learning to dress herself. When I go run errands, I can just pick up my purse and go without having to worry about having snacks or drinks or binkies or any of that. I also don't have to worry about bringing a stroller anywhere, since both girls love to walk beside me and stay by me...
     They have also recently started playing really well together. Halle is great a entertaining herself, while Ava struggles a little with being self-entertained. But when you put Halle and Ava together, they play really well together.
     I love watching them interact, and listening to their little fights, and the games they come up with. And while they fight, like most siblings do, more often than not, I hear them giggling. What I love the most, is that their giggles are reflecting pure joy and happiness. They love playing Barbies, dress up, Guess Who, as well as coloring, drawing, and riding their bikes outside.

     By the way... we recently got them both helmets since the people we are renting from left a little bike, and we'll be getting Ava a bike for her birthday (which is coming up in a couple of weeks! Ah!) and Halle won't take her helmet off most days...
     The other day, I was watching them play outside, and I realized how blessed I am to have darling girls so close together. And while it was exhausted and many days I just simply cried because I didn't know how to handle them, watching these two sit on the porch and talk about finding treasure made it all worth it. They are best friends, through and through.

Farmer's Market

     This summer, we've gone down to the farmer's market quite a few times. The first time we went, I have to admit that I was a little overwhelmed. It was complete madness, and I didn't even see why people would pay such ridiculous prices for produce....
     However..... after going a few times, I finally decided to satisfy my curiosity, and I bought some produce... and now I know why people are willing to pay more. The first thing we bought were peaches, and good heavens, these peaches were the best peaches I'd ever tasted! They were absolutely humongous, and were just juicy and extremely flavorful. I went back a couple of weeks later and purchased a lot more produce, and I absolutely do not regret it!

We bought....

lettuce

Cherry Tomatoes

Pears and Apples

Peaches (of course)

Strawberries

    

and much, much more...



     I am sad that the market is coming to a close the end of October, but I definitely plan to go a lot more next summer. You definitely get what you pay for!

Moved

     Well, another move has come and gone. Remember that townhouse that we were supposed to move in awhile ago, and it fell through? Well, while we were in Utah, things fell into place for us to move. After our short little vacation, I came home and packed up the house. It made for an awful lot of work, but we are now getting settled in our new place, and it's starting to feel like home.

     I decided to take things easy this move since this is my 2nd time... yes 2ND TIME, moving while I've been 30 weeks pregnant. The first was with Halle, and 3 weeks later, I delivered her, so I didn't want history to repeat itself. Needless to say, things were a little more chaotic than I would have liked them to be, but I wasn't going to risk overdoing myself and going into early labor.

  This is the first time in our married lives that we haven't lived in an apartment. I know.... 6 1/2 years of marriage, and all we've ever done is apartment living... but hey, you do what you've gotta do to get through school, right? It feels amazing to be out of an apartment and into something a little bigger.  I love living in this townhome. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, a little front yard, and a little back yard. I actually have to water the lawn and put the dumpster out... I feel so grown up. :)

  I know it may not seem like much to some of you Utahns... but here in Oregon, townhomes are all the rage. Ha! Just kidding... houses are so darn expensive here, and property taxes are through the roof, so most people buy townhomes. But we're just renting for now, so we don't have to worry about any of that.

      I am grateful the Lord has provided this place for us to live. I have been constantly reminded that He does indeed have a plan for us, and that things happen on His time, and not ours.