Rix is SEVEN! (That makes me OLD!)

Oh my I have a seven year old. It's crazy, right? For Rix's birthday this year I wanted it to be low-key (no "party", just some time with family, you know?).

The night before his birthday Bryan and I got a bunch of balloons from Aunt Lindsay (who had them from her birthday the week before) and put them in his room. So when he woke up on his birthday his room was covered in ballons!

He piled the balloons by his bed and they played with them all day long! (Too bad they were a nightmare to clean up!)

We decided to go see "Cars 2" and Rix got to invite his BFF from school Ethan. And of course all the cousins came too! After the movie we went to McDonald's for Happy Meals and the toys inside were (this is so perfect) Star Wars light sabers! Did you all know that my kids are obsessed with Star Wars lately? It was if the whole day was made just for Rix!

That night Rix wanted to choose what we did. It was only about 65 degrees outside and overcast, but he wanted to go swimming in the lake, and we obliged! They were freezing (I was freezing - and I wasn't even in the water!) but they had a blast!

Jacob and I hung out on the shore. It was too chilly for us!

Bryan had a good time wrestling with the boys in the water.

Cole with his floaties. And it helps that he can reach the bottom here too :)

They had a blast!

And of course we had a family get together on Sunday for Rix's birthday. It also happens to be my Uncle Ron's and cousing Isaac's birthday right after Rix's, and Lindsay's is the week before and since she was out of town we had a huge celebration!!

Rix and Isaac blowing out the candles.

Showing off some of his presents.

You know something ironic? It was the dentist's wife who gave Rix the candy!! Thanks Carissa!

And something weird? My parents got my Uncle Ron a Chevy shirt. And my sisters and I got him one too. The same one! No worries, we returned it and got him a Papa Smurf shirt that says "Call me Big Papa". So awesome and he loved it!



Rix loves:

*Money (and he loves to spend money too!)

*Playing the Wii

*Anything Star Wars

*Being outside

*Going out to eat

*Crepes (made by me!)

*Being in charge or winning

Rix hates:

*Writing anything

*Losing a game

*Eating something he doesn't like

*Being told what to do

*Girl stuff (and can't understand when boys play with girly toys - he thinks it's so weird!)



We Made It To FOUR Weeks!!!

So I have had a motto for the past few years: "If you have two kids, might as well have one more! And if you have three, what's the big deal about having four?" My (faulty) rationale was that with all the chaos and craziness that comes with my kids, would I really notice the difference between having three kids and having four kids?

The answer is yes.

Oh my! Having four kids is a whole new ballgame people! When I had Cole I didn't have a hard time adjusting. Rix and Bryce weren't really needy, and Cole was a pretty good baby who would be content in his bouncer chair or swing while I got things done around the house. Jacob?? Uh, not so much. This baby does not like to be put down very often, and he is very gassy (obviously he gets that from his father). So needless to say my house is not the cleanest right now, and I'm beyond exhaustion!

Seriously exhausted! I literally feed him at night in my comfy rocker, and while he's nursing, I'm crying. Mostly because I'm tired - sometimes he gets up every couple of hours. But it isn't all crazy hard and frustrating. When Jacob is awake and alert he is SO. DANG. CUTE. No joke I could eat him up he is so cute. He makes the funniest faces and is so expressive, and he is starting to smile when we tickle him. It makes all those fussy moments and late night feeding so worth it!

Here are some pictures of Jacob, starting with some from the day he came home until today. I will warn you - there are lots of pictures :)

Jacob the day he came home.

In the swing. He pretty much sleeps in the swing all night. (Cole did the same thing). The minute we try to put him in his crib he wakes up. He'll sleep really good with Bryan or me in our bed, but then neither Bryan or I sleep well.

Eating makes him sleepy!

Jacob loves to have his hands by his face. I clearly remember him being that way when he was in my tummy too!

First bath!

He didn't love it, but he tolerated it after Bryan let him suck on the washcloth! Now he loves baths and showers - Bryan takes the baby bath into our shower and fills it up and Jacob just loves it!

This is what happens most nights. Jacob falls asleep on daddy.

Rix LOVES to hold Jacob and he is such a huge helper with him. He is always getting me a diaper or giving Jacob his pacifier in the car (Jacob does NOT like the car!).

Taking a Sunday nap.

Passed out on Carissa.

He has the biggest eyes. Isn't he cute?

His shirt says it all :)

Hanging out while I make dinner.

The End of an Era

I'll be the first to admit...having a newborn in the house makes for a blogging slacker mom. Rix and Bryce have been out of school for a couple weeks (they didn't get out until June 27th!). And although they were ready for summer vacation they sure were sad to leave their teachers!

Rix has always been lucky to get teachers that love him for who he is. He can be a little (or a lot) hard-headed, but his teacher this year, Ms. Petree, was amazing with him. She took that stubborn streak of his and used it to challenge him to think harder and excel in math, science, and reading. He loved coming home and doing homework and projects (like his science fair project) so that he could go to class and show Ms. Petree how well he had done.

Rix had an amazing first grade year. Of course there was his several awards for his science fair project, which made me so proud to see him perform and flourish in front of the judges, but he excelled in reading and math this year, being in the top three students in his class. (The top three students were him and his friends Ethan and Nathan, who are also blond hair, blue-eyed boys. Ms. Petree called them the triplets!) He still hates writing, and if his homework required a writing section I had to bribe him to finish it. He learned that if he wrote bigger, he could fill up space better. Nice try Rix!

Rix at his "graduation".

Getting his awards from Ms. Petree.

Rix and Ms. Petree

Bryce was in preschool this year at Park Lodge. He loved going to school and really loved Ms. Brown and Mrs. K. They were so good with the kids! He got really good this year at writing and identifying the sounds letters make, and he discovered his love of art! For me this was all new, because Rix hates art and coloring and crafts, but Bryce could do it all day! He will spend a long time on a drawing or coloring, and he is so proud of his finished product that I find it very difficult to not keep every last piece of art he creates (don't worry - I don't keep it all - that would be very hoarder-ish of me!). The week before school got out his class held a Father's Day party, and lucky for Bryce daddy was able to come! It helped that he had the time off anyway to help me with Jacob, but Bryce felt so special that Bryan was able to come!

Bryan and Bryce at the Father's Day party.

Bryce in his graduation cap.

Rix at the 1st grade BBQ

Cole and his nasty Cheeto hands at the BBQ

Bryce and Ms. Brown - I love her!

The end of this year was also bittersweet for me. My mom has been the secretary at Park Lodge for as long as my kids have been in school there. It's always been so nice to have her available if I needed her - she helped get the kids lunch, held them in the office if I was going to be late, and answered all of my questions relating to school (because she knew everything!). This year she retired for several reasons, one being that she wanted more free time to persue her hobbies and spend time with family. While I can't argue that those are terrible reasons to quit (I want more free time too dang it!) I am going to miss seeing her every day at the school! It does help that she has already volunteered to be a "classroom mom" to some teachers there and she is co-Vice President (with Carissa) of the PTSA next year (and I'm treasurer - how did that happen? I'm terrible with numbers!). So even though she won't be around as much as I'm used to, she isn't completely gone from the school. Thanks Nana for all that you do (and did!!). 

Nana with the grandkids (minus Aubrey and Jacob). See how crazy it can be with all these kids??

Modest is Hottest!

For the past few months I have been working with a company called Crowdtap that allows me to give my opinions (something I love to do) on a variety of categories (things like politics, marketing, fashion, etc). Also through Crowdtap I have been able to be a part of the Old Navy Style Council, where they send us coupons for free clothing items (like spring dresses and skinny jeans) and accessories to try on with our friends (here is the link for my accessories party). I love working with the Old Navy Style Council for several reasons: of course the free clothes, but also the chance to check out styles I normally wouldn't look at and the chance to share these opportunities for new styles with my friends and family!

The latest Old Navy Style Council assignment was to search Old Navy for the perfect summer outfit. They sent us a coupon that entitled us to a free summer shirt, shorts, and an accessory, and then to make it even cooler, they sent me three MORE coupons to share with my friends! Holy cow! Are you kidding me?? I was so excited to find a whole outfit, especially because I just had a baby and needed something that would actually fit me this summer! Fortunately, my sister Kelli, who also participates with Crowdtap and Old Navy, was accepted for the summer outfit assignment, so she brought my other sister Carissa, my mom, and me for her summer outfit party. I found a great outfir of denim bermuda shorts, a purple tank, and a big old purse that will double as a diaper bag.

However, I felt a little (okay, a lot) guilty using another coupon for another free outfit for me. So I invited the Young Women of my church (ages 16 and 17) to come to Old Navy with a challenge - find a modest yet fashionable summer outfit at Old Navy and you can get it for free. At first they were all a little confused. A whole outfit? For free?

But it didn't take long - they all RSVP'd - and they were all excited for this challenge!

I chose the older teenagers because they are the closest to college age and we talk a lot about preparing to go to the temple and modesty, and I wanted to show them that it is possible to wear summer outfits that are modest enough to wear at places like Youth Conference, Girl's Camp, and BYU, and yet also fashionable enough for their individual styles.

The girls met me at the Lakewood Towne Center Old Navy at 6:30 and I went over the rules: you have to pick out one shirt (if it's a tank you must have a t-shirt underneath or a sweater/cardigan over the top), one pair of summer shorts (bermuda length only), and an accessory (hat, scarf, jewelry, shoes, purse, belt, etc). With those rules in mind, the four girls set out to find their perfect outfit, while I played "papprazzi" and photographed their adventure.

Dana looking for her outfit. I love Dana's style! She does her own thing and is confident in who she is, which is reflected in her fashion choices.

Dana and Lizzy looking for a shirt size. Lizzy is our all-American girl next door. Oddly enough, she chose the same exact outfit and purse that I chose for my free outfit!! We have good taste :)

Kellyn and Dana checking out the accessories. Our Old Navy has a ton of jewelry to choose from!

Kellyn is our resident fashionista. Here she is checking out sunglasses with Victoria. We had a ton of fun trying out the huge variety of sunglasses, rings, necklaces, and hair clips!

Lizzy thought these shoes were super cute, and plopped down right away to try them on!

Dana's first outfit she tried on. We liked how the tank top flowed and the length of the bermuda shorts, but Dana wasn't in love with it.

Dana tried on this striped t-shirt. The scoop neck and the length of the sleeves were very flattering on her! This is the outfit she chose.

Kellyn found her outfit right away, choosing the same shirt Dana had. She made the outfit a little dressier with khaki bermuda shorts, and she chose a silver ring to round the outfit out.

Lizzy chose these denim bermudas and this fun Hawaiian-inspired tank. I love this tank because it screams "SUMMER!!" and the colors are so great. Later she changed her mind and bought the bright purple tank with the same print.

Victoria is a little quieter than the other girls, but had a blast finding an outfit that worked for her. She liked this shirt on the hangar, but not the way it looked on her. Thank goodness for dressing rooms!

It was fun to see Victoria pick out some dark brown bermudas and a fun, bright printed button-up shirt. The black t-shirt isn't part of the outfit, and we talked about wearing a white T-shirt underneath, or pulling out a color from the shirt, like purple or yellow, and wearing that color underneath too!

Thanks Crowdtap and Old Navy! It was such a great experience for these girls to find something fun for this summer, and also something that is modest to wear. They had a blast looking through all the styles Old Navy has to offer, and it was so interesting to see the different styles of each girl.

Baby Jacob Has Arrived!

I was due Tuesday June 14. And the day came and I still didn't have a baby. I was so bummed! My three other boys all came a few days early, and so I never imagined that my due date would come and go, and that my baby would still not be here. My pregnancy was so uncomfortable - I had serious heartburn, my tailbone hurt all the time, even at night while sleeping, and I had contractions for almost a week before Jacob was born. I just wanted my baby here! And, if you remember, Bryan and I didn't find out the gender before, so I really wanted to know who my baby was!
Tuesday afternoon I fell asleep and Bryan went out and got dinner for everyone. He got me a Subway and made me eat the whole foot long, saying that if I had the baby that night I was going to want to have eaten something. I ate it, thinking to myself I was going to be pregnant forever. So that night after the boys were in bed Bryan and I watched Brian Regan  - who is a very funny guy. His show had me laughing so hard! And then a few hours later, around 1am, I started having serious contractions. I swear it was Brian Regan who put me into labor! It should be noted that I watched Jim Gaffigan the night before I went into labor with Bryce. Laughing brings on labor people!!! Anyway, the contractions were constant, starting at about one every ten minutes, and getting closer together. By 3:30 am I texted my sister Kelli to come over to watch the other three boys - we were going to the hospital!

By the time we got there and checked in, I was in serious pain. I sat through triage counting every four minutes, knowing that at the four minute mark I was going to have another contraction. By the time they got me in a birthing suite, they had the nurse ready to give me an IV and the anesthesiologist was there too, ready to give me an epidural! That is my kind of labor!! And, of course, like my last two births, the epidural only worked on my left side, so I felt everything on my right side. It was painful! I've never cried through delivery, but I sure did with this one! They didn't give me pitocin or anything to speed up labor because I needed some antibiotics for an infection, and they wanted to get as much in me as possible, but I started pushing a little before 11am. My usual OB, Dr. Nickel, who delivered both Bryce and Cole, just happened to be unavailable during this time. He even told me "Don't go into labor on Wednesday morning because I won't be able to come." So when do I go into labor? Wednesday morning. But another doctor, who was very nice and patient with my tears, came to my rescue, and about ten after 11am, I heard the words I'd waited nine months to hear...

IT'S A BOY!!!

Honestly, the first thing that came to my mind was instant relief. Of course I would have loved to have a girl, but a know boys, and having another was like coming home - I didn't have to learn anything new because I can raise boys (at least I'm trying to!). And the first thing I said to Jacob was "Sorry buddy - we don't have a name for you yet!" The nurse I had was a-maz-ing. When Jacob was born she placed him on my chest (we didn't worry about him peeing on me - he peed all over the doctor the minute he was born so he had already taken care of his business) and I got to snuggle with him while the doctor and nurse took care of business. When the epidural made me shake too much the nurse let Bryan hold Jacob skin to skin. Bryan took off his shirt (woowoo!) and held our new baby. He has never got to do that before! Our nurse was in no hurry to get us out of the birthing suite. We probably held Jacob for over half an hour before she took him to get his weight and stuff. It was a great experience. My "half" epidural made it so my left leg was completely dead (and it stayed that way until late that night) so I couldn't walk or anything, which made things a little difficult, but around 1pm we got moved to a recovery room.

Jacob was such a good baby in the hospital. He didn't like being left alone (and still doesn't) so as long as Bryan or I was holding him, he was an angel. We had family come and visit us in the hospital, and it was so great for Rix and Bryce to meet their new brother (Cole did not come - he's too crazy!). My mother-in-law Karen flew in the next day, which was such a relief knowing that the boys had someone to watch them while we were in the hospital. With my other pregnancies I loved being in the hospital and spending that time with Bryan and the baby, but this time I was anxious to get home and see my kids and get back to life. We left the hospital without naming him but that night when we got home we decided that Jacob Lynn (the middle name is my dad's middle name) was the name we liked the best.

Jacob is such a good baby. He cries of course when he's hungry or tired. But he's pretty patient (which is why I think he was a day late - he's in no hurry!). He loves to be held so at night he usually sleeps with me, and for naps during the day too. So between feeding him, holding him, and snuggling with him, I don't have time to get lots of things done, but I'm sure loving this time with my sweet baby!

The very first picture taken of Jacob!

Bryan holding Jacob - he'd only been born for 15 minutes!

Getting weighed and checked out.

Finally in the recovery room - yeah, I know. I look tired! We'd been up since 1am!

Nana came to visit! She has a way of putting babies to sleep (maybe she should come stay the night with us??)

He was thinking deep!

Jacob chilling in the bassinet.

Kelli brought Rix and Bryce to visit. Bryce didn't really want to hold Jacob, but Rix couldn't wait! I have more pictures of this, but they are on Carissa' camera. I'll post those later.

Loves sleeping on mommy!

He also loves sleeping on daddy.

Daddy loves it too!

On our way home!

Isn't he cute?