End of summer, beginning of school

Yesterday was the last day of summer vacation. We had so much to do! We left early to run our errands, and found that we had an hour to kill before my OB appointment. Dave drove to Liberty park, and we spent that glorious hour in the most beautiful weather of the year! It was so nice out, the kids just went and went, I don't think they are too old at all! Though they were louder than all the small children there, (Nicole is a screamer!) I do think they had every bit as much fun. After a while, it grew appearant that we needed to take pictures! They were swinging together, playing, and acting like they did not hate each other for once! I know, you are in shock..believe me! We were too!

After the park, we went to see the doctor. He is such a great guy. He accommodated all my fears and told me its always his job to leave me reassured. The last three months have been a rollercoaster, and we all knew that if the baby was alive and kicking yesterday, the reason we had lost the last two would be over and we could be excited for the birth of a new baby! So there I am, and he is having a heard time finding a heartbeat... (He said it happens about 50% of the time at 3 months...I remember it happened with Jordan!) At one point he did find sound, but when he grabbed my wrist, I knew he thought it was my heartbeat. Oh! how I tried to remain calm! He took me into the ultrasound room, where he found a nice three month old fetus with a happily beating heart. And boy did I cry! I was so happy and relieved! No more rollercoasters for me! Ahhhh! So yes, we ARE having a baby! I informed him that is would be born March 1st, so clear his calendar! He said, sounds like a plan! Hee hee.
I literally bought my kids about nothing, even to the point that poor Nicole did not get one new top. She was pretty sad, but what can I do? I scrounged up some old pens and pencils, and I spent $1.75 on paper. Kira's and Jordan's school provided all the school supplies this year, which was awesome, so that helped a ton! They all have a pretty new pair of shoes, and the little ones got two new uniforms, so yay for those! I will never be sad about uniforms! They help A LOT!

Last night we had a nice family dinner and family home evening filled with all of our new school year traditions, and then bed. They sure hated doing it, but bed must be sought earlier when you get up earlier!

This morning they were all happy and excited to go, they posed for the traditional first day photos. Only a few gripes surfaced!
I cried when I dropped off Nicole. Watching my baby walk into her first day of highschool was as hard as leaving her in kindergarten! Where has the time gone, and who will be there to hold her hand if she gets lost, scared, hurt, or confused. Wow- I really did not think I would cry.. but I did. I miss her already! She has a pretty fun schedule this year! She has 3-D design, pottery, Fashion Design, and Seminary. She has all the usual stuff too, but how fun! The fees were astronomical! $186- without a yearbook! How can they do that??? Imagine paying for 2 or three highschoolers! My baby is in high school.

I cried after Kira and Jordan were gone to 7th and 4th grade today. I really like their teachers, and know they have an excellent curriculum. I know they will do great, I cried because I wish I was starting with them today, I miss my kids in all my classes, and hope they do ok without me this year. So I have been a bawling mess. Ignore me, I will be better in 6 months.

Sunday Night

Big week coming up. Really.

• Kids get to go to school Tuesday Morning. They are all excited to be with school friends again, and Nicole is off to high school. How did I get here? I swear it was not that long ago, that that was me. A freshman at Logan High school. some of you may know what happened from that point...all the crazy came out! Ugh. I don't even want to think about it!

• Dave also goes back to school full time. We are so stinkin' excited about this! This chance will not be around again, and we are grateful for it! He has to go in to SLC 2 times a week, and they the rest are online, but that saves on gas- right??

• We also have doctor appointments, To see how our baby is doing. Tomorrow we will see if I get to stop taking the zombie making pills! I am so excited to be in the 2nd trimester! Woohoo! Looks like things are gonna happen! tomorrow will tell. But I am feeling good about this, and getting more and more excited by the day!

• We might get to clean the house and have it stay clean for more than an hour if the kids are at school, that is an accomplishment...right?

Big week. Yay!

Crayola and mini-vans

Since the death and abandonment of our van in March, we have had to drive around in the tiny Corrolla. OR as my Mom wisely named- The Crayola. Why Crayola? Its so small its like a kid car- hence the crayon reference. As we drive all I hear is whine whine, cry cry, some one is touching, breathing, drooling, or stinking on me!!! Let's just say- its been fantastic!
We had been planning on buying in April or May- had been to the bank and actually put a bid on a car in our bank's repo yard. It did not work out- as we were out bid, we kept looking, and had decided we would wait until mid- June.

You know about the lay- off...and how grateful we were to have just spent 12k on a vehicle! That would probably have ended badly...but we still were in our tiny crayola with 3 growing children! It was a squeeze at best! When we went to Cherry Hill this year- I had to get rides for my children because we did not have room for our camping gear- AND our children! Squishy!

Two weeks ago- a great and glorious thing happened- We were able to purchase a van...not nearly as amazing as we had hoped- and now I wonder why we wanted more! It is wonderful, we all fit, the air conditioner is wonderfully cold, and after replacing a bad throttle control sensor- we have a perfectly spiffy new to us van. Woo Hoo- Of course we have assigned seats so there is no Whining, crying, touching, breathing, drooling, or stinking on one another....and room for a little one! Yay for us!

ADHD

Do you ever read more than one book at a time. I swear I am ADHD when it comes to books. I usually have two going...but right now I have 4. Its weird I know... I have Dracula on the ipad, great for on the go, and when I am in the kitchen. I have the Candyshop Wars on the tub, to read while in there. It was a cheap DI paperback, so if it fell in I would be ok. I have a book called Ghost girl on my bed. Kira wants to read it, so I am giving it a run through. I am sure she can read it, its harmless. I have The hobbit in my purse... I have read it a million times, but with all the doctor visits lately, I figure I should take a book... I have read it enough times that if i don't read for a few weeks out of it- I will be able to pick right up where I left off!

Oh! I can't wait to get my hands on Mockingjay!!! I will probably have that one done in 6 hours though...so it should not interfere with my other reading.

So is this really weird...do any of you do this? I know I am a nut...

One Crazy Summer

We have so much going on, yet I accomplish so little. I kind of feel bad for the kids, that if they want to talk to me, the first place they look is my bed...because most likely I will be there. I am hoping that very soon, life will go back to normal.

Its been a roller coaster of a ride being pregnant for the 6th time. (SIX times?!?! I swear every time a health-care professional- and there have been many- says, "This is your 6th pregnancy?" I about pass out. Has it really been that many times? wow.) It really has been! I find out, and immediately I am put on a hormone therapy. Because it was determined, that I make enough progesterone to get pregnant, just not enough to sustain it. It was nice to have answers...after losing the last 2 babies. I guess its quite common in women on their thirties... even my cousin went through the two losses, and then success after the hormone therapy. Who knew? But it has kicked me in the butt! It makes me so tired and dizzy that I swear- I was on something much more sinister! I have to take it every 8 hours- hence the constant sleeping. Its quite comical really. I have never slept so much in my entire life!
The good news...

• it seems to be working. I am 11 weeks today. Officially further along than the last two pregnancies.
• its totally worth all the sleep and zombie like behavior
• always get to go to bed in the middle of the day.
• I only have to take it from weeks 3-13
• It has made me and my moods the nicest living thing on the planet! I am never mad or upset or cranky... well... at least it has decreased by a good 80%!!
  

The bad news...

• as I mentioned...holy cow I am tired!
• it costs a fortune! $200 dollars a month!
• My family has started referring to me as a log. yay me?

Its almost over! in 9 days I get to start the weaning process! I will return to something close to normal! How would that be??? Woooo! I wonder if the crabby mc-pregnant will show up at that point though.... Scary.

My roller-coaster has not just included zombie inducing pills! I have been going to the doctor 1-4 times a week in the last month due to a SubChrionic Hematoma. Its a bleeder between the baby uterus and placenta. It was terrifying to deal with. My doctor is amazing. He has been so positive and told me to come in ANYTIME I need reassurance. And I have. Three ultrasounds so far, and my baby is perfect each time. In FACT the hemmorage is almost totally absorbed as of the last ultra sound. At that point I would like to have a text book pregnancy... who knows if that will ever happen...but maybe!

Oh- and apparently, being pregnant is a great way to lose weight! 15 pounds lighter as of today...and I have only been truly nauseated 3 times... I am dizzy ALOT- but its the hormone therapy. Ok- not the best plan, but at this rate- I should only have gained 5 pounds from pregnancy. lol That would be a hoot.
My family is terribly excited. We all pray daily for our baby. We just can't wait to meet it. Dave has decided its a boy. He claims it the man who decides the baby's gender- and he has decided. I figure he can believe what he wants. The babies heart rate has been 121, 179, 183. The first was just DAYS after it started beating, but the last two are indicators of a girl. Its not a perfect science, but if the old wives are right...its a girl. I personally am not on team blue or team pink. I just want healthy! I want to chew on its little cheeks. Nom nom nom!
The kids are getting ready to go back to school. A 10 days... I myself am still wondering if I even have a job... a story for another day. But either way- I am having a baby March 1st, and will be off from that point anyway. I worry sometimes that I shouldn't say anything, until we know that this baby is going to be ok. Last week the baby was perfect, as it was the week before that, and two weeks before that. I am banking on it! But really, I have no idea what I would have done without the love and support of some amazing people the last two times. I love the angels sent to help through those tough times, and would need them again for all my pain or happiness. So no more waiting. We are thrilled to have a baby! Get on the bandwagon and help us cheer already! woooo!

So yah- been busy, mostly sleeping, going to the doctors, and stressing. Not alot has been accomplished. I think it has been a good summer for everyone else. I just have not helped in it at all! If only I would look that good.....

Landing with Angels

Its been wild. Really. With a trip to Salt Lake every day last week, along with a roller coaster of emotions, I am pleased to announce that we have no plans to go into town until Thursday! We have already had 2 days off! I mean, how lucky could one girl get?That is not to say that Dave did not drive all over the place this weekend. Dave and some friends were able to secure a chance to go down the "Subway" in Zions National Park. (Google some pictures- it looks amazing!) So off they went. The subway does involve some slot canyons, and the morning of the hike, there were severe flood warnings in the area, so they were unable to go. (I actually feel really sad about that! It looked like a real good time!) So instead they hiked to Angels Landing. I went with my dad many years ago to the lookout just below Angels. He did not want his little girls doing the last bit, as it is very scary and sheer drops of a 1000 feet on either side of the 2 foot wide path, Who could blame him...right? I know the area well, and am completely envious of this day hike. At least he brought me some beautiful pictures.

Too tired for anything else now. Have a fabulous day world!

An end. Close to an end of another.

It was too late- for us anyway. I guess the festival changed last year. Now they run a mini version all summer long with weekly themes. The weekend of our anniversary was a cowboy version of Shakespeare. If you know anything about about David and I we are true lovers of Shakespear and own overything. We have read everything...and me- over and over. To be tortured through some cowboy themed show would have been unbearable! Ugh! So That's all folk. No more talk of the the Festival of the American West. I do plan on a Christmas visit from time to time, and taking the little one to see baby animal days in a few years. But really. The idea of the "festival" is over!

We DID have a nice day...after a serious hic-cup earlier in the day. We had a nice dinner and a nice date. But really- we have dates all the time. I am lucky I know.

Now to move on to the next phase of summer. Getting ready for school to start. Means a trip to the uniform section of Old Navy. Not glamorous- I know, But is a uniform glamorous??? No. But Blue and yellow polos for $5 is pretty amazing. I will order some plaid from French Toast, but the cheapie items just saves money for bigger and better items in the future!