The Ug Life!!

Seesters!!

2012-01-19T21:22:00.000-06:00

Oh how they adore each other so much! It's such a blessing to watch the three of them grow together!

Recent pics!!

2012-01-19T21:17:00.000-06:00

January 14-18 pictures! I seriously can't stop taking pictures of her! She is so beautiful and my camera is always so handy...I can't resist!!

Can I hold her?

2012-01-18T22:03:00.000-06:00

A question we hear A LOT! I love it though...that must mean they really like her!

Happy 4th Birthday Brady!

2012-01-14T22:31:00.001-06:00

Brian's sister's son, Brady turns four on the 19th. They came home this weekend to celebrate with us (thanks guys for always being the ones to travel). It was extra nice to see them since the last time they were home was when Eden was still in the NICU. They were pretty excited to meet her too! We did the usual jump on the bean-bags, watch the trains go by, open presents, eat cake and just plain have fun together. Eden is going to fit right in with this bunch!

I can't believe Brady is already four! Time goes by so fast! We love you Brady and hope you have another great year! Happy Birthday buddy!

SNOW!!!

2012-01-13T21:49:00.000-06:00

Our first snowfall and thus our first snow day! A great day for the three older ones to play outside and Eden and I to play inside!!!

At almost a month old (tomorrow she's a month) she is becoming so alert! She spends most of her time sleeping still but when she is awake she is usually getting her exercise waving her arms and legs with excitement! She has definitely smiled at us but isn't dishing them out daily by any means! She is so sweet and cuddly and loving! We can't get enough of her!

Seriously...

2012-01-12T21:39:00.000-06:00

This kid is loving having all Eden's baby gear around. She will not only put her babies in them, but she will sit and relax herself too!

A pirate?

2012-01-06T22:53:00.001-06:00

This is what Keziah came up with today! She declared she is a pirate and wore this for most of the day and when it was nap time she put it all in a pile and put it back on after she got up! I love watching her become imaginative! The patch on her eye is one of those small envelopes that she taped on. She has a box on her head for a pirate hat, not sure what the rope represents...and she is using her play violin bow as a sword or maybe a cane?!! So cute!

A Tradition!

2012-01-04T22:54:00.006-06:00

This is something we do every year when we take down the Christmas tree! It took A LOT of convincing to get Austin to do it. I am thinking I am going to lose him one of these years! He continues to be my goofy kid though and appease him momma!

The girls just had to get in on the fun too! So here goes the first year for Keziah...

and Adah! They are both just too cute! I guess you can call this one of our family traditions (as strange as it is)!

So proud!

2012-01-03T22:55:00.013-06:00

It's official...Keziah can write her name (aside from the Z looking like a backwards S)! I first learned that she had this talent when we were sitting in church this last Sunday! There wasn't great adventure for kids over age 2 because of the new year so she sat in with us. She colored a picture and then wrote her name on it! I was completely shocked! I didn't teach her this. I mean, sure she knows how to verbally spell her name and she also can identify each letter of the alphabet but to write it is a whole nother thing! I am so proud! I wish I could take credit for this but I can't! Way to go Keziah!

One December Day...

2011-12-30T22:57:00.005-06:00

I don't know what the temperature was yesterday, but it was nice enough for us to go outside and play and be comfortable!! Adah got this new scooter for Christmas from Gma and Pa Smith so she was dying to try it out! I love warm weather, but being that it's winter, I wish we would get some snow!! Soon enough, I'm sure!

Adah is 25 MONTHS!

2011-12-28T22:40:00.008-06:00

Same story for Adah...too busy to write/keep track of things this month! I will try to write more next month! Pictures are the best part of these posts anyway!!

Since we've been home...

2011-12-28T21:07:00.000-06:00

I've taken pictures, pictures and more pictures!! Seriously, I have issues...I cannot stop taking pictures of her!

That last picture is Eden and I at what would have been my 39th week pregnant! The rest I have no excuse for taking except that she is irresistable!!! You can plan to be seeing many more pictures of her in the coming posts!!

A slight fettish?

2011-12-25T22:37:00.002-06:00

Adah is loving our car seat since it came back out of storage. These are the first pictures I have taken of her with it though. She even grunts when she is carrying it around! She loves to buckle the buckles and often climbs in it to relax, but mostly she likes to put her babies in it! So much for her using the doll carrier we got her for Christmas! This is way more entertaining anyway!

Smith Family Christmas!!

2011-12-25T21:18:00.044-06:00

What a blessing to get to be a part of my family Christmas! I was worried that after missing Brian's family Christmas I would miss mine too. We were a little unsure if we were going to be out of the NICU in time, but it all worked out! I knew that our individual family Christmas could be done anytime after we got home from the hospital, but to reschedule the big family Christmas would be unrealistic. So, we are thankful to be a part of it. We woke up yesterday and celebrated with just our family of SIX and then loaded up the van to make it in time for the 5pm candle light service at Orchard Hill Church. We then headed over to mom and dad's for our traditional appetizer supper and to spend the night. Emily's family didn't stay but Jamie's did. We were all pretty tired so we didn't stay up too late doing our usual game playing. We mostly just sat around eating and talking! We woke up Christmas morning and the kids were so excited of course! Mom made an awesome breakfast and Emily's family came back right away in the morning so we could eat and get started on opening gifts! It always feels so good to give gifts and having had Keziah's help in wrapping this year, I would say she had just as much fun giving away the gifts she helped with as she did opening gifts! One last gift to open was Austin's from my parents...he got a really nice cross bow. He couldn't stop grinning!! The box it came in ended up creating much entertainment for Keziah, Adah and Ethan. I think it was turned into many different things. They used other boxes to tape to it and a whole lot of tape too! Adah just liked to lay in it! The rest of the day we were pretty lazy (except mom preparing our lunch!). We played with toys and picked up and did a lot of eating! Mom made an excellent lunch for us all! We have been so blessed to have each other. What a great way to spend Christmas! Merry Christmas every one!

Our Family Christmas!

2011-12-25T20:40:00.066-06:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas! I can't imagine anything better then having Eden home and not being away from our family for Christmas! We woke up early Christmas Eve. Eden needed to have her jaundice checked which meant a trip to the hospital for some blood work. Brian took her to do that while I stayed and made homemade donuts with my new donut pan from Mat and Steph. When Brian got back with Eden we opened presents. The kids all got many things they are going to enjoy for days to come. One thing we got for the family was a used Wii. I am super excited to have this around to spend time doing with the kids. We have some fun games to go with it and I got Austin and Brian the wii game Wipe Out (a game show they like to watch). This year I had the pleasure of seeing Austin give his sisters gifts that he bought with his own money and picked out at the store for them. They were so happy and will probably never forget where those gifts came from. Keziah got a hippo webkin and Adah got a doll that talks. I know I have said it many times before, but Austin has such a caring heart! I love that kid! And the girls adore him too!

I feel like this year has been so much more stressful with our pregnancy and then Eden's birth, that I have somewhat forgotten what Christmas is about. I feel like I have just been trying to 'get things done' and have sort of gotten lost in the busyness of life. When Eden was born and I was alone in the NICU I had time to reflect on what a gift she is and what a gift God's son was and still is. The Bible is real. Jesus is real. It's that simple. We all know the story...He was brought here as a little baby born to the virgin Mary. He grew up as a man like all of us and then hung on a cross to die for US so our sins could be forgiven so that we can live. I can never imagine giving my child to die for anybody like Jesus did for us. What an amazing story! God is so good and has such an amazing plan for all of us just like he did his own son. I am grateful Eden got to be a part of it this year and many years to come! God bless everyone! Merry Christmas!

Keziah is 4yrs. + 1 Month!

2011-12-23T22:43:00.008-06:00

Just pictures this month...life is just a little too busy right now to do anything more! I will make sure to say a lot next month...hopefully!!

Our Christmas Gift!

2011-12-22T20:57:00.005-06:00

I couldn't decide on just one so I posted all three! She is just too precious, huh?
(about a week old-5lbs. 14oz. almost 20")

Lovin' our littles!

2011-12-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

We are thoroughly enjoying being home and being parents of four kids! Everyone is adjusting well. I am sure if you asked each kid individually how they were doing they would each tell you they were feeling a little neglected (maybe that's just how I feel), but we are figuring things out more and more every day! The girls adore Eden and ask constantly if they can hold her. Adah is always giving her kisses on the head and hugs on the belly! If she cries Adah always wants to make it better and says, 'it's ok baby, it's ok.' Baby Eden gets a lot of mom's attention as I am trying to eat all this babyness up as much as possible since she is our last...yep, you heard that right (I'd take another, but...I'm only half of the equation!). Eden is growing so fast, I don't want to miss a minute of it! I got a book series from a friend and have learned a lot from it. One of the things in there is a schedule of how to divide your time and teach your kids how to play alone, together and with a parent. This has allowed each of the older girls (and Austin when he wants it) undivided attention at some point during the day. It has been a tremendous tool in making me feel better about cuddling Eden in the chair sometimes from one feeding to the next!!

Here is Eden having her first bath here at home (12/22/11). She loves it!

Our NICU stay!

2011-12-21T21:35:00.116-06:00

This whole experience was so hard, scary, exciting, fun, blessed, etc. It was so great to be able to have those four days with Eden without any of the other kids around but the circumstances didn't allow for it to be relaxing. I wish I could have just enjoyed it! I got released to go home on Friday since I had Eden on Wed. The room Eden was in originally was really small and had only a curtain for privacy, but that is where I planned to stay on a cot. And then that evening she just happened to get moved to a different bay in the NICU where a family was just leaving. The room was very large, had a TV, a window to the outdoors and a bed. What a blessing! Every morning we got to see at least a doctor with his residents. They always asked questions and told us a plan. It was nice to know that even if we didn't see any doctors all day we could rely on at least seeing one on rounds in the morning. At one point, after doing a scan on Eden's eyes they thought she might have a viral infection so they sent out bloodwork for something called the TORCH tests. This caused Eden to be on isolation which required everyone that came in contact with her to wear a gown and gloves. After being examined by infectious disease doctors, it was completely ruled out but since the tests hadn't come back negative, the isolation order couldn't be removed per hospital policy. The reason they ordered these tests was because of a finding on the back of her eye that looked like scars. Now that they don't think it's infection, they are thinking the 'scars' (raised images) look more like lesions (indents). They think this fits well with the fluid in her ventricles and that she may have Aicardi Syndrome. We are just praying that whatever the outcome that Eden is happy and that God's will be done. He has a plan for her life and who are we to get in the way of it! She is going to be precious and wonderful no matter what! Just look at her...she's a doll! God made her just the way he wants her!

When the kids arrived on Sunday we were just going to do a trial run to see how everyone did, but it worked out so well we decided to keep them until it was time to go home (which ended up being Tuesday the 20th). Originally I thought I would be able to stay at the RMH with the kids and Brian but then realized it would be a little drive for me to come over in the night to feed Eden. So I just stayed with her. On Sunday night Brian just took the kids over when it was time for bed. Adah slept on a cot at the foot of Keziah's bed and Austin slept on the pull out couch. There were two queen sized beds so Brian slept on the other. Adah apparently got woken up by Keziah coming in for bed so that was rough, Brian said. Otherwise the night went smooth. On Monday there was a craft hour for the girls but only Keziah wanted to stay. She made a cute reindeer! After some lunch in the hospital cafeteria which consisted of several trips to the bathroom with various children, Brian took the girls back to the RMH for naps and then came back over to the hospital when they got up. We tried to go to the hospital library but it was closed when we got there. There was a book rack outside the door with free VHS movies on it for kids. We picked one out and took it back to our room to watch. We hung out a little while and then after I fed Eden I took the kids back to the RMH to eat supper and put them to bed. I was so overwhelmed by how that place operates. There was a calendar completely filled out with names of families that were coming in to cook meals for the people staying. I was able to feed my kids and not have the burden of finding unhealthy fast food to feed them or the cost! The meal was healthy and there was a ton of it. There was even dessert! Then the kids played in one of the huge play rooms where the kids played with a little boy about 6 years old. I gathered that his mom was in the hospital and he was there staying with his dad. The little boy cried when we told him we had to go to our room to go to bed. We gave him a big hug. I took the kids up to the room and got them ready for bed. There was a library there and I had them pick out several books. I got a few things in place for Brian in the morning and then left Austin with the girls sleeping and went back to the hospital to trade places with Brian. I guess Adah woke up in the night and thought I should still be there since I was when she went to bed. It took a while to get her back to sleep, but otherwise another good night. We were told we were going to get to go home by Wed. so we planned to stick it out one more night but then we got the great news that we were being released on Tuesday (yesterday) instead! Austin and I went to work loading the van and rearranging car seats so we could bring our precious Eden home finally! I think we were out in the parking ramp for almost an hour while Brian stayed with the three girls in the hospital room. He survived it though! We got released but still had to go back to the RMH to clean. The weather was less than favorable as it was raining and then turned to snow by the time we were headed home. We arrived home just in time for supper. To our surprise, Brian's mom was there and had supper prepared for us. What a treat! We are so blessed by so many people. Thank-you everyone for all that you did. Even if you didn't physically do anything but just prayed for us daily...you are amazing and I am so thankful for you!

We had a few visitors (it helps that we used to live in Marion and work in Cedar Rapids)...on Wed. Kristin Linnell and Jami Modracek came in the evening. On Friday afternoon Angie Harkin and her daughter Abbi came to visit (right as Brian was leaving). On Friday evening (right as we were about to switch rooms) Emily, Adam and my mom came. So they got to help us move into our new room! By saturday I was feeling lonely and really looking forward to Sunday when Brian and the kids arrived!

Here is a video of the girls meeting Eden for the first time:

Uglum Family Christmas!!

2011-12-18T21:21:00.041-06:00

Brian went home last night to be with the kids while I stayed behind in the NICU with Eden :( I really felt like the kids could use some time with their dad being home in their own beds for a couple nights. Today Brian's family celebrated Christmas. His sister and her family were home from Minnesota so the kids were really looking forward to some time with their cousins too. Adah is smitten for her Uncle Mat and this funny talking Gopher (it sings that one song: I'm alright, nobody worry about me, etc.). I think at one point the gopher went missing though because the button got pushed a few too many times! And the girls always have a good time cuddling with their Auntie Steph. Earlier this morning I talked to Riley (Brian's dad) and asked him how hard it would be to set up Skype. He and Mat said they would work together to get it going. It was the best gift ever to be able to see my little family. It was so neat to talk to each of them and see what they got as gifts. Kezzie didn't know what to think at first. I could tell she was a little weirded out to see me on the screen...in live motion! I miss them so very much and can't wait to see them when they get here tomorrow! We have a suite reserved at the Ronald McDonald House. How nice is that? What a blessing it will be to share little Eden with her big brother and sisters. It was a great day today...God is so good!

She's Here...

2011-12-14T21:42:00.114-06:00

Eden Elizabeth Uglum

December 14, 2011

10:30 AM

5lbs. 15.5oz.

~19.5" long

I am as shocked as anybody!! She's 3 weeks early!!

Me at 37 weeks!! The day before she was born!!

Yesterday we came to Iowa City for our initial consultation. At first, when we got there, I was examined by a resident. She said I was about 1-2cm dilated and my belly was only measuring at 35 weeks (she thought that was strange being that just days before I measured at 37 weeks). She also told us right off the bat that she would not schedule me a c-section before 39 weeks. I was really upset about this because I knew the risk of me going into labor before that (Adah was born at 38.5 weeks) and I also knew my history of delivering quickly (Keziah was born 3.5 hours after my first contraction). With the weather unpredictable too, we were feeling really frustrated. I was told that if I went into labor that my hometown doctor would have to do a c-section and then the baby would be airlifted to Iowa City and I would catch up to her later. I really didn't like this idea of us being in separate places so this resident was not my favorite person! After the resident discussed this with a doctor, the doctor came in and basically said the opposite of what the resident was saying. Knowing all that about my labor history and with the weather unpredictable this time of year, she said we would probably be scheduling the c-section soon. I was relieved! After that apt. and after talking with a couple other areas (genetics, etc.) we went in for our ultrasound. They right away measured the fluid and said both ventricles were just above 32mm. We didn't know if we should be happy that the one ventricle hadn't grown much or if we should be sad that the other ventricle had grown a lot! The sonographer told us not to think about the numbers and that it could just be a difference in the way they were measured. The sonographer left the room and told us the doctors would be in shortly to look themselves and to talk to us. I was able to take a nap it took so long. I think it ended up being close to 40 minutes. Finally a group of 5 or 6 people came in and one of the doctors was the doctor that Emily (my sister) loved so much when she delivered Bennett in Iowa City. I knew her right away and felt such a relief to know she was going to be a part of the decision making process. She took over the ultrasound wand and started looking all over. She first of all told us we were definitely going to be delivering naturally and that her head was the size of a normal baby her age. I started clapping like a little girl! Then she showed me how squished the baby's face was...She said this was not good and that the amniotic fluid was below the lowest that they like to see (hence the reason I was measuring at 35 weeks). They asked me if I thought I had been leaking fluid and I said I wasn't sure but didn't think so. Then she proceeded to ask if we wanted to have a baby today! We were shocked. The night before this appointment I was packing my hospital bag to bring with me and I could just tell Brian was laughing inside because he thought I was ridiculous. I was the one laughing now because I could relax and know I had what I needed! They told us to go get my bag and head to labor and delivery when we were ready. We didn't rush to labor and delivery because we were really just trying to process everything. Brian seemed a little hesitant. I had to remind him that just because they stated it as a question, it wasn't like we really had a choice with the amnio fluid so low! Sooo off we went!

We got checked into our room around 5:15. Around 5:30pm a nurse came in and started me on an IV of pitocin. They didn't up it very quickly and I feel like that made it take longer. My cervix didn't progress for a long time. I got my epidural (yes, I gave in...Brian really wanted me to have one this time) around 1:30AM because they wanted to break my water and they claimed that if they did that that things were going to start going really fast. They were wrong!! Around 5:45 they checked me and I was only at 3cm...not good. The whole night is a blur, but I will never forget how I felt that night. I was so alone. I cried. A LOT! I couldn't sleep. Brian could. He even managed to snore. I kept yelling his name in between snores but he wasn't hearing me. I thought about throwing my pillow at him but then again, I didn't want that to fail too and then be without a pillow! I was scared and frustrated that in the end she could end up being delivered by c-section. I rarely saw a doctor. Everyone was a stranger to me. I was freaking out about the days following her birth. And yet had nobody to talk to. Periodically I would manage to wake Brian up to ask for a hug! He would oblige and then go back to sleep. One thing I did that comforted me was I prayed. I would lay there with my eyes closed and try to fall asleep and I would just talk to God. I won't lie, I never felt full peace amongst my anxious mind, but I kept feeling like everything was going to be ok. I didn't feel so alone. About every half hour the nurse would come in to 'up' my pitocin but they rarely had much to say. One nurse was comfortable with upping it 2 points at a time, another would only do one. It seemed like it was taking forever! Through it all the baby was doing so great so they said we'd just keep going with it! Around 8 AM this morning I was in a lot of pain and feeling so upset that I hadn't been examined in a while. The nurse came in and I was certain the position I was in was putting a crick in my back. I was sitting up with my legs buddha style and the nurse thought it might help if I lay down. Well, I knew that sitting up was better to help get the baby out then laying down so I declined. Finally I realized it was actually contractions and that my epidural had wore off on my left side. I quickly remembered what it felt like to not have an epidural! Around 9:30 the anesthesiologist came in to put in a bodice to try and get it working on the left side again. He finished, walked out and I right away said, "I think I am actually ready to push". The doctor came in and checked me and said I was fully dilated. I gave a couple pushes while the docs and nurses got everything ready and then they told me to stop. The epidural still wasn't working. It was time to push again and after a long hard push I stopped to gain my strength. All the sudden I opened my eyes and said, "Oh, the epidural just started working!" I gave a couple more pushes...and voila! Eden Elizabeth was born! I got to hold her right away! She was breathing on her own, pink like she should be and screaming like a baby! She is perfect! God has blessed us once again!

36 weeks prego and a check up!!

2011-12-07T22:01:00.045-06:00

Yesterday I was 36 weeks pregnant. I am feeling really good except for sleeping at night. I am taking extra strength tylenol before bed and in the middle of the night to try to battle the pain. My hips throb with pain and rolling over is the death of me. It's temporary, I hope! I'm sure when the baby is out I will be back to myself again!

We went to Mason City today for a check up with Dr. Hwang. My belly measured at 37 weeks. The baby's heart rate was in it's normal range of 140/150. The fluid in the ventricles has increased quite a bit. In the right ventricle there is 32mm of fluid, in the left one there is 20mm. Dr. Hwang definitely feels like we need to have a c-section based on this information because he thinks her head is too big to deliver naturally. He also feels like if we did try to deliver naturally the birth canal would put too much pressure on her already increased pressure brain. I don't want to do more harm to her than what's already done so I agreed that would be best. I am so upset with this delivery plan, but God knows what is best and is working it out according to his will. So based on this we have to be seen in Iowa City. This can't be done in New Hampton because the baby will need to be seen immediately by a neurosurgeon to determine if a shunt is needed (Dr. Hwang thinks this will definitely need to be done with the amount of fluid she has). We were sent home to wait on a call for an appointment in Iowa City. We will start with a baseline appointment where they do an exam and ultrasound to start their own file and we will also set up the date of the c-section. I feel really anxious about this because Adah was 1.5 weeks early and Keziah was born in no time flat so for us to have 2.5 hours to drive to the hospital if I were to go into labor before the scheduled c-section makes me feel nervous. I am praying they will get our appointment in Iowa City in a timely manor and then also that our c-section will be scheduled in a timely manor too. God is in control, right? I have to remind myself of that!!

Tomorrow I see Dr. Shea for my 36 week check (she was sick on Tuesday and rescheduled me to Thursday) and discuss with her what I am supposed to do if I go into labor before I even get to Iowa City!

UPDATE: They called this afternoon and we have an appointment scheduled in Iowa City next Tuesday (Dec. 13th). I am thrilled. We don't have to wait too long then!!

OWLS galore!!

2011-12-05T22:25:00.005-06:00

Our newly painted/decorated upstairs girls bathroom...

I think this bathroom will be a huge blessing in later years! It's huge with double sinks and a very large mirror! The girls love owls and hopefully will for years to come.

My two little owls. Each girl received an owl towel for their birthday and baby will get hers for Christmas if she's here! There are three hooks for my three girls!!

Adah is 24 MONTHS! TWO!!!

2011-11-27T21:07:00.070-06:00

When did this happen? When did she get so big?!

Adah is so sweet and incredibly laid back. Her hair is adorable and she is to the point where she will let me do whatever it takes to keep it out of her face! I had to keep the lower left picture because Kezzie took that one and it was so cute with her hair in her face.

Adah got two new teeth this month: her L top molar 10/29 and her R top molar 11/1. It did bother her quite a bit too. She was restless at night and had a hard time falling asleep. Otherwise she has still been pretty happy during the day.

Adah hit a huge milestone this month. I guess I don't know if you would consider it a milestone but it is a HUGE deal! She gave up the paci! I was planning on cutting her off cold turkey but when I took it away for nap on Halloween day and then we went out trick-or-treating, she was pretty traumatized from that (she did not like anything with a mask). I decided she could have it that night but that the next day she was done. And she was okay with that. She hasn't gone back since!! I am so proud of my big girl and yet it makes me a little sad because it's the last babyish thing left! I guess it's a good thing we are having another baby!! Adah is far from acting like a baby...she is very polite always saying her please and thank-yous! One of her favorite things to say is think after every sentence! I don't know what she is trying to say sometimes because it usually doesn't make sense.

Adah continues to have zero interest in watching anything on TV. I'm ok with this, I just think it's strange! She would much rather be off playing by herself!

Adah loves to jump downstairs. This is like a newly discovered thing for the girls. They figured out that if they take the cushions off the couch downstairs they can pretend they are at the bouncy place. They go downstairs daily now and have so much fun! Adah will often ask Kezzie if she wants to go downstairs with her! They will also do somersaults off the couch onto the cushions on the floor.

Adah's favorite foods I would have to say are spaghetti and mac-n-cheese. She gets SUPER excited about mac-n-cheese! The kids loves it! I have noticed Adah does a lot left handed. She uses both hands, but I would say she uses her left hand more.

Our Adah is just so funny! I wish I could be a fly on the wall watching her all the time because she is hilarious with her expressions and pretend play. She loves life and loves her family (especially Keziah and daddy)! And I can't get enough of her! I am excited to see what God has planned for her this year!

On a side note, being that it is her second birthday today, I want to mention that since she is so young we didn't really do anything to celebrate today. We had her birthday party yesterday and I think that was enough excitement for her and to do something today probably just would have confused her! I'm sure we will have plenty of other years to make up for it!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-27T21:03:00.007-06:00

Thanksgiving was such a busy time for us! Thursday ended up being a really fun day. We thought it was just going to be a few relatives over to my parents' house but it ended up being almost everyone on my dad's side (except my sisters!). It was so great to see family since we don't always get to in the winter it seems (we see them more in the summer at the river). We just went for the day because we were busy trying to get ready for the girls' birthday party on Saturday. Kezzie was more than ecstatic to get to spend the day with some of her favorite people. She and Leora spent a lot of time outside building a fort (see photo below) with a hammer and nails even (I guess grandpa approved that!). They even made a pretend alarm clock in their fort! Alicia and Victoria had their usual fighting over Adah. Who was going to carry her around, who was going to get to play with her! Adah loves the attention and loves her cousins! She has also become pretty attached to her great uncle Perry and Aunt Cindy. I don't know what it is about that that makes me smile...I guess it's because I love them so much too! Austin, of course, had a blast playing with the boys outside...this consists of Johnathan, Jonathan and Joshua. It wouldn't be a Smith gathering without someone going to the ER. Jonathan (Perry and Cindy's boy) ended up slipping outside and cutting his finger on a piece of glass. Nothing a few stitches didn't fix!

I love my family and am so Thankful this season for every one of them! Not to mention my own little family! Look at those cute kids (and the one growing in my belly!) Life is such a joy!

Thanksgiving didn't stop with Thursday for us. Friday we got to spend the evening with Brian's family and celebrate Thanksgiving! His sister and family were coming into town for the girls' birthday party so it was only logical to have thanksgiving with them too! We made an attempt at some family pictures and this is what we got! I just had to dress the girls in their dresses because Grandma Uglum was the one that bought them (and they are so darn cute)!

Just the grandkids!

Thanksgiving didn't stop there either because since my sisters and their families weren't around when we had the big family Thanksgiving on Thursday, my mom decided to do a turkey of her own and celebrate with just our family. It was a fantastic home cooked thanksgiving meal and another great day to be with family! We are so blessed and so thankful for everything we have!

The Girls' Birthday Party!!

2011-11-26T22:56:00.075-06:00

I can't believe we are celebrating our girls' fourth and second birthdays! Where does the time go? We had so much fun at their party with family and a couple friends. We went with a butterfly theme this year. I didn't do a whole lot of decorations like last year, but did print off some butterflies and had them hanging around the house. I also ordered a flower arrangement that had some butterflies in it. It was beautiful! And it's never a party without balloons! The girls never stopped smiling. We had thirteen kids under the age of five and Austin. It was pretty crazy and I was really thankful for our newly reorganized toy room in the basement! We had a wonderful meal of baked ziti, bread sticks, seven layer salad and fruit! I let each of the girls pick out the kind of cake they wanted and made each of their cakes and cupcakes in their kind. Kezzie picked strawberry and Adah picked confetti. Perfect for their personalities!! This year we actually sang to each of them individually. I think they both felt special! They are both so special! I am so thankful for each of them and how they have changed our family! Happy Birthday Keziah and Adah! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Oh Christmas Tree!!!

2011-11-25T21:31:00.019-06:00

We decided to set up the tree tonight (Austin declared he is too cool for this)! Just one of those things I like to get out of the way before the girls' birthday party! Plus, the longer it can be up, the more we can enjoy it! I am sure I mentioned in an earlier post about getting this tree from Menards. As you know, last year our tree fell over three times so it was definitely time to get a new one! I love it! It really energized me to get it up too! Bring on the Holidays!!

Keziah is FOUR YEARS OLD!!!

2011-11-23T21:27:00.062-06:00

Keziah is already four! I can't believe how fast time goes by! Look at how beautiful she is. The top one was pictures I took 2 days before her birthday. She got her hair cut and styled so I just had to take pictures! The next group is of her on her birthday! That morning we woke up and she got to open one gift-a dress up magnetic doll set. She got to eat a special egg/toast breakfast, and later in the morning Grandma Uglum came and painted her nails a glittery silver and even used a nail dryer. She felt pretty special to get her nails done!! For lunch we went to McDonald's (her choice of course) and ate and played. That night Grandma and Grandpa Uglum came over for some homemade pizzas (per Kezzie's request), sugar cookies, and of course a couple more presents! Some clothes from g-ma and pa and her owl towel for her new owl bathroom! She wore it everywhere the whole night! She had a great birthday but I think she will be even more excited when she has more family and friends for her big birthday party!

Keziah has such a sweet personality but is really very sneaky in a lot of ways. She is persuasive and kniving too! I often have to remind her that Jesus doesn't like it when we lie! She is such a love bug and still likes to cuddle me. I hope that never ends! She thrives on one on one attention and usually will request to read a book or do a craft during our alone time. She loves her daddy a lot but I would say she still prefers her mom! Keziah recently counted past 100 (with a little prompting on the next tens digit after 39-40, 50, 60, etc). She knows how to spell her name and Adah's name and thinks she is spelling a lot of other things too. Everything usually starts with a 'T' and ends in a 'Y'. I just pretend like I don't know how to spell everything she knows how to spell and ask her what she is spelling. I do correct her sometimes too so she can learn how things are really spelled. She really has no interest in learning how to write things but does point out letters she has written while she is drawing. She still has a very loud voice and has started talking a lot about cheer leading someday! I guess she would be perfect for it! She even spent some of her early birthday money on a megaphone and pom poms!! I was never a cheerleader but we have had fun coming up with some fake cheers for the Chickasaws and Hawks! She's really good at saying, "Go Red!"

Here is a picture of me at 4 years old...resemblance? I don't think she looks like me too much, but I do see this look on her face sometimes!

Happy Birthday to my 'baby' girl!!!

34 weeks Pregnant!

2011-11-22T15:38:00.000-06:00

Getting closer by the day! I am so excited to meet our little one! The girls are going to be so much fun to have around her. I just love watching them with their dolls! Even Kezzie has started to treat Adah like a little baby again...I think she is getting herself all practiced up!! I had my doctor apt. today and everything is still going fine with the baby. I have a lot of complaints as my body is getting weaker and the muscles are spreading out though. I have been taking extra strength tylenol every night to help me sleep but some nights that isn't cutting it anymore. I really don't have many complaints for during the day so I am thankful for that! The baby's heart beat was running about the same as usual. My uterus was measuring right on at 34 weeks so that is good. And I am happy to say that I have only gained a couple pounds this last two weeks! Yay for that!! I see the doctor in another two weeks and then we start going every week. Only two weeks (Dec. 7) until we see our specialist again! I am so very excited!

Weekend to Remember!

2011-11-20T22:24:00.043-06:00

God's timing is perfect!! We have had tickets to go to the Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference for two years now and finally got to go this year. I was devastated when I was desperate for a break, about to give birth to Adah, and Brian started having some pretty severe stomach issues. We had to cancel our plans to go. But God knew what was best and because I was still nursing Adah the next year, we opted out then too. This was the year! We could only transfer our tickets for up to two years so we knew we either had to go or give our tickets away! This was the first time we had left our kids overnight and knowing now what we know (our kids can, in fact, survive without us!) we will definitely be doing this again! We had such a great time together. Not only was it nice to have two nights without any responsibility for kids, but we also got to hear some really wonderful speakers. It was even just fun riding in the car with my husband to get there and actually being able to talk without the sound of a DVD playing or the fighting in the backseat! Saturday we had date night and got to go out to eat and to a movie. We even did a little shopping before all that! It was such a wonderful time. We learned a lot about oneness and that God is our top priority but that next in line is our spouse (even before our kids which is a tough one sometimes). We got to write love letters to each other too and at the end of the conference on Sunday they had us recite our vows to each other (everyone at the same time in the meeting, so we weren't on the spot or anything!). I HIGHLY recommend that everyone go to this at least once. I can guarantee you won't go just once though. We plan to go every 2 years at least! God has blessed me with my perfect mate and I am soooo thankful for that!

It was kind of funny...when we got there the lady at the front desk told us she got us a king size bed but that it was in a presidential suite meaning it had a huge table in it! Every time we opened the door to our room there was a huge room with a giant table and TV and then we had to go to the next room to get to our very large bed in our very tiny room. It served its purpose but it was just funny! The table came in handy too because Saturday morning we ordered room service for breakfast and it was nice to have a table to sit at!!

Very pregnant but still smiling!!

Moments in time...

2011-11-09T13:15:00.000-06:00

This morning I want to remember a couple things...Kezzie and Austin woke up with excitement to find there was snow on the ground. Kezzie was pounding the bathroom door to get daddy's attention so she could tell him about it. Austin was at first frustrated to see that every school around here had a two hour delay except his. Come to find out his did too but it just wasn't being posted online or on tv (we got a text on our phone instead). So once he realized he had an extra two hours to kill he quickly fed himself and Kezzie (he was motivated) some cereal and they were headed outside. I was left to eat breakfast with my little Adah and I began to reflect on how blessed I was to have time with Adah (even though she was protesting the fact that she didn't get to go out!) and on how fast time has gone by for the other two. I found myself really enjoying the time alone with Adah, and realizing how quickly Kezzie and Austin have grown and become buddies. What an exciting day to wake up to a ground full of wet snow (perfect for snow balls) and then to have the two of them go out and play together and to get to enjoy breakfast with only my youngest before the baby comes...I feel so blessed. God has blessed me so much! So, even though it's only 33 degrees outside, I am definitely thankful for this day!
A funny story...
I took Austin to school this morning since it was so slushy and wet out and I didn't want him walking in his shoes. I had to run to the post office so I decided to do that at the same time. I didn't bother dressing the girls since they didn't need to get out of the car. I dropped Austin off and headed to the post office. I was running in really quick and the girls are in full view the whole time so they just stayed in the car. As I paid to have my package sent off I noticed Kezzie get out of her car seat. No big deal, she does this and it's usually to help Adah get a book or something. BUT, when I got back out to the car and came around the corner, I got quite the sight! Kezzie was standing with her jammie pants pulled down, she was butt naked with the side door wide open declaring she had to pee (we travel with a little potty in our car so apparently she was going to pee in it but I have no idea why the door had to be open to do it). Adah was looking at a book, so I was right about that part, but I was completely shocked to see Kezzie just standing there naked with the door open. I quickly closed the door and told her never to open it when I am not there and explained to her how dangerous this was (I guess I know now that the doors open from the inside if the car is off, even when all the doors are locked) and then we also had to have a talk about how much older she is getting and how she needs to have a little modesty when we are out in public. I really wonder how many people got to see that!

32 Weeks Pregnant!

2011-11-08T21:59:00.005-06:00

We are getting closer! I feel like I am physically ready already but I know the baby isn't so I am glad there is still time for her. I had my check up today and her heart rate was where it usually is: between 150 and 160. She was kicking every time the doctor would move the wand! Kezzie really wanted to hear the heart beat for longer so while the doctor measured my belly, Kezzie got to hold the heart beat machine all by herself! She thought that was pretty cool! Everything looks great. My uterus is measuring at 33 weeks but that's still normal. I was shocked when the doctor asked me if I wanted to see the baby on ultrasound. I said yes of course and she took us into a different room. I finally got to see a profile view of the baby (they haven't ever been able to get one before). She is so cute. She has distinct cheek-bones like Kezzie and sweet little ears. She looked scrunched in there too as her knees were right up there by her chin! We didn't get any printouts because she couldn't get it to hold a still image. I was just glad to see her again. I did ask the doctor jokingly if she knew anything about ventricles. She said she didn't confidently know anything and scrolled over the top of the head. I, of course, had no idea how to tell if the ventricles looked bigger or not, but I was certainly curious. I guess we will just have to wait another month to find out! God is in control, right? I continue to go every two weeks and since my women doctor started back to work yesterday, I get to see her for the rest of my regular appointments! Yipee! Here are some pictures for now...

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T20:43:00.010-05:00

Today was Halloween!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
The kids and Brian and I had a really good time going out trick-or-treating. We met up with some friends to walk around and that always makes it more fun. It was chilly outside but very tolerable. We went door to door for about an hour and then headed over to the church's trunk or treat. After that we walked across the street to the nursing home where Brian's grandpa Troyna lives. He had just gotten back from a hip repair at the hospital so we didn't get to see him. We got home in time for the girls to have a piece of candy and then go to bed. Austin came home from school with a couple friends and I made a couple pizzas for us all. The boys all dug in our costume box and found some masks then went out to get some candy! It was a great night but I don't know if Adah would agree! She was not a fan of anything that had a mask on. It didn't matter if it was a nice mask or not. She was shaking and just plain terrified. We had a stroller and she wanted in it all the time. It made her feel secure. Daddy started carrying her and that made her even more happy! Kezzie is already asking me if tomorrow is Halloween again!!

Adah is 23 MONTHS!!

2011-10-27T21:18:00.058-05:00

Look at that sweet smile! The pictures of her in the red are when I took Keziah's month pictures (four days ago). Adah just can't resist having her picture taken when big sis is and I can't resist using them in her month pictures! Kezzie snuck her way into some of Adah's pictures also! They are just so cute together!

Adah has had some problems with sleep this month. Something in her room has scared her or so it seems. She will lay in her bed and cry and cry until one of us comforts her. She is definitely scared. For four nights in a row we (mostly Brian) would go up to her room and rock her or stand holding her for a little while until she calmed down. She would usually do fine after that and go to sleep. But the fifth night I think both Brian and I had decided that it couldn't continue and we needed to do something about it. Aside from rocking her I tried several different things over the course of that five days...I spent time in her room with her with the door closed, looking around and talking about the different shadows, etc. I talked to her about leaving the door open and she didn't want to. I talked to her about no night light so there weren't any shadows and she didn't like that and lastly, we moved her night light to a different outlet that created less shadows. We were spending a good half hour calming her down. So I decided to try something that I remember worked on Keziah (you will think I am harsh) when she went through this. I just put her to bed as lovingly as usual, when she started crying I didn't wait more then a couple minutes and then I went in there and told her in a stern voice there was nothing to cry about and that she needed to go to sleep. She said, 'okayy' in a whiny voice, but when I closed the door again she was quiet. It worked. I was worried it wouldn't because Adah's personality is a lot more sensitive then Kezzie's and I didn't want to make things worse, but she was a big girl about it. For a couple nights she still whimpered after the initial closing of her door, but I would just peek my head in and remind her that she was alright and didn't have any reason to cry. She would sweetly respond by saying, 'okayyy'. It was around that same time that I discovered her two bottom 2 yr. molars coming in (October 7). I felt bad because I am sure that was part of what was going on with her when she was having trouble sleeping. I put orajel on for a couple nights but for the most part she was done having her crying spells so I just didn't worry about it. She is so tough!

Adah really loves her daddy! She loves to lay in our bed with us/him and cuddle. She will rub his head, give him kisses and scoot as close to him as she can. She will also continually say, 'Hi dad'. It's the sweetest thing ever and I am so glad that they share those moments!

Adah also loves to color, count as best as she can saying, 'two, two. Two, two, twee'. She loves playing independently too. We will often find her off somewhere with a toy, sitting on the floor with her legs out-stretched, just playing contently. It is fun to watch her enjoy being by herself sometimes!

Adah and Austin also have a bond. He loves to make her laugh and teach her things. She loves to cuddle him and watch him do things that she can learn!

Adah does seem to have sensitive skin like Keziah. Her skin around her mouth gets very irritated and red sometimes and although she is potty trained, she still wears a diaper at nap and bed which causes some redness on her bottom too.

My baby girl isn't such a baby anymore. She talks so well and I can easily have a conversation with her. I am amazed at how fast time has gone this year...she will be two next month!!!

Pumkin Carving Time!!!

2011-10-25T22:48:00.007-05:00

Tonight we carved pumpkins. Grandma Uglum got us a couple pumpkins from her sister so we didn't have to purchase any this year! Keziah told me exactly what she wanted it to look like, Adah colored on the other side and Austin got to have a huge one to himself. The girls had so much fun digging into all the gooey stuff and picking out the pumpkin seeds for baking. Our pumpkin was green and very hard to carve, almost like a gourd but it still turned out nice. Austin picked a ghost with some bats flying overhead. I thought he did an awesome job. I cut the top off but otherwise he got to do everything else! I just love this time of year!

Happy 2nd Birthday Henry!

2011-10-24T21:55:00.020-05:00

Mat and Steph's (Brian's sister) youngest, Henry turned two today! They were in town for the weekend so we got to celebrate with them all weekend. It was beautiful weather while they were here so we spent some time outside too. The pictures are pretty self explanatory...the dog is Brian's parents' golden doodle. There are a couple of all the kids hanging out together doing different things. The one of Brady and Adah is Adah watching over Brady's shoulder while he plays a game. I caught her rubbing his back a few times! I love the golf cart picture with Mat. They did a lot of golf rides over the course of the weekend. It was actually better they were all crammed on there because it kept them all in place and from falling out. He took them out on the course and rode around too. Henry really likes cookies so we had a giant cookie to share and Steph made some caramel brownies too! Grandma Uglum bought enough balloons so that we could take a couple home but right before we were going to leave, they got loose and floated to the ceiling of their really high living room ceiling. Bummer. We did manage to reach one of them which will bring great entertainment in this house for at least a week! It's hard to believe it has been two years since Henry was born! Happy Happy Birthday Henry! We love you to pieces!

Keziah is 47 MONTHS!!

2011-10-23T21:21:00.053-05:00

My sweet Keziah!!! What else could you expect but a lot of silly faces?! She is a character! She will often make Adah laugh at the dinner table with all her silliness!
Keziah has become increasingly interested in letters. She tries to put letters together and then ask me what it spells. After supper Austin will sometimes ask if he can have a t-r-e-a-t. She knows what he is asking so she tries to do the same. She has caught on to the first three letters but everything after that doesn't make sense. I love that she is trying though. She is so smart! We have a workbook that we do when I think about it and she loves to identify words that start with different letters but hates to try to write her letters. I have successfully gotten her to write A! That is seriously as far as we've gotten. A lot of times though she will be coloring/drawing and she will bring me her paper with excitement of a letter she has written. She's funny!
We got her a new hat and belts this month. She is pretty happy about both! She wears her hat everywhere but the convenience of not wearing a belt (and letting her pants fall) takes priority over the style of it. She wore one that coordinated with every outfit for about 2 weeks and then decided it wasn't worth it! I agreed since she is so good about taking herself potty and a belt requires help! Keziah has gotten really good about putting her hair behind her ears by herself. This might seem silly to take note of, but as a girl who refuses to most of the time let me put anything in her hair to keep it out of her face, this is a big deal!
At night Keziah continues to suck her paci (oh the shame) and still needs a pull up. She will wake dry some mornings but we wouldn't want to chance going without it. We used to wake her at night and take her potty and she would have more dry pull-ups that way but it just wasn't worth waking her and it didn't seem like it was really training her to do it herself. She will get there on her own someday! She also requires quite the array of animals/blankies in her bed. She has a row of small stuffed animals that sleep head to toe in a row down the side of her bed (opposite of the wall) and then they get covered up by a blanket so they don't fall out...then she has two little square taggie blankets. One goes under her head (it is pink/green) and the other she rubs (red/blue). She also has a chick and a horse (both small stuffed animals) that she holds onto while she sleeps. She has the whole corner of her bed that is against the wall covered in other animals. I have to clean it out every so often because she sneaks other ones in there. When we go stay other places like in a hotel or at my parents or friends, she doesn't require all of that though (thank goodness). She is happy to have the basics: her red blankie, pink blankie, horse and chick! Another thing Keziah requires at night is pants. She has several nightgowns that she loves but she refuses to wear them without pants.
I love my big girl so much and can't wait to see what this next month and year are going to bring for her. Soon she will be a big FOUR years old!!!

Fall is Here!!

2011-10-16T20:57:00.001-05:00

October 6, 2011 A great opportunity to get some fun fall shots. The weather was beautiful so it was a nice day to spend outside. Who can resist these sweeties?! Can you find them in all those leaves?

October 16, 2011 Another great day! It was a bit more chilly but we had to get outside while we can because it's going to get a lot colder then this! The girls were thrilled to have their big brother outside with them! He always comes up with fun ideas! Like this first picture...he built a nest for them all to sit in like little birds! He also put a huge pile at the end of our slide, which the girls thought was really fun! Austin went and got his sled out too and used it to scoop up leaves and throw them into the air. It looked pretty cool when they were coming down around us! What great pictures of three of my favorite people! We are incredibly blessed!!

And fall isn't complete without a very delicious squash pie!

Amniocentisis Results!

2011-10-13T13:00:00.003-05:00

All good news!! The tests were all normal. It's nothing viral and nothing genetic. God is so good! The lady who called did want me to be aware that there is still such a wide spectrum of things that can be wrong because of this fluid in the brain. She wanted me to rejoice, but also wanted me to be cautious. I am thankful for that call today. It came almost a week early! Praise God for that in itself! Keep praying, please!

28 Weeks Prego!

2011-10-12T21:15:00.007-05:00

I had my 28 week check up today. It's pretty uneventful when you compare it to the visits I have had lately! Doc measured my uterus and it was measuring just a little over 28 weeks. So that means my uterus slowed down a bit as I had grown a lot the last time I was in to see the doctor. Here is the post about that if you missed it. I didn't gain any weight either. The baby's heart rate was where it usually is around 150/160. I talked to the doctor about my hands being swollen in the morning when I get up. She said that was from my wrists being bent all night. It's really been a problem for me in the mornings! I wake up and my hands feel like they are going to explode! I guess I will try to keep my wrists straight more! I also talked to her about the symptoms of RLS (restless leg syndrome). I guess this is pretty common in pregnancy. It sounds like I may be dealing with this some. I always feel like there is something crawling on my legs! I feel like I am constantly swiping at them to get something off. Doc said it will go away after pregnancy! Phew!
My two women doctors that I see, one is on maternity leave and the other is about to go on maternity leave. I start to see the doctor every two weeks now so time should really start flying!! However, because of this I had to schedule my next apt. with a male doctor whom I have never met. I should only have to see him once and then the one women doctor who is on maternity leave will be back! I definitely prefer a women!! I'm sure if I have to deliver somewhere other than here with my regular doctors, I am going to have to get over this! We will see!
I never do a full body shot or ones from the front so I thought I would try to get that this month too. Keziah did a really good job taking that middle picture of me. Although it is at an angle, I kind of like it like that!!

It's been a week now since my Mason City apt., but I just want to make note of what it was like the days following my amnio. I just never would have imagined such after effects. They told me to take it easy for 24 hours after I had that done, but it was more like 48 hours before I even began to feel like doing anything. All I can figure out is that the whole time I was laying on the table for both my ultrasounds (one with the tech and one with the doc.) and then again for the amnio, I must have been incredibly tense the whole time. I tried to conciously relax my body but the way I felt over the next 48 hours was terrible. I was incredibly crampy and my lower abdomin muscles were super weak all the way around to my lower back. My legs were even sore. And my neck was sore from being turned to see the monitor. I get that my lower abs would be a little sore from the amnio, but I never imagined it would be that bad. I couldn't do anything. I felt like I had a horrible flu. I especially felt like I couldn't do anything with my lower ab muscles. I felt like I had a c-section...OK enough complaining...did I mention how thankful I was to have my husband by my side?!! I love that man! God blessed me when he gave me him!

Football Season!!

2011-10-11T21:22:00.018-05:00

Now that Austin is in 7th grade, the football season doesn't last quite as long. He only had 5 weeks of games! He played every Tuesday for five weeks and his team would play one of two games on that day. I didn't even realize it until it was all over and Brian explained to me that the 7th grade is split into two teams. Austin's team always played the second game. They only won 2 this year, but had a really good time. We had a rough start to the season with Austin's Osgood/Schlatter's Disease acting up, but after a couple weeks (during practice time, before games started) rest he didn't have anymore trouble. We actually had an apt. set for him to start physical therapy and then he was feeling much better so we canceled it! Praise the Lord! I was really worried he was going to have to quit. He even said several times that he wasn't sure he was going to be able to finish out the season! It was so much fun watching him play. He is getting better and better. The girls enjoy watching him too. I just tell Kezzie what number he is and she looks for him. She gets excited when she finds it and tries to yell for him! The girls have caught on from the crowd to yell, 'Go Red' so they yell that quite often! They also spend a lot of time running the stands and bugging other spectators and playing with their kids! The weather was absolutely awesome too! Today was his last game :( We will miss it but look forward to basketball in the winter months!

Sweet Baby Reid!

2011-10-10T21:59:00.018-05:00

Here she is the day after delivering...he doesn't look very happy! I think it's time for some milk!

A friend of mine (my OB doctor whom I have talked about before) just had her baby Sept. 21st! They named him Reid Matthew. He was a whopping 8 lbs. 14 oz.! Big brother Beau and big sister Gracie are very proud of him and call him 'peanut'. He is such a sweet addition to their clan!
Here he is about 3 weeks old:

Reid came down with pneumonia and had to be taken to Mason City to stay in the ICU for five days. He is doing great now but they still need to try to keep him contained from people as much as possible. He is such a sweetie! I can't wait to meet our little bundle!

Keziah's drawings!

2011-10-10T20:58:00.009-05:00

I was slightly impressed with this first photo. Keziah brought it to me and declared that she had drawn a sea horse. I haven't seen her draw much more than a circle child so this was pretty good! Then she said, 'on the other side, I drew a pizza!' I didn't get a picture of it, but she also recently drew a picture of a shark on her doodle pad. It looked a lot like a shark! I think she might be entering the artistic phase of her childhood!! I love it!

A Before and After!

2011-10-07T22:00:00.054-05:00

Earlier this week I went to Menards (a dangerous place to go by myself) to get some padding to put around our fireplace. This has been something that has been on my mind since Keziah went face first into the stone. It's been really hard for me to relax in our living room which is our main play area. I am thankful to say that I was able to get some pipe insulation for really cheap and in the color black. I had previously been looking at some actual fireplace padding on Amazon and it only came in white and cost much more. It looks really nice. That wasn't my only purchase that day though. We have been in much need for some new lighting fixtures so I thought I would 'just look'. I found the most perfect chandelier and it was on clearance! It fits nicely in our house and matches our ceiling fans that hang in our living room which is right next to our dining area. I was feeling much better this afternoon after my apt. wed. and I couldn't wait to get it up. It took me about 2-3 hours to do by myself. I could do it again in much less time but because this was my first time hanging something like this it took me a while. Plus, by the time I got it up I realized I wanted it shorter so I had to take some links out of the chain and then that required me to rewire in the ceiling too! The results were totally worth it! I love it and almost every time we sit down for a meal, Keziah tells me how much she loves it too! We have a dimmer on that light switch which makes it look even prettier! I love that it is so much brighter than our other one. And that it isn't brass and that it actually has light covers!
I don't have any pictures for the outdoor lights but I did end up buying 5 new outdoor lights too. They look amazing as well! One of them is a motion light for above our garage doors. The others are porch lights. The old ones were brass too (the previous owners really liked their brass!) Oh, and I can't forget to mention my most exciting purchase of that day...a NEW CHRISTMAS TREE!!! Let's not forget that my tree fell over 3 times last year because it is REALLY old! I could totally justify this purchase, but just to be sure I got Brian's approval! He fought me on a new tree all last year, even when they were on clearance! I am sooooo excited to set it up...right after halloween passes!! Just kidding!

Mason City Apt.

2011-10-05T22:18:00.090-05:00

Well we were called last Friday with our apt. date of Oct. 5th at noon. That was the next time Dr. Hwang was going to be in Mason City. I am so thankful we only had a week to wait. What a LONG ride there...I don't know if Brian and I said a word the whole way there. We were very scared at what the apt. would hold and tell. We got called back almost right away when we got there. We had to go back downstairs into an overflow ultrasound room because they had basically just fit us in. I was worried this could take a while but I didn't care...I just wanted answers. The ultrasound tech got right to it. She did everything the lady in New Hampton did but she just focused more on some of the areas of concern. She really looked the brain over, of course and the heart, kidneys, backbone and bridge of nose. She didn't say much the whole time to reassure us. She at one point finally said all those things looked very good except the brain. I was happy to hear she could see the whole spine this time. The brain appeared to be of the same size as the week before. I was sad to hear it hadn't completely resolved itself!! Wishful thinking, I know! We were told to wait there and she would get the doctor. We knew he was going to come in and do his own evaluating also. She spent probably an hour and he spent probably another half hour looking at the baby and talking to us. He kept asking me if I have had some kind of infection. No-I have not. He also asked about our family history. I mentioned my sister that has her two youngest kids with dwarfism. He didn't think there was a connection there. He felt that an amniocentesis would better help him rule some things out. I was really hesitant and asked if it would really make a difference anyway. I told myself I wasn't going to do this if they wanted even before getting to the apt. I had resolved myself for knowing it wasn't going to change the diagnosis whether we knew it or not but Dr Hwang really insisted and talked to us about how helpful it would be for him now for the rest of the pregnancy and any doctors that would be there delivering her (YES, THEY CONFIRMED 100% SURE IT'S A GIRL). I was super scared. I am so thankful for Brian. He held my hand through the whole thing and stroked my hair. I bawled. It was really uncomfortable but mostly I was just worried about the baby and if I took a wrong breath or if I made her move too fast. The whole time they are doing it they have the ultrasound machine on and are watching her, but it didn't make me feel any better. It was just too much to be honest. I was incredibly tense for the few minutes it took. When the needle was out they watched on ultrasound to see if it would seal up again. It had a few bubbles and then it was fine. She watched the baby for a bit and said she looked good too. I was instructed to take it easy for a couple days and that was it. We had the whole ride home to sit in silence. I was very crampy and weak. Brian held my hand the whole way home and at some point we just cried together. It was really comforting to have him. I am so thankful for him! He even stayed with me that afternoon instead of going back to work. The girls were sleeping when we got home (thank-you grandma Kathy for watching the girls) so I laid down too. Dr. Hwang sent it out for a few tests. He said he was testing for a couple different viruses. He said if the baby has some kind of viral infection then it would be really really bad. That she would have severe brain damage. This is why he was checking and double checking if I have had any kind of infection. He said as an adult we can fight off viruses really easily, but as a fetus it is very deadly because their bodies aren't capable of that yet. He also sent out the fluid for a genetic test, to test for things like down syndrome, etc. If there were 23 chromosomes from each of us (Brian and I) then it wouldn't be anything genetic. The tests are supposed to come back in 10-14 days. I don't know how we will get through it!! God is good... and for now, I am resting in that! Dr. Hwang did say that if these tests come back normal then he thinks it is Agenesis of Corpus Callosum (part of the brain is missing). It just means that the fluid could be shifting the brain around so it develops in the wrong way, or that part of the brain isn't developing. He said even if these tests come back normal there is still a wide range of things that could come of it. From the least being not even being able to notice there was ever a problem with her brain, all the way to severe developmental delay,etc. He also gave us some hope in saying that there have been autopsies done on people who died later in life and found their brains to be enlarged like this and you would have never known it about that person. He said this isn't likely and actually even told Brian that 'this will not resolve itself. It can get worse, but it won't get better this late in pregnancy.' But I know that with God, all things are possible and I am going to pray for the best!! We go back to see Dr. Hwang on Dec. 7th at 10:30. Until then I just keep seeing my doctor here in New Hampton for all my regular visits.

Bad News...

2011-09-28T22:02:00.042-05:00

My doctor called me this morning with some news about our ultrasound. I was so engrossed in getting the ultrasound so that the baby could have that full evaluation, that I never thought or worried about anything actually being wrong. It turns out that the baby has some extra fluid in the ventricles of the brain. She called it Intercranial Ventriclomagley. She told me not to worry and that she thought maybe the ultrasound tech was just distracted or mismeasured the fluid. We all know from my post about our ultrasound that she was definitely distracted so I dismissed her call and tried not to worry. After talking to Brian about it and not getting enough information for his liking, I called her back. I had a lot more questions after Brian and I read up on some stuff online. I asked her what the size of the fluid was and she told me 16mm. I actually wrote down the name of it too since I didn't in our previous conversation, along with the specialist she wanted me to see and what kind of specialist he was. His name is Dr. Hwang and he comes from Des Moines twice a month to Mason City to see patients. He is a Perinatologist. According to everything I have read online there really isn't any way the tech 'mismeasured'. 16 mm is A LOT more then the normal range of 2-5mm. There aren't enough distractions in the world to measure that much off if you ask me! The doctor also mentioned to me that the didn't like that they couldn't see the lower lumbar spine (as I mentioned in my post about our ultrasound). She threw the words spina bifida out there but quickly took it back as she said there are MANY possibilities that can come from this. For now we wait to hear back about an apt. with the specialist. They will call and tell us when to be in Mason City. I am scared, but I know God has a plan. We are going to love this little baby no matter what, I just worry about how she is feeling and what her life will be like. God knows though and already has her life planned out, we just have to trust. He loves her way more than I could ever understand. A friend of mine sent me this verse that she just happened to read in her devotions this morning: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. . . This I know, that God is for me" (Psalm 56:3-4, 9b). We have such a tremendous amount of support from our family and friends that I can't imagine we aren't going to be able to get through whatever God has planned for us! Please pray for us as we start this unknown journey.

Adah is 22 Months!!

2011-09-27T22:14:00.039-05:00

I have a quirky almost 2 year old. It's hard to believe! She has such a secretive funny personality. I will often catch her making funny faces by herself. And her expressions are almost always to make someone laugh! She likes to look at you out of the corner of her eyes to see if you are paying attention! She continues to copy EVERYTHING everyone else does and it is teaching her so much. She is literally a sponge! She is catching onto the idea of an alphabet and will recite many letters in various orders, she will do the same with counting. She hasn't really ever gotten three numbers in a row but she will sometimes tell you what's coming next if you are the one counting. If she is counting something in a book or something in front of her she will sometimes even repeat the same number over and over as if she is counting. Adah is also learning her colors also. She has been getting most of them right but gets in a habit of calling everything green. I know she knows them better than that so I'm not sure why she does that. It might be her secretive goofiness coming out because sometimes she smirks about it!

I thought maybe Adah was going to escape the whole rash problem we went through with Keziah on her face, but she didn't. It just came a little later! It turns out Adah has just as sensitive of skin as Keziah. In fact, I think it is probably even more so because Adah actually itches hers where as Kez was never bothered by it. I do have to put Elidel around Adah's mouth every few days. Some days it is much worse then others. She will itch it and say it hurts too. I feel bad for her. The elidel really seems to help though so that is a good thing. And I know there will be an end to it if she is like Kezzie because Kezzie doesn't have too many problems with her skin anymore.

Life is so good! Adah is such a great sleeper. She takes a 2-3 hour nap every day and still sleeps close to 12 hours at night. She isn't the greatest eater but that makes it easy to tell when she is growing because she will eat a ton more when she is having a growth spurt. And this month Adah actually placed the boppy pillow on my lap upstairs in her room while I was sitting waiting to read her a book. She climbed up on my lap and laid down on it and asked for some milk. It was just weird. We had a little talk about how there isn't any milk in there anymore and that when there is, it will be for the baby in mommy's belly! She still insisted but I just got a book and put the boppy away. She was fine with that! I am so blessed every day by this girl. She makes me feel loved with her hugs and kisses and I wuv yous! She is precious and amazing. I thank God for her every day!!

Almost 26 Weeks Prego!

2011-09-26T21:07:00.012-05:00

And I finally got an ultrasound!!! Here's how it happened with probably too much information...just ignore this post if you want to be spared the details!I called the doctor last week sometime thinking I might be leaking amniotic fluid. It turned out they were going to squeeze me in that day and just have me come do a quick test to see if I was. I got a call about 15 minutes before I was supposed to be there and they said my doctor was about to deliver somebody in labor (who happened to be my other women doctor) so I was going to need to come in the next day. They said they had an actual appointment available at 8:45 that next morning so I took it. I told her I felt better about having an appointment rather then taking up time they didn't have anyway so I was happy about that. So, the next morning I got there and they said they decided to just go ahead and do a regular OB visit. I did the urine test, weight and then came the fun part, she tested me to see if I was leaking and she also tested me for a yeast infection just to rule that out in the process (which required a full exam). It turns out I was NOT leaking fluid but she thought I had enough symptoms to go ahead and treat me for a yeast infection even though it wasn't really positive (not a strong positive). She also listened to the heart beat and measured my uterus...and that's what did it. Last week, when I was 24 weeks pregnant, I mentioned I was measuring at 23 weeks. This week my uterus measured at 27.5 weeks. I grew 4.5 weeks worth in one week! She said she didn't even have to check with the insurance company, she knew that would be approved! So here it is! We went this morning for our ultrasound (26 weeks tomorrow)!

And that is a story in itself...we decided to take the girls so they could see the baby too! Brian was in charge of keeping them occupied since I was laying on the table occupied and I remember looking over at him and I could tell he was pretty frustrated with them (they were far from on their best behavior) and a little bit later I looked over again and he was white as a ghost. He got up and walked out, moments after that Kezzie said she needed to pee so the ultrasound tech had to take her! At the same time she was trying to make sure Brian wasn't going to pass out in the hall! I was just laying there on the table with gel all over my belly and trying to keep Adah contained while the door was wide open! After the appointment Brian said he couldn't remember much from the whole hour we were there. He never came down with the flu so I don't know what the deal was. He doesn't get weirded out easily by stuff like that either. It was just strange! But we got through it and I have some cute pictures to prove it!! I feel so good knowing everything has been measured and looked at. She couldn't tell us if anything looked odd, but at least I know the baby has been evaluated and the doctor will look at the pictures soon. She will be calling if anything looks concerning to her. The tech still didn't want to tell us that we were having a girl for sure because the cord was between the legs and they were crossed, but she thought she was right in saying it was a girl! There were a couple things she couldn't get a good angle on (the lower spine and bridge of nose) and that was frustrating but she thought she got enough! With Brian not doing so hot, I was ready to call it good! Here is our sweet baby 'girl' (I don't know if I will believe that until I see her!).

River Take 4!!

2011-09-24T21:12:00.080-05:00

Well this was last and final call for the river...we have officially pulled our camper home for the winter :( It doesn't seem possible that we have only gotten to the river four times, but it has been so much fun while it lasted! This weekend we actually even got to spend it with Ethan and Bennett. Mom decided that before the summer was over she wanted to get the two of them up to the river to do some fishing. She didn't know how it would go with them since they aren't away from home very often so she only committed to one night. I wanted to be in church tomorrow so we decided to do the same. I felt really bad that Austin wasn't here with us on our last weekend but he might get to come up again with my mom and dad. I guess the ride here wasn't too great with the two boys. Ethan gets really car sick so he kept saying how he was never going fishing again. Bennett kept asking to go home. My mom wasn't sure if they were going to be ok but when it was time to go home today they were really ready to stay longer!

Here is some explanation of the pictures:
Adah is the first one; then Bennett, Kez and Adah sitting on my parents' step; Bennett taking a walk; Kezzie, Ethan and Bennett burning sticks by the fire (we had a fire going pretty much the whole time we were there because it was pretty chilly); Leora, Ethan and Kezzie playing in Perry's boat; below that one is my Grandma Smith fishing with three of her great-grand kids (Ethan, Bennett and Kez); next row is Adah hanging with my uncle Perry; Kezzie on her bike (I brought enough bikes so all the kids could have one to ride if we went on a walk); Bennett in Perry's boat; Arianna sitting snug in a little lawn chair; Bennett, Kezzie and Ethan 'playing' with the fire and having so much fun; my little fishing girl Kez; next row is my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Perry kayaking with their new kayaks; my Grandma Smith fishing with Ethan off the dock; Rylan hanging out on his bike; Ethan with all of the fish he caught when Uncle Gary took him out in the boat fishing (his smallest was just a couple inches but he had some pretty big keepers too); Adah hanging out on her bike; and the last one is Gary and Ethan going out fishing in the boat!

I mentioned going on a walk with bikes. When we got there yesterday it was pretty cold and we were already looking for something to do with all the kids. I got out all our bikes and we decided to go on a short walk/ride. We didn't get very far and Ethan got stuck on the bike he was riding so he got frustrated and abandoned the bike, Bennett decided he didn't want to ride since Ethan wasn't so my mom was trying to push/carry two bikes! We weren't sure we were every doing that again! We did end up trying it again today and they did great (aside from Keziah's chain coming off her bike). We took a much longer walk and Ethan decided from the start that he was just going to walk. Today the weather was much more manageable. But both yesterday and today we had a fire going pretty much all the time. It was super relaxing and the kids enjoyed gathering sticks to help keep it going. Last night Ethan and Bennett and Keziah all snuggled in the living room of mom and dad's camper and watched The Bee Movie. I tried to get a picture but my camera was completely dead. Ethan was on the couch and Bennett and Kez were all snuggled in blankets on a cot on the floor. It was so sweet! After we got the three of them to bed we sat by the fire some more. I am going to miss the river this year! It was just too short! I guess I will be more than ready when next year comes!!

There is a funny story to go with these pictures before I go...this isn't the first time Adah has done this so I had to share! The picture to the right is a toy my mom got at a garage sale in a baggie with a bunch of other little toys. Adah plays with it like it's a toy but has twice now all of the sudden set it on the floor, opened it up and started pulling her pants down as if she is actually going to use it as a potty. This picture to the left is her urgently needing to pee and thinking she is going to go in this toy! Silly silly girl! I guess camping with porter-potties has made her think anything with a lid can hold pee!

Keziah is 46 months!!

2011-09-23T21:51:00.062-05:00

Here is my Kezzie...so sweet and silly!
Keziah's current favorite color is back to blue and her favorite tv show is Wild Kratts. Kezzie loves making silly faces (can you tell?)! She loves to make her sister laugh. She has a teaching personality so anytime she can tell Adah is learning something from her, it makes her do it more (sometimes good, sometimes not-so-good!). I am sure I have said this before but Keziah really likes to organize/categorize things. Recently we bought some beads that you can snap together to make jewelry. There are several of each type of bead. The container holds 500 beads and she sorted them all out by color and shape, etc. We also recently got out a memory game we have. She has had fun categorizing the different pictures into animals, food, etc. She does this with her kitchen food also! She puts them into fruits and veggies and sweets (she's not always right with this!).
Keziah is still doing a great job with her chores. I have seen some great improvement with remembering to do them herself without being asked. One of the chores she has trouble remembering is to make her bed. It's hard when she is sleepy when she wakes up and is focused on coming downstairs to find me. She gets two chances a day though since she still takes naps. If she doesn't get it done in the morning then she can still do it after her nap is over. I don't know if this is a good, bad or doesn't really matter idea! It's working for now and I think that little bit of leniency is helping her work into that responsibility! She gets it done on most days! And those are the days she gets stickers!
As for the calendar I told you to hold me to...I haven't gotten that done. I guess she heard me talking about it because she doesn't do it as bad anymore. Either that or I am getting better at giving her a heads up of what is coming. I think it helps that we are in a pretty good routine now with Austin in school too.
One personality problem we are having with Keziah is she secretly thinks she is the boss (pretty typical, I'm sure). Although if you ask her she will correctly respond saying, "mommy and daddy are the bosses", she thinks she can tell us 'no' when she doesn't want to do something we tell her to do. This gets her in so much trouble lately. Usually she gets sent to time out to which she typically responds yelling 'NO' and then she has to go directly to her room. I don't know how to better handle a child who is flat out choosing to disrespect/disobey by saying no. Any pointers would be strongly considered!!
I went through a bunch of clothes, that used to be Austin's, for my nephew and found a few that were too small for him but actually would fit Keziah. I didn't think she would care too much for all the boy clothes I found but when I showed them to her, she was ecstatic. They are all pretty boyish. Mostly just jammies. But she loves them all. She of course had to try everything on! There is one pair in particular that has a bunch of different sports balls all over it. She came running to me saying, 'look mom, this one has a pocket even.' She was so excited. When she got over to me she had her hand in the little boy hole in the FRONT of the pants! Pretty funny stuff!! I didn't know what else to tell her except the truth!

Well, not much else to write. It won't be too long and I will be planning a duel birthday party! My girls are getting so big!

'Painting' and playing!

2011-09-18T21:07:00.031-05:00

The girls have a really good time doing this! I am not a huge fan of actual paint but these paint cups are also really good for water! Adah will pretty much do anything Keziah does so Kezzie is the brains behind this idea! They will often make it their goal to get the whole aquadoodle board wet before it starts to dry! If they work as a team they are usually successful!

The girls love it when I clean my sheets...I don't know what it is about this white mattress cover but it must scream 'come play on me and roll around!' They love it! They like to sit on the foot board with the blankets draped over it and then push off for a nice somersault! So sweet!

A day at Cattle Congress

2011-09-17T21:00:00.041-05:00

It was a good day to not sit around the house and be bored so we decided to head to Waterloo and go to Cattle Congress! We even had the pleasure of having Austin's company! I always love it when we can do things like this as a family! It was a little chilly but the sun was shinning! We walked through the different barns that hold award winning cows, horses and pigs. There were calves and foals and a batch of baby chicks that just hatched the day before. Kezzie enjoyed letting one of the calves suck on her finger. And she thought the baby chicks were adorable but they wouldn't let her hold one since they were so brand new! We also checked out the petting zoo that is there all summer and is free. The girls LOVED this since they were able to get up and close with the animals. There were bunnies, guinea pigs, kittens, ducks, donkeys, a cow and a few others! We got to feed the goats and that was interesting! They pretty much attacked us trying to get the food. They were pretty funny! We took the kids back to mom and dad's house for lunch and a nap and then headed back to Cattle Congress for some more fun! We made it in time for The Great Bear Show. It was a long wait for it to get started but it was pretty neat! I just felt bad for the bears but I guess they are rescued bears! The guy had them doing different tricks like balancing on a board, a ball and moving around on a scooter. He had three that did the different tricks and while the other two were waiting for their turn he had them sit in their chair. There's a picture of two of the bears sitting and one of them has his tongue sticking way out. The bear guy said he does that when there are smells in the air like all the food cooking around the cattle grounds. I thought that was really funny! That last picture is of a guy that was walking around in a tree costume. He was up on stilts so he was super tall and walked really funny! We ended the day with some Sub Sandwiches and then went home for bed. It was a great day spent as a family!

Austin's Plants!

2011-09-15T21:05:00.014-05:00

We got this awesome Carnivorous Planetarium for Austin for Christmas this last year and we have enjoyed watching everything grow. We waited until spring to get them started just so they would have more sunlight and warmer temps. Some of them we were able to plant right away, but there were several that we had to put in a baggie with some water and refrigerate for 6 weeks before planting. They are all there now and doing really well. They grow SUPER slow! I have no idea what we will do with them when they are big enough to actually eat insects, etc. but for now we are just enjoying watching them grow and form into plants that we can recognize (ie: the Venus Fly Trap)!

24 weeks prego!

2011-09-14T21:16:00.001-05:00

And still no ultrasound :(

I'm feeling kind of frustrated because we haven't been approved by the insurance to have another ultrasound. I called and the nurse called and they said there has to be a medical reason for it. At my apt. today there weren't any reasons. In fact, everything was pretty perfect. I measured at 23 weeks (just a week behind) and the heart rate was perfect. I guess I will just have to suck it up and accept the fact that we won't have another ultrasound! I wouldn't want there to be a medical reason anyway! I feel worried that the baby won't have the proper measurements done on the heart and limbs and brain, but my doctor said that she would take a look and do the best she could if we couldn't 'make up' a reason to pass through the insurance! She said she is capable of doing it but that she would be more comfortable having somebody else looking at the ventricles of the brain, etc. because she isn't confident in those areas. It's frustrating that it wouldn't be normal to have that mid-pregnancy full ultrasound deal. I have only had one ultrasound at 12 weeks. It's just weird to me!

I am feeling really good. Not having too many problems with my back but periodically it acts up. I have noticed that sitting on hard surfaces makes it especially bad (ie: sitting on the floor to do laundry or read books with the girls, etc.). I am very thank-ful for the health of myself and the health of the baby. I can't wait until next month to do it all over again!

Visiting old and good friends!

2011-09-13T21:46:00.022-05:00

Yesterday we left around 4 and headed to Cedar Rapids to visit some much missed friends! I don't have any pictures...I don't know what happened that I didn't once get out my camera, but I don't want to forget that I got to visit them! I got to Kristin's house just in time for pigs in a blanket. My other friend (Jami and her daughter whom I hadn't even gotten to meet yet) that I used to work with was there too. It was so great to see them both! The last time I saw either of them was when Jami was very pregnant at her baby shower in February! And Kristin was just a few weeks pregnant! Now Kristin has a brand new sweet baby named Cohen. It was such a blessing to meet this little guy! Keziah had a lot of fun playing with Cohen's older brother Hunter and Adah just had fun playing! We stayed overnight and left earlier today after nap time! On our way home I couldn't resist stopping to see another old friend I used to work with when we lived in Marion. Her name is Angie and she has three kids that I miss so much! She fed my kids leftovers (so I wouldn't have to stop anywhere) and we headed for home. We walked in the door in time for a few minutes of play and then bed. It was such a great time and I look forward to the next time I get to see them all!!

A"maze"d by Grace Corn Maze!

2011-09-10T21:30:00.042-05:00

We had a really good time today with some great friends. I recently heard about a corn maze in Charles City that is in the shape of Noah's Ark. Click here for their website if you are interested. They had a petting zoo too! It was pretty pricey for our family to get it ($8 each for Austin, Brian and myself) but would have been more worth that money if we had more time to stay. There were three different mazes you could choose from and they gave you a map to help you find your way. One maze took 1/2 hour, another 1.5 hours, and the other took 2 hours. One of the longer ones actually had a 'farm scene investigation' that looked really cool. We only did the half hour one since we had other plans later that evening. The petting zoo wasn't to die for, but the girls liked it well enough! There were a couple llamas, a horse, a mean turkey, a couple bunnies, and some mature baby chicks-none of which you could really even pet. On our maze we let the kids lead mostly! We were there with our friends the Epperlys and McQuillens. Kezzie has friends from both families so she was in heaven! Along the path of the maze the three kids (Beau, Abby and Kez) pretended they were on a lion hunt searching for a lion. They actually thought they were going to find a lion because the maze we were in was in the shape of a lion! They kept stopping along the path and pointing out lion prints. It was really sweet! Abby carried around a map as if she knew where to go! The kids all had a blast with the exception of Austin as his allergies were going very crazy. I think we spent the time we wanted to there and headed home after a long 2 hours!!! It was a good thing we were in the company of friends or else I think we all would have been miserable!

The last of the HOT days!

2011-09-08T22:01:00.002-05:00

Today was such a blast. We spent most of our day outside doing this! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. The girls just flew off the bottom of the slide with the water running down it. I couldn't believe how much they both loved it and weren't afraid! Check out the videos...Adah is fearless! She seriously would not let me hold her hand and was really good about getting up as soon as she hit the pool. These are the good times! I am so blessed to share it with these two beautiful girls!

Happy Birthday Brian!

2011-09-07T09:44:00.024-05:00

I don't have any pictures as proof but I can't just not post about how we celebrated!! About a month before his birthday I received a brochure in the mail for some upcoming events at the GBPAC. It got me thinking and looking online for anything that was around his birthday. It turned out that The Blue Man Group had been rescheduled from earlier in the year and one of the performing nights was on his birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise until the tickets came in the mail on a day I was out of town. When I returned home Brian asked me what the tickets were for. I was completely caught off guard and told him to open it and find out. It was still totally worth it as he was still really surprised and super excited. It was priceless. Brian's mom and dad agreed to take care of the kids and get them all in bed for us. We left our house around 4:45 for some reservations at Bourbon Street in Cedar Falls (we had a gift card for there thanks to Emily and Adam). The performance started at 7:30. We were kind of far away from the stage but still really really enjoyed it all. It was such a great evening out with Brian. It's been a really long time and it made us realize how much we needed it! God has blessed me so much by putting Brian in my life. I love him to death and pray for many more years ahead for him! Happy Birthday, Honey!

Labor Day Weekend!

2011-09-05T21:37:00.021-05:00

What a great weekend with family. It was chilly at times but so much fun! I will explain the pictures a bit starting at top left: Leora and Keziah made a tree house for their animals, mom and Adah sitting by the fire, all of us sitting around the cement table having a meal together (pretty much everyone in the entire Smith family was there-even Kevin Donald, Owen and Anastasia came!), Adah standing with the shovel, Arianna cute and warm, Joshua and Austin in Dad's boat: dad said they could take it out fishing with the trolling motor!, Adah sleeping sweetly in her pack-n-play, Keziah eating a late supper (not my finest moment as we were sitting around the campfire to have s'moores, I realized she didn't even have supper yet), Adah holding her hands over her ears as 'the boys' (Josh, Austin and Johnathan) light off fireworks, Keith helping Rylan fish for the big ones, Kezzie and Leora anxious to eat lunch, Kezzie, Leora and Colyn swinging by the edge of the water and the last picture is Adah having fun sitting in Mom's camper (she likes to stay close to me and I am glad about that!).

The Steele's Visit!

2011-08-30T21:43:00.032-05:00

Unfortunately, I don't have any fabulous pictures to share, however I still wanted to keep the memory alive by documenting it!
Today we had a great day with some really good friends. Micah and Jamie Steele's family were in CF because Micah had some business meetings to attend. It was a good opportunity to see them so I took her up on the idea to meet. The girls and I came to mom and dad's and stayed the night and then met up with Jamie, Isaiah, Naomi and Levi at their hotel for an early swim. The water water was a bit chilly but the kids didn't mind. I wasn't a huge fan of getting all the way in the water so Adah mostly played on the stairs but Kezzie does a great job swimming without assistance as long as she is wearing her life jacket/floaties. After it had been a while and we knew we were close to being done swimming we all piled in the hot tub to warm up. Once we were all done swimming we got all cleaned up and dressed and went out to lunch together. The kids were showing signs of really needing naps so we headed back to mom and dad's to hang out and give the kids a chance for some down time. Jamie and the kids had to leave around 3:30 to meet Micah.
I cherish Jamie's friendship so much and the sweet advice she gives me. She is a stay at home mom who homeschools her two oldest children and most importantly she is a wonderful Godly women. She always has something to say that makes everything in my life make more sense! I love you Jamie and can't wait to hang out again soon!

Austin is a TEENAGER!!!

2011-08-28T21:48:00.104-05:00

Here he is on his actual birthday. It was a thursday so there wasn't much we could do to celebrate until the weekend. We did however have Brian's parents over for some Poor Richards Pizza and a nice Hawkeye cake that just happened to be already designed and sitting at the Charles City Hy-Vee bakery! Funny story: I was carefully loading all my groceries into the van and keeping the cake safely off to the side when a bag I was loading bumped it and sent it rolling across the parking lot. To make it even worse someone was watching the whole thing and promptly let me know that I dropped something. Luckily it was a round cake with a football on top to keep it from hitting the top and a tray on the bottom to keep it fairly centered and from hitting the sides too badly! I laugh now but at the time was not in any hurry to pick it up off the pavement and see the damage which is why that person who saw it all happen felt the need to tell me I had dropped something. I was pleasantly surprised that it was still edible!

It is so hard to believe that I have been a mom to this boy for 13 years. So many of those years are such a blur as I worked to get through college and meet the man of my dreams along with trying to play out some of the last of my teenage days (thanks mom and dad for helping us get through those years)! I am so incredibly thankful for Austin in my life and wouldn't have it any other way. He brings so much joy to my every day. I love to hear his stories (most of them fish stories) and love watching his innovative-ness. He is so creative and sweet and has such a loving heart. Even when he isn't at his kindest to me he always feels regret and apologizes without being asked. I am also impressed by how great of a big brother he is. I knew he would be, but as a boy who has always wanted a brother he does a great job of making the best of it! I am always amazed at the games he makes up to play with Kezzie. He loves his sisters and I don't think he would trade them for anything!

Actually, for Austin's birthday, he celebrated by having a friend come to the river with us. This is a huge responsibility for me so it was definitely a treat for him to get to do that. I haven't ever allowed it before! Here is the post about that weekend. I felt bad when the weekend was all over and I realized that we didn't really do anything the whole weekend to acknowledge it was his birthday. Although, I did say a couple times, "well, since this is your birthday celebration we can do that" (get McD's, get ice cream, we let him get fireworks, etc.) I think he had a great weekend and I learned that really it wasn't any trouble at all to have a friend along (I just worry about the safety of a kid other than my own)! They were responsible and safe at all times and listened quite well. I was thankful for the friend he brought along. He is a good kid!

Here we are on the Sunday after his birthday. We celebrated at my mom and dad's with all the family there. Aunt Emi made Austin's favorite dessert (m&ms and marshmallows drizzled with chocolate over a peanut butter crust). Everyone took some time to watch him ride his mini bike (Keith even took a ride), and we all enjoyed the last of the air show taking place in Waterloo (what we could see was awesome). It was a great day! Austin mostly received money/gift cards for his birthday but he also got an awesome RC boat to drive around at Garnett Pond or the river and a car that he can take apart and put together with different wheels etc. along with a couple new lures to go fishing with!

And of course the traditional Happy Birthday song!!

Adah is 21 MONTHS!!

2011-08-27T21:48:00.089-05:00

Here's my Adah! She is getting so big! She's goofy, lovable, cuddly and very opinionated! And her curls are to die for! Not much has changed since last month. Adah is a big talker, although you wouldn't know it unless you hung out in her environment and were around her for a longer period of time. She is also shy in some ways so you may not see that side of her until she gets to know you! It might be that she feels a little overshadowed by Kezzie's talking! She is putting together a couple words to get her point across and will even mimic a whole sentence after someone. She copies everything Keziah does. She just thinks she is the coolest person on the planet. I have noticed her try to get Kezzie's goat a few times too though (ie: putting her foot in Kezzie's way to irritate her).

Adah is such a sleeper. She typically sleeps until 8 and takes about a 2.5/3 hour nap around 1ish. She goes to bed by 8 most nights too! Most days Adah wakes up from her nap dry, but there is never a night she doesn't wet her diaper. She is doing great going potty and hasn't had an accident in a long long time (knock on wood).

Adah is finally getting into reading books. It used to be that she would pick out a book for 'you to read' and then she would sit up on your lap and refuse to let you touch the book. She would just want to flip through the pages or find her favorite page to look at it.

Adah loves waking up in the morning and says 'mo-ning' when you walk into her room. She gives her paci and blankie a kiss and nicely places them on her pillow. As we pass Keziah's room she always asks, in her own way, where Kezzie is. We get down stairs and she says "Hi Ziah" about a hundred times! The girls play while I get their juice/breakfast. Adah loves to eat cereal and bagels. But she really doesn't care much for her juice right away in the morning like Kezzie does. She typically doesn't drink it until snack time. She just isn't that ready for liquids in the morning.

Adah loves to sing "Happy Birthday." She is so cute when she sings it! We have a little cake that has candles that light up on it and you can blow them out and it sings happy birthday to you so she has come to know the song well. Of course, you only catch a few words here and there, but it is adorable! She also loves the clean up song! Here is a video of her singing while she picks up some beads she purposely threw on the floor!

That's our sweet Adah! I can't believe we are so close to celebrating her 2nd birthday!

Keziah is 45 MONTHS!

2011-08-23T21:05:00.116-05:00

Keziah is so much fun to be around. I have to be careful to not treat her too much like my friend because I feel so lucky to get to hang out with her every day. She makes me laugh with her silliness, she amazes me with her opinionated-ness, she makes me look at her in awe with how awesomely blessed I am. I am so thankful every day that God blessed me with her.
Some of the things she says/does that make me laugh:
Adah made a frustrated grunting noise/sigh and Keziah goes, "I feel the same way Adah!"
She always requires 2 hugs, a regular kiss, an eskimo kiss and a butterfly kiss before nap and bed.
While at the river she had a few funny comments:
Keziah really wanted to go on the dock by herself (with a life jacket on) and I told her she couldn't be down there alone because nobody would know it if she fell in even with a life jacket on. In a very irritated and 'duh mom' kind of voice she replied, "I won't be by myself, mom, because Jesus is always with me." I honestly didn't know what else to say after that, except that the answer was still no! She continued on to say something about him being in her heart and going wherever she goes. So sweet and totally caught me off guard.
One of the days at the river I took Keziah on the dock to catch some fish. We baited her hook and she cast it in. She caught a keeper within just a few minutes and was very excited. Later in the day she was down on the dock fishing with my cousin and she caught a little fish (not a keeper) and brought it to me to take off the hook. When I got it off I didn't even give it any thought before throwing it back in the river without an explanation. She immediately responded saying, "Hey, I was going to eat that." I told her something about how it wasn't big enough to eat and that she should try for a bigger one. She said, "yeah, you are right. Someday it will grow into a mom or a dad so he needs to grow some more."

I can't even remember all the things she says that crack me up. Most of the time she isn't even trying to be silly it's just the way her brain thinks!

Unlike many kids her age, Kezzie isn't starting pre-school this year. Personally, I think it's a waste of money and frankly I'm not ready for her to be that involved in the school system yet! She's got many years of school ahead of her and she isn't old enough to go to Kindergarten next year so why not wait at least one more year! I wanted to have some sort of structure though for her age and so I went on my quest to see what a stay-at-home mom should do with a pre-schooler. I learned that ever since she was born she has basically been in pre-school. There isn't anything we don't do on a daily basis that doesn't teach her something. Keziah is incredibly smart and could actually do very well in kindergarten right now according to the things she needs to know to be ready! Keziah can easily count to 39 without any help and beyond that as long as I say 40, 50, etc. to get her started. Kezzie knows her ABCs and can easily recognize each letter and the sound they make. Keziah can say her first, middle and last name and can spell her first without even thinking about it!
Since I learned there isn't much 'structural' pre-school type teaching I need to do, I decided to work on just daily skills. So this month we went a bit further with her listening chart and made it a reward chart also. She has five chores that need to be done throughout the day. I took a picture of each chore and printed it, laminated it and put it in an envelope labeled 'to do'. There is another envelope labeled 'done'. At the end of the day if she has all five pictures in the 'done' envelope then she gets a sticker on her chart. She still earns stickers for listening, helping when asked, being kind to Adah in tough situations, etc. And when she earns 10 stickers then she gets to pick a new book (I bought several books from the bargain store on B&N). She can also still lose stickers though too. I have a marker that I put an X over one of her stickers and she has to place another sticker on top of it before continuing on toward her 10 stickers. So far, this has immensely improved her actions. I still need to work on remembering to reward her and making sure to pay attention when she deserves to be rewarded. I also need to be more diligent to catch her when she is whining and give her an X right away if needed (she gets one warning before the X goes on)!
Another thing we are starting to work on is Bible verse memorization. I found a list of good verses on the internet for pre-school age children and Kezzie is doing great. She is such a whip at memorizing things, she is going to continue to do well at this! The bible says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11. Another bible verse I like about verse memorization is, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 2:14-17. I feel this really strongly on my heart for Keziah and am excited to see how God uses this in her life. Another reason why I am so blessed to be home with my kids!
One thing I am hoping to get going sometime this next month is a calendar for Keziah. One of the biggest challenges/annoyances I face with Kezzie is her always wanting to know what is coming next. The next hour, the next morning, the next whatever. I get frustrated because she asks it so frequently throughout the day. I think if I had a daily/weekly calendar for her to look at she could see what is coming and maybe be more settled. I think it's normal for her age but I also think it is a big part of her personality to need to always know what to expect...so this is a goal of mine and you can hold me to it in her next month post!
Until next time...

Adah, Austin and a little Kez!

2011-08-22T14:51:00.000-05:00

I got these pictures taken in July. I wanted to do something for when Adah turned 18 months (in May) because we don't get many chances to do outdoor summer pictures since the girls' birthdays are in November. Austin turns into a teenager this month so I really wanted to get pictures of him too. July seemed like a good compromise time-wise and the weather was beautiful! I couldn't resist her snapping a few shots of Kezzie too while we were at it! They are all so good! How will I ever choose?!!

Fun with the Coyle Cousins!

2011-08-21T22:10:00.002-05:00

Brian's sister's family came for a visit this weekend. We had so much fun playing all day Saturday! We went over to his parents' house around 9:30, had lunch, played outside and then came home for naps. After naps we met at the middle school playground. It started sprinkling when we got there but we got a good half hour in before it came down harder causing us to leave. We went back to Brian's parents' for supper and some more playtime with the boys. The kids are at such a good age and almost never fight. Grandma had a couple riding toys hidden and she brought those out for some great entertainment! We brought Kezzie's plastic golf club set and she had a lot of fun hitting the ball around the yard with Brady! It may be a while now before we get to see them again so it was precious time spent with them! I love the picture with all the kids on the couch...priceless!

Jumping Place!

2011-08-21T22:00:00.004-05:00

I have been hearing about this place for a while now and actually have attempted to find time while in CF to go before but it never worked out. So today we got to go! As we were driving by the building Kezzie said, "do we have time today? are we going to do our special thing?" The last time we were in CF I drove by the building and looked at the hours and she asked me what I was doing and I told her it was a special place but I wasn't sure we were going to have time to go there. After running our other errands, we didn't have time that day and apparently she remembered exactly what that building looked like! I was kind of surprised! It was so much fun! I was even more surprised to find out that Austin (almost 13) enjoyed it the most out of the three of them. You pay to jump for 2 hours but we only had 1.5 before they had to close. I thought that would be plenty of time but he wasn't ready to go home! Keziah and Austin had a really good time together and Adah and I did our own thing. They have an area for 3 and under and that is pretty much where we stayed. They also had a bunch of beach balls laying around and Adah had a lot of fun with them. It wasn't until the end that she actually got into one of the jumping castles and started enjoying it! I guess we will just have to go back again sometime! Austin is already asking when we can go back!

My big 7th grader!

2011-08-17T22:00:00.013-05:00

Austin started and made it through his first day of school today. Here he is all ready to walk out the door! I think he is ready for a little structure and ready to see his friends more! I don't know if he's thought about all the homework Jr. high brings though! He also made it through his first football practice. He will practice every day after school for 2 hours. He runs to the high school with his team, practices and then runs back to the school. He was pretty tired tonight not to mention HUNGRY!!! He is really going to eat me out of house and home now! I am super excited to see him play in his first game! I just pray his Osgood-Schlatter's won't be a problem for him as he continues to have some ankle and knee pain. And I really pray he can keep up with school work and adjust to a much busier schedule. Here's to another year! Bring it on!!!

One last Hoorah!

2011-08-16T22:30:00.028-05:00

School is scheduled to start tomorrow :( We thought we better celebrate good and hard one last time! After a good time in the pool we went inside for quick baths and jammies and then headed out for a fire. The girls had a long nap so I let them stay up and enjoy a 'shmarshmallow' (as Kezzie says). I think Kezzie had a s'moore and Austin enjoyed one too! Adah just had a plain marshmallow! I love these kids to pieces! They are so much fun to watch play and hang out with. The top left picture Austin is helping Adah jump in the pool, the next one Austin is making it into a wave pool, next he is helping her jump again. The second one in from the left on the bottom is of Adah trying to make a basket into the pool. Each kid took their turn at this and she had to try too. She was getting so frustrated because she couldn't get her arms just right to throw it far enough. The rest are pretty self explanatory! So long summer break! It was nice knowing ya!

A BIG boo boo!

2011-08-16T22:14:00.093-05:00

On Tuesday, August 9th Keziah had an accident with the fireplace. I didn't take the top pictures of her lip until Wednesday night more then 24 hours later. It was much worse when it first happened. We iced her lip a few times an hour for the first 24 hours and a couple times a day for the next 48 (more for her comfort). So I think the swelling was down a lot more after the first day. She only wanted Tylenol for the first day also. She was a tough little girl after we got through the first hour or two. She cried really hard for a good half hour to an hour. I sat with her in the recliner and just comforted her for a long time. We didn't make her take a bath and even let her watch a Disney movie instead of going to bed! I just really wanted to keep my eye on her for a while.
Here's the story: Brian had just gotten done mowing the lawn so he was in the shower. Supper was over so playtime had resumed. I was in the kitchen doing clean up and Adah and Austin were off playing somewhere else. There is a sleeping wedge that Brian keeps under his side of the bed for his acid reflux and the girls like to get it out and pretend it is a slide, etc. They often prop it up against the fireplace or coffee table and then slide down it so it was laying over by the fireplace (not propped up). Keziah ran into the living room and jumped full force on it and face planted into the fireplace. I will never forget the sound I heard from the kitchen. Brian thought that what he was hearing from the shower was her just getting into trouble and being sent to her room...he was in for a shock when he came out to the kitchen. I was trying to stay calm and not throw up (remember, I'm pregnant) and get all the blood out of the way so I could see if we needed to go to the ER. I gave her a dose of Tylenol and then once I could tell the bleeding wasn't going to continue, I investigated as to what all was damaged. I had quite a few shards of stone from the fireplace that I picked off her tongue so I'm not exactly sure how she hit but her two front teeth definitely took a hit. The left front tooth looks like it got pulled out and up and the right one looks like it got bumped up. Her upper lip swelled and turned black right away. It looked like there were teeth marks on it but the bottom teeth didn't seem to be involved at all. Her upper gum area was really bad, I couldn't see up there for several days because it was too painful for her to have her lip pulled out far enough. We didn't take her to the ER since we figured there wasn't anything they could do for her. I called her pediatric dentist the next day and she said she didn't feel like there would be anything she would do for her no matter what was going on. She just said to look for infection in the gumline and to watch for her tooth to die. If either happened she would want to see her. I was more concerned about Kezzie's nose because she got a reddening across the bridge of her nose but it never bruised and when I asked her if she could feel me scratching her nose, she said she couldn't. I thought for sure something wasn't right but we just continued to give it time. The reddening went away by the next day but she still claimed she couldn't feel me touching her nose. It never bruised or looked swollen so we just kept giving it more time. After icing it and just babying it all for a few days, it started looking really good. I was shocked how fast she got back to normal. Her two front teeth are still a little wiggly but they are almost back to their normal spot (the dentist said this is possible because if the gumline was swollen and went down then the teeth could go down too). She still isn't eating with her teeth up front (pizza, corn on the cob) but maybe she will eventually. I'm not sure they will ever be the same.
I know one thing for sure though...I'm not letting her out of my sight for a long time!! I never thought I would have so many emotions and feel so much anxiety. I am so thankful that I have God to lean on. I don't think I have prayed so much through the night in my life! And God gave me peace. And He healed Keziah. Now, if I can just keep anything like that from ever happening again, that would be GREAT!!

The bottom pictures are taken today, just a week later.

20 weeks Prego!

2011-08-16T22:12:00.002-05:00

I had a doctor apt. today! The baby's HR was between 150 and 160. The girls always enjoy hearing the baby in mommy's belly. I am measuring at 19 weeks but that is still considered normal. Due to the fact that we had an ultrasound at 12 weeks, there is a slight chance we may not be having another official one. I say 'official' because my doctor was trying to do me a favor by giving me an 'ultrasound' at my apt. but isn't exactly specialized in determining the sex so we don't have a 100% sure sex to report. I think we are going to go with 'we don't know' when people ask, because we technically don't know. If we get another ultrasound then we will announce it but for now we don't know!! Baby looked healthy from what I could tell, but I'm definitely not specialized either! I am still feeling pretty good with the occasional back/hip pain. I feel excessively tired so they did do some blood work to test my iron, but otherwise I can't complain! I will see the doc again in another 4 weeks! I also wanted to make note that I felt the baby with my hand for the first time on August 10th (about 19 weeks)! I can't wait until the kids and Brian get to experience this too!

River Fun Take 2!

2011-08-14T21:21:00.100-05:00

We (me, Austin, the girls, and Logan) drove to the river on Wednesday after Austin got done with his last day of football camp. We swung around the block to pick up Austin's friend Logan and we were off to the river for a nice long weekend! We didn't get there until about 7:30, but I let the girls play for a bit before going to bed. Austin and Logan immediately got their poles in the water and caught a small fish. We put it in the kiddie pool so the girls could enjoy it and try their best to catch it too. Kezzie caught it with her hands and was pretty proud!
One of the days (you kind of lose track when you are there) Austin and Logan were out fishing in the canoe and some guy came up to them in his boat and asked if they wanted a carp. They said sure and this guy threw a 15-20 lb. carp into their canoe. They were a little shocked! My Uncle Gary had just heard of a carp recipe he wanted to try so he said he would clean it and cook it up. Everyone tried it that night for supper (not me...yuck!) and said it was amazing.
We had so much fun being there. The girls sleep so well in the camper even though we are all in the same room (one morning we all slept until 8:45). Although...I have to say after the first night of having the boys in the camper with us, I called my sister and had her bring her tent and air mattress since she was coming the next day anyway! After we got that set up, it was much better in the camper!! They weren't that loud, but they were wispering and moving around so much that I thought we were rolling down the road!
Mom and dad took the two boys to the fireworks store and that kept them very busy. Logan had some money so he bought the brunt of the fireworks. And that's just what they did. They were either always fishing or always lighting fireworks. I swear they hardly ate all weekend unless we forced them to come in! Dad took the boys out in the boat to fish a few times and didn't catch much but the boys had fun anyway. I guess a lot of what they caught weren't big enough so they had to throw them back. One of the last days we were there Dad took the girls and I out in the boat for a ride. Keziah wouldn't stop begging me and grandpa for a ride in the boat so he couldn't resist! Leora (my youngest cousin that gets along with Kez well) came along for the ride. Adah loved it too but didn't leave my lap for more than a second. I think Leora and Keziah were pretty wet from hanging over the side of the boat and dragging their hands in the water! Dad might have gotten some of that too as he looked pretty wet when we got back! That picture out on the water is from our boat ride...it was so beautiful! There is something about being on a boat and completely surrounded by water that just amazes me! On saturday the weather was really weird. It rained early in the day and made it feel really muggy. It got sunny and then all the sudden another storm rolled in. It poured rain for a bit and then got really cool and comfortable and the sun came back out. A couple hours later, it poured again. The kids had a blast playing in the rain and jumping in the puddles. I took some video of Adah just being plain giddy and goofy, jumping in the puddles but will probably never get it posted (I will try)!!
What a fantastic weekend going on many walks (sometimes coordinating all the people who wanted to join us was harder then actually going on the walk), eating a lot of good food, sitting around talking and watching the kids make memories, and eating s'moores around the campfire. One of my favorite memories was letting Kezzie stay up late on our last night so she could go with me and Austin and Logan to get ice cream at Dairy Queen. She just kept hugging my leg and telling me thank-you and I love you, mommy! It was so sweet! And the three of them had a lot of fun goofing off in the van on the way there. I think I finally got her to bed around 10:30! It was a lot of fun watching Austin come out of his shell a little more with a friend (a boy his own age) around. He was goofy and more outgoing and just a lot of fun to be around. The boys and I had a trip of our own too...we got to go to wal-mart and get school supplies!! Yippee! Let's not forget that with all the fun we are having, school starts really soon! Now we have to wait until labor day weekend to come back! And we are already looking forward to it!

Ethan turns 5 and Alanna turns 1!!

2011-08-07T22:12:00.019-05:00

We hurried home from the river this morning so we could get home in time to make it to Chuck-E-Cheese's in CF to celebrate two very important birthdays! Ethan is the big FIVE years old and sweet little Alanna turned 1! The kids had so much fun! It was nice to have Austin there too. I think we figured out that he has been to very few parties for Ethan because he always just happens to be with his dad. Ethan was too nervous to go in the ticket blaster and Alanna was too little so Kezzie and Bennett went in their place. Kezzie ended up earning an extra 54 tickets and having a lot of fun in the process! Austin kept getting really lucky on the chance games and even spun a 125 ticket mark at one time. He ended up with almost 450 tickets! That got him a pretty cool mini basketball! And when it was time for us to leave Bennett gave Kezzie a hug and they nearly tackled each other. Actually, Bennett did end up on his back on the floor with an ouch on his head before the hug was over but it was just too sweet to stop! It was a great time celebrating two of my favorite kids! Happy Birthday Ethan and Alanna! We love you to pieces!

River Fun Take 1!

2011-08-07T21:45:00.032-05:00

We came to the river early on Friday to get a good start. This is the first weekend we have been able to pull the camper in and enjoy it all. It was sooooo good to be back. It was pretty hot though and to top it off, when I arrived just shortly before nap time was to take place on Friday (in 99 degree weather) I discovered we had no electricity because my uncle was in the process of switching some things around. This meant that I couldn't run any fans, obviously so no naps were taking place! Instead I let Austin and Kezzie get their suits on and go swimming. They had a really good time! I required them to be tied to a rope since the water was still up a bit! Mom and dad showed up sometime in the afternoon and by about 7:30/8, the electricity had been figured out (phew)! The rest of the weekend was a blast. Keith and Jamie came too and Keith's brother Jim and his wife came and stayed in a tent! We enjoyed riding trikes/walking, playing with cousins, swimming in the river, playing in the kiddie pool and watching the water from the dock. Sunday early morning I was woke to the sound of rain. It ended up pouring rain and causing us all to pack up a little earlier then expected. It was still a lot of fun despite the rain!! It is such a blessing to have a place like this to go and enjoy the outdoors with family! I can't wait to go back next weekend (when it is supposed to be much cooler)!

iPad Fun!

2011-07-27T22:41:00.001-05:00

There's nothing better than sitting snuggled next to daddy and playing the iPad! She hardly knows what she is doing but she knows enough to enjoy the few games that we have for her age. She really loves listening to animal sounds and equally enjoys the interactive animals such as the dinosaur, kitty cat, dog and bunny! She frequently asks to play the 'iPad' which she says in her own little sweet way! And throws a fit screaming when she doesn't get her way (which is often)!!

Adah is 20 MONTHS!

2011-07-27T21:39:00.001-05:00

My sweet Adah! I can't believe how much she has changed this month! Where do I begin? She has started saying so much this month. She is also developing such a funny personality. She likes to make people laugh and LOVES to show off. Her favorite talent she shows off is her hopping and jumping! She is really good at it too! She continues to follow her older sister everywhere and mimics everything she says and does. I just love to sit back and watch it. Not being an older sibling myself, I think it's pretty funny. I'm not so sure that Kezzie feels the same way!
Adah got her last bottom eye tooth (L) on June 28th. I am hoping this is it for a while. I guess it won't be too long though and she will be working on those 2 year molars. Ugh!
Now, are you sitting down for this next one? I actually quit nursing Adah this month. Huge shocker, I know. Even I wasn't sure it was ever going to end! Don't be fooled, I LOVED every minute of it 'til the end and was so blessed to be able to nourish her that way. This pregnant momma was just too tired for it! I thought it was time and honestly, she didn't hardly bat an eye at it! So on the morning of July 3rd, we were at my parents house, camping for the fourth and she was way too distracted to care that I was breaking from the norm of nursing her. The next morning was the same. It wasn't until we were home on the morning of the fifth that she noticed something was different. But still hardly cried and was satisfied when I offered her some juice instead! Just a short 5-6 months before I start nursing the next one!
Another new thing for Adah this month was she got her hair cut for the first time on July 5th. She cried for the first few minutes but mainly because she wasn't sitting on my lap anymore! She watched Austin get his hair cut and then it was her turn. She looked like such a big girl sitting up there on that booster. My biggest fear was that it would ruin her curls. I think it only made them stronger! Such a doll!
Another thing I want to remember is Adah maybe had Hand Foot and Mouth disease starting July 11th. Keziah definitely had it the week before complaining of a very sore throat and barely eating anything. But Adah never stopped eating or complained once. She had blisters on her toes and maybe a couple on her hands but she definitely had some blisters on her throat. I just don't understand why it wouldn't have bothered her so we aren't sure if that was what it was.
That's all for now...until next month, my faithful readers!

A special day!

2011-07-25T22:49:00.001-05:00

Today was an extra special day spent at Lost Island Water Park! I got to spend the whole day with Keziah and got to see Austin around every once in a while too. Adah was with my sister Emily (thank-you so much Emily and Adam for taking her for the day) for most of the day and Adam for a little while in the evening. It was the first time I had ever left her for that long and I'm pretty sure the first time she had ever been left without Keziah around. It was by far a wonderful day for Kez and I. We had so much quality time with each other. She had such a blast and talked about it the whole way home (well, until she crashed). We got invited to go with our friends and their daughter who is Kezzie's age. They were chaperoning the youth group at Harvest Church in New Hampton. Abbie and Kezzie had a lot of fun together too! Kezzie and I even went on one of the bigger slides that has a bottom on the tube and holds five people (even though we were the only two in it). She LOVED it but said she didn't want to go again! She had her eyes closed the whole way down I think! Her favorite things were the wave pool and lazy river. I think she liked them the most because she was fully covered in water and 'swimming around' is her newest talent. The whole day was exhausting for the two of us but so much fun! Aside from eating lunch there, we treated ourselves to some chocolate dippin' dots which Kezzie thought was pretty neat. Austin got to bring a friend (Logan) and we enjoyed meeting up here and there to say HI, but they pretty much kept busy by themselves. Logan had never been to Lost Island so it was a lot of fun for him too.
I am so thankful for days like this. And I can't wait to do it again next year!

Rylan Turned 2!

2011-07-24T22:19:00.004-05:00

Lots of pictures, I know...it was an eventful day as we celebrated Rylan turning two yesterday. He is such a sweetie and getting so big! He really loved his cake and ice cream and his presents too! Most of all though, I think all the kids just had a blast playing together! Happy Birthday buddy!

Keziah is 44 MONTHS!!

2011-07-23T21:53:00.002-05:00

Not much to speak of except that Keziah is such a beautiful little girl. Is that anything new though? I guess maybe next month I will have something to report...for now some pictures will have to do!

Morning Bliss!

2011-07-22T22:23:00.003-05:00

I think the girls wake up just for this moment...juice! It's the only time they get it so they cherish it! At almost 4 years old, Keziah only gets half water and half juice but she thinks the world of it! And Adah only gets about a third juice and the rest water...but she doesn't know the difference and she loves it just the same! I had to snap this picture because I thought it was so sweet how they both sat perched on the window sill enjoying their 'morning bliss'! So cute!

Buckets are entertaining!

2011-07-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

Who says buckets can't be fun?!!

16 Weeks Prego!

2011-07-19T22:02:00.011-05:00

I am 16 weeks pregnant today! Yipee! I am so anxious to meet this little one! Maybe in a couple weeks we will find out what we are having. We will probably just wait until after our 20 week appointment though! I am feeling pretty good aside from a back problem I am having with my sciatic nerve. But praise the Lord, the last couple days I have been pain free! I had my check up this morning and listened to the heart beat again. The girls came along again and Kezzie still just stood in awe next to the bed. It was around 160/170 the whole time and the baby was moving around a lot! Not much to tell about from these first visits. A LOT of waiting! Patience....patience...patience! It's so hard!

New Bikes + Nice Weather= Lots of outdoor fun!!

2011-07-19T21:58:00.003-05:00

This is our favorite hang-out...when the weather allows! And so much fun when there are bikes to ride! These kids are growing up way too fast :(

Not again!

2011-07-18T21:48:00.001-05:00

I guess this is just Adah! We were cuddling in the chair again and I was talking on the phone (I swear, I don't sit around on the computer or talk on the phone all day!), Adah seemed tired but I never thought she would fall asleep...sure enough, she did! It was a little later this time (almost lunch time) so I wasn't really crazy about her sleeping. I got up and laid her on the couch thinking she wouldn't stay asleep but she did! About 5 minutes later Brian came home to eat lunch and she woke up. She looked confused but got up and I got her some lunch and she played for a bit more. She even still laid down for her nap at the same time and slept really well! Normally I would feel like I was neglecting her needs but I can't imagine laying her down for a morning nap anymore, and honestly she doesn't even act tired...she just cuddles which is pretty normal for her! Plus, this is only the second time she has done it...it's not like it's a regular thing! I love it! I love it!

Daddy Time!!

2011-07-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

Brian gets on the floor every once in a while and the girls love to take this opportunity to jump on him and snuggle him! So sweet!

Adah's First Haircut!!!

2011-07-05T22:06:00.001-05:00

Adah got her very first hair cut today! Yay!! I have been so scared to get it cut in fear that she would lose her curls but they are definitely still present! Her hair was getting kind of dry on the ends so I thought it was time, plus it was getting pretty long. However, I didn't cut bangs because I regretted doing that with Keziah so it was just a trim today! She cried pretty hard at first but I think it was because right before that she was sitting on my lap watching Austin get his hair cut and then all the sudden I was plopping her up there away from me...let's just say she has attachment disorder!! She got over it pretty quick and just sat there looking like such a big girl! I should have gotten a shot of her sweet curls still in tact! I can't believe how big she looks!

Fourth of July!

2011-07-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

The fourth of July weekend there were a lot of grumpy Smith's! Usually this time of year we would have been up to the river several times by now and wouldn't have dreamt of being anywhere but at the river for July 4th celebration. This year was different...we didn't have a choice. We haven't been to the river even once! The water has been way over the lots so it hasn't even been a possibility. We didn't want to let this ruin our festivities though. I pulled my camper to mom and dad's and decided to camp out there instead! No big deal...it was still camping, just without the river!! It was fantastic to be around family! We went Saturday evening, got all set up and put the kids to bed. I couldn't convince Brian to come...I'm not sure why!! That night was interesting to say the least. The girls didn't fall asleep until at least 11. I was way beyond that and then had to pee in the middle of the night causing me to have to get up and go into the house! It was fun! Ha Ha! We weren't scared off though!
Sunday we got up and went to church. When we got back, my mom's family started arriving for a family get together! We had so much fun sitting around, eating too much and doing a lot of talking and laughing! It was such a blessing to see my Uncle Craig especially since he has been battling cancer since last October. He is getting better though and successfully made it through a bone marrow transplant the last couple months.
Austin spent some of his rock-picking money on fireworks so later that night he had plans to put on a show for us all. Most of the family went home but Wayne and Jane and Craig and Thelma stayed and stuck it out (Emily and Adam's family is in between houses so they are currently living at mom and dad's)! We had a campfire and roasted marshmallows and made s'moores. I tried to keep both girls awake but as time went on I realized it wasn't worth it as Adah was growing very tired. I think she made it until 9! Kezzie made it through almost all the fireworks which was almost 10:30! She thoroughly enjoyed her s'moore and a few sparklers before the fireworks started! By the time I put her to bed she was looking pretty loopy! I was excited because Austin actually even stayed out in the camper with us that night (he opted for air conditioning the night before)! But it wasn't until after a good game of Mario on the Wii (in the house) that Austin and I snuck in the camper to go to bed (it was midnight!). We all slept good that night!! Monday morning we all got up and went inside the house for some breakfast. We were kind of exhausted from being outside all day Sunday so we stayed inside most of the morning. After the kids all napped, Ethan, Bennett, Austin, Keziah and Adah went out for a swim in the little kiddie pool. Brian went home sometime Sunday afternoon so the girls and I were anxious to get home and eat supper with him since it was the day of the fourth! It was good to spend the evening with him before going back to work the next day!
What a great country we live in! I am so incredibly blessed to be an American! God bless all the men and women who fight for our country's freedom every day! Happy Fourth of July!

Pool Time!!

2011-06-30T10:09:00.002-05:00

More pool time! The girls are having a blast in our own back yard. They just love it! Adah especially loves the slide going into the water. She tries all kinds of tricks-climbing it, jumping off the end of it, whatever she can get away with! Kezzie is working on putting her face in the water and holding her breath so she mostly practices that! In the photos she is using the goggles to look at Adah's feet and Adah (with her new ornery 'tude) is trying to get her to stop...it turned into a fun, laughing game so it was ok!

Summer Lovin'

2011-06-27T22:16:00.010-05:00

We are just having a blast loving this life God has given us! Beautiful summer days, fun time together, pop sickles in the sun, and who doesn't love swinging on their belly?!! If you are wondering why Austin is on the roof...it's because he and Keziah were taking turns casting her fishing pole and Austin somehow got the line stuck in the shingles on the roof. We got the ladder out and he climbed up there. I was up on the playground and it seemed like the perfect photo op! He was having fun hanging out up there! I can't believe how big he is getting...almost 13 years old!
I hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are!

Adah is 19 MONTHS!

2011-06-27T08:33:00.066-05:00

Here is my 'pretty in pink' girl! She is such a little doll! She loves the camera and is always smiling or pretending to be mad and ignore you when you take her picture! The picture on the bottom row of her in the rocking chair, she is doing just that! She was trying to get me to take her picture the whole time I was taking a picture of Keziah and then when I focused on her she pretended not to notice me and purposely wouldn't smile or look at me! Such a ham!

Adah has gotten in 2 more teeth this month. The two top eye teeth. I didn't notice exactly when they came in but sometime between June 15-18 ish. I think she just has one more to go and she should be set for a few months! I love the mouthful of teeth because she is able to eat things a little more easily! Although she never keeps a bite of carrots in her mouth long enough to swallow, she can easily chomp a bite off a baby carrot and chew it to bits!

Adah's vocabulary has improved dramatically! She is saying so many things and easily tries to repeat what you ask her to. Her mind is a sponge and does a great job remembering all the words I teach her. It's so amazing. One of the sweetest things Adah started first repeating and then saying on her own is "I love you". I keep telling myself I need to get this on video because it's the sweetest words you'll ever hear! Ever since she was a little baby I would hold her in my arms with her looking up at me and with much expression (I get my head swaying back and forth and eyes closed) I say, "I love you". That is exactly how she would repeat it, expressions and all. Now she just says it. I really think she knows what it means too. She will come give me a hug and say "I wuv ooo". When she says 'you' her lips pucker! It's so sweet! I will never forget it!

A big milestone this month is that we dropped another feeding! As of June 21st Adah had her last night time breastfeeding. It went so well when we dropped her nap time feeding that I thought we would start with her night time one and do her morning one last. I think she is tired enough at bedtime that she just goes to bed without questioning it too much. The first night was torture for me so much that I was second-guessing the whole thing but knowing it had to happen eventually I pressed on and night two was much less painful. And Adah continued to do so well too. She asks for it every-once-in-a-while, but I just tell her she can have water instead and she is satisfied. She has a sippy cup of water in her crib with her and it's pretty much empty by morning!

Another healthy and blessed month! I am so thankful for my little Adah. She isn't so little anymore! Oh how I am loving watching her grow!

CEREAL!!

2011-06-26T21:38:00.003-05:00

Adah ate cereal with milk for the first time today ALL BY HERSELF! She did such a great job! She hardly spilled any! And she is definitely a fan of rice krispies!

Sturgis Falls Weekend!

2011-06-26T21:17:00.003-05:00

Another great year spent at Sturgis Falls. I was really feeling like I needed something summery to cheer me up and this was just the thing. I came to mom and dad's to spend the night Thursday night with all three kids. Friday afternoon was the first the girls and I got out and enjoyed the festivities. I had my nephew Ethan with me too! We met my sister Jamie and her husband Keith and two kids and ate supper in Overman Park. After that we walked down to where the rides were. We all rode the carousel which the girls always enjoy. Austin rode as a chaperone for Ethan so he got to ride for free! I also let Ethan and Kezzie pick one more ride and they chose the whales. The guy saw Austin waiting at the gate with them and asked if he wanted to ride it too! So he rode that for free also! Austin didn't want to pick a ride of his own but instead chose to spend his money on one of the game stands for a chance to win a prize. He didn't get it :( But the guy gave him a couple more tries for free! After we were done down there we headed back to Overman to watch the talent show and enjoy a bag of JR doughnuts! The kids all did great and had a blast throwing grass at each other when we were waiting for it to start. It got a little out of hand when it was disturbing the people around us though! It was getting late so we decided to go home to mom and dad's and go to bed a little before the show was over. The kids were all tired anyway. The next morning (Saturday) the kids and I met Jamie and her kids again and went to the Sturgis Falls parade. It was kind of cold and rainy but we made the most of it! When it was over we went into Overman Park to see what else we could find to do and decided to get the kids' faces painted. While waiting in line we made a magic wand! When it was Keziah's turn to get her face painted the guy had her sit in the chair and then asked her what he wanted him to paint on her face. She thought for a minute and then said, 'I don't know, I like swimming pools!' The guy just laughed and I talked it through with Kezzie and she ended up deciding on a fish! She was very pleased with the results! When we were done with that it was time for lunch and I really didn't want to eat in the park again, plus it was getting close to time for the girls to nap and I had to go home to New Hampton so the girls and I left and drove through McDonald's. I don't think Adah even ate her lunch before conking out on the drive home! It was nice to be able to put her in her own bed when we got home! There really is no place like home!

Keziah is 43 MONTHS!

2011-06-23T21:43:00.055-05:00

Here she is...another month older! She is so hilarious and getting so big! She is becoming more interested in playing with Adah. She doesn't treat her so much like a baby anymore and instead considers her a friend and playmate! Sometimes she will try to get her to do things that Adah really doesn't want to do and that's when she gets herself into trouble, but for the most part they are playing really well together! Kezzie has taken an increase interest in her babies these days too! She plays with them for longer periods of time, feeding them and putting them to bed. She will also strap them into her baby backpack and carry them around. It's nice to see her being so caring and gentle!
I only have one funny quote that I can remember from this month: Kezzie was sitting at the dinner table eating breakfast and I was putting her hair up and she very matter-of-factly said, "Mom, my magic wand is right over there if you want to change me into a beautiful girl!" The conversation continued from there (as if that wasn't cute enough)...I said, "I don't need that, you are already a beautiful girl!" To which she responded saying, "you are too, mom!" I love our little conversations!
Something strange/funny I discovered about Kezzie this month is that she talks and moves A LOT in her sleep. Earlier this month she woke me in the middle of the night screaming STOP, STOP, STOP! I didn't go check on her because she was quiet after that, but a little later she said something to the same effect but with more words and whining. It sounded just like a fight she daily has with her brother! I'm pretty sure he must have been tickling her to death in her dream or something! Another instance was when I was at my parents' house and was sharing a room with her and Adah. I was extra in tune to the noise around me because I didn't want them waking each other up. Keziah was seriously lifting and dropping her legs up and down and it was loud. She was also talking gibberish. I went over to her bed to see what the problem was and there was no response, she was out cold! Adah never woke up either! The plan is to someday soon have Kezzie and Adah sharing a room so I hope this isn't ever a problem. One more thing I wanted to mention about Kezzie is her love for picking her silverware at mealtime. I don't even get her utensils anymore. I just instruct her to come pick her own out because every time I do I get the wrong ones. The only time I can get it right is when a certain set is clean. The set that you get free from Gerber when you have a baby! They are tiny and she loves them. If those are dirty then she has to see it for herself and will usually pick the next smallest ones she can find. Just a little strange fact about her!!
There was a day this month (the last week) that I really felt like Kezzie got bigger. She just woke up acting more mature, looking bigger, listening more, and just plain seemed bigger. I think I looked at her funny the whole day because she was just different. I saw my sister a couple of days later and she said the same thing! I am so blessed to have this sweet girl in my life and love watching her learn every day! What a big girl she is becoming!

12 week Ultrasound!

2011-06-22T21:01:00.011-05:00

Yesterday I went to my 12 week doctor visit! Brian and the girls came with (not sure this was a good idea as my apt. lasted close to an hour) and we got to hear the heart beat. Keziah thought this was pretty cool. She just stood by the bed and smiled! The heart beat was around 170! Everything seemed right on track but they wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure we are right on how far along I am. So this morning I went in at 8am! I had to drink 32 oz. of water before 7:30. I needed a full bladder for the ultrasound apparently! Everything went very well. We are correct for how far along I am with my due date being Jan. 3, 2012. That sounds so far away! I will go back to the doctor again in 4 weeks!

Pooh!

2011-06-21T19:21:00.016-05:00

Keziah hasn't really ever seen a Pooh episode but this morning we stopped at a consignment shop where Austin spotted a jacket in the window and there were a bunch of Pooh characters. As I was paying for our stuff, Austin was helping keep Adah under wraps. She turned into an all out tantrum and I asked Austin what it was all about. He said she wanted one of the pooh animals. The owner overheard and said she could have which ever one she wanted. Kezzie felt left out and (rudely) asked if she could have one too. The lady was very kind and let her have one too. I don't know how it went from there but somehow we ended up with all five that were up on a shelf. She gave them all to us for FREE! They are now Kezzie's favorite things. She has a bed for each of them in her room!

Beach, Pool and Sprinkler Fun!

2011-06-08T21:32:00.025-05:00

Earlier today we went to the beach at Airport Lake. I didn't take very many pictures but I got a couple good ones of Adah. We had a picnic in the grass after we were all done swimming too! The kids have so much fun when we go there and we are almost always the only ones there other then the friends we meet there. I hope this continues as this is one of our favorite spots to hang out! After we went home for naps the girls woke up and we went outside to have fun in our own yard. It was just way too beautiful of a day to stay inside at all! I took plenty of pictures this afternoon to make up for not very many this morning! They all enjoyed the Clifford sprinkler (that thing is old...from when Austin was a little kid), and especially enjoyed the little slide leading into the pool! I think this is going to be where we hang out most of the summer!

Messy with a purpose!

2011-06-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

I got some maternity clothes back from my sister today and had them in bags out in the living room. Keziah wanted to play hop-scotch so she laid out all the clothes in a pattern that she thought was like hop-scotch and kept busy hopping for quite a while. It was definitely worth the mess! She had so much fun doing it that later after I had them all picked up she asked me what she could hop-scotch with so she laid out books!

Silly Girls!

2011-06-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

Keziah likes to pretend this is her bed! She somehow got Adah to join her! Kezzie typically goes here when she is cold and wants to have a 'blanket' on her!

What's Austin been up to?

2011-06-01T21:03:00.000-05:00

School got out on May 24th! Whooooo! Austin has been keeping very busy with fishing! He has brought home many turtles in hopes of keeping them all but so far I have stuck to my guns and only allowed one! He had four at one time but only for a couple days until he could find homes for them! They are so cute! Austin has also been keeping busy picking rock for a local farmer! He does it with four of his friends so it isn't so bad! Plus he is getting paid well! The newest thing is lifting weights at the middle school with his football coach and some other players. Since he is going into SEVENTH grade (I can't even believe it) he will be working a lot harder and practicing a lot more so it will be good to get his strength up! Not much else new. Austin doesn't really like me posting too much about him so I will keep it short!! He is such an awesome, helpful, funny, sweet (and sometimes a naughty almost 13 year old)! I LOVE having him around to play with the girls and keep me company while they are napping. I am enjoying having him around and can't wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for us!

Fun in the Sun!

2011-05-31T20:55:00.002-05:00

Today we met some friends at Airport Lake and did a little swimming. The water was super chilly and there was a pretty strong wind but we just couldn't wait to get outside and get in some water. The public pool opened this last Saturday so we went yesterday but the water was super super chilly there too. I'm sure all it will take is some warmer weather for a few days in a row and we will be set! The kids didn't care one bit that the water was so cold and had a blast playing! Adah was a little timid at first not wanting to leave my side and unsure of the moving ground beneath her feet, but it didn't take long and I was the one that didn't want to let go of her! We will definitely be going back here really soon!

Adah is 18 MONTHS!

2011-05-27T21:04:00.099-05:00

UPDATE: We went to Adah's 18 month check-up on the 6/14/11. We decided to see a local doctor instead of driving to Waterloo since they recently started doing well-child visits in the office now. We saw Dr. John Epperly and he did an excellent job. I felt like he was thorough and asked all the right question. She had to have one shot which she of course cried through but did great! We also got the ok to stop her Fer-n-sol (iron drops) since her iron has been low in the past. She weighed in at 25.2 lbs. and was 31 5/8 inches. Her head was 18.75". She is growing nicely and seems to be ahead on the developmental charts. The doctor asked things like, can she walk backwards, can she stack things, can she go down stairs holding onto the railing, etc. Yes to all of the above!! She is starting to talk more but still has a limited vocab and he thought that was just fine! Overall it was a great apt.

Adah is amazing. I love watching her learn and do new things! Her smiles and giggles are so contagious! I love this stage of life (I think I say that with every age). Here are some things about Adah this month:
Adah dropped the feeding before nap on 5/17/11 leaving her nursing in the morning and right before bed. I say Adah dropped it but really I made her do it because I feel like I can't keep up anymore with trying to chase a three year old, keep up with a twelve year old and create life inside of me! She still asks for it every day and I just tell her no and offer her a drink of water. She will give me a pouty lip for a second and then take a drink of water and then I lay her in her crib! I feel bad but I have no desire to give it to her at that time anymore. I am very content with the two times a day because, although I haven't taken advantage of it, I could potentially feed Adah in the morning and not return until bedtime if I wanted! Of course, that would require me to find a qualified and willing babysitter! Any takers? Just kidding!!
Adah got a new tooth (bottom right eye tooth) on 5/26/11. This has not been an easy process and I fear what the other three are going to bring. Adah continues to use sign language very well. I wish she were talking a little more but she will get there and if she's anything like her sister we will one day wish she would forget how (just for a little bit)!! She is talking more and more though and I am getting really good at figuring out what she is talking about! Almost everything she says resembles what she is trying to say it's just hard to understand it. And she is very willing to try to repeat after you when you ask her to! Here is a picture of her getting ready to take a bath but she is asking me where the water is because I haven't started it yet! She LOVES her bath, by the way! I'm not sure if I have talked about this before but Adah lives for her bath! We all take turns getting to tell her when it's bath night because we get such a rise out of her! Have I mentioned how totally awesome Adah is at potty training? She is staying dry ALL the time (more than her older sister)! She wakes from her nap dry and wakes from a 12-13 hour night's sleep dry! I am so impressed with her! And even though she can't express that she has to pee/poop with the actual words, she does a really good job of letting me know she needs to go! I am just never really sure what's going to come out!
Adah has a lot of favorite things to do. She loves to put things in and out of compartments, she loves playing with her babies and feeding them and taking their diapers off, she loves coloring, she loves to cuddle her mommy and big brother, and loves seeing her daddy in the morning and gets so excited when he comes home at lunch time, but I would have to say Adah's biggest thing she loves to do is ANYTHING her big sis likes to do. She will follow her anywhere, let Kezzie beat her up/drag her around by her arm, do whatever Kezzie asks her to, pester Kezzie (because she likes to make her scream), give her hugs and kisses, and share her food and drinks with her. She also really likes to read books with Kezzie! She rarely complains through any of this, I guess for the mere fact that Adah just loves her big sister! I realize this is the month that Adah should be getting her 18 month shots and a check up but unfortunately I will have to post an update because I couldn't get her in to the doctor until the middle of June. We are giving our local doctor's office a try since we usually travel to Waterloo for all her check ups! I guess it was a little harder to get into when I needed to! We will also be getting her 18 month pictures taken soon so I will post on that in the near future also!