Making Room for Baby

With another little member joining our family, we had to switch up the sleeping arrangements to make room for her.  We talked to the kids about what combinations of sharing bedrooms they wanted, and all four boys begged to be kept all together.  So, we have 4 boys in one room.  Thankfully, our bedrooms are all really big, so we can fit multiple beds in them.  We stole the queen bed out of the guest bedroom and have two boys sleeping in it, along with two boys in the bunk beds.

We moved Joshua's twin bed down to Savannah's room (she has had that room to herself since the beginning of last summer, and had been in the queen bed).  The crib and changing table got moved down there in preparation for Kate to sleep in there. 

But, when Kate moves into that room, Savannah has to move up to share a room with Sara again.  Sara has had our old King bed, but Savannah refuses to share a bed with Sara.  So, I got Scott's old bunk beds out of our attic and went to work refinishing them.  It took me several Saturdays to get all the old white paint sanded off them.  Then another week to get all the pieces stained.  But, they are finally finished and have brand new, super comfy mattresses on them.  

Savannah is still sleeping down stairs for now.  She wants to cling to having her own room as long as she possibly can.  I'm looking forward to the girls sharing a room again.  I want them to become better friends, and I think that will be more likely to happen if they are in a room together.  I want them to fall asleep at night talking and giggling with each other.  I want them to learn cooperation and consideration for another person by having to share the same space.  I think it will be really good for them.

Pacifiers for Kate

My wonderful visiting teacher had these made for Kate. I am so in love with them. Seeing them makes it seem so real that she is going to be a part of our family very soon. This pregnancy has seemed so long, and at times I wondered if I'd make it through. But, now the end is approaching very quickly, and I have so much to do before this little girl makes her appearance.   26 more days!  I can't wait to meet our little Kate.

Phoenix Day 3

Friday morning Scott headed off to meet for a few hours with the insurance company that paid for our trip. I stayed back at the hotel and got us all packed up. Scott got back from his meeting just as it was time to check out and head to the airport. We stopped and got me a sandwich (Jimmy Johns 3 days in a row) on the way to the airport (Scott had lunch with the insurance guy before coming to get me). We checked in for our flight and soon were on a plane headed for home. The kids were very happy to see us, and I was so happy to see them. I always love getting little vacations with Scott. I come back feeling relaxed and renewed and ready to tackle being a mom again. I am so appreciative for all the perks that we get to enjoy with Scott's job. We truly are blessed.

Phoenix Day 2

Our second day (Thursday), we headed out for some hiking.  Being 7 1/2 months pregnant, we didn't want to tackle anything too adventurous.  We hiked up to "Hole in the Rock".  Here's a little history on the place (I know the writing is small, but if you click on the picture, it should open up larger so you can read it).

The hike was pretty short, but gave us great views from the top.

After we hiked down from Hole in the Rock, we found a little nature trail to hike around. It had signs identifying various native plants. We found it quite amusing that most of the plants they had markers for were dead. Here are a few of the live ones that we found.

There was a nest in this one. 

After our hike, we picked up sandwiches and went back to our room to eat. Maid service was cleaning our room, so we walked to the pool and sat in the sun and ate. After this long Idaho winter, the sun felt so incredibly wonderful. After eating by the pool, we headed back to our room and got cleaned up from hiking. Scott called and got a tee time at a golf course just across the street from our hotel. The rest of our afternoon was spent out on the golf course with Scott golfing and me riding along in the cart watching.

The golf course was beautiful, and we got to encounter a bit of wildlife along the way.

After golf, we had just a little bit of time back at our room to relax, before heading to dinner. The insurance guy that invited us down there took us to a very fancy restaurant. We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed visiting with and getting to know this guy and his girlfriend. It was a good second day.

Phoenix

Scott got invited to go down to Phoenix for a few days, by an insurance carrier that he does business with.  They offered to pay my way to go with him.  That was a hard offer to pass up.  So, we hired a babysitter to stay with the kids, and he and I got 2 1/2 days in sunny Arizona together.  It was wonderful. (Our room and the view out the windows.)

We flew in on the afternoon of Wednesday, and had no idea what there was to do. So, we hopped in our rental car and headed to Mesa to see the temple. We figured it was a good place to start.

I loved seeing green grass, flowers in bloom, and citrus trees everywhere.

After walking around the temple, we went to lunch. Scott introduced me to Jimmy Johns sandwiches. I loved it so much, I made him buy me a Jimmy Johns sandwich all three days we were there (there's about one on every corner). They make a seriously good sandwich. After lunch, we headed back to our room and took a nap. We'd been up since 5 that morning, and were pretty tired. After our nap, we went to dinner at Applebees and did some souvenir shopping for the kids at Target. Then we headed back to the room and went to bed.  Not the most action packed day, but when it's vacation, just the fact that you are away not having to take care of the house and kids is wonderful.

Sara's Molar

Sara lost a molar last week.  She had Aaron cheering her on as she pulled it.  It did quite a bit of bleeding after it came out.  But after it stopped, she was happy to show it off for a picture.

37th Birthday

February 23rd was my 37th birthday.  We started the day with Savannah's and Sara's basketball games.  And we ended the day with celebrating my birthday.

The kids worked all day on coloring me beautiful pictures. Sara and Aaron made me a crown.

Sara and Aaron also prepared a little "performance" for me.  They sang some of the songs they are learning together in choir at school.

And of course if one person is in the spotlight, they all want to be, so Josh and Nate tried to join in on the performance. That created a few tears, and Aaron kicked them out of their performance.

 

After they finished their songs, they presented me with the poster card they had worked very hard on.

Then Josh and Nate got their turn to perform.

Because my present was too big to wrap, Scott used the kids to help carry/block from view my present as he brought it into the living room.

 Owen thought it was perfect for standing on. This really stressed Aaron out. He wanted it upright so I could see what it was, and Owen insisted on having it tipped over so he could stand on it.

 

Finally Owen hopped off, the box was uprighted, and all was well. I love that this is the group picture that I ended up with of the kids.

  Then it was time for cake.

  It was a good birthday. I felt very loved by my kids and husband, and that's all that matters.