Birthday and a Haircut

Scott's 28th birthday was on the 15th. We celebrated it the day before since he doesn't get home from work until later on Monday nights. We had both families over for cake and ice cream and presents. It was crazy with so many people in such a small space, but luckily the weather was nice and we were able to be outside most of the time. The kids all had a blast and it was nice to finally have everyone over to our house. I think Katie was probably the most excited for Scott's birthday. She helped decorate the cake (you can see her sprinkle decorations covering half of 'Birthday'). She also was very helpful to Scott when it was time to open presents. I guess he just wasn't doing it fast enough! So happy birthday to Scott! Hope you had a fun day!

A few days ago I finally cut Katelyn's hair. It's been more than a year since I last cut it and, like my hair, when it gets too long it gets a little stringy. So we chopped it off. Last time I ended up cutting her hair super short because I kept messing up, so this time I was smart and started longer than I wanted so when I finally got it as straight as I was going to get it, it was where I wanted it to be. I always think it will be so easy and it never is! Some day all hair cuts in this family will be done elsewhere. It is one of my least favorite things to do...I'd rather clean the toilet!

Our summer in Idaho!

Despite the nausea, I did take pictures of some of the fun things we did this summer here in Idaho. Here's a little summary....

We had a family camping trip with my side of the family at Scout Mountain, near Pocatello, ID. It was only one night so we thought it would not be too bad. Oh, we were wrong! It was actually pretty fun that first day. We relaxed, ate, played games, and the kids had a blast in the dirt and trees. We put them to bed that night and, surprisingly, they fell asleep pretty quickly...for camping. We thought we were going to have a good night of sleep! Then, around 1 am, Jace woke up just screaming! To make a long story short, he wouldn't stop, and ended up staying up until 5 am! It was awful! I don't know if he was really awake most of the time, but it seemed like he was scared of something. Maybe a bad dream. The next day the kids woke up fine as usual, but it took a good week or so for Scott and I to fully recover from that sleepless night. I'm going to have to do lots of convincing to get Scott to go camping again next year...with 3 kids!!!Katie wanted me to make her a hat out of one of her doll blankets. Of course, Jace wanted to do exactly the same thing as Katie. The result was these hilarious pirate looking hats that they loved and wore around the rest of the afternoon!
Katie has gotten into bug catching this summer after seeing her Uncle Matt's jars and jars of caterpillars, spiders, and beetles. She'll spend hours outside looking for bugs, putting them into containers, and then making them little homes out of grass, sticks, and whatever else she can find. Not even a bee sting or an out of control grasshopper deterred her from this new hobby. Luckily, when she's done, she is okay with leaving the little guys outside so that they can go back to their 'homes.'
We spent a Saturday afternoon at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot. It was a little warm, but we had a great time! The kids loved the animals...horses, cows, bunnies, goats, and sheep. We played in the discovery center where Katie 'dug' for pretty rocks and shells, and then we walked through the agricultural center to see what kind of prizes Aunt Emily and Uncle Matt won for their baked goods. We were also able to eat some yummy fair food, which is always my favorite, especially now when I am craving anything greasy and fattening. : )
We have taken a couple of walks down by the greenbelt in Idaho Falls. This time Grandma Yo came and we brought bread to feed the ducks and geese. The kids thought it was so much fun to see the birds go crazy for the bread!
So that was our summer. We had fun and now are looking forward to fall weather and fun holidays!

It's been so long...

I know it's been forever since I've last written, but these pictures will explain...



That's right, baby #3 is on it's way! I've been feeling pretty blah and super tired for the past few weeks and have not felt like blogging at all. I'm still not feeling great, but I just took a nap and have enough energy to write something before no one ever checks my blog again. :)

So...I'm about 9 1/2 weeks, due around April 5. Obviously the pictures above are of the ultrasound I had last week. The top one is actually a 3D simulation - not really a 3D ultrasound. I thought it looked neat and helped see what the baby looked like a little more. It's still tiny, less than an inch, but I am not! I think I probably feel bigger than I really am, but my pants are getting tight so I know it's not just me.

We told the kids last week about the baby. Of course Jace doesn't care a bit, but Katie was excited. At first she was a little confused how a baby could be in my stomach. Just when I thought she understood she told me, "The baby will get bigger and bigger, and then it will come out of it's hive, huh mom?" Hive?? Hmmm...not sure where that came from. She also asked if it will make a hole when it comes out, which I guess some do! Then she told me that she had a baby in her stomach like me. Rubbing her throat, she said, "See this bump right here? That's where the baby is." I think we'll have to work on anatomy again. But now I'm pretty sure we've straightened her out enought that she knows the basics - there's a baby in my stomach, it will take a long time to get bigger, it will be born at the hospital, then it will come live at our house with us - although the details are probably still a little shady.

Now that we have a boy and a girl, this time we are going to try and not find out what it is. I say try because I don't know if I'll be able to stand not knowing during the ultrasound. But I've heard it's neat to wait and I want to try it at least once. We'll see. Katelyn knows without a doubt that it is a girl and she wants to name it Mia after her friend in Denver. When I asked her how she knew it was a girl she said, "It just is!" If only everything were that simple!

Like I mentioned earlier, I have been feeling pretty yucky. Hopefully this will only last a few more weeks. Katie knows that I don't feel well and that I sometimes suck on candies to take away the nausea. One morning she lay her head on the table and said, "I don't feel very well. I think I need a treat." Smart girl! Now she says that I have a 'special' sickness so I need treats when I don't feel good. She hasn't asked for one since.

More than being sick I've been extremely tired. I normally avoid naps at any cost, but with this pregnancy I try to squeeze in a nap almost every day. I can't make it through without one! And even when I do take one, I'm still exhaused by the time the kids go to bed. I must be getting old. :)

Well, this ended up being longer that I expected, but I'll try to update everyone a little more with things as I start to feel better and get more energy. We are a little nervous and overwhelmed when we thing about having three kids and being outnumbered, but excited to meet the new little one! We know having kids is one of the best decisions we will ever make!