Karin & Emily

Let's face it, we eat too much when we're together and I'm too stuffed to sit at the computer and write anything but here are a couple pictures of me and one of my besties.

This is How I Feel

After a night of no sleep because I spent at it the hospital, I feel like I could crash anywhere and everywhere. Long story short, I had some pain in that gave me cause to believe something could possibly be wrong with Tanner or myself. It wasn't horrible pain but it was constant and long lasting and I felt right about going to get things checked out. After spending 7 hours at the hospital and getting tested for pre-term labor, appendicitis, and potential other problems, everything seemed fine and we finally came home. Most of all, I was able to see that my baby boy was doing great and wasn't in trouble. It was kind of a relief having him on monitors for so long so I could watch his little heart beat like crazy. We got to the hospital around 3am this morning and home about 11. We took a short and broken up nap and that is all the sleep I've had in the last two days... about 3 hours total. I feel great now though minus the complete exhaustion but my fears and worries are gone. I'm glad I went to the hospital because it was all worth the peace of mind knowing my insides weren't going to burst and that Tanner is well. A blessing from Matt and Bryan settled me completely and although the pain isn't gone, I feel great.

.

I put Sadie down for a nap the other day and she opened her bedroom door up, made her a bed in near the hallway, and crashed. It was the cutest thing and I am not objecting as long as she gets some good sleep.

Book of Mormon Stories

Every night before bed we sing Book of Mormon Stories and then read a story from our Book of Mormon reader with the girls. They love it and ask for both every night. Matt and I think these videos are so cute and hilarious, I hope you enjoy.

Three Big Bellies

Good morning from three big bellies. The girls stuffed their shirts with their blankets this morning and had so much fun playing and running into each other. I am loving this pregnancy and it is going by so quickly. I have a feeling I have or will make up the weight that I haven't gained so far while Em is here, I just keep eating and eating.

.

They loved their big bellies.

They wrestle quite a bit but found it is even more fun with lots of padding.

I look gi-normy in this picture but I LOVE my sweet Sadie and she loves Tanner. She sings songs to him almost every day and is always rubbing my tummy.

Little Fish

We went swimming today for the first and maybe the last time since Em and the boys have been here. I was terrified that we were going to have four crazy kids running all over the place trying to swim without waiting for our help but we got the exact opposite. I really thought I was going to have to spend the morning stopping Max from drowning. He seems like the dare-devil try anything type but come to find out the boys don't really like the water. I got Gavin to swim with a noodle and his life-jacket, he really enjoyed it but only for a moment and wouldn't do it again. I think they just need more time to get used to it but they would not float or get near the water unless we had a nice strong grip on them.

Sienna had fun swimming because we haven't been in a couple of weeks and Sadie was the crazy one. She jumped into the pool twice without her floaties and went under the water. I was so proud of her though because she did not sink, she was kicking and moving her arms so fast that she was swimming a little bit like her big sister. Although she did great, she did not enjoy it one bit. She was angry and yelling at the water and then insisted on clinging to me for a few minutes. Sadie's favorite was holding on to mommy's back and swimming laps.

..

Double Stroller

We're having a lot of fun with Em and her boys. Sienna and Gavin have become quite good buddies, it is super cute.

.

Practicing letters while Sadie and Max slept. Sienna and I play a game where we draw a lot of letters on a paper and then she has to find the letter or number I tell her and circle it. Gavin liked playing too.

Sadie woke up and decided to join the coloring fun.

I had to add this because I thought it was hilarious. Sienna always does her huge smile "cheese" face so I told her to make a silly face instead and this is what I got.

Sienna and Gav really have had a blast together. Here they are wrestling and just laughing their heads off. I promise Max is here too, trust me, you can't miss him. He's such a character. However, he was sleeping during all of this but we'll get some good shots of him soon.

My friend gave me a double stroller. Yes, she gave it to me and I LOVE it! We tried it out for the first time yesterday and the girls really enjoyed sitting next to each other and didn't ask to get out once. They're always really good when we go shopping but they were much more content being in the stroller because they were together and not squished. Again, I LOVE IT! Thank you, friend.

The Boys

Emily and the boys arrived and we're having tons of together. Sienna refers to them as the 'big boy' and 'little boy' while Sadie mostly calls them by name. This is common for Sienna to refer to people by their gender. "Mom, when is my girl going to come over again?" etc. (Her girl being Ciara, her babysitter.) Yesterday, they were playing and I said, "Sienna, you have boys to play with now, they can be your princes." She thought it was a great idea and immediately said, "Sadie, I get the big one and you get the little one." It is so funny to me. They are all playing so well together and really enjoying each others' company.

Max being a stinker and not looking at the camera.

Gavin being silly.

Sienna eating her noodles.

I wanted to show a new way we do Sadie's hair, I love it.

The kids eating lunch together.

Home Improvements

Boxes keep showing up at my house and I am loving it. It started with the huge surprise from my parents followed by diapers that I got a sweet deal on and today Tanner's bedding. My friend in the ward gave me her double stroller today too which just added to my joy. Here are some pictures of Tanner's/guest room. We are going to take out the bookshelves and games and eventually add a guest bed. Tomorrow this room will have Emily, Gavin, and Max sleeping in it.

.

New stroller and Tanner's bedding.

I love this set, I like it more in person than online too. It was so soft even after watching it.
.

I also FINALLY put up some frames in my hall. I've had this frame for over three years now and it finally has a spot to hang.

This is hanging on the wall opposite from the other.

Now my hall isn't empty!

Christmas in August!!

We woke up this morning to a BIG package from Grandma Anne and Grandpa Dug waiting for us. The girls saw it arrive yesterday and were so excited to get up this morning and open it up.

.

The girls in their matching undies.

.

Sitting on their surprise before we opened it.

.

Sienna showing off her new Mickey Mouse pillow case and bug catcher that Grandma Anne made for her. Well, she made the pillow case.

.

Sadie got a princess pillow case and she also fell in love with Tanner's trucks. She also got a bug catcher.

.

This is Tanner's pile. He got his first quilt, a puppy dog pillow case, and a box of trucks. My parents also surprised Matt and I with an early Christmas gift, a blender!! Not just any blender but the Vitamix from Costco. My parents are crazy but I am so excited. I have wanted a nice blender (not this nice) for awhile and was going to put that on my Christmas list. Matt is very excited for all of the smoothies to come!

.

My mom is the most amazing quilt maker ever. Just the other day a friend asked if anyone had a cute quilt she could borrow for her daughter's pictures, I took over about 10 handmade gorgeous quilts from my mom.

.
Here is the other side of Tanner's quilt. This is my favorite, I think it is just darling. Another Christmas present my mom is giving me is her old sewing machine. She got a new one and said I could have the used one. She is bringing it down in December when she comes for the baby and is going to help me get on my feet in the sewing world. She was going to teach me while I was in Utah but things were a little crazy.

Tanner Matthew

Okay, his name isn't officially Tanner but we're 95% certain so I feel okay calling him by name . I had doctor appointment today and they did another ultrasound to follow up on everything we didn't get last time. Everything is looking great and Tanner is measuring right on schedule. He currently weighs about 13.5 ounces and is a healthy little boy. It was so fun seeing my baby one more time and it makes me sad that I wont be able to again until he makes his entrance into this world. He must have been taking a nap or something during his screening because he was not moving near as much as before. The tech even mentioned how still he was being but as soon as she did, he kicked me. It was so neat feeling and seeing him kick at the same time.

.

Feel free to skip the following if you'd like- it's mostly for me to remember.

.

I have to mention that I feel truly blessed. I have had three ridiculously easy pregnancies. I am hoping that this L&D goes as smoothly too. I am also very grateful for my doctor. She has been so helpful and accommodating to me with all three pregnancies. I moved to Texas when I was about 32 weeks along with Sienna and she instantly just took me under her wing. Last month I had paid for all of the services to have Tanner and soon after we were a little bombarded with unexpected financial obligations. Everything would have been fine and we will be reimbursed via our insurance after having him but Matt and I really didn't want to touch our savings right now. My doctor reversed my payment and reduced it to only a third allowing me to make two more payments at my next appointments without even blinking an eye. It seems so silly and small but it meant the world to me because I didn't have to stress about transferring money, etc.

Also, I had heard different things about how doctors handle being on call. My friend's doctor office all takes turn and whomever is on call is the doctor that delivers the baby. I asked Doctor Allen how her practice works because I have friends that were delivered there by someone other than their own physician as well. She explained to me that they all take days and nights to be on call but that they really do try to deliver their own patients. On weekends it becomes a little trickier but Doctor Allen makes sure to tell the other physicians in her practice when a patient could potentially be going into labor and to contact her. Of course, she cannot always be there. In fact, she didn't deliver Sadie. However, she always tries to be and she assured me that she was delivering my baby this time. She is not going anywhere for Christmas break and specifically requests to be aware of when her women (me!!) are admitted. She was initially contacted when I went into labor with Sadie but had nobody to watch her own newborn. (Her mom was at church, can't argue with that.) She told me several times today that she was going to be ready for me this time. I am okay if she isn't, I had a great experience with her partner. It just means a lot to see that she really does care about me. We always have a good time chatting and showing each other pictures of our kids. I have heard horror stories about doctors doing things for their own benefit or schedules and I am so grateful that I feel comfortable with my own and that I can trust her.

.

Isn't he adorable?! He really wasn't moving much at all for the time I was in the ultrasound so I got several pictures of this same pose.

.
This picture is actually from last month's appointment when he wouldn't stop moving. I was 17 weeks at this point. They got a shot of him manhood today too but it is a weird angle. Either way, here is the proof, he is a BOY!

Building the Testimony of a Three Year Old

The girls and I went to lunch together today. During our drive we saw several ambulances, firetrucks, and police rushing in the opposite direction. The three of us had a very neat conversation.

.

Sadie: Firetrucks!

Me: There are lots of firetrucks, that is so sad. It looks like someone got hurt.

Sienna: But they're going to help them, right? The firetrucks help people when they get hurt, right mom?

Me: Yes, police and firemen are great people that help others.

Sienna: And Daddy can go give the people a blessing too, right? Daddy went and gave that lady a blessing to help her feel better, right? Daddies can go give ladies blessings when they're hurt to help them too, right?

Me (Blown away): That is right. Blessings are very special and daddies can give people blessings to help them.

.

Just a week or two ago, Matt went to the hospital to give a blessing to the woman he visit teaches. The entire experience was quite amazing. We didn't make a big deal about him leaving and only briefly mentioned that daddy was going to give a lady a blessing that was sick in the hospital. Sunday night we had the missionaries over for dinner and they expanded on the story letting us know about a couple different spiritual experiences the lady had prior to getting to the hospital and how great the entire situation turned out. Even though we had talked about it Sunday night, it was again fairly brief and over dinner. My little three year old is quite observant and intelligent. I am so grateful for a husband that is a worth priesthood holder and can be an example to even our very young children. I am grateful for the opportunity that Sienna was able to witness this at such a young age and begin building her testimony of the Priesthood and the blessings that come from having a father that honors and utilizes it in his every day life.

Parties

Sienna had two birthday parties over the weekend. One on Saturday and one on Monday. This the beginning of parties where we leave our little princess on her own to have a ball without us supervising. I cannot believe she is old enough for birthday parties without us but it is really fun for her to have this experience. She had a blast at both celebrations and loved telling us about everything she did. Sadie, on the other hand, isn't fond of Sienna having fun without her. At Saturday's party Sadie teared up as I walked Sienna up to the door alone but was okay because Matt and I took her shopping and we had a good time. Monday was a different story. Sadie completely lost it and was screaming, "I want to go to the party too!!" It was so sad and hard to explain to a two year old why she cannot go with her big sister that she does everything with. Luckily, she had her buddy Drew with her that was also a bit saddened by the fact he wasn't going to the dance party. Together they moped on the way home but quickly realized things weren't that bad. They got to have a little movie date with popcorn and the tears quickly turned into joy.

.

My grown up little princess. She made that necklace all by herself and loved telling us about it.

.

I promise Drew was happy, he is just the king of funny facial expressions. As soon as their popcorn was gone, the date was over. They didn't care about the movie anymore and started chasing each other around the house. They really are too cute together. I love watching them play.

Have I Told You Lately?!

I love you, babe! This picture is the background on my phone and it makes me so happy everytime I go to answer or make a call. I'm so glad you're mine.

Funny Conversations

Sadie: I want to see it! (As I was buckling her into the van after church)

Mom: See what?

Sadie: I WANT TO SEE IT!!

Mom: What?

Sadie: (Rubs my stomach) I want to see the baby. I want to see mama's big belly. (Then she kissed my stomach)

.

Sadie: What you want daddy? (She pretends to cook for us all of the time and asks us what we want.)

Daddy: How about a Jamba Juice?

Sienna: No Daddy, Jesus doesn't want us to drink Jamba Juices. That would make Jesus so sad.

I Love Sundays, I Love My Girls

Water Balloons and Bubbles

We probably had the most fun in our water fight with Cole and Max.
..

Daddy pushing the girls around in the wheel barrel filled with water.

.

Grandma filled it with bubbles.

.

Max coming to get me. Max really warmed up to me this trip too which was awesome. I miss all of my nieces and nephews like crazy.

.

I think it was everyone against me.

.

Sienna meant business and was daddy's little helper.

.

I was too busy running away from Cole to get a picture of him in the action of throwing balloons. Colester is my little buddy and I miss him to pieces. I'm glad we were able to spend a lot more time with him and Max (Gracie too!!) this past trip.

Some Favorites

Again, these are from my phone so they're pretty random.
.

Uncle Mike chasing Adri and the girls.

Uncle Kyle and Sadie.

Grandma-Grandma and Sienna

Eating lunch with Grandpa Doug at his work.

Cole showing Sadie how to hold the snake they found.

Sienna loved the snake.

.

Sienna helping Grandma Anne water her plants. She got pretty wet so next thing you know, she's down to just her undies.

.

Sienna playing with Jamie at Grandpa Doug and Uncle Jake's softball game. Sienna loves Jamie, they had tons of fun together.

The girls playing in the back of Grandpa's sweet truck. We had about a week of just us girls and Grandpa Doug, it was so much fun.