My BOYS

Ha ha ha ha ha!

I totally love this crew of boys. They bring so much happiness. I love watching them. I think my FAVORITE part of being a mom is watching the friendships form between my kids.

Here they are, all playing together, trying to be all macho.

And here's my other "boy", can't forget him. He's been so supportive through this pregnancy. I've been pretty darn tired, and he picks up all the slack. Here he is making dinner on a Sunday night. We've started a tradition to make home-made hamburgers and french fries every Sunday. It's a lot of fun. How I love this guy! I can't wait to be back to my old self so I can start pulling my share of the load again!

The other night Cory saw that I was tired and decided to help me by sweeping and mopping the kitchen/dining room floors. Such a sweet-heart, he's always trying to help. Well, this particular time, as he was moving a chair, it fell on him and got his toe!

Here the poor guy is with his toe elevated.

And here's the toe just a few minutes after it happened. Somehow the toenail stayed on, thank goodness!!

And here's an akward preggy-pic for those wanting to see how chubby I've gotten. Ughh, it's miserable being so chunky, can't wait for a few months from now!

I can't help but love this next picture, though!

Bryson is such a hoot. Here he is all gussied up ready for a date with Nanny Goates. During spring break she took a couple hours each day for a few days and took the kids out individually. What a wonderful grandma! They have been so blessed with all their grandparents. I am so gratefull to all of them.

Yeah, I know, he's adorable!

I took Bryson to the doc yesterday because he'd developed a rash over most of his body, and sure enough, fifth disease, AGAIN. Cory had been struggling with a very sore throat for several days, so I took him in as well and found that it was indeed strep throat. I hate seeing my kidlettes so miserable. We just pray that everyone gets better by our big day - April 10th! I figure bring on all the sickness until then, get it out of their systems, that's just fine.

Bryson is very self-conscious about his rash. I had to run an errand this morning and he DID NOT want to go into town looking like this. He said he didn't want anyone to see him. I told him he could wear long sleeves and gloves if he wanted to (despite the 80 degree weather), so he did. He said that if the girls saw him all red they would scream and run away. Geez, break my heart, Bryson! And I'm not sure what to tell him because his rash really is noticable and looks just awful. I just tell him that in a few days it will look so much better, and he won't have to worry about it, and that even with the rash, he still looks very handsome.

I only managed to get these pictures taken because I told him uncle Jason needed to see his rash.

Day at work with Daddy!!!

Every once in a while we get to spend the afternoon with Daddy while he works. It is ALWAYS a VERY FUN AFTERNOON. The job site is like a wonderland for boys: rocks, dirt, trucks. What more could a kid need?

The boys each got a turn riding on the skid steer, loader, and water truck. (Are you impressed that I knew the name of all the equipment, huh huh huh?)

They each got a little lesson on driving too. I have a bunch of cute videos of them each learning how to use the controls, but posting videos to blogger is annoying, so they'll be on facebook.

Jacob (John's brother) was able to spend the afternoon with us too. I swear I took a few pics of him on the equipment, but can't seem to find them, but here he is, hanging out with the boys waiting for their turn riding with John. You can see the big piles of dirt in the background. Ahhh, the boys had a BLAST! How cool to have a daddy that works in DIRT!

Flowers from my boy

This darling boy keeps me smiling ALL DAY LONG! Just check out the attire.

Cowboy boots, check!

Camo pants, check!

Goofy grin, check!

To explain the outfit, it was laundry day, and he had no jeans, so he changed into his PJ's when he wanted to go outside. And of course, he has his boots. He wears those bad boys everywhere (just usually not outside his pants).

So, he's been playing outside for a while, and comes in with this:

He claims they're flowers, and I can SORTA see that.

If you look closely you can see that he got the plant by the roots. I've been having him do weeding, and he knows to get it by the root. I guess I need to teach him that it doesn't apply when you're picking flowers for a girl.

Ha ha ha, oh, I love my Bryson!

And, yeah, I know I've been posting a LOT lately. This is partly due to Shelisa being in Peru and requesting more pictures, and partly because I am inching towards the end of my pregnancy and just plain getting lazy, which leads to lots of time sitting with not much to do.

29 week appointment

Here's some more preggy stats:

Heart beat: 138 beats/min
weight: 156 (so 33lbs for the total pregnancy and 10lbs in the last month, sheesh!)
measuring: 30-31 cm, so a little big, but she said it could just be the way the baby is laying.

I was curious about if I was measuring "on schedule" because I have gotten several comments, like "what has the doc said about you being so big?" and "are you sure your dates are right?". But, everything seems to be on schedule, so no worries. The NP did say that I have a secret compartment somewhere (based on my experience with previous pregnancies), so I measuring on time doesn't mean that I won't have a good-sized baby. (The secret compartment has to do with my last 2 babies being over 9 1/2lbs, but me measuring "on schedule" the whole pregnancy).

I had my bloodwork done, and my thyroid, iron, and glucose levels are good. So, yay for a healthy pregnancy!! Only 11 weeks until I'm due. Thank goodness! I'm starting to wind down for the pregnancy!

Daddy's 27th birthday

John's birthday was on Feb 22nd. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the event, and I'm totally kicking myself for it now. I got so into the prep for the big event, that I didn't take the time to snap a few shots...grrr



I spent the whole morning cleaning while John was at work. Because of the amount of work that needed to be done, I attempted to skip my nap for the day. (BIG MISTAKE). When the kids got home from school I just couldn't move another step without a nap, so I did what any good mother would do...I bribed my children. :) I told them that if they let mommy take a nap, I would let them help blow up balloons for Daddy's birthday.



Well, about an hour and a half of blissfull sleep later, I woke up feeling very proud that my bribe had worked so well. The kids had been quiet as mice the entire time. I walked out of my room, feeling rested and ready to get back to work, and I realized:




THE KIDS HAD GLUED STRIPS OF PAPER TO THE WALLS, THE FURNITURE, THE PICTURES WE HAVE HANGING AROUND THE ROOM, THE WINDOWS, THE DOORS, ETC!




They were so excited that they had not only been quiet, but they had done the decorating for daddy themselves. A lot of work, and even more LOVE had gone into these decorations. (Yeah, totally kicking myself for not taking pictures!!!!!!)

When I asked them why they didn't use tape, Cory told me that they couldn't reach it (it was on top of the fridge) and they didn't want to wake me up! HOW COULD I POSSIBLY GET MAD AT THAT??? So, I calmly explained to them that glue will ruin walls, wood, pictures, etc. I got out the tape while the kids took down the decorations they had worked so hard on, and then we put it all back up with tape.


This is the first year that they've been able to help me blow up balloons also. Bryson blew them up with his mouth, Cory used his nebulizer machine, and I was in charge of tape. It was quite the system. Ahhh, I love my boys!!

We picked John up from school and came home to a little party. His parents and brother, Jacob came, and so did my dad. It was a wonderful low-key night. Perfect!

So, here comes the SAP ALERT!

I am so very very very grateful to be married to John. He's a good man, and I love him so very much. He's the first to jump up and help anyone, and he's the hardest worker I have ever known. Plus, he's so patient with me and all my annoying qualities. The kids adore him, he's truly their hero. Ahh, my life has been very blessed through him and because of him. Plus, he's always trying to make my job (wife, mother) easier. Just this last week he let me have a girls' night out with my good friend Sarah. When I got home, the kids were fed, bathed, and put to bed. The floors had been vacuumed, and the kitchen had been swept and mopped. Not just mopped, but he'd been down on his hands scrubbing the floor! It's a little funny to see his confusion when I'm a hormonal crying mess, but he always somehow knows just what to do. I love having him as my partner in life, just makes things so much easier, happier, more worth-while.


So, thank you, John. I love you!!! Happy Birthday!

Shelisa, this is for YOU

My sister is in Peru and has been asking for pics of the kids, so here is a cute Dallin-photo I took tonight.

The history behind this shirt is this:

The kids' great-grandma Marilyn gave this VERY special, VERY loved Spiderman shirt to Cory years ago. Since then, Cory has outgrown it, and it was passed on to Bryson. Well, tonight after baths I asked Cory to get Dallin dressed, and he chose THE SHIRT. There was quite a bit of excitement from Dallin about being allowed to wear THE SHIRT.

Here's the link for a video of my crazy little boys enjoying being Spidermen.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=338255178025&ref=mf

Take note of how sweet and patient Cory is with Dallin. He's such a WONDERFUL big brother. I'm so excited to give him another little brother to nurture!