Shut the Front Door....

...Here comes #4!

I'm pregnant with baby #4!

Oh this little one is already so loved. It's been a longer journey getting this one here than we are accustomed to. We had hoped to get pregnant around the first of the year and assumed it would happen right away. It didn't. A few months later (and feeling a little frustrated) we were so happy to finally get a positive test.

That happiness only lasted a few weeks. We were so sad to find out that we'd lost that baby. I was a little surprised at how devastating that loss was. I cried a lot, for weeks and weeks. We loved that baby and were so excited for him/her to join our family. I felt like it was a boy, and I missed him. We had some wonderful friends who brought us dinner and flowers and gifts and felt some comfort, but still I felt quite broken hearted for awhile. It took longer than expected to resolve the miscarriage, which was also discouraging. Finally two months later we had everything taken care of and got the all clear to try again whenever we'd like.

And my heart felt conflicted. We were now into June. After such a hard, emotional Spring I really wanted to just enjoy a fun summer with my boys, free of nausea. Also, I didn't want another winter baby (like all three others). We ended up deciding we'd just put it in the Lord's hands. If it happened great. If not, that was fine too.

So of course, 2 weeks later I was staring at a positive pregnancy test, completely shocked. I waited a whole day to tell Ben, since the next day was our anniversary. I wrapped up the test and gave it to him on our date. Happy tears filled his eyes and he couldn't believe it. It was kind of surprising to us, both also such a healing, happy moment!

We took a blood test at 8 weeks into the pregnancy to find out the gender of the baby and were shocked to learn a few days later that it's a GIRL! I was definitely expecting a boy, but I'm thrilled with this fun surprise! Ben is pretty apprehensive about what we will do with a little girl- I'm sure we'll manage just fine!

We are so thankful for this baby. My heart has healed so much. I've been so sick and thrown up more times than I can count.  But we are so happy to welcome HER to our home in 2020!

Our New Routine

School is in full swing and we are getting used to our new normal. It is such a drastic change from our summer routine and while it feels good, we've all had some adjusting to do! Our mornings start at 6:30 when Chase begins his piano practice, I'm back to a solid hour in the kitchen every morning (making breakfast, feeding everyone, cleaning everything up, making lunches), and hustling kids all morning to get their jobs done and get them both out the door with hair done, brushed teeth and backpacks fully packed. It's a wild couple of hours, but altogether not that crazy. The boys are getting into a really good place with their jobs and being really responsible, we usually get a little of their homework in the morning too.

Once the boys peddle away, Davis and I go to the gym. Then we come home and we have all morning together! I'm loving it! We have time to play with little friends, go on walks, do puzzles, read books together and on this particular day, we made cookies. I've never made cookies with just Davis before and it was so fun! He was so cute helping with all the ingredients, and he was super excited to be wearing the little tractor apron that used to be his brothers. Also, the cookies turned out delicious.

 I sent this series of pictures to Ben when he was out of town and he said he literally laughed out loud when he saw them. This boy just really goes for it. He doesn't really even cry when he falls. He's a tough boy!

 This cracked me up one particular morning- his commitment to drinking his milk and riding his bike were both strong.

 I know, there are so many pictures of Davis in this post. I have no excuses. He's just darling. He usually insists that Ben put him to bed at night and I snapped this picture of them reading books together on this particular night.

 We had our final swim night at Nana and Papa's! It was a blast! The kids had a great time in the pool and then we had a delicious BBQ and finished the night with smores. This is such a fun tradition we love all summer long. I also love the relationship my boys are forming with their cute little cousins.

 One day I had errands to run at Farmington Station and we bought soap. He insisted on carrying the bag all the way back to the car. It took forever. And it was darling.

 I volunteer in Chase's class every Friday for an hour and this year I'm being brave and taking Davis with me. He's super psyched since he tries to "go to school" with the big kids most mornings. He was also super excited that I packed him his own little backpack of toys to hopefully keep him occupied. At some point in the morning I end up handing him my phone and we somehow make it through.

 Aunt Heidi came to visit! We had such a blast with her while she was here! One day she took the boys to twisted sugar after school and this is all of them eating their spoils here at home. They adore her. Somehow I didn't get more pictures of her visit, but Davis and I got to hang with her almost every day and we had a great time. Heidi even roped me into helping her paint our new niece's nursery and we ended up having a lot of laughs doing it.

 She brought Hudson two new bulls to add to his collection. He immediately called a meeting of trough club. Heidi overheard him saying "Okay guys, horns in."

 My little bike riders! These boys ride their bikes to and from school every day and it's been awesome! They usually go in a little bike gang of 6 kids and they've been doing great. I love that it's good for them, they get more exercise and fresh air, and I don't have to drive as much. Win-win!

After they get home from school our life feels really crazy for the next few hours. We have to get right on homework, the boys really want some time to play, and then it's a rush to make dinner, feed everyone, baths and get everyone to bed. It's a busy life these days, but I love it!

Back to School

 We started school again! I love this time of year. As great as summer is, it also feels so good to be back in a school routine. We did our traditional Back to School Feast and it was a blast. The boys agonized over planning the perfect menu and we ended up with a delicious feast- salmon, rice, broccoli and creamsicle jello salad (that was Hudson's choice). For dessert we had poppyseed cake (Chase's choice) and Hudson got to pick the ice cream- he found "Star Wars" ice cream- it had a dark side (chocolate) and a light side (vanilla). It was a delicious feast, complete with paper crowns (Davis refused to wear his) and fun conversation about the new year.

 After our feast we had Ben give them Father's blessings. They were very sweet blessings and the boys were so good and reverent during them. What a sweet way to start the year.

 This is a big year for them! Hudson started first grade- which has been a big deal. All day school, eating lunch at school, it's a lot of pressure! His teachers this year are Mrs. Dummer and Mrs. Joseph (who is actually our neighbor Megan! One of my closest friends). Since Megan is his teacher I've gotten quite the inside scoop and she said Hudson is a model pupil- always follows directions, obeys all the rules, is always on task, and passed off his whole "Little Lights" book in the first week. He's doing great! He comes home from school pretty tired and tightly wound- we've had a few meltdowns once he gets home. His best buddies Nora and Hyrum are in his class too, which has been so fun. I think it'll be a great year for him!

 Chase has Mrs. Bland and Mrs. Hubbard this year. So far he is loving it! 3rd grade is quite a bit more homework to juggle, but he's doing well settling into a routine. He has to do math flash cards, I Ready Math on the computer, daily reading and spelling words every day! He didn't get in the same class this year with any of his closest friends, but that is giving him an opportunity to make new friends! Also, he told me after the first few days that I wasn't packing enough food for him in his lunches, so I'm trying to pack more. One day he told me he just sat on the bench at recess- I didn't pack him enough food so he had to "conserve his strength to make it through the day"!

 Nana always takes them on a special shopping trip for a back to school outfit and they got these shirts they both wanted to wear the first day of school. They had a great time with her- such a fun Nana!

As for Davis, he's handled all the one on one attention really well :) I think he loves it actually. He does miss his brothers though and asks me to go get the boys sometimes during the day.

Also a fun new thing this year- we aren't doing a carpool! They are riding their bikes to and from school every day. I'm super excited about this! I don't have to worry about driving them, they get extra exercise and fresh air, and it's better for the environment! Win-win-win!

I think this is going to be a great school year!

End of Summer

This summer was seriously one for the books! We had so much fun together and it came to an end all too fast! One morning in August I came downstairs to find Chase whipping up pancakes for the whole family! He had never done it before but he figured it out (with a few tips from me) and loved making all kinds of shapes of pancakes for us! I love this kid!

 And this is just one of the things I love about Hudson. Walking into the room in a totally random assortment of accessories is total normal for him- he's usually pretending he's on some type of adventure!

 Davis's obsession with his dad got even stronger this summer. This is what he did one day when I went in to get him from his nap and he wanted his daddy- he claimed he was "stuck".

This cute little smile just wins my heart over every single day. He's the cutest kid.

 This was just one afternoon when all the kids were really grumpy and none of their friends could play, so we walked/biked over to the school and played on the park. The boys all had a great time and it passed the afternoon in a really great way! These boys are always happier when they are outside.

 Nana had an unexpected job change and had to move classrooms again, so we went to go help one day. This cart was a huge hit for these boys- basically like Disneyland. And then Nana treated these little helpers to lunch at Old Grist Mill- so this "service opportunity" really ended up being a blast!

 Davis does this all the time. Whenever there is the tiniest little puddle- he tries to drink from it. And splash in it. And get completely wet. And then immediately insist on changing clothes.

 On one of our very last days of summer we went bowling at Boondocks. It was kind of a nightmare to take Davis there (huge, heavy balls and Davis were not a good combo) but the older kids had fun!

 My friend Marilee snapped this picture about 3 minutes before Davis jumped in the pool completely dressed (and with shoes on!). He just looked at me with a huge grin and jumped right in! We were standing a few feet from him and Marilee jumped in and grabbed him super fast (she had a swim suit on, I didn't) and he wasn't in any real danger. In fact, I could see his little face (completely submerged in the water) with a huge grin on it the whole time. In fact, he's done this twice this summer now. So he thought it was a good laugh and learned NOTHING from the experience. Oh this boy, he keeps me on my toes! Also- all my other kids and all of Marilee's swam for like 2 hours this day and had a great time, I just don't have lots of pictures of all the pool fun since usually I'm in the water and it's harder to capture on camera.

 The boys worked so hard all summer to earn points- they had to earn 100. They got points for doing jobs, reading books, not fighting, yard work, etc. Their reward was a morning at Dartside with Ben and then lunch afterward (they chose Buffalo Wild Wings). They had the best time and loved their morning out. This ended up being the Saturday before school started and Chase said it was the best day of his summer!

Out of the Mouth of Hudson

Heidi: Who did you play with at recess?
Hudson: Oh, just whatever kids were close to me. They all think I'm really smart.

He later told me that he's the self-appointed slide monitor. He prevents slide jams.

When introducing himself to Heidi's friend: I'm Hudson. I'm 5 1/2 and I like Star Wars and Ninjago. Now I would like you to tell me some things about you.

This is my dog "sleepy". But I call him "tired" for short.

After going down the steep hill with Papa on the lawn mower "I was really brave because I'm in Disneyworld training."

After coming home from school on Polar Express day
Me: How was it Huds?
Hudson: Great. It changed my life.

To anyone who asked if he was going to be on Santa's good list:
"Well, I'm trying..."

Talking to Heidi on the phone "Can you repeat that last sentence for me?"

He explained to me that a kid was making him mad at recess, was trying to tackle him and wouldn't let go. I told him that if he's already asked the kid to stop, and he won't, that he could go to the teacher and ask for her to help. His answer- in a totally serious voice:
Mom! I'm six. I can handle it.

After Heidi asked Hudson what part of the Harry book we were at and he informed her that Dumbledore had just disappeared:
Heidi: Where do you think he went?
Hudson: Don't know. DO Care.

July

 July was another wonderful summer month full of adventure! Heidi came at the first part of the month and we had so much fun while she was here! When Huds first saw her after she got into town he hugged her and wouldn't let go for like 3 solid minutes.

Early one morning, my mom and Heid came with me and the kiddos to hike Donut Falls. I love this hike. It's so beautiful the whole way, it's very kid friendly (Davis did the whole thing himself) and the waterfall is beautiful.

 Funny story, when we got back to *almost* the car, Davis crouched down and refused to move. I asked if I could carry him, to which he gave his usual "okay!" I carried him the last 50 feet to the car. Did the whole dang hike himself (that I frequently tried to carry him during) only to give up with 50 feet to go.

 We had a lovely 4th of July! We did red, white and blue breakfast and then spent the morning working in the yard. Our poor Chase woke up that morning with strep throat and was devastated! Ben and I had it the weekend before, so we were pretty certain what it was, and thankfully the pediatrician on call felt comfortable just calling in a prescription for him instead of insisting we be seen on the holiday. Chase was so upset, since the 4th of July is his very favorite holiday! We still made the most of the day though. He did have to miss out on the slip n slide with our neighbors and the pool party at my parents house. We did bring him up some dinner to enjoy and Papa let him play on his iPad.

Also, we were all the in the pool and getting the BBQ all set up when a HUGE storm blew in! In a matter of minutes it was a complete downpour- it was insane! We quickly moved our whole bbq inside my parents basement- we had like 27 people in there. It was chaos, in a funny memory kind of way.

The rain picked up again right at the first of fireworks, so we packed up and headed home. I watched fireworks right on my bed with Chase and Hudson (who fell asleep within 5 minutes of them starting). I snuggled Chase, someone was setting off a great firework show right across the marsh from us. We talked about positive attitudes and even though how so much of the day didn't go as planned, it was still a great holiday. Hopefully a good lesson was learned!

 We are deep in Harry Potter this summer! We finished the 5th book mid July and Hudson actually asked me to do this little "Harry Potter photoshoot" with him. He is eating those books up! As is Chase. And I'm loving reading it to them. We spend at least 30 minutes every night in their bed immersed in that magical world.

 We did our annual "Friends Camping" trip. My boys look forward to this every year. We went up Little Cottonwood Canyon this year to a really beautiful campsite. We love this wonderful group of friends. We now have 11 kids between our three families and it's a circus, but all the kids get along so well. Davis was completely nuts and made the trip so exhausting for me and Ben, but it was still worth it. However, when it was 11 pm and he was crying "let's go home" we definitely questioned our judgment about bringing him along.

 After one random swim night we threw all the cousins in the shower. I love this cute crew of kiddos!

 Chase got to do a free coding camp at the Apple store! It was so fun for him, he was so enthusiastic. They got to program spheros and he had a great time.

 Oh Davis! On this particular day some neighbor kids came banging on my door and ringing the doorbell and woke him up after like 15 minutes of napping. And then at 5:00 pm he was dead asleep on the couch. We snuggled a little before I insisted he wake up. He's the sweetest.

 On Chase's last day of Apple Camp I took him out on a little date and let him pick the restaurant. Not surprisingly he chose pizza.

 Every time Ben mows the lawn Davis joins him with his little lawnmower (and sometimes also joins our next door neighbor Craig in his lawn mowing as well). I think in Davis's little mind he's actually helping and it's so darling!

 We did our little 24th of July tradition a day early and did fireworks with the Josephs on the 23rd. I was surprised how scared Davis was! He sat in my lap, trembled, and held my hands over his face, occasionally peaking out for a glimpse.

 On the actual 24th we hit up the festivities at Bowmans. The kids loved the face paint (Davis got Mickey on his arm). Hudson's is Black Panther- he's doing "Wakanda forever" with his arms. Chase decided you couldn't see his flag well enough and chopped off his own hair when we got home! (He's since had a remedial haircut and learned his lesson to not cut his own hair). We ate hot dogs and drank lemonade and the boys thought it was the best.

 We ended the 24th with a fun BBQ and swim at Nana and Papa's. The kids were way into smores and ate way too many that night.

July started out insanely busy, but by the end of the month we had finally settled into a "relaxing" summer routine. We got to sleep in a little later (like 7:30!) and we didn't have nearly as many things planned. We spent more time actually at home and the kids bopped around the neighborhood to friends houses. Life was finally moving a little slower and I'm glad we got some time before the craziness of school starts all over again!