US-Week 3

This past week has been busy! We are well on our way to getting baby prepared. I forgot how many baby things I have. So this past week here is what happened.

BEN: This week he was so much help to me! Ben helped me get all of our baby stuff out of our attic. There was seriously boxes and boxes full of stuff. He also helped me paint the room downstairs that Emily and Caleb are moving into. It is a lovely pale yellow color-which took 3 COATS. Ben is always so helpful to me and always so willing to take the kids so I can have a little break. He also is so sensitive and willing to listen to me whine about pregnancy aches and pains. Thanks for the support Honey!

JESSICA: What can I say I have the "whine flu"! I am 33 weeks pregnant today and it feels like I am more like 43 weeks. This baby is growing like a weed. So this past week I went and took one of my Best Friends out to lunch. It was nice to visit with her and let our kids play.  I have hit the nesting stage, I want to clean and clean and clean. It doesn't help that I have stated watching "Hoarders"-bad, very bad! I am getting so anxious but also very nervous. We still don't have a solid name to count on, any ideas would really help!

EMILY: She has been such a big helper this week. When we decided to paint her room, she decided she was going to help. Ben thought it was a good idea, Mom on the other hand didn't but Dad won. Emily painted a picture of herself and her name in BIG letters on the wall. Cute-but hard to cover up, you can still see it if you look close enough. Emily also wasn't feeling well this week and I wasn't sure why. Poor girl!

CALEB: What can I say that I don't always say--Caleb keeps me on my toes. He is always doing something. Caleb is such a good little guy and I know he will make a good Big brother. He doesn't quite understand the whole baby concept thing and I am excited to see his reaction. He loves to play with Emily's Baby Alive and feed her and comfort her. He may be more "help" than what I think.

BABY BOY: Still growing-obviously! This baby has started kicking and rolling every night around 11 pm. I enjoy feeling him move but sometimes it is right in my hip and can be very uncomfortable. I hope he isn't a total night owl when he comes out!

Just for FUN: The story of my life....

US-Week 1 and 2

I got this idea from a good friend of mine-who is absolutely amazing! I thought it was fun and I am going to try and keep up with it...

So to begin out a little family weekly project this year, I figured I should introduce each of us....in a little more detail. Oh, I should also mention that these weekly posts about us will be written from my {the mom} point of view. So here we are:

BEN: a.k.a daddy, sweetie, stinks up the whole house, dunderhead--amazing! Ben is such an amazing guy, husband, father, son, friend and worker. He currently works at the INL as a Health Physics Technician and really enjoys what he does and who he works with. He is currently our ward Elder's Quorum President and stays super busy, but really enjoys serving others. He enjoys working and accomplishing things. He has a new "love" for guns-It is a fun new hobby for him. This weekend he went duck hunting for the first time. He couldn't find anyone to go with him so he packed up his stuff and took Caleb (his little buddy) with him, they had fun.

JESSICA: a.k.a.mommy, chef, accountant, maid, comforter, sweetheart. I have to admit I LOVE those titles. I love being a mom! I get to stay home with my kids every single day and watch them grow taller, smarter, sassier, and cuter by the minute! I currently am the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's and I love it. It keeps me busy but I enjoy spending time with the girls. I love music, all kinds of music! I usually ALWAYS have the radio or iPod going in my house. I also love to scrapbook. I never find enough time to do it (a goal for this year). I am expecting a baby boy on March 8th (C-section cuts off 2 weeks though--yippee). I am thrilled and a little nervous. I love life and am trying everyday to be a better mom, wife, friend and daughter of God.

EMILY:  4 years old (going on 16) and in preschool. She is the mother hen of our house! She is energetic, smart and oh so sassy! Emily loves musicals-you name it, if the show has singing she will love it! She loves to dance and sing-we love to watch her! She is such a joy to us and is always willing to tell us her opinion of things. Emily has the most beautiful eyes and is told almost everywhere we go how pretty they are! She is a good big sister and teaches Caleb LOTS of things! She is inquisitive and loves to help me clean the house. Some of Emily's favorite things are dolls, coloring, writing, and playing dress-up. We are so lucky to have this girl in our family!

CALEB: 2 years old and can't wait until it is his turn to go to preschool. Caleb is our family clown! He is always making us laugh and smile! Although Caleb is silly, he is also sensitive and will do anything to make you happy. He is very apologetic and cares about other's feelings! Caleb is also known as my little helper. He loves to cook, clean and help us with EVERYTHING! He really loves cars, tractors, animals, guns and daddy's iPod Touch (He works it better than me). Today while Caleb was playing with his tractor I heard him singing "Take me for a ride on your Big Green tractor" and then he started shaking his tooshy, it made me laugh! He too is such a joy and will make a wonderful BIG brother.

BABY BOY: 32 weeks and growing. This baby came as an answer to many prayers and much fasting. Elder Neal A. Maxwell rightly said: “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.” Submitting to my Heavenly Father's will was one of the hardest things I have had to learn. I have to say my faith (and patience not by choice) grew immensely from this pregnancy! This little man pokes, moves, hiccups and kicks alot of the day and most of the night. He reacts strongly to touch and noise. I cherish these moments and feelings because I know the days ahead are bound to be hard-but I can't wait. He arrival date is approx. around the 25th of February. We love this little guy so much!

So that is us in a nutshell. We just try to make it day to day enjoying each day and each other. I love my little family and I am so glad to know I can be with them FOREVER!!!

So much to do before arrival date. . .

Over Christmas break Ben and I got lots done for our new arrival. We cleaned the room my kids are moving into, ordered a new crib, moved stuff to the garage, picked a potential date, and YET we still have just touched the tip of the iceberg! If it were up to Ben I think he would say we were close to being done, BUT AS FOR ME. . . the nesting stage has hit and I can think of at least 2 Million things more to get done. Ben went to my 31 week appointment with me. Reality is sinking in for him (I think). I have reality kick me in the bladder a couple times and hour so I am anxious and so excited to see my little man.

Dumbo is not my favorite Disney show of all time, actually I think it has some kinda strange parts in it that creep me out, BUT I do love the Baby Mine song in it. There is NOTHING in the world that compares to the love a mother has for her child.

So in preparation for the next 7 1/2 weeks, and in hopes of getting some motivation I listened to this song and know that time will fly and I will have a new little baby here before I know it. We waited a long time for this little baby to come to us, so I am a little more appreciative and excited than I have been  in the past. I know the Lord had a plan for him to come when he is and although it took sometime for me to grasp that, I am grateful for his divine plan and the things I learned from having faith in him!

For good measure here are some pictures from our 2010 Holidays:

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! I hope you all did too!!!

What a great idea!!

I just have to share this, because I think it is a fabulous idea for little boy babies!!!! I am starting to get super excited for our little guy to get here. I want one of these bad (also if I blog about it I could win one....)

The site is

http://milanmaternity.blogspot.com/2010/12/charmed-life-clothing-giveaway-dress.html

Remember When....

This video was taken in Dec. 2008. Emily was Caleb's age at the time. I look back and see how much she has grown-up. It makes me sad!! Last night after I watched this I sat here and thought about all the times that I forget to let my kids be little. I have to remember that when my kids are grown and moved away I am not going to sit around and think "Gee, I wish I would have cleaned my house more!" I know I will wish I would have spent more time building forts, playing barbies, reading books to them, singing songs and being silly with my kids. I am so fortunate that I get to stay at home with my kids and it is sometimes hard to remember that they will only be once.

Awhile ago I posted this poem and I love it and it is a good reminder to me of the joys of motherhood.


Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.


by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

President Monson gave us some great coucil:
"I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

"You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”

Now I better go use my imagination, I have a whole lot of playing to do today!

The faith of a child

This past week Caleb has been pretty sick. He was running a fever and had a bad cough mostly. I tried to keep him medicated as much as possible but it never fails, the fever sometimes wins. On Thursday night I heard him crying, it was about 3:30 and I went into his room. Caleb was dead asleep and burning up. As I walked up to his bed I saw he was folding his arms and I heard him mutter...

"Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to get feelin' better. Thank You Jesus Christ, Amen."

He is my little Hero!!!

Remeber them....

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!

This is my Brother-In-Law, Max who is currently serving our country in Afghanistan.  

On this day as I think of my Grandpa Empey, Grandpa Taylor, and Ben's Grandpa Ray, and Dad and brother who all fought at some point in time for my freedom, I am so grateful for their sacrifice and service they have given to all of us. I am so very grateful for them and for all of the other brave men and women who are fighting for my freedoms.

October greatness:

A couple weekends ago my Mom and I went to a pumpkin patch in Shelley. It is only 2 miles from her house and not very busy. They also have very reasonable prices and have a HUGE selection. This year we learned that all the money earned from the pumpkins goes to the owner's grandson, who was in a bad car accident and is handicap. The owner doesn't seem to benefit at all from this pumpkin patch and puts so much work into making it fun. They always create a haunted forest and decorate a little shed to take pictures in. I admire people who are so unselfish and so giving. I will go there every year they continue to have it!

We had so much fun and got some pretty cute pictures of my sweet kids and our pumpkins: I absolutely LOVE these cute little faces!!!!!

Emily insisted on taking our picture and I think she did a great job! 

Also on Friday I had my 20 week ultrasound...yes the "gender" ultrasound. Luckily our little baby cooperated. We found out that our little banana is healthy, strong, and NOT shy. It is always a relieve to see the baby doing so many things like moving all of it's 10 fingers and 10 toes, moving and drinking, kicking and hitting and most of all in this instance spreading it's legs so we can tell what is between them...BLUE or PINK.

In our case we will be expecting BLUE!!!! I was somewhat shocked, but know that he will be the perfect fit in our family! I am sure Caleb will be excited to play with trains, trucks, and swords with a little brother. Emily is just excited that she gets to stay the ONLY princess and will have yet another brother to boss around. Daddy is excited for another boy to wrestle around with and tease. I am just hoping I survive motherhood with Caleb and this new little man :)....Here are some cute pictures:

Precious little face and tiny nose...

It is definitely a boy... 

 I can't wait to see what this little guy looks like, will he have BLACK BLACK eyelashes, will he have TONS of white, uh blonde hair? Will he have any hair or will he be tall and have blue eyes like Daddy or short and green eyes like mommy??? I guess we'll find out soon enough! 

It is hard to imagine but man, I already love this kid!

We can do hard things!

My mom has always had a great way of saying things! Today she posted this on her blog and I copied it because I could never explain my thoughts like she can. Yesterday my family sat in court for this sweet little girl and it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to listen to, my heart goes out to my sweet sister-in-law.

 

Modified a little from my Mom's blog: 

 

"When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. "

 

 

Hannah Isabelle Covington

March 13, 2007 ~ November 26, 2008

Hannah Covington was a beautiful little girl,  with a sweet smile, a head full of blond curls, sparkling blue eyes, and a smile that could melt your heart in a minute. . . Hannah's life was cut short almost two years ago at the hands of a daycare provider. . . doctors and medical experts determined it was shaken baby syndrome.

Her mother, Diana, married my brother last May, so I never had the opportunity to know this beautiful child.  I feel like I know Hannah through the many wonderful stories I've been told, the pictures I've seen, and the videos I've watched.   My heart breaks for her family . . . my family, when I think about the terrible and tragic way that her little life ended.   

Yesterday, I sat in the courtroom and listened to the daycare provider who killed Hannah, plead guilty with an Alford Plea, which means she does not admit to being guilty, but does admit that if the case was presented to a jury, there would more than likely be enough evidence that a jury would find her guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter.   According to the Alford Plea,  she will only have to serve 5 months in a woman's prison.  At the end of her term, if the reports are good, she will be on probation for 5 years.   If she does not comply, or has a bad report, she could serve an additional 3-7 years in prison.   In Idaho, you could do more time for poaching an elk!  I feel like the judicial system failed in this case and let this little family down! 

Yesterday, as I watched Diana and Chris, with family gathered around them, supporting them, praying for them and buoying them up,  I could not help but feel pity for the woman who took Hannah's life.  She chose not to have her family there . . . she wanted to . . . spare them further pain, and . . . wants them to be able to . . . get their life back.   She has been a martyr for the last two years, making herself out to be the victim. . . I truly can feel only pity for this woman, she is obviously a very sick and very disturbed human being.  

Having said that,  my prayer is that Diana, Chris, Brody and Al, Hannah's father, can finally move forward.   This horrible tragedy could have been avoided if the caregiver would have just walked away.   Become informed, if you have children or grandchildren who are left with a caregiver, please, make sure that they are informed about shaken baby syndrome.  There are so many websites dedicated to this cause that are very informative - please visit them and pass along the information.   One brief moment of shaking can bring a lifetime of tragedy to an entire family.

Diana made a beautiful scrapbook for Hannah - she started the book with this saying:

"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever"

~Winnie the Phooh~

 

 

 ♥ Hannah will forever be in our hearts! ♥

18 Weeks...

So yesterday I went to my 18th week appointment. I have been really nervous to go and even prayed really hard the night before that everything would go well. My doctor is like a "father-figure" to me and has been my doctor with all of my kids. He does a great job at taking care of me and if I ever need anything his nurse is so fast to help me. I have called him a few times at home and he has always been willing to help with me concerns. So yesterday after I took Emily to preschool, me and Caleb headed to the doctor. I never wait long, but I waited long enough yesterday to meet a lady whose child goes to the same preschool as Emily, it was fun to meet her and talk to her. Anyway after they got me in and did all of the usuall, the doctor came in and immediately found the baby's heart beat with the Doppler Machine, I was so relieved!!! Caleb had no idea what he was hearing but afterward told me he thought is was "pretty cool." I had only gained 2 pounds since I got pregnant and that makes me so happy. I don't want to gain unnecessary pounds (I crave pastries REALLY bad-but very rarely give in). I also have had REALLY bad allergies for the last 6 weeks and he gave me something that has been working well. After each appointment I always leave feeling grateful for the knowledge of my doctor and nurse. Pregnancy could be really miserable with out them!! When I think of the new technology that we have now verses when I was born it amazes me. I know that I was born to live in this day and age because I am high maintenance and  love the disposable diapers, ultrasounds, and mainly C-Sections. Although I hate C-sections, I love them because I wouldn't be here or have Emily without them. Caleb may have made it through okay, it is questionable he has a big head :) but I am grateful with all of the things I am blessed with and have learned to bloom where I am planted! In a couple weeks we find out if it is a boy or a girl....I am thrilled, nervous, excited and anxious! Wish us luck!