Spring Break

We started out spring break with watching Moana! Since it was St. Patricks day I made green pancakes for dinner, and  made coconut syrup to go with them since we were watching Moana. The kids had been anticipating the movie all week. Minus the couple of scary parts they loved the show and have been quoting it ever since. (I don't think it''ll replace Frozen in Kendal's heart, but at least it's something new she's into. ; )
Saturday we got a lot done. We had a bunch of errands that Casey and I took turns doing. Kendal got to go out with me in the morning while the boys played Star Wars at home. and Casey went out later. We successfully updated our 72 hr kits and made one for Alice. We added some emergency supplies to the car, and we did some spring cleaning and purged a bit from our closet. That night Casey and I had an at home date night and watched Inferno. I was a bit dissapointed it didn't follow the book to much; so I probably ruined it for Casey with all of my comments. Luckily he's a good sport and dealt with me.
Sunday I joined Peter's class in church with Alice. (Again, why does my son act 100% better for others than he does for me. . . sigh.) Minus church happening over lunchtime I'm loving the 11 o'clock church time. With Casey at meetings all morning it means I have time to get the kids and myself ready for church, and we still have a bit of afternoon to enjoy when we come home. That night Terry, Sarah, and their trio came for a visit!
Monday Kendal and I got busy with sewing projects. Kendal has been asking a lot to sew so I figured the perfect time would be over the break. I helped Kendal helped make a memory bear for Nana out of a cardigan that my papa used to wear. She also made a bunny for Alice all on her own. We had a few snags with the machine, but Kendal is doing very well for a beginner. She did a great job, and I'm proud she's doing so well and enjoying sewing! We decided to go to the park for a picnic dinner and some Tennis. It's a new experience going out with Alice, (we've lost a bit of freedom and independence, but gained one awesome little lady!) but we managed and Kendal and Peter enjoyed themselves and maybe learned a bit more about Tennis.

Tuesday afternoon we headed out to Raft River. Nicole and her kids were there also! Kenny and Cheryl had a Temple assignment so they left for a bit while we stayed back and played. Casey went to the dairy and got some fresh milk and made cheese to go with dinner. He did a great job and the cheese turned out well! We stayed overnight and enjoyed some more cousin time and time with Grandma before we headed out after lunch on Wednesday. We made our way to Logan. Katherine was up for the day and David, Anica, and Elliot came to meet Alice.
 Thursday we headed out to Nana's fairly early and spent most of our day there. Unfortunately Nana's furnace wasn't working so Dad and Casey spent the day diagnosing it. Luckily it was a simple fix that a technician was able to come and deal with that afternoon. The kids made cookies with Nana, we went through old pictures, the kids also played games from the closet, and we enjoyed quality time together. Alice got to meet her great Aunt Linda and Uncle Tony that day too. Thursday night David and Anica had us over for dinner. We got a tour of their new house. It is spectacular; they did an amazing job! The kids had fun together and even enjoyed a cardboard extravaganza David built in the basement.

Friday was our one sunny day while we were in Logan. Anica and Elliot joined us to go look at the chicks and ducks at Cal Ranch then we headed to chick -fil - a afterwards (sorry chickies ; ). After we ate we all headed up to the park near the temple. It was the busiest I've ever seen it, but the kids didn't care and had fun playing on everything. I actually ran into my old After School Club bosses Tara and Calley and got to chat with them for a bit. Alice had her first go on the swings and fell asleep fairly quickly so Grandma got to hold her the rest of our stay. Mom helped me sew Alice's blessing dress on Friday as well. I sew well, but Mom is amazing and I was so grateful to get her help. The dress looks wonderful thanks to her! David, Anica, Elliot, Nana, Patty, and Eric joined us for dinner that night. It was so nice spending time with them and catching up.

Saturday morning we took the kids to Bounce 4 kids. It was a great price and there were tons of inflatable slides, bounce houses, and such the kids got to enjoy! They ran around and had a blast playing. After lunch we headed out and made our way to Pocatello. We spent the afternoon / early evening at Nicole and Jordan's. The kids happily played and we celebrated Ashley's birthday. Kendal dealt with Chester, however Peter stayed on the trampoline until he was rescued each time to keep away from him.

We had A LOT of late nights this past week, but it was a good week full of family and memories. Back to the grind today. Casey and Kendal are back to school, Peter and I have colds, and Alice is happy just hanging out with us.

 Love these three so very much!

Two Months!

Alice is two months old today!

  She is awake more during the day and most nights she'll sleep a decent amount. She enjoys bath time and has started to wiggle and kick like Kendal used to do in her little tub. She hates getting dressed though. It's torture when we have to put clothes on (or off) and she lets us know it!  She's not as keen about tummy time as she used to be unless her pacifier is in then she is very content to be on her belly for a long time. She also sleeps very well on her belly, which is awesome! However, I only do it when I'm doing stuff in the same room as her or nearby to keep an eye on her.
She is generally easy going. Her tummy issues and gas can make her fussy and causes her to toot a lot. Lately when we lay Alice down and she's just hanging out she'll kick one or both legs; the more excited or happy she is the faster her legs and arms move! The past week or so Alice has started giving us social smiles (which is the best!) and makes little noises at us when we talk to her.
Alice still is our biggest baby yet. She weighed in at 11.8 lb's (56th percentile). I'm loving her round squishy cheeks and her little leg rolls she's getting. Alice's hair has a mind of its own. I try my best to get it down, but it just fluffs back up! She has two cow licks as well, in the back and front of her hair. (we'll see how they grow out, Kendal has a back one that makes ponytails hard sometimes, and Peter has a back and a front one in his hair that wants to go up / back towards his hairline.)
Kendal and Peter are still ga ga over Alice and want to love her, change her, hold her, and talk to her all of the time. They both make sure everyday that they have gotten a chance to hold her.

Love you sweetheart Alice! 

Hot Tub, goals, and booties!

Casey took the Kendal and Peter to an extended family Darrington reunion last weekend. They left Friday night and headed to Albion. They went to an old college there that's been converted to a retreat / destination and every fall they make up a couple of the old buildings into haunted houses. Casey's grandma Darrington actually went to college there back in her day. They stayed in a building that's been converted to a dormitory type lodge that large groups can stay in. Saturday morning the kids were up bright and early and convinced Casey to let them in the Hot Tub. I got a text at 7:30 with a picture of them enjoying the hot tub with some second cousins. They got to go sledding in the morning. They had tons of fun; but sadly the sled they took broke apart after awhile and Peter was pretty devastated over it. Later in the afternoon while the others went to a local hot springs our crew stayed and went in the hot tub with Grandpa! After dinner they got a tour of the museum and abandoned buildings. Kendal didn't like it because it was "haunted". But she talks about it so excitedly that I think she enjoyed it more than she was scared from it. Both kids had so much fun playing with cousins and second cousins!

Alice and I hung out at home, ran some errands, watched The Great British Baking Show, and had a relaxing Friday to Saturday evening. It was odd not having the other two kids around, but the peace was nice for a day : ). 

We're continuing to work on goals for Peter. This week he passed off his goal of counting to 100 without help or visual prompts! He finally earned his next reward (it was between goo and a robot pillowcase. He picked the pillowcase and loves it!) Also I have to put a picture of how he organizes his animals on his bed. Lately he's been so wonderful at picking up and organizing toys and other things around the house. I love it until he's on Kendal's case because she didn't put the couch pillows back that he had just cleaned up. I laugh because he gets this ocd / organized side from me. Yet he sleeps like his daddy. Kendal is a bit more disorganized but sleeps like me (with every blanket possible piled high on top of her). It's funny / amusing yet sometimes scary when the kids have attributes like Casey and I ; ).
Extra picture is of Peter "helping" with Alice's bath. He's so great with her and I love his attachment to her.

I put these booties on Alice this week and couldn't help but smile and reminisce. These booties mean so much to me! Ten years ago I saw these booties at the store and loved them so much I bought them. I wasn't pregnant, but Casey and I were hoping we soon would be. Little did we know it would be longer and harder than we ever imagined to have our kids. However; we've been blessed with three beautiful children that have filled these booties, our lives, and most of all our hearts!

Finishing out February

Alice's croup - She had a few rough days with her cough, not sleeping well, and being grumpy (sore throat, not feeling well ), some throwing up, and congestion. However we got lucky and she never got worse and it passed the following week (minus the congestion).

Casey went up Thursday - Saturday (16th-18th) to Boise for state basketball. The girls won their first, lost their second, and won their third game, so they ended up in third place overall! The kids and I really missed Casey. We were thrilled to have him back home Saturday night. Also Casey got called and set apart as the Ward Clerk for our ward. He's doing double duty (Clerk / Sunday School Pres.) for a few weeks until the new Sunday School presidency is called.

Our nephew James was born on the 16th! Because Alice had croup we held off meeting him for a week. The kids were so happy to meet him. Alice looked so big next to James. Her chunky cheeks make her look so much older.

Just as we had a few teaser days of warmth and snow melting a big storm came in last Thursday into Friday. The power went out for a bit Thursday morning and not long after they cancelled school for the rest of the day. It was the day we met James so I was crazy and drove through the blizzard to get David and Kendal from school. We had three foot drifts in our road and driveway. They ended up cancelling school Friday as well, because some roads were to bad for buses. Unfortunately they will have to make up this snow day and any other that may occur in the future.
I had my post pregnancy check up Friday so we braved the roads and went into town. While Casey grocery shopped with the two older kids I got the you're good at my appointment. (I feel that I've recovered fairly well this time around. While it was no picnic, I felt like I felt better sooner than the previous two. Sleep hasn't been the best which has made for some long days, but I get by. I've had a few days where I've pushed it too much and I've been in a lot of pain / had swelling afterwards. Overall though I'm doing pretty well right now.)
Kendal had her 100th day of school. She dressed up and I attempted makeup wrinkles and a white hair bun for her. She also had her first grade program this week. The program was patriotic with different songs about America / states. She was Miss. West Virginia and got to tell about the state animal, fruit, and tree. She has loved learning all of the fun songs and sings them all the time at home. (Johnnie B. Goode, God Bless the USA, Take me home country roads, etc.) During the performance though she would sometimes stop singing and enter la la land for a few moments (love our space case ; ).

Peter has had the short end of the stick being stuck with a recovering mom, cold / snowy outside he can't freely play in, and a baby sister who shouldn't go out; so we've been home A LOT. He's had a few stir crazy days, but overall he's made the best of it. He's a great at amusing himself, and I'm doing my best to find quality time with him while Alice is napping.

Alice is doing well. She is she more awake during the day and she doing better going back to sleep after her night feedings. While I wish she'd get up less through the night, she has given me a couple of nights with a four to five hour stretch of sleep. She still enjoys white noise. She likes the bath, but getting dressed isn't her favorite. She's fairly content, but her gas issues can make her unhappy. We've got a few real smiles out of her, and we try to coax more everyday. Alice went to church for the first time Sunday. She slept, ate, and chilled out in relief society with me. We love this little lady, her wild hair and her sweet squishy cheeks!

One month!

Alice is one month old!

Alice is a fairly mellow baby. She withstands her "hands on" siblings. She likes white noise (fan, shower, blow dryer, vacuum). She's still a sleeper (but we're still working on nights). She has occasional tummy / gas issues that cause some discomfort. On Sunday she had some congestion that has lasted this whole week. She hasn't slept well all week because she can't breath well. Unfortunately she also stated having a horrible cough a couple of days ago as well. Because Casey was headed off to Boise for a few days and I didn't need a late night insta care visit with the kids on my own so we headed into the Dr yesterday. She has a mild case of croup. It's "mild" because her lungs still sound good and she is still breathing well enough to eat and sleep decently. We found out at the Dr that she is up to 9.6 lbs! It's crazy how fast she is growing and I'm sure she'll look like a giant when she meets get new cousin soon.

Valentine's was low key. We had a nice dinner at home and then Casey took Kendal and Peter out for Ice cream!

Growing

Time flies when your having fun. . . or because you have a newborn where your days are full and your nights are long. Alice has been here for three weeks! She had her two week appointment last week (which should have been Wednesday morning, but we had to go back Wednesday afternoon and wait an extra hour because they scheduled us wrong. To top it off they had to get a blood draw from Alice and it took three pricks and a lot of screaming to get four little circles filled with blood. Poor girl hated it and Peter was so sad for her that he and had to look away after a while. However, the good news is she's back to her birth weight and she's eating and growing well. She's our highest percentage baby so far in weight / height so we'll see how she continues to grow!
Alice also got to meet the teachers at Casey's school and some students on Wednesday. (His seventh grade team is a bunch of girls and they were trying to throw a luncheon for Alice and me, but I cheated and just showed up with Alice and brownies one day, because my introvert side wasn't going to allow a party with me at the center of it ; .)
Alice is having more awake time throughout the day which is sweet, however she's carrying on her awake time into the night and we've had a few long nights with not enough sleep for my liking (I'll deal with it for now since she's so cute ; ).

Kendal and Peter are very much in love with Alice. They request to hold her throughout the day and love to talk to her. Poor Peter has been stuck inside with winter weather and a recovering mommy so he's had a few days of being stir crazy. Aunt Vanessa has been so wonderful and taken him a few times so he can play and I can take a break, or clean. We've been spoiled with a few dinners from ward members, Vanessa, and Casey's mom brought us a meal when they came up to David's basketball game. (Thank you everyone, you've been such a blessing!!)
Casey took the kids to David's game last week and then he took Kendal by herself on Saturday. He also took the kids to Home Depot to the kids workshop since he had to pick up some wood for a project. The kids built and painted their own box frames. They each requested pictures of them and Alice for their frames. Since we had some warmer days last week the kids went out Friday and built a snowman, it didn't last long in the warmer temperature, but they enjoyed making it!
 

We had a snow day last Tuesday(24th), and then there was no school the 23rd and 3rd so we've had a few extra days with Casey which we love!! Last week he was gone Monday through Thursday though alternating between district basketball games, and parent teacher conferences each night. (p.s. Casey's team won their final games, JV won district, and Varsity is set to win districts this week and head off to state in Boise next week!) While it's been interesting going without Casey here and there we've gotten by; a bit frazzled with a messy house, but we managed.

I ended up doing Kendal's parent teacher conference over the phone with her morning teacher. Kendal's teachers had only good things to say about her. They appreciate her participation, her enthusiasm to learn, her kind heart, her helpful side, and her sweet personality. She is a quick learner and often completes tasks / assignments quickly. She gets to help fellow students, read her chapter book, do extra assignments, or go to centers when she's done early. She tested above third level in reading, but her teachers would like to keep her on second to third level books for comprehension reasons. She's very good at math, but sometimes rushes through her work and can miss easy problems. Kendal adores her teachers and her extra classes (music, library, p.e. etc.) She has a music performance in a couple of weeks she's so excited for and has the songs down pact! Kendal often asks to sew something so last week we cut out a ton of felt hearts and I let her sew them together all by herself to make garlands for above the crib and valentines decor.

Peter is still working with me on Preschool at home. I can tell we've gotten out of our routine because it was a struggle this past week to get him focused. He has definitely grown and learned a ton since the school year started. He picks up on things very well; however his strong stubborn side often prevails and he just gives up trying on the occasional day and it feels like a battle of wills to get him to focus and learn. I can say he's Kindergarten ready in what he should know going into school, but there's always more to learn, and skills / lessons he could have down better. We've got his goals up on the wall and we'll keep working on them!
Peter is still all about Lego's, he can endlessly build and play if he could!