Un-uttered Prayers

While I was serving in the Relief Society Presidency in our last ward the other councilor was taken into a Stake calling, leaving an opening in the presidency.  As Dalea Ellis, the President was going back and forth over names to submit for a new councilor she was impressed to call Debbie Sutton.  Debbie has had quite a story.  Although most recently her husband joined the church.  She has always been fearful of “pushing” the temple on him because her mother warned her that’s when her own father left the church and the family.  Dalea had the distinct impression that if Debbie accepted this calling it would be the means by which her family would go to the temple.  She told her as much after Debbie accepted.  Debbie fulfilled her calling faithfully until her family moved out of the ward a few years later.  They still hadn’t gone to the temple. 

On Monday the 12th Debbie called me to invite me to the temple the following Saturday.  They were finally going.  Her husband, who is career navy, is getting deployed next month to fight pirates in Africa.  He is the one who got the ball rolling…as soon as he said the word Debbie went to work.  In just over a week they got everything in order…you see, sometimes it isn’t a matter of worthiness.  They have both been worthy for years.  Sometimes it’s about being prepared in every way.  They were finally prepared and knew they needed to get this done.

Minutes after getting off the phone with Debbie my mind started rolling.  What am I going to do with my kids for 6 hours on Saturday.  Brian would be out of town and I have a nursing baby.  I called Dalea and she arranged to have her 12 year old Brailey at the temple with the baby.  A few minutes later I received a phone call.  It was Coral Briscoe.  She is a woman in our ward who is Weston’s nursery leader.  I don’t know her well.  I have talked to her a few times and she loves loves loves Weston.  She took out her own endowments just a few months ago.  She is single with 2 great teenage kids.  Anyway,  after the initial pleasantries she came right out with it.  “I just had a feeling I needed to call you and ask if there was anything I could do to help you…can I ever watch your kids or anything?”  I paused,”Seriously?”  I told her my situation and clarified that we were talking about 5-6 hours with 3 kids (one of them being Weston…who is like 3 kids alone ).  She declared she would LOVE to as her kids were with their dad that day and she had nothing else going on.  Have you ever had an answer to an un-uttered prayer?  I have. 

Saturday came.  Jeff and Maren had the 2 older girls overnight and brought them back about noon.  I picked up Coral at about 1pm, brought her home, and gave a few instructions.  I was off.  I had Charlie with me.  Upon arriving at the temple a few minutes early, I fed the baby and handed her off to Brailey who arrived just at that moment.  I was in the temple….it’s been awhile since I have been able to go with the new baby and pregnancy making it a difficult thing to do. 

We went through the endowment session and then straight on over to the sealing.  After sealing Debbie and John the sealer had John stand in front of the mirrors alone.  He asked him what he saw.  “Myself forever”  The sealer then hammered home that had he not come to be sealed to his wife, that would be his future…a lone man for eternity.  I have never seen that done in all the sealings I have been too.  He then had Debbie come stand with him.  “Now what do you see?”  It was quite a moment.  And then they brought in the three children…

Not a dry eye…

Especially Jordann, their 14 year old daughter who really understands what is happening here…

After sealing the family the sealer had them stand together in front of the mirrors to see what they had for eternity.  It was one of the most moving experiences of my life.  I have difficulty putting in words how beautiful and TRUE it was.  How anyone, who has been through something like this, could doubt the truth and power that is the gospel of Jesus Christ is beyond me. 

Everyone worried about how John might take this new experience, as he is the lone member in his extended family, need not worry.  The smile he had on his face the whole time and the look of understanding and light in his eyes was enough to know that he gets it and was more than ready to take these steps. 

The baby was fine, although completely unwilling to take a bottle, so a bit hungary.  The other children had a great time with Coral who did not let them watch TV (bless her) and played games, played princess, and read books all afternoon. 

How grateful I am for an answer to my un-uttered prayer so that I might participate in such a spiritual,  uplifting, and faith promoting day.

  Ok so maybe I never did get back to subtitling the last pictures…sorry.  I plead super busy-ness.  Quick up-date on the kids. 

Charlotte…the dream baby.  Her only fault is she refuses to take a bottle even if it’s expressed milk.  I was hoping to get a little freedom from the 3 hour feeding demand but she throws major fits when we have tried.  In fact…since I have tried coaxing her over the past few weeks she has decided she won’t even take a pacifier.  None of the fake stuff for her.  Luckily she is so good I guess we’ll just wait this one out.  Like I said she is on a 3 hour feeding schedule.  During the day that is pretty much like clockwork…at night she will stretch 7-8 hours.  I have been able to put her down at about 8:30-9:00 which is better than any of the other kids at this age.  She is extremely smiley and talkative.  She goos and squeaks and will have a regular conversation with us.  Cuteness in abundance.  She is sooo pretty with dark hair and dark but still undetermined eye color.  She has really fattened up and is in 6-9 month clothes already…she skipped the 3-6 month.  She has developed rolls on top of rolls.  I just want to eat her up.  She loves to be held sitting up so she can converse and giggle but she loves her swing as well and is content to sit there.  Sometimes her sister Rosie likes to love her a bit too much and a howl ensues but mostly she is just content and sweet.

Wwwweston…it seems this last week his vocabulary has grown ten fold.  I think he has figured out that he gets further if he uses words.  I thought it was so cute that he actually used the word “cookie” that I gave him a cupcake he was pointing to.  WHAT was I thinking…minutes later cupcake crumbs were spread all over the house.  A momentary lapse.  Won’t happen again.  He says “tub” when he wants to get in the bath.  ” Done, cookie, more cookie, daddEEE, momEEE, babEEE or bubba for Charlotte, nack for snack, stuck, I stuck (it happens a lot), dypee for diaper, owwie (which he presents for a kiss) are a few of the ones he uses most.  Of course, he understands everything pretty much.  He continues to try my patience with menacing behavior like pulling the ovens open and using them to stand on to get to the stove and microwave…and yes he has turned the microwave on until it overheated.  The stove he just dismantles.  He uses chairs from anywhere he can find to climb on counters.  He is usually after the sink which he likes to turn on and play in.  Unfortunately we have the kind that the faucet comes off to spray…all the more fun.  We go through a lot of towels.  He likes to push buttons on the washer and dryer as well so sometimes laundry day turns into days because he either starts loads over or turns them off.  So most of our chairs are on tables and counters.  It slows him down only slightly as he still manages to find a way most of the time.  It takes me forever to get anything accomplished because I am following him around undoing the tornado in his wake.  He can open the dishwasher and has recently learned to open the cupboards with handles that are beyond his reach.  This means the canned food and jars are in danger.  I have been using socks to tie the cupboards shut.  I’m running out of mismatched socks.  He is a problem solver and has figured it all out which creates loads of new problems for me. Brian thinks it’s child abuse when I put him in his high chair for the hour (or so) before dinner but I say it keeps me from child abuse to confine him for a period of time so I can finish something  like feeding the rest of the family.  He still takes a nap in his high chair as well…its the only place I can get him to take one outside of the car.  He has to be bored and when there is so much to get into he doesn’t take a nap unless he is confined.  So at noon he goes into his chair…falls asleep within 10 minutes, sleeps for 45 minutes, wakes up and eats lunch.  By then I have usually gotten my bearings back.  He still has trouble sleeping through the night and usually ends up cuddled up to me.  Lucky for us Charlotte is a good sleeper.

Rosie….hit a growth spurt recently and looks 6 instead of the nearly 4 she is.  Her hair is finally growing back after the incident earlier this summer.  She loves to tell us stories about anything and has quite the imagination.  She really can be delightful and has a smile with giggles that warm my heart.  There is the inner monster though that she struggles with…it screams really loudly and throws fits when it doesn’t get it’s way.  She is learning to get it under control though.  Her older and mostly sweet older sister and little brother like to push the monsters buttons to see it come out on occasion though.  She has become much more helpful to me the last few months.  She like to take on new responsibilities that she sees Serra doing.  She likes to set the table, change the laundry out, make the baby or Weston happy, or help me with anything in the kitchen that will allow her to sit on the counter.  She is the consummate question asker and even after you give her an answer she will ask it again…I think she just like to have conversation.  She loves her daddy and sometimes cries when he goes to work.  She has started getting up at the crack of dawn to make sure she doesn’t miss him.  For some reason she doesn’t require sleep like most children.  Even when she gets up at 6:30 or 7 she has trouble going to sleep by 9pm…and comes out of her room for every reason in the book.  Brian usually spends 30 minutes or so in a bedtime routine with back scratches, back draws, stories, questions, etc…and that helps to settle her down.  There have been a few times that Brian falls asleep on the couch watching TV late at night.  At about 2am the DVR switches channels to Disney to record Little Einsteins for Rosie.  She hears it and wakes up and comes in and climbs on Brians lap to watch.  He wakes up and asks what she is doing and tells her to go back to bed…”Not yet Daddy…It’s not over yet.”   She loves a handful of shows and I can get her to do all her little tasks with the reward of getting to watch them.  Mommy’s mood is very important to Rosie and she chastises her when she loses patience.  She has started writing some letters and “wumbers”  and loves to draw pictures.  She tells and talks out stories as she draws.  Most of the stories involve her cousin “Ebawin” or Evelyn.  We sure love our little Rosie.

Serra…our second grader…is doing fantastic in school.  She really loves it and is taking responsibility to a new level.  She has taken the challenge of becoming responsible to a very mature level, so she can get her ears pierced.  She does her homework on her own and has a slew of morning chores she takes care of.  She also is so much help with the baby.  Sometimes I forget she is only 7…she seems so much older to me.   She is even receiving the responsible citizen award at school next week…quite an honor.  She lost another tooth 2 days ago making the gap in her face substantial.  She is missing the top four front teeth and only one is starting to peek through.  Poor kid can’t eat apples, corn on the cob, hamburgers or anything that requires a good set of teeth to bite with.  She is delightful and oh so beautiful.  I wonder if she will ever go through an awkward stage?  She loves to tell jokes (still learning there) and loves to play games.  The other night after she lost her tooth she was asking about the tooth fairy and said, “sometimes I wonder if the toothfairy is parents.”  Brian balked and declared he looked nothing like a fairy and that he was far too noisy to ever pull off that kind of stealth.  That night the toothfairy fell asleep on the couch and forgot to replace the lost tooth with monetary compensation.  When she disappointedly came to us the next morning to let us know the toothfairy hadn’t shown up we told her that maybe the fairy had felt bad she had questioned her existence and so didn’t come.  Her eyes got wide and she declared she was a believer.  The toothfairy came last night. 

I stole my sister Serra’s idea on selling recycled flowers on Etsy and business is booming.  I have about 6 Goodwills, 2 DI’s and a few Salvation Army’s to keep me supplied and I hit the motherload last week.  So I spend a few hours a week keeping that endeavor going on top of all the rest. 

Charlie at 3 months

Serra and the gap

Serra and her second grade teacher Mr. Avellino

Charlie a few weeks ago and Rosie and Wes just messing around.

Rosie found a hat and accessorized with a flower.  And the rest are some of Rosie’s awesome art work.

The last one is a haunted house in case you couldn’t tell.

82 Pictures for your viewing pleasure…check back later for subtitles…gotta go. (PS.Thanks Julie for action aids…I have had fun experimenting…i’m sure you can pick’em out.)

Our two week trip to Utah ended up lasting 3 weeks.  Brian came up in the middle week and we were supposed to drive home together…but as Serra didn’t start school for another few weeks we decided to stick around, enjoy the much cooler temps of northern Utah, participate in more extended family gatherings,  get some canning done with Moms big time help, and play with cousins.  We were able to participate in the Brower Family Reunion, and both a Brower and an Arnell cousin party.  I won’t even begin to list all the family we were able to reconnect with.  It was a real treat to see so much family though.  We spent one day at Bear Lake with Julie, Serra, and Darci and all the kids.  Although the babies didn’t think much of the experience with the wind and sun, the other kids had a blast and still talk about how much fun they had.  That same day we had dinner at Grandma Arnell’s in Bear Lake.  It is a place that has changed little since I was a child.  It is always nostalgic to go there and feel the outside world melt away for a few hours.  There are no traffic sounds, the air is (mostly) fresh, and you can hear farm sounds in the distance…a moo here, a whiney there.   The kids disappear and explore and find treasures like rusty horseshoes…that somehow make it into the car with us.  I hope we have many more visits there ahead of us but I fear they are limited.

We enjoyed a picnic at first dam where the kids picked up leeches from the water, Evelyn got goosed by a goose, and we left a nice film of oil on the water by feeding the ducks leftover scones.  Hee hee.   When we picked up Brian from the airport we took the day and visited Grandpa and Grandma Gee and Aunt Lynette.  We wanted them to be able to meet Charlotte and knew it might be awhile until that happened otherwise.  Michelle Koch also hooked us up with squeaky shoes to last through the next year.

I know the girls both had a fabulous time.  They got to watch movies in the downstairs theatre, play with cousins nearly everyday, and honestly I rarely saw them.  I saw a big change in Weston.  He was happier than I have seen him since CK was born.  He was able to spend a lot of time outside which he loves, and he loved following Grandpa around helping in the garden.  He especially liked picking things which was a bit of a problem but Grandpa and Grandma were pretty nice about it.  He learned to jump on the trampoline which is much easier to get onto than ours is.  And he got a taste of cousin rivalry and had to actually share toys when Ethan and Landon were around.  I think in a few years they will all be the best buddies ever, but right now it’s a bit competitive.   

It was nice having a few extra hands and eyes to help with the kids now and then.  I was able to do some much needed shopping for winter clothes.  Serra and Weston mostly…I rediscovered DI though and my addiction to going treasure hunting there and at the Goodwill Superstore has been fed by the number of such places here in Vegas. 

One of the highlights of the visit was the Wellsville founders day celebrations on Labor Day.  It was our last day there and we took in an awesome parade in the morning, enjoyed the awesomely politically incorrect sham battle (pioneers, cavalry, and Indian battle),  spent the afternoon enjoying the booths and rides, and getting sunburned.  Then in the evening we dutch ovened at Serra and Rich’s place.  They have a fantastic backyard.  Once again I rarely saw the kids as they were off getting rides on Dallas’s four wheeler, and teasing the goats.  I actually sat out on the lawn for nearly an hour at one point completely alone (except for Charlotte) and just basked in the perfection of the weather and the day.  Sitting there in the grass at the base of the Wellsville mountains, in the shade of a tree, I thought that life didn’t get much better.  I knew the following day I was going to have to return to triple digit temps and was soaking in as much of it as I could.  We even had to break out the sweaters that evening.  Ahhhhh!

We missed Brian terribly though and were anxious to get home and get back into a routine.  We came home on a Tuesday…the first week in September and spent about a week trying to get the house in order and our schedule figured out.  Then Serra started the second grade on the 14^th.  She has Mr. Avellino this year and after 2 weeks we are quite pleased with how things are going.  He is a great teacher and she is really responding well to him and the way he runs his classroom.  In Serra news:  She has been asking about getting her ears pierced and this last week got pretty serious about wanting it done.  I always thought I would either let my girls do that at 8 or 12 depending on how mature they were or how we felt about it at that time.  We discussed it and decided that she has a few months to show us she can be responsible about taking care of her belongings.  If she succeeds in showing us that she will be able to take care of and keep her things cleaned up and tidy, and that she can do her responsibilities without constant reminding she can have her ears pierced for her 8^th birthday.   We are really milking it too.  All I have to say is “remember your responsibilities” and she is scurrying to do her tasks.  She gets up in the morning and feeds the dog, gets dressed, tidies up the living room if I need her too, gets her school things all ready, and usually doesn’t need prodding.  She reminds me when she has been responsible…just in case I hadn’t noticed.  She is really a big help with CK too.  Sometimes the baby just wants to be held and Serra can put her to sleep while I am getting dinner or something.  It so great to have a Serra!  She asked me about how it felt to get your ears pierced, and I was explaining how there is an earring gun and it shoots the earring right into your ear.  She cringed and said…”Yeah but I don’t want you to do it, I want a professional.” 

While there Charlotte went from 5 weeks old to 8 weeks old and grew out of all her clothes.   We also struggled with her and some extreme fussiness…I thought she might have acid reflux and close to the last day there used some of cousin Landons medication that had helped him when he was struggling with an extreme case of the same.  Well…long story short…CK is a new baby.  She hardly fusses at all now and we have gotten a prescription from her pediatrician in Las Vegas to continue on the treatment for a while.  She is a happy and very smiley baby.  She has started cooing and gooing while smiling.   She had her 2 month check up and weighed in at a whopping 14 lbs and is 22 inches.  The doctor was quite amazed at her weight gain and complemented me on the fat content of my milk.  “Please to don’t talk about my breast milk.”  (The Office)  I will admit though that the demand of an infant along with the responsibilities that already existed with the other 3 and keeping the house going has thrown me for a loop.  Weston is a challenge by himself as he has discovered countertops.  He will take whatever measures he needs to in order to obtain access to higher regions.  The barstools have been put away, the kitchen chairs adorn the tabletop when not being sat upon, and still he has figured out how to open cupboards and scale the shelves to gain access to mostly the sink.  He loves the sink.  I am constantly wiping up water.  I will admit he spends a few hours a day confined to his high chair so I can accomplish something without having to worry about what he is doing.  He usually takes his nap in the highchair as well.  He has to be bored in able to nap so that’s the only place to lessen the stimulation enough to get him to rest for a bit.  He has started talking a little bit more but is mostly a pretty quiet menace.  He does scream loud enough when he is bothered by a sister though.   He too has grown excessively over the summer.  I don’t know if it was the fresh Utah air or what but he is into size 3T and his feet skipped a size.  I think Rosie just grew out of the size 8 he is now in.  He is a thick kid who likes to be lugged around, and sorry!, but Dad’s about the only one who can manage it anymore.  He’s about 35 pounds. 

Rosie has matured a lot over the summer and doesn’t throw fits nearly as much although she has her moments.  She loves to draw and is really quite good.  She pays attention to details like earrings and faces.  If I am at my computer you will find her next to me drawing.  She is usually singing or humming.  She has learned the primary songs really well this year and sings them all the time.   She had a great time in Utah and talks about Evelyn all the time and draws her pictures and notes.  She has also grown very attached to Brian and will cry sometimes when he leaves for work.  Brian has made efforts on several days to be home early to make this little girl happy.  She loves her cuddle and story time with Daddy at night. 

A week after I got home the lady I visit teach (Doris Heaps who just turned 90) got sick and was taken to the hospital.  She had a perforated ulcer and bowel and was in so much pain they put her to sleep.  She died a few days later in that sleep.  Her services were in Utah so we are throwing our own memorial here and I am hosting it on Friday.  With Conference on Saturday and Sunday it looks like it will be a busy weekend. 

Pictures to come:

Time sure flies…it’s been 5 weeks since Charlotte was born.  I have recovered well and the kids are adjusting.  Weston is still having the hardest time not being the baby but is doing much better.  We are presently in CacheValley for family visits and reunions.  He is loving being to play outside and the boy cousins are a special treat for him.  He loves to play with Jacob and Joseph.  He is a man of few words.  He got in my face this morning, grinned and said, “HI!”  That was a first.  His most famous phrase though is, “I stuck”.  He says this when he is confined to his high chair or car seat or when ever he gets himself into a pickle of some sort.  If you ask him if he’s poopy, he makes a disgusted face and says, “ughck”.  He really does love his little sister though and gives her lots of juicy kisses and pats on the head. 

A Serraism for you…I have my phone alarm set to go off in the morning at the time we need to leave to take Serra to school.  While hurrying Serra along I told her to hurry because my alarm was about to go off…She looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, “Shouldn’t you say, the alarm is about to go ON?” 

Rosie loves to draw and read.  Lately she has been making drawings for her cousin, “Ebewin”(Evelyn).  She made a really cute one and I asked her what it was.  She told me is was a picture of Ebewin and the thing in the corner was a cucumber for her to eat.  She must have had cucumbers on the brain since that is the only thing that our garden has produced thus far. 

We took the kids to the lake a few weeks ago.  In all the time we have lived in Las Vegas I haven’t been to Lake Mead.  It was 110 degrees outside though and so I stayed in the car with the baby.  We picked up KFC but the doofus at the drive through didn’t give us any utensils or napkins so we couldn’t eat half of it and then Wes stepped on the mashed potatoes and gravy in the car…at least the kids had fun swimming for a bit in the bath warm water of the lake.

We blessed Charlotte on the 16th.  It worked out well as Mom and Dad came through Vegas for Skylar Onken’s wedding.  They were able to bring the blessing dress and stay for the blessing as well.  Dave and Melissa, Jeff and Maren, and Garys family were also there.  Our friends the Ellis’s and Tim Pope came as well as the Andersons that live in Vegas.  The Andersons took care of most all the food which was a major help to me.  It was a great day…we are so grateful for all the family support we always recieve. 

As I mentioned we are in Logan without Brian unfortunately.  We are hoping he can join us later next week.  The kids are having a blast.  Swimming, trampoline, movies, nature, cousins…what more does a kid need.  Dad had the kids plucking carrotts from the ground and snipping sweet peas yesterday.  Some of my children forget to eat they are having so much fun.  They are exhausted at night and bedtime is a little challanging by myself but it’s all worth it for the adventures the kids are having everyday. 

Enjoy the pictures again and when we go home we’ll have ones from our Utah adventures. 

By the way…the weird bridge picture is the skybridge that is being built by Hoover Dam.  It goes over the Colorado River just past the Dam so traffic can bypass the dam.  Right now they stop every car going over the Dam for security purposes.  The bridge is quite the engineering feat.  Brian loves bridges so we drove out to see the progress. 

She is here! 

 CHARLOTTE KAYE ANDERSON

7/17/09

1:12pm

8lbs 15oz

20 inches

OK!  So we are a little over a week in and it has been an adjustment to say the least.  Weston is having a hard time with all the attention that baby Charlotte is getting.  He isn’t sleeping well at night (and so neither are Mom or Dad)  and the fits during the day have increased.  He is very good with the baby and doesn’t really connect that she is the reason but he knows something has rocked his world and isn’t pleased about it.  Hopefully he will begin adjusting better as we get into a more normal routine. 

The girls (especially Serra)  are over the moon about the baby.  It’s like a war over who gets to hold her and how long and who has already had enough time.  Serra proclaimed yesterday while we were at the Andersons that it was time to go home so she could hold the baby.  Everyone there was hogging her. 

I am recovering nicely.  My insides (as Julie puts it) don’t feel quite right yet, but over all I feel really good.  It is so nice to have 30 lbs less to pack around and to be able to bend over. 

Baby Charlotte is (so-far) a really good baby.  She hardly fusses at all…usually when she is hungary or wants to be held at night.  Even though I am up a lot at night I still feel like I am getting enough sleep…especially if I can squeeze in a short snooze during the day when both cabooses are sleeping.  She is by far my floppiest baby and seems smaller than the others, even Serra.  But she has great alert moments and doesn’t seem bothered by all the commotion around her.  She loves having her hair washed.  She closes her eyes and doesn’t fuss or struggle as I run warm water through it. 

So let me back up a bit. Thursday the 16th at 8:15 I went to the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine which is the specialist I have to see because of my “advanced maternal age” as well as other issues I have.  There we did an amnio to check for lung maturity.  Having done this procedure once before I wasn’t overly nervous but I was blessed with the stomach flu that day, so along with the cramps that come from the amnio I had stomach cramps from the flu.  Adriane was very kind and took Wes and Rosie for the day and Brian took care of shuttling them around later.  I spent the day sleeping and trying to save energy for the next day.  I was much better the next morning and with the positive results from the day before we headed to Southern Hills Hospital for a 6am induction.  Mom arrived late the night before and stayed home with the kids for the morning until we called her later as things progressed.  Adriane took the kids again (thanks! big time). 

So with our arrival I had to start the antibiotics because I test positive for Beta Strep.  With that comes the dreaded IV and monitors.  Surprisingly I was at 3cm when I got there.  I guess the cramps from the day before actually did some work for me.  After about 2 hours I started the pitocin drip and things started moving.  I got the epidural not long after that.  It took the anesthesiologist 30 minutes at least and he struggled the whole time and was not gentle I might add.  (I was left with a baseball size bruise on my back) Finally he got it in with a lot of discomfort and I settled in for a few more hours.  My water was broken for me and then things started happening.  Unfortunately, something went wrong with the epidural just as they maxed out the pitocin and I got to go through about 20-30 minutes (it felt longer) of transition without anything.  The anesthesiologist came back in and redid the epidural and got it right but gave me triple the medication I needed.  I was so numb I could no longer feel the pressure I was feeling before.  I started getting nervous because I need to be able to feel the pressure in order to effectively push.  The nurse came in to check me and hollered to get Dr. Martin in immediately as the baby was on it’s was out.  SAY WHAT!  I wasn’t doing anything and the kid was crowning.  Dr. Martin came in and the nurses started putting my feet up.  My doctor told them to put my legs back down he wasn’t ready yet.  As soon as he was dressed and ready (maybe a minute more) they put my legs back up and by then Charlottes head was already out.  He told me to give a little push.  I grunted halfheartedly since I couldn’t feel anything and out she came.  I think I should get a discount since my doctor didn’t have to do anything.  No tears or episiotomy.  So he didn’t even have to stick around for stitches. 

One of my favorite life moments is when they put my new babies up on my chest immediately after delivery.  I love the look on those little faces.  This time was no different.  It was a dejavu moment for me as she looked so much like Serra did.  Brown eyes and eyebrows and all that nearly black hair.  Her face was all scrunched up with displeasure at this new rude world.  She is my first baby to have the vernix all over her.  She has very petite fingers and long toes.  She had no cone head since she spent nearly no time at all in the birth canal.  She let out a few lusty cries and then quieted down when they put her under the heat lamps.  This was also my first experience at a hospital where they don’t have a nursery so they do all the “processing” and cleaning up in the room.  It’s the first time I have been able to watch.  I was over taken by a pretty serious case of the shakes right after and being able to watch her helped take my mind off it.  It took hours for the epidural to wear off.  It’s a strange feeling to not be able to control ones limbs, and when I sat up I felt like I was sitting in a bowl full of jello.  That doesn’t say good things about my bum.  I enjoyed my stay at the hospital.  I actually got some good rest and enjoyed visitors each day. 

It is so wonderful to be on this side of delivery though and home and getting back into the swing of things.  These pictures are all from the first week with a photo shoot on day 6 so we could compare her to Serra’s day 6 photos. 

Let’s get this show on the road!

Put me back in!

How can you just not love that face. 

first moments. 

Brian making the phone calls and holding the newest addition. 

The troops meet her for the first time.  Wes wasn’t impressed that day at all.  He took a look at her but wouldn’t touch her.  He also didn’t want me to hold him much…he clung to his dad alot. 

Day two…still at hospital.

I think all my baby swings are going to bite the dust since I can’t keep this giant toddler out of them. 

Taken a few days before…Wes and Jill hanging out in the cupboard at Grandma Andersons.

Thems some blue eyes.

The girls with cousin Jill shortly before she moved to Ohio. 

Wes likes his baby sister but he is dangerous as he likes to throw things about and sometimes forgets to be gentle.  The only safe place for the baby is in the crib. 

Rosie and Grandma Arnell messing around with the camera.  Mom Arnell came and helped out for a few days and she was invalueble.  We are still enjoying the food she prepared and brought and we have been able to maintain the house pretty well. 

Day 2 and 3

Day 6 photo shoot. 

Ok…I know her feet look like monkey feet here…I swear it’s just the angle…they really aren’t THAT big. 

So here is for comparison…the first pictures here are of Serra and the second is Charlotte. 

So this will be my last post before the baby comes.  I have my daily lists made out with a few things to do everyday in preparation.  Yes, I am a list maker, a planner.  That is not why we have scheduled an induction on the 17th (one week from today) but it certainly doesn’t hurt my need to plan. 

Typically we find ourselves in Park City at the Anderson family cabin for a family reunion on the 4th of July.  But due to my increasing size and state we felt it better to stay put.  We spent the 4th of July with Brian’s high school buddies here in Vegas.  The kids played all afternoon in an awesome pool/slide contraption and we had plenty of fireworks and sparklers in the evening to make it just perfect.  It was warm so it was nice that I was able to stay inside for most of the day and eat berries and sip cold drinks.  The kids didn’t seem to notice the heat much and wore themselves out.  While Serra was playing outside in the pool she got hit in the face and her front tooth got knocked out.  All the kids searched and were able to find the missing tooth.  It was already slightly loose so no harm done.  She lost her other one a few weeks ago and now has a gaping hole in her face. 

As of today I am slightly past the 36 week mark.  I am HUGE!  No surprise there.  There was an evening last week when I had contractions 6 minutes apart for 3-4 hours.  I was starting to wish I had already preregistered at the hospital when things calmed down and baby decided to wait a few more weeks.  I feel really good except for the moving around part.  It is getting increasingly more difficult to move this belly around.  Brian has stepped up and is helping out more than usual.  He even made the final Costco run today and took the kids. 

We did a casual photo shoot this morning with the baby cousins, Jill, Violet, and Weston.  We were able to get a few cute ones of them together one last time before Jill takes off to the other side of the country for her daddy’s schooling. 

So here we are and next post we will be 6.

I was looking for a picture of something on the internet and came across this painting.  Weirded me out.  Looks like my sister Serra with a fro. 

4th of July…giganto slide fun!

Rosie only wanted to go down the slide when the water was turned off and no kids were around.  That didn’t occur very often.

But it’s always fun shooting water at your sister.

Weston was not nearly as amused as Serra.

Wes LOVED the water gun.  He had pretty good aim too.

Gotta have sparklers.

Rosie’s first experience with sparklers.  Thanks Jeff and Maren (yeah we finally used the ones you brought over like 2 years ago.)

A dad and his boy enjoying fireworks.

Toothless and slightly richer. 

35 weeks and counting…I probably should have at least put on some makeup.  After baths it’s cuddle time with Dad.  Look!  I see room for one more. 

Three babies…Jillian 18 months, Weston 18 months, and Violet 15 months.  They are good buddies. 

Loves

Jillian…always ready with a smile. 

Violet with her pretty curls…and Weston, THE MAN.

Living right or lucky?  Blind Luck or Blessing?

It involves a TV so who really knows.  Either way…here’s the story…

Yesterday Serra turned on the TV and the picture popped and went blank.  This is the plasma we bought when we moved to Vegas 3 years ago.  It was quite costly and we fully expected to get more wear out of it.  Brian made some calls and we paid someone to come out and give us an estimate on fixing it.  They were coming in at $400 – $500 just to replace the fuse or circuit or whatever it was that was bad.  Apparently, the brand we bought has this specific problem.  So do we spend the money to fix it only to have the same issue a few years down the road or have another problem with it that will cost the same to fix?  It was cheaper than replacing it but that was an awful lot of money to throw at a TV when we have other priorities right now. 

We bought it at Costco so Brian decided to go down and talk to costumer service just to see what they said.  As he pulled into the parking spot he noticed a womans purse in a cart.  He looked inside for a number and found credit cards, concert tickets, a costo card (and enough cash to fix our TV I might add).  But is there really any temptation in taking the money?  Not for Brian.  He turned it in and through the costo card the store was able to contact her immediately.  Brian found out that the lady was in tears over it…so glad it was Brian that found it and not some dirt head.  Anyway…he told the costumer service guy that he felt silly even asking about the TV because it had been 3 years and it’s not like we didn’t use it or anything…we use it a lot.  Costco has a 90 day return policy on electronics that went into effect January 2007.  We purchased it in 2006 when the return policy was anything at anytime for any reason.  So because we purchased it then we were grandfathered in to that policy.  Well, the best part about it is…Plasma TV’s are nearly 1/2 the price now.  We get to replace the TV and will have enough left over for about 3-4 months of grocery money.  My head is spinning at this good fortune. 

So…do we feel badly or like we are taking advantage…NO!  When you spend as much as we spent it should last longer.  The CS guy told Brian they took one back recently that was 10 years old…I think that’s pushing it a bit, but it was their policy. 

Rosie has started calling a stuffed cat Mr. Pennybone…is that the name of Goofy’s cat?  I took the kids to the free movie’s at the theater this morning and it was a packed house.  Serra came home and told Brian that the movie was stuffed. 

     The kids have been really into animals and sharks, especially lately.  We wanted to take them to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay as it has a great display of all sorts of ocean and marine creatures but the tickets were pretty pricey.  Brian kept his eyes open and got a great deal on Craigslist for the whole family.  We went this afternoon.  Rosie kept yelling SHARK! SHARK! every time she saw one which was every few seconds…and for those of you that know Rosie, you know that that volume is exceptional.  They loved the giant octopus and the sting rays were a huge hit with Serra especially.  Wes even banged on the glass and got excited.  Rosie has been busy drawing sharks and shark teeth since we arrived home.

Wes and Serra checking out the sting rays.

Best we could get with Brian’s phone since I forgot my camera…cute Rose loved the sharks and the octopus…

We have been keeping busy although many of my days lately get taken up by naps.  I am getting to the end of this pregnancy and it’s taking its toll on this old body.  We had a growth scan on Monday the 15th and as per standard Anderson baby, this one is destined to be sizable.  She is estimated to be between 6 and 7 lbs already…normally a baby is around 4 lbs at this stage.  The ultrasound also showed an extreme amount of hair on this little girls head. (also standard for our critters) Serra is currently on track break and she spends a lot of time running little errands for me and chasing Weston around.  I don’t know what I would do without her.  Rosie is a help about 30% of the time but can’t be counted on quite as much…she is only 3 after all.  We spend a few days a week at our neighbors pool.  It’s sooo nice to be weightless for a few minutes now and then. 

The weather has been amazing this month.  We barely cracked 90 this last week.  It has been in the low 80′s for the whole month and we have really enjoyed being able to spend more time outside without melting.  It is unheard of weather for Vegas in June.  So much for global warming…once again. 

We had to kick out our renters this last month as the lady’s 17 year old felon son robbed the neighbor.  She didn’t list him on the lease probably because he has a previous record of grand larceny and she wanted to avoid questions.  We felt badly for her because she is terminally ill, and is working her tail off trying to pay bills and provide for her kids, but in the end she broke contract by having someone living there that wasn’t on the lease.  The kid is in jail as far as we know…we think he got tried as an adult and will be put away for a while.  Anyway…we have been stressing about that property and what we need to do now.  We have been able to get another renter in there as of this weekend so we didn’t lose too much time.  It made our decision on what to do with the property a little easier to make.  More about that later if it goes well. 

Wes said his first official words about 2 weeks ago.  Shoes and foot…he said them about a minute apart while I was taking his sunday shoes off.  He will still say them every now and then and start grinning.  He has versions of other words as well…done, boo, dad…of course to the untrained ear they all sound like…ba and da…but I know the difference.  He had his first bought with the stomach flu last week.  5 days of barfing and watery diapers.  It was a challenge to keep him hydrated and I think he lost a little weight since he ate almost nothing.  He received a blessing about 3 days in and was remarkably better within 24 hours.  He was still a mostly happy little guy through it all but he slept more during the day and wanted me to hold him a lot.  No one else came down with it (with the exception of his 2 little girl cousins) so we have been grateful to let that all pass into history. 

The kids continue to keep me laughing everyday and I try to write down the best ones so here are some of the good ones. 

Serraisms:

Serra: Does having a baby hurt?  Mom:  Yes.  Serra:  Like the horns in my poop? (Horns is the word she uses for thorns…although I don’t know which is funnier if either were true) 

Serra still uses the work “stunk” for “skunk”.

Rosieisms:

Rosie:  Serra’s a-puter(computer) is all bro-keen!  Serra:  It’s not broken, I just shut it down.  Rosie:  I want you to shut it up!

Rosie after stubbing her toe:  I got an owie on my toe.  I got blood.  But I’m OK, I not give up.

Rosie uses the word “polka-nuts” for “polka-dots”.

I love my kids.

…before haircut

crazy hair day @ school

yeah…that was fun to brush out

 Rosieisms – I was boiling some noodles and I asked Rosie to let me know when the water was boiling so we could put the noodles in.  She kept a watch on the pot and ran in and let me know. ”The water is bumbling.”

After a tif with her sister…”Serra hurt myself.”

Monday night we were making hamburgers.  “I don’t want hamburgers.  I want pizza.”  I let her know I wasn’t making pizza.  “What about the pizza man.  He rings the bell and brings pizza.” 

Just now:  My kids like grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in spaghetti sauce.  It probably goes along with the love of pizza.  I just asked her what she wanted for lunch:  “I want sauce on the plate and cheese on the bread”.  I told her I was going to finish this blog and then I would make lunch.  “Just one more blug, ok mom.”

I guess it’s been a few weeks.  It seems that not much happens yet we stay very busy.  I have good days where I have a lot of energy and get a lot done and then can’t move at the end of the day because I overdo it.  Then I have days that I am tired from the moment I get up.  On those days I get done the necessary things and after lunch when Wes takes a nap I lay down and try to get some sleep so I can make it through dinner.  Rosie is so good.  She is very good at independent play and playing nicely with Weston.  She finds joy in making him happy.  “Mom, Wes was crying and I make him happy.”  They do tend to make messes rather quickly and Serra bears the brunt of that right now.  She doesn’t complain too much when she gets home from school.  She does her homework, works on sight words, does some reading, cleans up the messes the kids made during the day, helps me with dinner, and then in her words “is free”.  She usually wants to watch tv for a little while and thats when she gets too.  We have been very proud of her.  She has been passing off her sight word lists of 20 words each – 1-2 lists a week.  She gets 100% on her spelling tests every week and gets a McDonalds icecream cone when she does.  She has taken her school work seriously and we have been very pleased with her progress this year…especially in reading.  It really clicked for her the past few months and she can sit a read most of the picture books really well with a little help. 

Weston has turned a corner from being a minor menace to major menace.  He has discovered the wonderful world above his sight level that exists when chairs and stools are employed.  One of his favorite discovery areas are on top of my bathroom counter, the stove area (I know really safe), and mine and Brians desk areas.  He pushes a chair up to the bathroom counter and climbs up.  Sometimes I find him sitting in the sink with the water turned on.  He is of course delighted at his new found power.  The stove is a problem because he dismantles it and takes the parts with him to various areas of the house.  We have the stools up on counters most of the time.  The only time I have a problem is when one of the girls gets one down and forgets to put it back up.  Our offices are another issue.  He can wreak more havoc in a few moments than I have ever seen.  Tornado comes to mind.  Contents of drawers come out and piles of “organized papers” in Brian’s area are strewn about.  We could keep the office doors closed but Mo’s potty exit is in Brian’s office and his water is in mine.  Sometimes we close them anyway and rely on Mo’s door scratching to let us know he needs out or in.    I know this issue eventually goes away with age as I remember Rosie was the same way but in the mean time he drives us all a little mad.   But then he gives us a big toothy smile and an amazing hug and pats our backs while squeezing tight and we know we can deal with it for a few more months. 

So this month we made a quick trip to Utah for my Dad’s surprise 60th birthday bash.  It came off without a hitch.  All the planning was done through e-mails and we had a fantastic turnout with lots of good food and folks.  Mom was going slightly mad wanting to set something up ahead of time.  She had to show a lot of restraint not to be in on the planning.  It was amazing though.  After the surprise the party was set up within minutes and turned out perfect.  It was a great day with all siblings present, a lot of aunts and uncles, and cousins.  Grandma Arnell even made it.  It was great.  After we left is when all the excitement started though with Dad’s bought of amnesia on his birthday no less.  I will refer you to Dad’s post for the details of that adventure. 

This past Memorial Day weekend was a great family weekend for us.  Due to Brian’s inability to get anyone to do any work we were able to spend 3 full days together.  Saturday Serra had a swim birthday party in the morning.  After that we ate lunch.  Serra told me she already had lunch at the party.  I wasn’t aware they were serving lunch at the party.  I asked her what she ate.  “Cake and icecream.”  So I made her eat something else before we left.  We went to the Copelans home and swam with their family all afternoon.  It was Westons first time in a pool.  He loved it and was so relaxed.  Someone asked Rosie if she knew how to swim without floaties like her sister.  (Wrong way to phrase that question)  She gave them a look like they were a complete idiot while taking her floaties off.  She then proceeded to jump in the pool floaty free.  She sank.  She was very embarrassed and upset for a while, but it didn’t stop her from trying it again later.  I hope she got the message that she needs the floaties a little longer.  We had a BBQ later that evening with Brian’s high school buddies.  I am amazed that the kids can play outside for hours in 90 + degree weather and not pass out.  But they did.  Brian’s friend Greg has a great backyard and the kids stayed out the whole time having a great time.  Brian went to another friends house to watch the UFC fights that evening while I put the kids down.  I thought it might be hard on my own since I was so tired but they were all so exhausted they were out immediately. 

Sunday I had my regular Sunday school lesson as well as sharing time which I was glad to have over.  We usually go to the Andersons after church but they were out of town so we stayed home.  We tried to watch a movie with the kids but Brian and I both fell asleep so we don’t know what happened in the movie.  Monday I put the kids to work in the morning.  Their idea of cleaning is to put things out of sight as quickly as possible.  Usually things don’t get put away in the right places so we organized their closets and shelves a bit.  It took until lunch time and they did a good job so we went to the park for a few hours.  It is really hard to keep track of them all at the park we went to so I was glad Brian was there.  He chased Wes who chased dogs and pigeons.  He helped teach Rosie to hang upsidedown by here knees.  Serra was sad she had decided not to wear her bathing suit but got soaking wet anyway.  Most of the parks here have water toys (glorified sprinklers).  We finally had to go when I got too hot, and all the kids were red in the face and we were out of water.  We came home and BBQed hamburgers.  The best we did in memory of Memorial Day was discuss it in Family Home Evening.  We had red, white, and blue, frosted cupcakes with flags for treats.  I’m tired today but I am going to get started on some curtains for my bedroom anyway.  I finally got Brian to hang my curtain rods so now it’s my turn. 

I’m going to go get my kids fed and then post pictures so if they aren’t up and you are reading this come and check later. 

These girls have so much fun together.  Serra 7, George 5, Olivia 5, Rosie 3, Evelyn 3

Ready for the surprise.

Surprise!  Maybe not the best thing to do to a man turning 60…better than 70 or 80 I say. 

I know Dad likes his pearly whites but seriously.  Dad’s own mother would have done this to it. 

There we go. 

Wes found a cupboard that can’t be locked up. 

Big boys played outside all afternoon.

Little girls too. 

Can you spot the empty spot in Serra face.

Wes and Lizzy keeping baby Jane occupied. 

When we get cones Wes gets really upset when he isn’t passed one.  Mom has to eat it down to the cone part so it doesn’t get all over.  He is very happy when he gets his share.