Robert's Christmas 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas, the best I can remember. It was such a nice, relaxing, stress free family day. By 10:00 am we were done opening presents and the kids got busy playing with all their new goodies. The house was peaceful as they played together, modeled new clothes, and experimented with new hair gadgets. Ken and the boys spent a few hours in the garage assembling a basketball stand which has been a big hit with the whole family. Ken and I even got to squeeze in an hour nap while the kiddos watched a movie. We wrapped up the day with a nice but simple Christmas dinner. I can't think of anything that would have made it any better. Being together is awesome.

Here are a few pics from our festivities...

This is what the tree looked like after Ken and I were done bringing in all the gifts.

This is what it looked like a few minutes later. At 10:30 pm we heard a knock on the door. When Ken answered it he found 9 big boxes waiting outside. There was even one for Aftyn. On Christmas morning we discovered that they were blankets for everyone in the family from a family that Ken grew up with in Montana. I'll have to blog another time about how we ended up reuniting with this fun family, it was quite a coincidence. But it will have to wait. We didn't put all the pieces together about how the boxes arrived for a few more days when we discovered that Tami (Ken's sister) has been the keeper of the blankets since we last saw our friends and she was the secret doorbell ditcher. It was a super fun surprise!

This is organized chaos, trust me. We have a system. Everyone picks a spot and stays in that spot. Everyone has a box ready to collect their haul. We open one gift at a time. And wrapping immediately goes into the trash box. Check out Daric, he was so trapped. It's the ONLY way! He sat there the whole time playing with a gerbil zui zui pet. Total luck, but oh so nice.

We've all been enjoying these new scarfs from my sister, but Daric was so funny, he wouldn't take his off for two days. Each time we took it off it was like prying it out of his death grip. He looked pretty darn cute though.

Happy playing!

Daric's new tricycle.

McKenna is a good little mommy. I think I'll have lots of help when Aftyn is born.

Christmas was SO foggy and cold!

Toolman Todd

The girls in there new outfits from Grandma Roberts.

Well that was some of our Christmas.

Happy New Year everyone!

Finally Feeling it...

I just had to write a quick post just in case this is a fleeting moment....I'm finally feeling the Christmas spirit! I have had such a difficult time this year getting into the holiday spirit. It just doesn't seem like Christmas yet. I have been so stressed about doing enough for my kids on quite a limited budget. They are incredible and wouldn't care if they got one or a dozen presents, it's me that cares. I keep having to tell myself that that is not what Christmas is all about. Having a Christ centered Christmas is what truly matters. But somewhere in my mind I equated getting presents as a child with feeling loved.

I was telling Ken that I feel so stuck this year. Last year Ken was out of work and we were on the receiving end of a lot Christ-like love. It was humbling and very much appreciated. This year thankfully Ken has a job, but as much as I would like to reciprocate the generosity we have received in the past it just isn't feasible this year. Which makes me feel lousy. I haven't done any neighborhood gifts, or friend gifts, or extended family gifts, or gifts for the needy, or ANYTHING. I haven't even finished my kids shopping. It just feels so hard to feel the Christmas spirit when you can't give to people like you really want to. I've been feeling really rather blah about this holiday season.

Until today....Today I am so happy I'm almost giddy. I should back up and mention that I have been a real grouch with my kids lately. I am having a hard time being patient and they are spending (especially the little ones) a lot of time yelling and screaming at each other. That is usually how my day starts which instantly make me wish they came with a mute button. Yesterday Todd and McKenna woke up fighting with each other, it was all I could do to pull myself out of bed because all I really wanted to do was curl up in a corner of my closet and never come out. When I did finally get enough energy to get up and deal with the beginnings of a cruddy day I found Sydney and Tyler making me breakfast. Had I waited another 5 minutes it would have been breakfast in bed, instead it was breakfast on the couch. I was instantly humbled and so grateful. The rest of the day didn't proceed in the dreaded way I had anticipated. It went pretty darn good.

But today....today was a miracle and a much needed blessing.

This morning I slept in until almost 9 am. Daric didn't wake up early, then when he did he was happy and full of loves. McKenna and Todd didn't fight or scream at each other, they actually whispered. I woke up to peace in the house and lots of snow outside. Todd was the first to go outside to start shoveling. He was soon joined by three of our neighbors who completely shoveled our driveway, walkway, and sidewalks. Then my kids went across the street to do the same for another neighbor. Those neighbors joined our kids outside and had a great time playing in the snow. I stayed inside and paid bills...and guess what?....It wasn't torture. I had enough money to pay all the bills with some left over. Plus, we had a very generous gift from Santa arrive last night which enables me to not have to worry about Christmas anymore. I feel a huge weight off my shoulders. Ken and I will finish our shopping together later this week and although we still want to have a smaller than usual Christmas now it can be stress free. And I can enjoy it! I am finally excited and looking forward to Christmas instead of dreading it.

I know much of my blah attitude had much to do with the fact that I was struggling to be grateful. Thanksgiving came and went and I feel like I totally missed the boat in the gratitude department. I was feeling bad about that, but just couldn't seem to pull myself together and feel completely grateful for this particular stage of my life. That same blah  feeling has followed into December until today. Today I am grateful for so many things. They are the very same things that I took for granted yesterday. But today my heart if full, it is lighter, and I am happy. I am so blessed!

Merry Christmas everybody!   

Being Three

There is without a doubt something wonderful about having a little girl in the house. McKenna is an adorable little compact person. We love to hold, cuddle, and kiss her. We also love to watch her be her sweet/sassy little self. She looks too little to say and do some of the things she does, but that's one of the reasons she is so cute to us.

Sometimes Ken will be watching her then say something like..."What are we going to do when we don't have a little girl in the house? I wish she could just always stay that little." I usually respond by saying something like..."Well by then we'll practically have grandchildren." Then I can see the wheels turning in his head while he mentally calculates how old Aftyn will be before Sydney and Kaylie are old enough to have children of their own.

Now let me add a dose of reality to this pretty picture. McKenna does indeed melt our heart much of the time. However, the other part of the time she is full of attitude, sassyness, whining, arguing, complaining, fit throwing, and teasing. Which is why it is such a good thing she is so darn cute. Otherwise she may not survive being three.

Some days we sit mesmerized by her cuteness.

And some days go like this....

Okay, to be honest I don't know how to sum up this day quickly. So I'll just cut right to the chase. SHE CUT UP MY CLOTHES!

Yes, you read that correctly. After a whole day of getting into things that didn't belong to her. She ended her day with a big bang. While she was supposed to be in bed asleep she instead brought a stool over to my dresser and removed a pair of scissors. She then proceeded to the bathroom where from the looks of it she spent a lot of time. She must have been busy doing her business because it apparently took an entire roll of toilet paper to do the job. When I came to bed that night I found toilet paper piled so high it was sticking two inches out of the water. I also found scissors on the window seal. It wasn't until the next morning when I found scraps of cloth on the floor that I discovered what she did with the scissors.

She took the two last maternity shirts I own that actually sufficiently cover my huge belly and cut them to pieces. Why? I don't know.  I guess she was bored. After I banned her from my room for the rest of her life I asked her what she was thinking?  She then responded by acting like she couldn't understand what the problem was...Mom, you can just tape them back together, she sighed. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! It's been three days and I am still in shock. When Ken and I suggested that we cut up her clothes and let her tape them back together she responded by going into hysterics. So I think she gets that maybe that isn't such a great idea. But seriously, WHAT WAS SHE THINKING? I am so bummed, I really was counting on those two shirts making it to the pregnancy finish line with me.

So I repeat it is a good thing she is cute, because some days it's the only thing that saves her little round tooshie.

A Pregnancy Update

Today I am 31 1/2 weeks. If my doctor induces me at 37 weeks which I think he is planning on then that means I have less then 6 more weeks to go. For the last several weeks I have gone in for weekly appointments to make sure my blood pressure is under control. It had been rising at each appointment by now seems to be doing okay, thanks to a higher dose of blood pressure medicine.

A few weeks ago I went in for my regular check up and while listening to Aftyn's heartbeat she had a deceleration. Her heartbeat sounded so slow at first I thought it was my own, then it sped up then slowed down again. My doctor said not to worry too much that that can sometimes be normal, but of course I started to worry. This was the same week that I had to do a 24hr. urine test to make sure I wasn't getting toxemia and a 3hr. glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. It was also the week of Thanksgiving. By the time Thanksgiving was over I was exhausted physically and emotionally and was anxious for my next appointment to hear Aftyn's heartbeat again. During that appointment everything sounded fine, but I was having a completely hormonal day and had a total meltdown in the doctors office. Usually if I get emotional  I can wait until I am alone or away from the office before I let the tears flow, but this visit I just started bawling right in front of my doctor. He was sweet, he gave me a hug, then said I needed to find a woman to talk to. I thought it was kind of funny. I think it was the first time he realized I might be depressed or anxious about this pregnancy. It was actually the first time we had ever discussed my emotional feelings since my 16 week appointment when we first lost Zachary.

I have always wondered if doctor's ever really consider a woman's mental health during a pregnancy or if they just think about the physical health side of things. I've wondered what it would take for a doctor to say...whoa crazy lady, are you okay? I guess just breaking down and crying does the trick because at my next appointment the following week my doctor said he thought I was depressed and suggested a prescription of Zoloft. I explained to him that although this pregnancy has been very difficult for me I thought I was just having a bad week and that the Zoloft would not be necessary. I told him that if next week I still felt like ripping someones head off then we could talk about it again. This week when he asked how I was doing I was able to tell him I was feeling much better, he seemed relieved.

Last week he started doing non-stress tests and fluid checks on the baby. I have had two so far one last Wednesday day and one yesterday. Both times the tests have landed me in the hospital in labor and delivery for extended observation. During both times Aftyn's heartbeat has shown a deceleration when I have a contraction (which are coming more frequently) and other times throughout the test which could indicate a problem with her cord. She also does not show as much response to stimuli as they want to see. I think it's because being buzzed means nothing to her after all the zerberts she's gotten from Daric. Yesterday Ken and I both got really nervous just wondering and praying that everything was okay. I stayed in the hospital for a few hours and she did have a few more decelerations, but we later learned that this can be normal with 31 weeks old babies. Near the end of the non-stress test my doctor said she was looking good and felt like she was fine. I have another non-stress test on Thursday, we'll see if we can get through this one without a trip to the hospital. I will be glad when Aftyn is here safely and I can stop worrying if all is well.

Syd's New Look

On Thursday, Sydney, got BRACES! Check out these before, during, and after photos. Kinda funny.

BEFORE...

DURING...

STILL DURING...

 STILL MORE DURING...

ALMOST OVER...MCKENNA COMES TO CONSOLE HER BIG SISTER.

AFTER...

Sydney was so brave and did so good. I think I would have gagged having that thing in my mouth. She has been a bit sore but is beginning to feel better and able to chew a little. I think she is liking her braces. I also think they make her look older. Of course I think she is so CUTE! 

If anyone is looking for a great orthodontist on Orem let me know. Thompson Orthodontics has been great to work with  AND if you start treatment you get a hundred dollars off and so do I. If only I could find 40 kids who need braces I could have these babies paid for already. How's that for wishful thinking?

Robert's November Review

Here is a little recap of our month. 

We celebrated both Kaylie's and Daric's birthdays just four days apart. This is Kaylie's birthday, she turned 11, Daric turned 2 on Nov. 10th.

This is a list of a few things I wanted to get done this month. One night I came home and found that Sydney had wrote that little note at the bottom. "Tell No One" is from the movie 'The Grinch', it made me laugh. I wish I could take a 2 day girls night just for fun. It was a nice thought but that won't be happening.

Here is Ken busy doing homework. He LOVES the cozy warmth of the fireplace so what better place is there to bring in a mattress, sprawl out, and get comfy while you're filling your head with smarts? Ken has a busy few weeks ahead of him as he finishes up this semester but he is doing really well. Good Job, Baby!

We all had a great time taking turns trying on this wig that belongs to my sister-in-law. For what purpose she owns this wig I'm not sure, but I do know that her big burly husband sported it on Halloween along with a goat-tee and head band. This wig can make anyone look pretty dang HOT! NOT! On me it only added 10 lbs.

Whoa belly! This was taken at almost 29 weeks. I think I look HUGE. I guess that's what tight will do for ya. Tomorrow I start non-stress tests and ultrasounds to make sure all is well with Aftyn girl as McKenna calls her. I am still having trouble keeping my blood pressure down and although I did pass my 3 hr. glucose test my doctor wants me to eat like a diabetic which is not thrilling me. I can handle the sugar part, it's the breads that will be harder. Sandwiches and cereal is what's been keeping me alive. DANG!

This is Sydney with Grandma Roberts on Thanksgiving day. Syd was a big help to me in the kitchen. She helped me all morning get things ready. Grandma and Aunt LeAnn and my niece, Ashlee were also big helps. This year we did two smaller turkey breasts instead of one huge turkey, it was the best turkey I've ever had...way more juicy and tender. LeAnn also added orange slices underneath the skin which added to the perfection...it turned out delicious!

This year for Thanksgiving we had Ken's parents, his sister and her husband, his brother his wife and their four children, and my friend, Margaret. It was a nice day with good food and good company.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving Ken went to Elko, Nevada with his parents and sister to visit my mother-in-laws mother. The kids and I got out all of the Christmas decorations and decorated the house. This is a pictures of the kids making paper ornaments for our 'blessing tree'.

Here are the kiddies with grandma and grandpa the night before they headed back to Nebraska. They will make the long trip back in March for a baptism and baby blessing. We are looking forward to seeing them again soon.

We saved putting up the Christmas tree until Ken was home. Monday night for FHE we decorated the tree as a family.

November is over and  Christmas is just around the corner. I, for one have spent the last two days freaking out about all there is to do to be ready for Christmas and getting ready for a new baby to come. But, DUH! That is not what this season is all about. I am going to give myself a great big chill pill and just try and relax and enjoy the spirit of the holidays and the true meaning of Christmas-the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We wish all of you a great December and a very MERRY CHRIST*MAS!

Waking Up

My morning started at 6:45, it went like this....

Ken: Nancy did you open Daric's door?

Me: No

Ken leaves to investigate then comes back to our room.

Ken: Nancy, you didn't take Daric out of his bed?

Me: No, Ken. I haven't been up with him at all.

Ken: His door is open, his crib is down, and he is GONE!

I'm thinking the little dude escaped and was somewhere in the house making mischief somewhere. But I knew that Ken was thinking something worse. I knew he was thinking someone took him, the kidnapped kind of took him. Ken ran down stairs and I began checking bedrooms up stairs. Only seconds later I heard Ken talking to someone down stairs and I knew Houdini had been found.

He was sitting in the dark office at the computer merrily pushing buttons, doing his 'work' as he explained. "I pushing, I work", he said.  "I licious (we call him d-licious) I licious" as if to remind us that he is so cute and mom and dad don't be mad.

I was surprised that during his 'freedom run' he didn't head straight for the kitchen. I was anticipating him sitting on the floor of the kitchen with a bag of marshmallows between his legs or something.

The scary thing is that Ken and I didn't hear a thing. I think I'll be investing in some child door locks today.  

28 Weeks

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant. That means I have been pregnant for 196 days. I have 84 left to go, but I am hoping that it's really closer to 70 days. I think two weeks early sounds really nice. That would mean that in 10 weeks we will have a soft little bundle of love to squeeze and snuggle. Ah....I'm looking forward to the smell of a newborn baby wrapped in soft pink blankets.

Last week I was telling Ken that I don't feel as big as I think I should be. When I said that his eyebrow raised and he looked at my belly a little confused as if to say...Oh, woman don't worry...you are plenty huge. He didn't actually SAY anything because he's smarter than that. But I did read it in his eyes, it was there, trust me. After today's pictures I also agree, I am plenty big. But you ain't seen nothing yet...I'll resemble something close to a barn by the next few weeks.

This weekend I had to do a 24 hour urine test to check for preclampsia because my blood pressure is on the rise. I also had to do the dreaded glucose test today. I spent my morning in the lobby and lab of Orem Community hospital smelling bacon waft into my nose from the snack bar while I was stuck fasting and starving to death. However, I was able to kill two birds with one stone by only having blood drawn once for two different tests. I should find out if I "passed" them both at my appointment on Monday.

I also had dental work done this week. I spent 3 hours in the dental chair having a root canal, fillings, and two crowns. I haven't been able to chew anything since Wednesday, no joke. I can't use either side of my mouth. I feel like I have experienced legal torture, and I still have to go back for more. Bad teeth are the consequence of making 9 kids in 12 years. When put that way I guess the torture is well worth it. But oh, how I hate the dentist!

This week I am looking forward to the company of family for Thanksgiving. Ken's parents will be here on Monday, then his brother's family will be in town for a few days, they will all stay with Ken's sister, Tami, and we will have Thanksgiving here at my house. Hopefully I will be able to eat by then cause Aftyn and I is H-U-N-G-R-Y! I think I'll go make myself some "no chewing required soup"!

Love Note Board

Last year I put up this "Love Note Board" so that I could leave little notes for the kids. Often I would notice something nice they did (like made their bed without being reminded, or doing something kind for a sibling) but they would already be at school or I would be busy and as much as I wanted to remember to say "good job" I would often forget. So I decided if I put up the love note board so I could leave them a note whenever it was convenient and they would have a little treasure to find every once in a while. It's been a fun way to express my love and appreciation for each of them individually.

Soon the kids decided to start leaving love notes to each other. And on occasion I would even find encouraging notes left from friends in the neighborhood.

Last week Todd asked me to write a note for him to Emma. It read....

Emma,

Thank you, Emma, for offering to read to me. And thank you for being so nice to me. I want you to read to me when we don't have school. And I want to do tree climbing lessons. And I want to do bike lessons. If you say no, I might say, that's okay. Just thank you. I hope you have a fantastic day on Christmas. And I hope you have a good day.

Love, Todd

Emma then left this note for Todd...

Dear Todd,

You're a good brother to have in our family. You're doing good on your speech! Thank you for all the thank-you notes. Your the greatest brother ever. I like your bed. Tis' sooo cool.

From, Emma

These are just two of many that have been written. I am so thrilled to see them using the board to write sweet things to each other. Todd and Emma love to spend time together. Emma does read to him and give him climbing and bike riding lessons, it's super cute. The kids also use the love note board to leave Ken and I love notes. Which is an unexpected bonus for us.

We don't use it all the time, just enough to keep it special each time a note is left. I hope it helps the kids know that they are special and loved and that we notice the good things they do even if we don't always express it out loud.

Be a Bucket Filler

I wanted to share a thought from the Principal's Message of the Westmore Elementary's newsletter. I thought it was so cool that it became our FHE lesson last Monday.

In light of the recent attention of bullying in schools and among children in general "the bucketfilling philosophy" is being shared with each class, and as parents we are encouraged to talk to our children and help them apply these principles at home and in our neighborhoods.

So here it is....(taken from "Westmore World" Nov. 2010)

The bucketfilling philosophy teaches that everybody carries an invisible bucket. The bucket represents a person's mental and emotional health. Students learn that people are happy when their buckets are full and sad when they are empty. We fill another person's bucket when we express kindness and perform kind acts. A kind person is a bucket filler. Bucket fillers make our homes, neighborhoods, and schools a better place to be. We believe children must be taught how to love others. As we learn to express kindness and love, we lead happier lives. When we fill other people's buckets, we fill our own bucket too.

There are also bucket dippers-people who try to take good feelings or thoughts by dipping into another person's bucket. A bully is a bucket dipper. Students need to understand that bucket dippers often have an empty bucket and think they can fill their buckets by dipping into someone else's. Children need to know how to deal appropriately with bullies without becoming a bucket dipper too. Our goal is to create a culture where kindness, respect, thoughtfulness, and good will toward all prevail.

I love this! I love that they are teaching this in school. This is what we all should be teaching our children in our homes...to love one another. Unfortunately there are many homes where these principles are not taught. That's why I think it is so great that such a simple yet important lesson is being introduced to our schools.

We spent our family home evening talking to our children about being bucket fillers not bucket dippers. We also had a great experience working together raking the leaves of a neighbor in need. My neighbor has been a bucket filler to me and it felt so nice to repay a little of her kindness.

Anyway, I just thought it was a great message and one worth sharing. Lets all be "Bucket Filler's", okay!!!

Daric turns 2!

Today our little man turned 2! Happy, Happy Birthday, little D-licious! I did manage to get a few birthday photos, but man that is no easy task. 2 years olds do not stay still for longer than 2 seconds.

Daric is a typical 2 year old. He laughs, he cries, he throws fits, he gives great loves, he is a joy and a handful. He is learning so much. He talks alot and repeats so much more. Each day he makes us laugh with his fun personality. He can also make us want to pull our hair out on occasion. But mostly he's just cute!

This video shows a little of his personality. He's a little sweet and a little sour.

We love our little hunky, chunky guy! Happy Birthday, little man!

Basketball

We got a surprise last week when we found out that my nephew, Josh, would be playing basketball at BYU. Josh is on the BYU-Hawaii b-ball team, but we weren't expecting this trip to Provo to play an exhibition game -BYU Hawaii vs. BYU at the Marriott Center. I didn't think I'd ever get to see him play college ball live, because his only close main-land game is in St. George in January, and I won't be doing any traveling in January so I thought I was out of luck. Ken and I and the kids were all giddy to be able to attend his first college game. It was really exciting to see him out on the court.

Josh is number #50.

BYU-Hawaii lost, but it was a good fight.

After the game all the kids followed Cosmo up the stairs. They are all trailing behind him which of course was WAY cool for them. Wish I got a better picture.

This is Josh after the game. He is standing two stairs below me. I had to wait like an hour for his fan club to dissipate before I could get this shot. He was like the hometown hero returning from war. Josh we are so proud of you!

Kaylie's B-day!

Today Kaylie turned 11 years old! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CUTIE PIE!Sydney and I decorated Kaylie's cake with leftover Halloween candy. We used m&m's for Kay's name, nerds for sprinkles, and starbursts and tootsie rolls for the roses.

Here's Kay cruising the hood on her new roller blades.

This is Grandma and Grandpa Roberts calling to give Kaylie birthday wishes.

Movie night...Kaylie picked out the new "Alice in Wonderland". It was totally weird but she love it.

This is Kaylie's Birthday Photo Shoot. (isn't she a doll?!)

Kaylie you are such a beautiful girl inside and out. We are so proud of the young lady you are becoming. I hope you had a wonderful birthday, and I hope you know how much you are loved!