Spring Break *updated*

Our spring break was last week! We had crazy wind all week and the kids had to stay inside. We tried to make the most of it...the boys discovered forts and realized they LOVE them! We spent the week in limbo waiting to hear whether or not Cole had gotten a position at corporate in Provo that he had applied for (He didn't :( ) While waiting for that news I kept busy with house work and my never ending pile of laundry! Now that the nausea is GONE and some energy has returned I've been able to catch up on the little things I let slide for the last few months :) We ventured out a couple of time to get the kiddos out of the house! While Cole was working on Wednesday, the boys and I finally made our way to Bouncing Bears. It's a heated warehouse with 6 different bounce houses/slides and a giant inflated pillow to bounce on. The boys had a blast and I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to waste two hours of our day running and playing! I was a little put off by the price ($5 for Joshua and $7 for Cameron) but after all was said and done it was definitely worth it! In fact when Cole got off early Friday we surprised the boys with a second trip! They were thrilled ! Overall we had a great week. I am glad we are back to the grind though! The countdown is on for summer break though! 9 weeks!

Cameron and I were snuggled on the bed one morning and I had to snap this picture! 

Cameron enjoyed our trip to bouncing bears!

Joshua had the biggest smile and kept asking over and over "just one more time mom"!

Joshua told me this is how he likes to lay on the couch! Seriously kid...if you weren't so cute!

As a mom, I have many hopes and dreams for my kiddos. I loose sleep at night worrying over big and little things. I want the very best for my kids. I love that each of my children have very distinct differences in their personalities. I know by looking at a mess who made it. I know by noises who did it! I can sit in the hall at church and hear my child whether it be by the laughing or crying coming from a room. I pray daily for the strength to raise bright, worthy, boys...boys who will grow to have a sense of self, boys who will cherish a woman and treat her with respect and compassion. I pray that my boys will have a strong work ethic and know where they come from with dreams of where they are going. I pray that my boys will be courageous young men who will stand up for what they believe in. I want nothing more than to see my boys succeed in life.

With the distinct differences in my kiddos, I find myself worrying about different things for each of them. Joshua has definitely been more challenging than Cameron was as a toddler. Cameron has always been more focused...more determined. He has the characteristics of a first born child who had almost 4 years of one-on-one time with Mom! Joshua is as bright as can be... definitely the jokester in the house. He keeps us on our toes because he can be kinda crazy.

One of the things I've always worried about with Cameron is the fact that he's so introverted! I've seen this change over the last year or two and it makes me proud to hear him answer questions from doctors, friends and even his teacher. I've worried that his shyness will hold him back at school...not academically but socially.

Last night we had the opportunity to attend Cameron's open-conference...basically an open house at school. I assumed that we weren't scheduled for a conference because Cameron is doing pretty good at school. That was indeed the case and it thrilled my mommy heart. I believe every parent wants to see their child succeed and although I was thrilled because he is indeed succeeding I was more impressed by the way Cameron was described by his teacher. She touched on some character traits we've been trying to instill in him. I want my children to be kind, I want my children to have friends. Cameron seems to be friends with everyone....he's very patient, very kind and finds the good in each of his classmates. Cameron would be the kid that is placed at a table to be a good example to those around him.

As happy as I am about the glowing report over his handwriting, reading, math and ability and willingness to try new tasks that are placed before him, I am through the moon happy over the character traits that he is building.

While I realize that we are only in kindergarten, I can't help but feel proud. I've said before that my biggest concern with moving from Oregon to Alaska was how it would affect Cameron. I am shown time and time again how Cameron has benefited from this move. I am truly blessed with a Father in Heaven who hears my prayers and guides me each day...he shows me how to care for each of my children. He has helped me to see their differences and has shown me what each of them needs. Cole and I have been blessed with a marriage that is filled with friendship and partnership allowing us to raise these special spirits in the way that they need.

Now to get Joshua to count from 1 instead of 8 :)

We have a name!

Normally our kids are name before their ultrasounds! We had a name picked for Cameron a few weeks before we found out he was a boy and Joshua was named about 9 months before we found out we were expecting. We've always gone into our gender ultrasound with a girl name and boy name...although I have never loved the girl names and have changed them each time! Cole is normally the one to pick the boy names not because he insists but just because that is the way it has worked out.

This time around, we had a girl name picked months ago (when we started trying) and settled on a boy name although I didn't love it! I was told by my amazing husband that it was okay because this little one was going to be a girl and it only mattered that I loved her name. 

We all know he was wrong! 

So I vetoed the boy name we had picked and back to the drawing board we went. After 24 hours of deliberation we decided on a name we both LOVE. 

Our new little one will go by the name Dade Olin. Dade was suggested by one of Cole's sisters and he instantly loved it. Olin is my great grandfathers middle name!

I love that Cameron is able to be so involved with this pregnancy. When we get asked if it's a boy or girl Cameron chimes in with "it's a baby brother and his name is Dade"! 

It's a....

Baby! Haha...

We had our BIG ultrasound this morning. Woke at 6 am with my alarm to take a shower in peace before the boys woke. After showering and dressing the munchkins were making some noise so I invited them out of their room. We had breakfast, got dressed and loaded into the car by 7:25 am. After a 45 minute drive we arrived in anchorage for our ultrasound with a high-risk specialist. I was sent in to see him because of my blood pressure issues which we are now calling chronic hypertension or CHTN. My regular doc order a level 2 ultrasound with the high risk specialist which is just a little more in-depth than a regular gender scan (I believe gender scans are also considered level 2...there is a difference in what we had done and what the gender scan is I'm just not sure what the difference is). I love seeing our little one and being able to see just a little bit of the personality!

Our babe was pretty shy....at first! Those sweet legs were crossed for the first 30 minutes or so! Once the stinker decided to show off...there was no mistaking! In fact, Cole joked that maybe when we come back for our next ultrasound we'd see something else and the Doc said there was no doubt in his mind...he was positive we are welcoming another little boy into our family in 5 months!

Some interesting facts:

-I have an anterior placenta...which we already knew as it's been hard to find the little guys heart beat.
-Because of my anterior placenta we were not able to see baby's face today (hence the 2nd ultrasound with the specialist...he was not able to look at babies nose or lips!)
-Baby was weighing in at 8 ounces...about 3-4 ounces bigger than he should have been.
-All of his measurements (except for his weight) were right between 17 weeks 5 days and 18 weeks 3 days
-The little guys head was right under my belly button and he is facing up at the moment.
-The boys are thrilled to have a new baby brother joining us soon!

I don't see my doctor again until February 20th..I will be 20 weeks then! I go back to Anchorage for our next ultrasound on March 4th! The hope is that baby will have moved so we can get a good look at his face and a few more measurements ...The doctor said we were a couple weeks early for a true level 2 ultrasound, that coupled with my weight makes it hard to get a few of the measurements they needed. Overall everything looked great and he was pleased, if not surprised, with babies size...women with high blood pressure typical have small babies and low fluid levels...neither of which has ever been a problem in any of my pregnancies!

And no, we don't have a name for this little one yet!

baby update-due date-and crazy doctors!

It's been 46 days since the last baby update (or 6 weeks). Things have changed dramatically and it's been a rough few weeks:

I had my first OB appointment 12/12/12---we had a terrible winter storm come through town and in a matter of hours we had just about a foot of snow dumped on us. I should have taken this as a sign that the rest of the day was going to be similar to this! Anyhow, I arrived at my appointment and was told that the Doctor wasn't coming in and that I could see a different doctor in the practice. I chose to do this as I was 11 weeks and hadn't been seen yet (my doctor doesn't see patients until after 10 weeks), I should have chosen to reschedule as I was very unhappy with the doctor I saw and very disappointed in the care I received.

I did have my first ultrasound at this appointment and it was discovered that baby was about 6 days smaller than he/she should have been. The other doctor chose to change my due date even though my date are accurate, she isn't my doctor and due dates shouldn't be changed unless there is more than a weeks difference between the first day of your last cycle and the ultrasound. So instead of baby measuring at 10 weeks and 6 days, baby was measuring at 10 weeks. This changed my due date from July 3rd to July 10th.

Aside from that the first appointment is always very uneventful. Like I said, my regular doctor was not there and the other doctor I didn't care for and will do all I can to avoid having to see her again!

January 2nd was my second appointment! I was 13 weeks and enjoyed chatting with my regular OB. It was the very first time I had met him so I had a few concerns to discuss with him---the first being my due date! because we were family planning I was very aware of my cycle, I know when it started...where I was in it and when we had sex...I can tell you what was happening the weekend I was fertile and the fact that none of this was taken into account when the crazy lady doctor changed my due date still infuriates me! (YES, I know that baby decides to come when baby decides come and that in the end my due date doesn't matter---except that for me it does! and here is why---) While discussing all of this with my doctor I also brought up the fact that my blood pressure is already very elevated ---which he had already taken note of---and the fact that all of our family is in the lower 48 and I would have a hard time finding some body for child care if we didn't keep that in mind when discussing such things. If we were to keep my date at 7/10 and I was really due 7/3 (say baby was just measuring small--or the crazy doc who is just fresh out of residency didn't know how to work the ultrasound machine which was the case) and I delivered a week early at 39 weeks like I did with Josh then more than likely the family that is coming to help would miss the birth and we would be scrambling to get a back up in place. The doctor was very reassuring. No we aren't changing my due date back BUT he is determined to deliver this munchkin my July 3rd. Because of high blood pressure I will be induced on July 3rd if i haven't delivered already. It wouldn't be safe for me to go much longer anyhow and there is now way he'd let me go past the 3rd.

After spending some time talking to this doctor I felt very comfortable, he reminds me of my OB in Oregon!

He did have a hard time finding babys heartbeat...he said that 13 weeks is still a little early to find heartbeat with doppler so he did a very quick ultrasound just to find the heartbeat. He mentioned that the placenta was in the front which didn't pose a problem other than that it would be more difficult to find the babys heartbeat with doppler for the next few weeks.

I am feeling a little better over all! I am still very nauseated and the fatigue has set in. I was prescribed a beta-blocker for me blood pressure and I have noticed that I don't feel well when taking them! Other than that though all is good!

I am 15 weeks tomorrow. I see the doctor again tomorrow as well. I'm sure we'll have a quick ultrasound to hear babys heartbeat. We should find out the babys gender in the next few weeks (think 3-4) and we are definitely hoping to add some pink to this family!

Sorry for the long winded post, I have been avoiding writing this and figured it'd be best to get it all out there at the same time!

Reuben Sandwich---my way

Pregnancy cravings are in full swing...and actually aversions would be the better word! There are so many things that just don't sound good that when something does sound good I HAVE to have it.

Tonight for dinner I made Reuben Sandwiches for the big guy and I...the little guys had grilled cheese. This is how I make my Reubens....yes, they are supposed to be on rye bread and there is some debate as to the sauce that is supposed to be used. This is how they have always been made in my family and this is how I like them.

Reuben Sandwiches
serves 2

4 slices white bread (I always use a country potato)
2 T butter
1/4 cup thousand island dressing
1/2 cup sauerkraut (drain and then measure! I use a colander and I always press on the sauerkraut to make sure I've gotten all of the juice out! I don't like soggy sandwiches.)
6 slices thin sliced pastrami
6 slices thin sliced swiss cheese

Heat your pan or griddle to low/med. Spread dressing over one side of all four slices of bread. Place one and a half slices of swiss cheese on top of each "dressed" slice of bread :) On layer pastrami on two slices of bread and sauerkraut on the other two. Carefully close each sandwich---one pastrami side and one sauerkraut side. Grill as you would a grilled cheese. MMMMMmmmmmmmm! Enjoy!!!

I know these direction sound like I'm trying to tell a two year old how to make a sandwich but just in case somebody hasn't had a Reuben and doesn't know how they should be assembled I wanted to make sure that person could make this sandwich.

These are seriously yummy and really did hit the spot. The best part...I bought enough of each ingredient that I can enjoy these a couple of more times before they don't sound good anymore!

Wrapping the year up--2012

I love thinking back on the year and remembering the good things and the bad. Here goes:

We spent NYE 2011 eating halibut nuggets and french fries waiting for Cole to get home. I don't even think Cole and I made it to midnight last year!

January: I started the year with a hefty list of goals and am very happy to report that I completed just about half of them! I created a household binder and got rid of all of the piles of paper in different boxes around my house! I can happily say I've followed a meal plan most of the year and am cooking for scratch 5-6 nights a week. We didn't do as much traveling as I would have like but the boys and I did visit Oregon for a few weeks. I spent several months this spring and summer running and used a few different videos here at home. I lost 25lbs in just a few months but managed to gain almost half of it back while trying to conceive in the fall. January was a busy month for Cole at work and it was such a relief to have him home more towards the end of January.

February: I struggled big time in February. The kids were both doing great and Cole was right there with them but I had a heck of a time! I felt as if I didn't fit in and I was really having a hard time at church, I was very home sick. I was so glad to say good bye to February!

March: Spring Break!!! I was gifted a trip to Fairbanks thanks to my fabulous mother-in-law. Joshua and I caught a flight to -20 weather....I was able to spend 3 days with two of my sister-in-laws while Cole and Cameron had a BOYS WEEKEND! Cole took his full week off from work and enjoyed every minute of his PTO. Cameron and Joshua both had ear infections this months as well.

April: I started running this month. I felt so good to be running again. We celebrated 1 full year in Alaska this month as well. It was such a bitter-sweet celebration...we sure miss our family but we are so very happy to have made a home that is all ours!

May: Cameron finished preschool and I won't hide the fact that I cried. The day after his last day we took a red eye to Medford and surprised my sister! It was the best surprise ever and I am so happy and grateful the boys and I had the opportunity to go home. We spent 3 weeks in Oregon and spent tons of time playing with cousins and grandmas and papas. It was so fun.

June: I turned 26...June was pretty low key and easy going...Joshua was pretty sick mid June and we had some friends share great news with us and terrible news with us. I was counting my blessing in June.

July: July was spent playing outside as much as we could when it wasn't raining! I had to stop running in July as my knee started bothering me. This would also be the month that we decided it was time to add to our family and we started trying to conceive! This was also the month that we potty trained Joshua.

August: Cameron started school the third week of August. It was so fun taking him to get his school clothes and supplies. We have loved his teacher from the get go and I am so very proud of the student that he is. Joshua turned 2! It was so hard to believe that my little baby was a big 2 year old!

September: We had stormy September and are very thankful that those crazy weather systems didn't effect us too much. Cole worked some crazy hours this month and there were days when Cameron didn't get to see Cole!

October: Cole and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this month. We spent the weekend home with the kiddos and relaxed. We got Cameron's first report card and learned that he is doing spectacular at school and has improved well beyond the norm. We learned that this months cycle was THE cycle and that we would be welcoming a new addition to our family at the beginning of July!

November: Cameron turned 6 this month. We had a low key family day for his birthday and took cookies to his classroom to celebrate there too. My nausea kicked in almost instantly so I didn't do too much. Cole's work slowed down which was handy and Josh talks a mile a minute most days! Thanksgiving was rough as we missed family but we made the most of it and spent the day together. I finished all of our Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving!

December: Cameron started counting down the days till Christmas December 1st! Joshua learned about Santa and Baby Jesus' birth. I spent all month nauseas and can no longer lay claim to the fact that I don't throw up while pregnant! We saw our little on on his/her first ultrasound at 10.5 weeks. Cole took two weeks off and is spending winter break home with us. We had a fantastic Christmas and the boys received everything on their wish lists and then some.

I personally and looking forward to the new year, my growing belly and all the fun we have planned with our family. I can't wait till our little one arrives so that the boys can meet him/her. I am so grateful for all of the trials and sacrifices we've faced this last year and for how far we've come and our ability to over come what is thrown our way. I couldn't be more proud of my family and the different ways we've each grown. I'm excited to see what is in store for us this next year.

Happy New Year!