Scouting

Jayden received his bear this summer and is officially a Wolf now! I give most of the credit to Taylor and of course to his amazing scout leaders that give their time to such a great program!!

1st Day of School

I am always sad to see the summer fly by so quickly and come to an end. I love the long, lazy days with no commitments other than hanging out with the little munchkins, but all things must come to an end. Jayden is in 4th grade, Skyler in 2nd and Aysia in her 2nd year of preschool. Back to “ROUTINE” .

Fishing, Fishing & more Fishing!!!

Jayden has found his 1st love… Fishing. We bought a used speed boat this summer and Taylor and Jayden have definitely taken advantage. They love going to Strawberry reservoir to spend a lazy day fishing. I am just grateful that Taylor cleans and cooks them.

Establishing a Routine

I am not much of a routine person. There are way too many unexpected diversions in my daily life. So as for an infant joining my “routine” of daily life… No problem! Actually it has been great to have big helpers. Jayden has been a comforter for her when I am trying to finish dinner or homework with the other little ones. Many people have asked how #4 has been so far and I have to say I am really enjoying the spacing and the ages of my kids. I love to see their excitement with a newborn in the house. They all wanted to celebrate her birth and give her a birthday party. Noelle bought us a cake and we lit candles and had a little "birth" day party.

Going Home with #4

It is always a little overwhelming to go home with a newborn. The only difference this time, I knew what to expect and was just tired thinking about it. Lots of sleepless nights…. But well worth it! She was a bit jaundiced so she had to be under the lights for the first 2 days home and had to go to the hospital for the next 3 days for blood work. Nothing like having to jump into reality right away.

ANNOUNCING…. Auri Anne

Auri was born August 14th at 3:04 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz and was 20 ½ inches long. The kids were so excited to meet her in the hospital and couldn’t keep their hands off of her. We had several visitors at the hospital and thank them for all of their warm wishes and gifts. She is definitely loved!!!

Bags Packed….

With my prior deliveries, I have routinely gone into labor and given birth on my due dates, with the exception of Skyler when I was induced 5 days early because of Taylor’s schedule. So of course I was hoping to come early with this little one, but I didn’t get my hopes up. Sure enough, the night before my due date, Taylor pleaded with me to go into labor that night so he could have a day off from his (8a.m.-5 p.m.) church meetings. His wish was granted. I started cramping about 3 a.m. and awoke Taylor at 6 a.m. We told the kids we were leaving for the hospital and had Noelle come stay with them. They were so excited, there was no going back to sleep that morning. I was a little disappointed when we got there only to be told my contractions were irregular and I was most likely not in labor. I have had 3 other labors, and I told Taylor if they sent us away, I would just have to pace around the hospital. I knew I was in labor. Sure enough, after 2 hours of walking the halls, they said I was definitely in labor and was able to get my epidural. Ahhh, Relief!!! She was born 3 hours later, at 3:04 p.m. I honestly thought it would have been a faster labor due to it being my 4th, but just relieved I didn’t have to go over my due date!!!

Thanksgiving Gardens

Another place I have not been this summer was Thanksgiving Point Gardens. The Children’s gardens were a lot of fun for the kids. They had a lot of fun in the water toys. We then went to the big gardens that are incredible. I felt like we were in a totally different city or state. They were amazing!

Trafalga Fun

Kassidi was able to stay with us a couple times this summer while Shauna was busy with school. We had fun going to Trafalga and playing laser tag and enjoying the rides. The bumper boats and miniature golf are one of the kids favorites.

Swimming Lessons

This year, Jayden decided not to take swimming lessons. He is a great swimmer and doesn’t care to compete. So while Aysia and Skyler had their lessons, he was able to jump off the diving board and go down the water slides. Skyler is doing really well this year and he hopes next year will be his last.