Just SMILE!

I like to take pictures. I usually really enjoy the photography and editing process. But I don't know why - WHY my family has to make it so difficult. Why are my kids the only ones who just won't ever cooperate?

Take yesterday for example. I've been meaning to get some photos ready for a Christmas card of some sort for awhile now. Yesterday I decided that as soon as the kids got home from school- we'd get it finished and out of the way.

Literally as soon as they walked in the door - I pounced. Comb, washcloth and a quick snack in hand I begged BEGGED them to just give me Ten minutes and then they could go play. I had seen on a different blog some cute photos a mom had done with candy canes, and I was anxious to try to copy it. (Yes copy. After all - imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery.)

I started with Abby. It's simple. I knew that Abby would not require as much coaching. I just needed her to look AT the camera. That's all. She only had to look at me.




This is what I got out of her.

With Jessica I tried to be a little more specific. I simply ask that she smile her "prettiest smile" for me. We practiced a bit. Her smile was perfect.




As soon as I go to CLICK she pulls out this.

This is NOT her prettiest smile. Trust me.



By the time it was Sam's turn I was losing faith in the whole thing. I said, "Sam- Please Please sit up straight like a good boy and try not to be silly."





Viola.

I'd had it. I was sweaty, frustrated and had totally neglected any dinner prep- and for WHAT!

After all of that though, I still managed to find a tiny morsel of enthusiasm, or at least determination, to try to get a decent family photo. I knew it wouldn't be much-but I just needed one nice shot of all of us. So as soon as John walked through the door, I rallied everyone together- one last time.

I asked Nicely.

I begged.

I PLEADED with them all.

I finally resorted to blackmail. I said, "KIDS. I know that you don't like this. But it will be quick if you ALL just obey. If you are not ALL smiling, sitting up straight, looking at the camera and being good little kids- then ...well...I just don't think Santa will come to our house this year. (I know- maybe a little bit of a cheap one- but I had to try something.)

And it did work. The kids got my drift.

They were willing.

They were ready.

And what do you think I got?

Nice one John.


I think my family Hates me.

An update on our crazy life!

I'm not sure how to catch up on the events of the past couple of weeks. So much has happened and we've hardly had a moment to catch our breath until now. I'll try to hit the highlights.

First - we woke up one morning to a beautiful SOLD sign on our front lawn. When it was placed there - I'm not sure, but it was a welcome sight.

We've loved that little trailer and all the yard around it. We'll miss having a yard that big, and I will miss the ward we lived in more then I can stand to think about. It has been the best place for our family over the last three years. Sometimes when I'd feel bad about living in a trailer I'd often think of that old country song by Doug Stone called Little Houses. I'll miss our little house, and all the Love that was shared there.

Last Tuesday we said good-bye to the East side of town and made the Trek West. ;) Our new home is LOVELY, and we've spent the past week working to get unpacked, pictures hung and all settled in.

Aside from the fact that I feel as though we've moved to a entire new TOWN we are quite comfortable. This home has a lot of Luxuries that I'm really enjoying. Like- a dishwasher! Who knew doing dishes could be so FUN!

And Space!

And a Basement! AKA somewhere to hide the toys!

And the kids favorite feature - Stairs!

The kids were so excited to finally have a set of stairs. During the first couple of days they spent many hours sledding down the stairs on my exercise mat. (someone might as well use that thing!)

I think we will be quite happy here.

Which is a good thing, because only a few days after we moved in we were hit with the hugest Blizzard I've ever seen, which left us snowed in until today. The town pretty shut down. You guys. CHURCH WAS CANCELLED! Here- in this town. Un-heard of! ;) My sister in law and her family risked their lives in that weather to bring us a piano. That was scary. Dairy Queen and other local business stayed closed, and no one could go ANYWHERE even if they'd wanted to!

We were out of cheese. It was rough. Awful. We've never gone without cheese before- and I could barely cook a meal. That was a huge lesson to me on being prepared for emergencies. :)

We spent the weekend in the basement watching movies by the fire with popcorn. Of course we had to venture out to enjoy these DRIFTS! Even John and I had fun sliding down them.

Yup- there is something very cozy about a good storm. It forces you to stop and enjoy life a little. Well- so long as everyone is safe. And you have a good supply of cheddar!

Due to the cancellation of Church, Nate's scheduled baby blessing was cancelled. We will try again with that in a few weeks. He'll be two months old by then. Considering how big he's getting he may be able to walk by that time!

Things are starting to settle down and we are figuring out a routine all over again. I can't wait to focus my attentions on the Christmas season now.

So much to be grateful for!

In Keeping with Tradition

Here is an interesting fact about our marriage. Every time we have had a baby we have also moved shortly after. With Abby, we moved two weeks after she was born. Sam- we moved 10 days after he was born. Jessica- a blessed 6 weeks after. John has always joked about this, and I think he feels it is actually efficient planning on his part to get the two major stresses (baby and move) out of the way simultaneously or something.

Me- I think it is a form of spousal abuse. The things he puts me through, I'll tell ya.

I guess it shouldn't have surprised me, when a week ago we signed the paper work and made it official. We are moving.

Again.

This will mark our TWELVE move in EIGHT years of marriage! What's our problem anyways? Do we get bored too easy? Commitment issues perhaps? Nomadic by nature?

We are REALLY excited about this move, as it means more S-P-A-C-E! Something we ALL are craving right now. I suppose I could just chalk it up to the weather, but my kids seem to be wicked cranky lately. They argue...a lot, they are pouty and whiney, and then to make matters worse, they have this awful MOM who yells at them to "Stop Screaming, cause they're GONNA WAKE THE BABY!!!!"

That's usually when John starts humming "Love at Home" or something really aggravating like that. :)

Space.

It will be so nice.





It's in a great neighborhood. Closer to my sister. Closer to the schools. Sadly, I won't be able to have a garden here. So you can look forward to future posts from me sans obnoxious garden bragging. I also will Really miss the ward we live in now. I don't think we could ever easily find a better group of people as who we have been able to associate with for the past few years. It makes me sad to consider leaving all my friends. I don't make friends easy, and I'm generally pretty lousy at maintaining friendships. So even though we are only moving across town, I worry that it will be hard to maintain a lot of those ties. But change is good right?

...right?

We just need to make it through this week. Lots to do in the next 6 days.

Wish us luck!

Gratitude

With half of John's family living in the United States, we will be thinking of them this week as they celebrate American Thanksgiving.

Lucky Ducks!

Life is busy right now for us. VERY busy. But life is good.

I've got so much to be thankful for!

Faces

I took a lot of pictures of the kids this week. Just thought I'd post a few of them.

This is Nate as soon as he wakes up and realizes that he is hungry. This sequence was taken in about a span of 4 seconds:)




The kids visited Santa on Saturday. It was a little anti climatic. Abby was really the only one NOT afraid of Santa. The other two kids seemed more then a bit nervous. Jessica wouldn't move a muscle.

Jessica smiled lots for me at home though. For a baby gift my three sisters (Jewel, Crystal, and Heather) all got clothes for our four kids that match. I loved the concept much more then baby clothes. We've got lots of those! Anyways on Friday we dolled the kids up and I took them to a REAL photographer in town.

I'm excited to see how the professional shots turned out- but Jess is still stinking sweet in these.

I'm pretty lucky to be surrounded by all these CUTE FACES everyday!!!

One week in

I have to thank John for posting the previous announcement about the birth of Nathan. It was a sweet post, and probably the most spiritual one this site has ever seen. John should update more often:) I also was so grateful for all of your kind comments and congrats.

I've been meaning to sit down and write to update, and journal the events of this past week, but to be honest - the events have all become a little bit blurry! I had planned to write about John's Halloween birthday, which came and went without much ado. I'd planned to write about the hillarious Cowboy Doctor that we had.


Most of all though- I'd wanted to write about how wonderful John was throughout it all. The perfect "coach." I am so grateful for his soothing and calming disposition in moments like that, and really in life in general.

All the details of that awesome day are recorded in a journal for Nate, and as much as I wanted to share it here (all the gory details), my brain is mush now.

Consider youself lucky!

Suffice it to say that November 1st was one of the happiest days ever. There is no better feeling then that second when you hold your baby for the first time and realize it is all over! The past 9 months, 5 days, and 7 hours will one day be a distant memory.

I was done. And I felt so VICTORIOUS! Of course it helps to have an awesome awesome husband who makes you feel like you've just conquered the world!

It was a great day!

As John mentioned -Nathan was a little over 9 pounds, which didn't surprise the doctor and nurses much. What did surprise them though, was the size of his hands and feet. This is not going to be a little boy- that's for sure! But he is still little enough to fit perfectly into our arms right now- and we love him as though he's always been here.



We brought little Nate home on Monday, let the kids each hold him once, took a picture, and then I whisked Nate off to our room where he has remained and will remain for the next week. The next day (Tuesday) Sam, Abby and Jess ALL had their own little bout of the SWINE FLUE. Sam was the least severe, complaining of only headache, stomach upset and coughing. Jess was in between with a low grade fever and a cough, and Abby was knocked out with every symptom in the book and a burning fever for a couple of days.



For the past few days, we've been trying our best to sanitize, sterilize, isolate, medicate and quarantine as much as possible.

It has made me so frustrated at times that we have to go through this when I did everything right to prevent it. Remember how much I freaked out about it last week? I stood in line for 3 hours amidst contractions to immunize the family, we're ALL hand sanitizer ADDICS now, and I kept the kids home from church and pre-school for two weeks prior to my due date - just to avoid the germs.

All that Stress last week. Completely WASTED!!!! (There is nothing worse then wasted stress!)

The kids are all on the mend, and Nate so far is doing great! In fact he is the DREAM baby. Not a bit of jaundice. He's thriving for sure. And he is already sleeping for up to 5 hours in between feedings. He has the roundest face and dark hair. His eyes don't appear to be brown, which makes me wonder if this little guy could have some of that stunning hardy blue that so many of my nieces and nephews do. Over all, he reminds me so much of Abby. Almost a spitting image of her in fact.

Well, that is week 1 with Nate so far. Until I get another burst of unexplained energy, here are some more pics of the cute one!

My niece Ava knitted this hat for Nate. I think he likes it!

Nate, John, and Grandpa Max.

Nathan Randall Hardy

Nathan Randall Hardy, born November 1, 2009. A healthy 9 lbs, 3 oz.

1 Samuel 1:27 "For this child, [we] prayed, and the Lord hath given [us our] petition which [we] asked of him."

Nathan is a Hebrew name meaning "God has given."

We will be sharing more of our joy with you over the next few days. Stay tuned for more updates!!!

In good Company

My family LOVES Halloween. Despite the fact that we don't go a single day without my kids dressing up in some way or another- Halloween actually gives them a reason to.

Not to mention the excitement of trick or treating, carving pumpkins, and class parties at school. Hence today.

Admittedly, I have kept Abby home from school this week. Not because she was sick- but because I didn't want her to GET sick.

She's hated every moment of it, and this morning, she flat out refused to stay home and miss her Halloween party when she felt just fine. Reluctantly I let my princess go. But don't be fooled- she's the sole owner of her own bottle of hand sanitizer and I threatened Trick or Treating if she didn't go through half of that bottle today!

I don't think I over reacted.

Doesn't she look like the perfect princess.
I had to roll my eyes when I dropped her off at school and in the perfect princess voice, and with a slight English accent, she politely said, "Good bye Mother."

um..."Good bye my dramatic daughter."



Then there was John's costume. Now you'll be proud to know that I did NOT keep John home all week.

But that's only because I need his paycheck.

Today he left for school looking like some delinquent Surfer...guy. I actually think he looked pretty good, and apparently lots of his students think he should grow his hair out.

Yeah, that'll happen soon.

Anyways that has been the Halloween Fun so far. It's been a fun distraction today, as I think the anxiety is getting to me.

I tell ya, it's a slippery slope folks between where I'm at and completely WIGGIN OUT!

But I think I'm in good company for that!

What do you think?

Happy Trick or Treating!!!

To Do it- Or not to

Nothing has been more stressful to me this week then the whole debate about H1N1. There is so much I don't know about this flu. But here's what I do know.

* It IS in our community. Big time.

* I DO know several people who had it, and do have it

* The doctors have visited all local schools warning kids about it

* The complications can be especially harmful to a pregnant woman/ newborns.

* I know of one young girl who potentially has it and her symptoms are so minimal. Perhaps the average healthy person is more then capable of fighting this virus on their own.

* That said, I also know of a little boy in our ward who had swine flu last week, who is now in Lethbridge with pneumonia and other complications.

It's an unpredictable virus, and perhaps that is the only thing people actually agree on.

So given the facts that I do know- I've really struggled this week about what I should do about it. How do you protect your children when the virus is everywhere? Do I keep my kids home from school, even if they feel well? Do I vaccinate them, ...No? How do you know what to do when there are so many different opinions out there.

Wait- I take that back. It doesn't seem like there are many different opinions, it seems as though there are only two very opposing opinions. 1) Vaccinate or else you put your family and loved ones at serious risk or 2) you'd be a fool to vaccinate because it is more harmful then the virus.

Most people I have talked with (and everyone is talking about this) has chosen a side, and feel strongly about their perspective.

It has been a bit frustrating to try to get answers this week, when those giving the answers are so determinedly convinced and adamant about one or the other. Both sides express their opinions with so much passion to the extreme that it is hard to see through to the real truth. I find I am equally swayed depending on who I'm listening too.

The thought of having a baby in the next couple of days and contemplating all of the people who will want to get up close and look at him, hold him, and all the kids who will want to touch him and kiss him- ewwww that has me feeling so squeamish.

The other day, I called Health Link, local nurses, and spoke with my Obgyn all of whom stressed the importance of getting myself and my family vaccinated. Not only did they stress that but they emphasized how crucial it was to be vaccinated before the baby arrives if at all possible.

So, in haste, I loaded up the kids and drove 40 minutes to a neighboring town. I stood in line, with my kids, AMIDST CONTRACTIONS for 3 hours and ensured that we all received the vaccine. After spending the entire afternoon doing this, and one speeding ticket later (I'm sure Abby will fill anyone in on this if you want details) we made it home. Home, where I sat down on the couch and asked myself- "was all of that worth it?"

I hadn't been sitting for 5 minutes before I heard on Tv, and later read from Doctors who insist the vaccine is more harmful then the virus, and that they would never NEVER give it to their children. AHHHHHH!!! By the time John arrived from work I was a mess and certain that our kids would soon become autistic or develop some other sort of autoimmune disease.


I have second guessed myself over and over again. Did I make the right decision? I don't know.

As a Mother, I go through my days trying to do the best I can for my family, making the best decisions I can, with the information that I have at that time. Isn't that All we can do?

Am I always the most rational? Maybe not.
Am I sometimes wrong? Most definately.

But my intentions are good.

I hope that once this baby FINALLY decides to grace us with his presence- I hope my nerves will settle a bit. That said, if they don't I hope others will be ok with that. I hope people won't be offended if I don't want visitors, or people holding my little guy, or kids getting close to him.

I hope that they don't take it personally and recognize that I'm simply trying to protect my family from something I know so little about.

It's "WEIGH"ing me down!

Yeah I know that I have not officially reached my due date, but in my mind this baby is FAR too late on it's arrival. The scale is quickly pushing a 60 pound weight gain.

Is it just me, or does this not seem like it has been the longest pregnancy EVER!

Earlier in the week I packed up all of my maternity clothes, threw them in a garbage bag and got rid of them. I think this was my way of sending a message out to the Universe that I was ready for this all to be done.

Instead, I'll be wearing John's clothes A LOT this week.

I have a friend who has been pregnant along with me. We had similar due dates. Unfortunately, Ive spent the last few weeks obnoxiously bragging to everybody in our ward that I was "so going to have my baby first."

Yesterday she had a healthy little boy.

Today- I ate humble pie.

Come on little guy - What are you waiting for?

And what is every one's opinion on Castor oil?

It's sinking in...

Here is one thing I've realized this week:

I am going to have a baby...before the sour cream in my fridge expires!

It's true- it says so, right there, on the rim of the container. November 4th.

No matter what- our 4th child will be here before that date ever arrives. (long before hopefully)

AHHHH!

I can not express the gamut of emotions that flow through me as I contemplate the closeness of our upcoming arrival. The first thing I feel is a crushing sense of FEAR and DREAD!

This is really going to hurt.

You know how everybody always says that you "forget" all about the "bad" parts of labor as soon as the baby comes. Well that is a big LIE! Sure you forget about it- for a while. But then one day you find yourself 10 days away from repeating the same experience and it HITS YOU! You really haven't forgotten a thing- and you know exactly what you are in for.

And what's more- There is NO turning back.

Once that initial thought runs it's course through my mind, I'm often overcome with a overwhelming desire to meet this little being. This creature that up until recently I've only ever been willing to call "leechy little thing." Suddenly every kick and movement reminds me that it is there, and real, and mine...and he will be here soon.

There is no turning back- and I'm so glad!

How is it possible to feel wracked with such dread and yet soothed with excited anticipation - all at the same time?

And who knew that opening my fridge could invoke such emotion?

Halloween's Past

I've been thinking lately about what my kids should be for Halloween.

Any time I try to bring up the subject the kids burst out into shouts and screams of EVERY single thing they want to be, which happens to change by the minute. Sam wants to be Batman. But oh yeah also Spider man. And can I help him to shoot webs? Abby is torn between being Cinderella and a Cowgirl. Her solution is to simply be both at different times throughout the Day. She makes it sound so easy. She's always been a problem solver. Jessica I think will be content with anything...until it is time to put a coat on top of her chosen costume. Then all heck WILL break loose!

I LOVE Halloween! It is one of my favorite Holidays. Partly because it happens in the fall, and partly because I have so many memories of my Dad, and his efforts to make this spooky night a Great one! Due to my overzealous love of this Holiday I took it upon myself two years ago, to plan the perfect costume for the entire family!

The theme was The Wizard of Oz.

How did that work out?

Well Jessica was as cute as a button, dressed in her little witchy costume, and she was such a happy baby she didn't put up a fight. (That's why she was my favorite child back then.)

After making Abby watch the old version of the Wizard of Oz about 10 times she happily agreed to be Dorothy. The only problem was that none of the other kids at school had any clue who Dorothy was, and by the end of the day Abby had grown tired of trying to explain it.

I of course was happy to be the scarecrow. John....well....kudos to him for playing along. The dimples in his face tell me how cheesy he thought this all was. This is his, "This is the dumbest thing ever but I'll do it because I'm afraid not to" smile.

And then there was Sam. Our Brave and Courageous lion who was in the end afraid of his own costume. He is NOT smiling in this picture.
Five minutes after this photo was taken he was wearing a green frog costume, and there was nothing, NOTHING I could do about it. (And that is why he was NOT my favorite child that year.)

So that was us. Dorothy, a witch, a scarecrow, the tin man and ... kermit.

It was then, that I vowed to never NEVER work as hard to collaborate something cute for Halloween ever again. They can all go as mismatched, last minute "whatevers" if that is how they want it.

And actually the more I think about it, the more I realize that there is a very distinct possibility that I will be spending Halloween in the only equivalent to a Five Star Hotel that I will probably ever know.

Better known as ... The Maternity Ward.

What I should really be asking is, "What will my sister JEWEL dress my kids up as this year?"

In just a few weeks...

Just a few weeks ago, this is what my garden looked like.

Beautiful blooming gladiolas, potatoes, carrots, beets ready to harvest. Chard and strawberries in abundance. It was FULL of life.


One week ago- it we turned it into this. I spent two days digging up those vegetables telling myself with each awkward bend that this is the work that builds character. Or if nothing else...induces labor! :) Once John got home from work, he had it all nicely tilled and ready for winter in no time.

One day after that....
Winter Came.

A lot can happen in just a few weeks.

Just a few more weeks!

The most productive weekend!

I love love LOVE General Conference Weekend. I think it is wonderful that twice a year the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints unanimously bear testimony and teach the members. I always feel a renewed desire to be a little bit better, and make a LOT of changes in my home as well as personally to align my life with that of our Savior's.

I also love the fact that we can hear our apostles speak from the comfort of our own home. Not only is this weekend the most spiritually productive weekend, but it is also the most temporally productive weekend as well.

For example, in between sessions today, John and I finished preparing our garden for the snow. Not an hour after we finished tilling the soil did we notice snowflakes falling. Great timing! We also drained our hoses, cleaned the garage and packed away all of our summer toys, inflatable pools and tubes until next summer. During the talks I sorted all of our family photos and arranged them in albums for each of the kids, sorted all closets and drawers replacing summer clothes with winter ones, unpacked winter gear, and printed off the past six months of this blog, and budgeted our finances.

Phew! I really do reserve the above activities to do twice a year, always during the Saturday sessions. Of course, tomorrow we will tackle very little if anything during the two Sunday sessions.

Now, lest you think I didn't pay attention to the talks- I did. In fact I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk (big surprise there) and one of my favorite lines from his message was that, "LOVE should be our walk and our talk!"

Elder Bednar also gave a great talk that caused me to neglect the folding of clothes for a moment. His council for us all to be MORE diligent and concerned at Home is a message I know John and I will both take to heart.

See I listened!

In fact I think I listened better then John did.

How do I know that.


....because his EYES were CLOSED for a large part of it!!!

First snowfall of the year

Sure I had to drive to Waterton to see the snow, as it never did actually fall here, so I don't know if that counts as the first snowfall of the year. In the mountains though- it was gorgeous! Sam, Jess and I made a quick trip out while John and Abby were in school. We drove up to Red Rock on the "roller coaster road" which made Sam squeal!! On the way down we saw a HUGE black bear, probably preparing for the newly arrived winter. The highlight for me was the lunch we enjoyed in the town site. Sam and Jess shared a burger and fries, and I had the coziest bowl of homemade harvest vegetable soup.

I love days like that.







A large amount of the Waterton forest trees are still very green and have yet to turn those beautiful fall colors. Next week though, I bet it will all be AMAZING!