Busy Day

Yesterday was a very long and exciting day for Claire. After coming home from her first day of school, she rested up to go play in her first soccer game. The whole family was there to cheer her on. The girls played 3 on 3 without goalies. I was quite surprised at how entertaining it was to watch. I had so much fun! Everyone on the sidelines really got into the game, and we were all shouting and cheering the entire time! Claire even got a goal! It was great to see their faces when they would score. They were sooo happy! They had great team camaraderie too! Every time someone would score they would all high five each other and get really excited. I'm not really sure who "won" the game, although it was really close. I just know that the girls had a blast, and so did we! And the post game treat??...??? krispy creme donuts! Happy girls indeed!

First Day of Kindergarten

Today marked the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. From now on we will always have kids in school. Our lives will be ruled by the school schedule. This day came so fast!
Claire is ready though. She woke up on time, had her breakfast, and excitedly walked to school with her dad. When I picked her up this afternoon she told me about her day, and said that she had a really fun day, except for only going to recess one time. Ahh, Claire...so many new adventures await you. I'm excited to be a part of your journey and watch you grow and learn!

Camping Adventures

Camping, you may say, with a new baby??? Yep, it can be done. This year we went to Stub Stewart State Park for a 4 night adventure. The baby was actually the most well behaved of the group. He barely cried, and overall slept really well. The weather was a bit obnoxious while we were there. The first day was super hot, then just hot, then freezing by Sat/Sun, and then warmed up again on Monday. Although there were a few sprinkles in the night, we stayed dry the entire time. Thank heavens for that!

The kids had a blast! There was dirt everywhere to play in, woods to explore, bikes to ride, bubbles to blow, craft projects to make, and plenty of other kids to play with. On Friday we drove them into Vernonia to check out the local swimming hole, which was just a dammed off portion of the Nehalem River. It didn't look very appealing, but fortunately they had a kiddie area too, which was a hit. They really liked walking through the river and exploring the banks. The other activity that the kids really enjoyed was our trip to the trout playground. There is this pond with tons of trout and steelhead in it. You can catch up to 2 fish each. It seemed like a great plan, until we saw the pricing. There was no catch and release. You had to buy what you caught. You pay by the inch of the fish. It was the one time we were hoping for some small ones. All of the kids loved it though! They all were able to catch their fish, and we paid about $30 for 6 fish. A few of them were really big. I couldn't snap many pictures because I was too busy trying to keep kids from falling in the pond, baiting hooks, and helping net the fish. It was worth it though. We all had a lot of fun. There was a really fun treehouse playground as well.

The most popular activity for the adults was biking. The park is located along the Banks-Vernonia trail, and I never realized how great this was. Chris and I borrowed some bikes and rode the trail all the way to banks, which I believe was about 10 miles. It was gorgeous! Thankfully, it was downhill for most of the way, and we called someone to come drive us back to camp at the end. Others in our group made the long ride to Vernonia on another day, but I am too novice for this. I recommend the trail though for a great hike/ride. It was really nice.

Overall, this camping trip turned out really well with lots of good food and fun conversations. I also need to make note that Chris finally achieved his goal of making sure that I was warm while sleeping. He bought me a new goose down 4 season sleeping bag...and it made a world of difference. I was actually hot! I looked forward to bedtime to crawl into the comfy warmness. I can no longer complain about freezing while camping. :) Thanks honey!

Silly Time

Today I am thankful for having family who live close by. They help us out in so many ways, but probably the best part is that the kids have a great relationship with everyone.

The girls have had so much fun these last couple of years with their Aunt Keara. She is a good sport and will be silly with them. The other day she came over and took bunches of pictures with them making funny faces. We will all miss you when you leave to college this fall Kee...

New Addition

On July 10th at 2:12 pm we welcomed our new baby, Neil Edward, into our family. Everything about that day went perfectly...which was a welcome surprise after how the pregnancy had gone.

I knew things were going to be different this time around when we went for our routine 20 week ultrasound and the technician announced, "It's a BOY!" We were shocked. I had figured that we would never have a boy.

The next major shock came at around 28 weeks when I failed my glucose test and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. That was a doosy! I had to change my diet, count carbs, turn down yummy desserts, and indulge my pregnancy cravings by eating cottage cheese and lots of peanut butter. It was hard to say the least, but I did survive!

As the weeks went by, I started having my "usual" contractions. There were just a lot less of them. There was no bedrest, no drugs to stop them, no trips to the hospital for preterm labor...nothing. This gave me an inkling that perhaps he wouldn't be making an early appearance like his sisters did.

My exams at the doctors only added weight to this theory. My cervix, although changing, wasn't nearly as dilated as it had been in the past. I resigned myself to the idea of an induction at 39 weeks. It turned out so well!

We dropped off the girls at my parent's house on Friday night, and then Chris and I went to a movie. It was fun to get in one last date. Early the next morning we left for the hospital. It was so strange to walk in without pain, and know that I wasn't leaving without having had a baby. It was great to be with all the people I knew and worked with. They saved me the corner room, and I was able to choose my nurse and my CRNA.

They started my pitocin at 7am, and by 9am I was contracting quite painfully. My epidural was placed around 10am. Once that was in, Chris and I enjoyed some quiet time and a few naps. It was great! So relaxing and laid back. We had to wait for my doctor to come break my water. He had told us 11am, but he didn't make it in until 1pm. At that point I was only 4cm/90%. I was a little discouraged. I thought I would have been much more dilated.

It didn't matter in the end, because about 45 minutes later I was feeling tons of pressure, and I asked to be checked. Sure enough, I was complete and ready to push. I waited until my doctor showed up and everything was ready. It all went really well, and after about 10 minutes, little Neil was born at 2:12pm.

He came out healthy and strong. Chris cut the cord making certain not to cut any other appendages. It was so surreal. In that instant it was all over...the pregnancy, the blood sugar testing, the carb counting, and the giant belly. Now he is here with us, and we can all enjoy him. It was a perfect day!

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Happy Independence Day

The 4th of July was a really great event this year! It fell on a Sunday so we were able to attend Church and remember to be grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy. We had a relaxing afternoon to ourselves before heading over to grandma's house for a family BBQ. There was great food, great company, and good times had by all. Even though the weather was a bit chilly for it being July, we had tons of fun being outside and lighting off fireworks. Each of us had bought a few small packs of fireworks; which the kids absolutely loved! Someone even had several of the "larger" ie less than legal ones. Those were awesome! I had never been that close to fireworks like that, and it was well worth keeping the kids up til 10:45 to see! Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Happy Birthday Claire!

Claire turns 5 on July 1st, but we decided that we had better celebrate early because of the new baby. We kept it pretty simple this year. On Saturday we went bowling and let Claire invite a friend, and then on Sunday evening we had a family dinner/party. She had a great weekend, and loves all of her new presents. She received tons of things to color on/with. Thank you to everyone! It has been nonstop coloring at our house.
On a side note...it turns out that Grace is an amazing bowler. Not only could she lug around a 15 lb. ball, but she managed to score a 141! Granted we were using bumpers, but it was a good 40+ points higher than anyone else. :) Way to go Grace!