Ransoms

School stinks

2012-01-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

My current class is kicking my butt! And now after a long mentally draining day... I'm up burning the midnight oil with Eli.

Wiped

2012-01-27T20:01:00.001-08:00

I keep thinking I've got the whole three kids thing pretty under control but by the time I get home from going anywhere by myself with all three I'm completely wiped. Tonight, James had the cast party for his ballet and went straight there from work. My original plan was just to veg at home with the kids. However, with my back being out for the first half of the week and needing to clean the house for the second half- the kids and I were going stir crazy. So I decided to be brave and go to our ward chili cookoff and pinewood derby. It was fun. The kids wouldn't eat anything of course. But they LOVED sitting next to the track to watch the cars race. And thankfully friends helped watch Sariah and Ben so I could feed Eli.

So all went well. Came home fed the kids a snack. Got pjs on and put them to bed. And now... I'm exhausted!!

Hopefully, Eli will go to bed early so I can get some sleep! Fingers crossed!

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Today's big accomplishment

2012-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

I got Eli's room clean. Eli's room is also the toy room. I sort of wish I would have taken a before picture but honestly it would probably have been too embarrassing to share. So here is just the after glow!

Making the switch

2012-01-25T20:34:00.001-08:00

So we have decided to switch to organic milk. Hopefully we can also do local with Shatto but at least organic. This is honestly a big switch for us. We aren't the kind of family that just uses milk to cook with or on cereal. No we go thru 3 gallons a week! So at double the price yeah it is a bit of a budget killer. But I truly think it is better for us and James is on board with the switch. I'm also trying to make other changes- buy more organic produce, cage/antibiotic free eggs, and hoping to change some of the meat we eat. All part of getting away from packaged food. So we'll see how it goes. But today milk...

Helping out

2012-01-24T20:24:00.001-08:00

So I was trying to help my niece. I was doing the right thing. Self sacrificing and all......

I now have 4 boxes of girl scout cookies.

Pretty sure this isn't going to help me lose the baby weight.

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Better

2012-01-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

My back is dramatically better today. Thank heaven! I went to the chiropractor and have iced my back much of the day. And I can stand again on my own with only a little pain. So I'm super pleased. Now I just have to keep myself from over doing it. Easier said than done in my life!

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Oh my aching back

2012-01-22T19:08:00.001-08:00

So tonight I am flat on my back- my super in pain back. I have been having lower back pain for a few weeks now. I have seen the chiropractor a few times. I just went in Friday and he said I was moving great and he was really pleased with where I was at. So after that of course my back starts hurting again. Then Saturday all of a sudden it is intense pain. I bent over to get Eli and had to sit down. I could barely stand up or sit down all night. Today is still pretty horrible. I've learned how to scoot to the edge of a seat and then brace myself and push/pull myself using my arms and legs as much as possible and my low back as little as possible. Yeah it sucks. I can't really care for the kids very well. Especially picking up Eli. I have a friend coming tomorrow so I can go to the chiropractor again and probably the doctor. Hoping it is nothing major and that they can put me on something that I can still nurse while taking.

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Date night

2012-01-20T21:16:00.001-08:00

Tonight our older kids are staying with Grandma Ransom overnight. Eli hung with some good friends while James and I went on a date with our friend Cat and her beau Chris. Such a fun night. Hopefully Eli will sleep well so we can all enjoy our quiet house. :)

Abs

2012-01-19T07:27:00.001-08:00

I've decided to try this abs challenge I found on Pinterest. I'm getting anxious to try to get back in shape. My efforts have been slowed, because I threw my back out last week. I've been to the chiropractor a few times and it is getting better. I'm holding off on running until it is a little better. I ran last week and that made it hurt super bad. But it was hard for me to get the weight back off with Ben so I don't want to wait too long. I also don't want to really diet, because that made my milk supply go way down last time. So since my stomach is my main concern I'm trying this. It says I should see results in a week- I'll keep you posted. :)

Sariah's dream

2012-01-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

This is actually from last week. Sariah came home from preschool with a bunch of stuff on Martin Luther King Jr. But this little beauty took the cake!

Hair cuts

2012-01-16T19:41:00.001-08:00

So today I cut Ben and Sariah's hair and then went and had someone else cut mine! Sorry no pictures because I'm a slacker like that. Maybe I'll take some tomorrow.

Also got the van cleaned out and vacuumed! Yay! It was pretty bad. I always resolve to never let it get that bad again and then it always does. Ugh! Maybe this time...

So I didn't get everything off my list but I did get some things done. And tomorrow another day...

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Learning about Jesus

2012-01-15T19:04:00.001-08:00

Today after church Sariah was so excited to tell me ---"I learned that Jesus has a body just like me!"

I love her excitement to learn about Christ. It is so sweet to hear her and know that she already has a sweet testimony of the Gospel and of her Savior.

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Noise

2012-01-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

I think Eli sleeps better with a lot of noise. We are at The Grove. And there are a MILLION KIDS!! And he is happily sleeping.

Eli ROCKS

2012-01-13T07:27:00.001-08:00

So Eli is my favorite child today. He slept from about 12:30am-7:00am. Then didn't really wake up. Just fussed a bit. So I snuggled him back asleep in bed till almost 8:30!!! At 6 weeks!!

Yep he is AWESOME!

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Out of the house

2012-01-12T21:20:00.001-08:00

Tonight was AWESOME! I got to get out on my own. James was home with all 3 kids. My friend Angela does a Girl's Christmas Party every year. It is always so much fun, great food, tons of chatting. This year it was postponed until tonight. Which was actually great for me because it gave me more time to recover from having Eli.

And it was just what I needed. Before leaving, I really debated just staying home. I was seriously just that tired. But I put some makeup on and dragged myself out. And I was super glad I did. First it was so nice to leave all the kids home. Bless my wonderful husband!! I needed a mental/emotional break. And it re-energized me. It was just the perfect pick me up.

Thanks to my AWESOME HUSBAND!!

Thanks to Angela- for always throwing such fab get togethers. You really are the queen hostess!

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The dentist.

2012-01-11T17:49:00.001-08:00

Went to the dentist today. Truly I do like my dentist. He is a nice guy, does good work, and sings oldies to you in the process. But I must say I really don't like going to the dentist. I don't like how my mouth feels afterwards. My jaw has had popping problems since I was a teen so I hate holding my mouth open for long periods because it hurts and pops more after. And my teeth just in general ache after. Probably because I'm a lousy patient who doesn't floss regularly.

But I'm proud to say my daughter is great. She hopped right up and pleasantly let them clean away the sugar bugs out of her mouth. Because girls have pink sugar bugs and boys have blue ones. And proudly showed me her new Ariel toothbrush and hair accessory that she got to pick out for being so good! Love that girl.

Ben however screamed a bunch. Not because he was having his teeth looked at- the kid didn't even have an appointment. He screamed because he didn't want to leave dad so that dad could get his X-rays done. Ugh. Just wait in 6 months we are going for them to clean his teeth. That should be fun.

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Headwraps

2012-01-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Ben decided he needed a flower head wrap just like sissy and mommy!

Sleepless nights

2012-01-10T03:27:00.001-08:00

I think everyone knows being a mom means some sleepless nights. There is really nothing you can do to prepare for how hard that really is. And more kids just means less sleep. And if anyone is sick.. less sleep.

For someone like me who really would sleep 9 hours every night as my ideal, this is so hard. In fact it is one of the hardest parts of having a newborn at least for me.

Last night- super rough. Ben is sick and Eli was starving and Sariah try as she might had trouble sleeping through the noise. It went something like this-

8:30-10:30- Eli is cranky and wanted to nurse the whole time.

10:30- Ben is crying and has a high fever. Gave him Tylenol and sat with him for a while.

12:40- Eli is hungry

1:30- Ben wakes up and comes in my room. Snuggle him. Get him some gatoraid. Lay him back down and sit with him for a bit.

2:40- Eli is hungry

3:10- Ben wakes up an crying in the hall. Snuggle him. Get him some more gatoraid. Lay him back down and sit with him for a bit. Then Sariah is up and wants a drink of milk so I get that.

5:00- Eli is hungry

And here I am now feeding Eli. Ben normally gets up for the day at 7am. I'm hopeful he will sleep in. Either way I'm not sure I will be coherent enough to get anything done today.

I knew I would have sleepless nights as a mom. I still don't know how to cope well with them. There are many prayers asking for strength and energy these days.

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Celine

2012-01-09T18:42:00.001-08:00

Crack up moment of the day. Watching James and Sariah do interpretive dance to Celine Dion in the kitchen.

Only wish I had caught it on tape.

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Some days are just rough

2012-01-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

What did we learn today..

2012-01-08T11:45:00.001-08:00

Sariah started Primary today. They sang the "Hello" song to her. And the happy birthday song. And she got a candy bar for her birthday.

On the way home she told me, "I learned who the king of the church is!" I asked who and she wouldn't say. So I said Jesus(which is usually always the answer)? And she said no. I said Heavenly Father? And she said, with a beaming smile, YES! It was so cute!

Then we got home and I discovered that she had taken a few bites of her candy bar,which I had told her she could have. But then the rest she had just held in her hot little hand. A pure chocolate Hershey bar. Yep I should have taken a picture. It was hilarious. Melted chocolate completely covering her one hand!!

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Sariah is 4

2012-01-07T20:07:00.001-08:00

Today is my sweet Sariah's 4th birthday!! I can't believe it. She seems so grown up. I asked her if she felt older tonight and she said yes. So cute. I started an "interview" with her that I plan to do every year. The video is too long to send from the phone so sadly I'll have to add it when I have time to do it from the computer. I will also add pictures tomorrow. I took them on the nice camera.

When we asked her what her favorite part of the day was she said opening presents. We made her wait until the end of the day but all day she asked when she was going to get her presents.

This year she got a new game for the DS(that dad got her for Christmas). She also got a Prince Charming doll and a Flynn Rider doll. She got some new PJs and princess bracelets. And a new book- If the Savior Stood Beside Me.

Ben was most upset that none of the presents were for him. He just cried the whole time Sariah opened her gifts. He then fell in love with the Flynn Rider doll. And ran around making him talk and fight. It was super cute.

Sariah got to do tons of fun things today. The was a PJ and Pancake breakfast at church to welcome everyone to Primary. Sariah is in the Sunbeam class now. Then she got to have special time with daddy. They went and got a new Tinkerbell game for her DS. She also got a new yellow cloth flower- James said was singing the Rapuntzel song to it. And other goodies and snacks. Then she and dad snuggled and watched a movie. Then we did some coloring with this special paper and pens. Played with play dough. Then got McDs for dinner and went to Fun Run. It is a bouncy house type play place. Then came home and did presents.

So a nice full day! We didn't have time to make a cake so she said it was okay if we did that later. :)

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Better mom report

2012-01-06T13:48:00.001-08:00

I don't know that I will blog every week what I did with the kids but today I feel like it. One resolution was to try to be a better mom. With that my goal was to do something fun just for/with the kids. I have set aside Friday for this as it is the one day Sariah won't have preschool. But it doesn't have to only be Friday. This week I have quite outdone myself! I did several things.

Wednesday, we cooked together. The kids helped me make a yummy blueberry breakfast cake. They didn't like it as much as I did-too many blueberries said Sariah. But to me it was delish. And they did have fun making it. They are also finally getting used to the mixer. It used to scare them and they would hop down everytime I turned it on. One thing I would love in our future house is an island to cook at with the kids. It is super tight to squeeze the three of us up to the counter to cook.

Thursday, it was crazy warm here in KC. Like 60s in January. Unheard of! So we went to the park. It was packed with kids. They had fun playing on all the stuff. We also walked down to the lake at the park to see all the geese. The kids thought they were ducks and loved them. It was also fun when someone brought their dog over and all of the geese flew off together very dramatically.

Friday, we went to the gym. So this wasn't exactly me doing something with them but it was fun for them. We haven't been for a long time. Ben didn't want to go play so I let him stay in the stroller and walk the track. He got bored and asked to go play. Then threw a huge tantrum when I took him in. But calmed down and was having a ton of fun when I came to get him. Sariah loved that they had the game Twister going in her room. She is super hopeful they will have it out next time she comes. And Eli did awesome. Just slept in the stroller the whole time.

So fun mommyness accomplished this week! Go me!

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Dreamy

2012-01-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

This is the beautiful dream home we pass by every time we go to my in laws. I've never been inside. I don't know who lives there but I love the house. I'm sure the inside is equally as amazing. Yes I would take it in a heartbeat and move in tomorrow. Ahhh for now I will just dream about it.

Tummy time

2012-01-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure Elias completely understands what tummy time is supposed to be. I laid him down for a bit of tummy action and a few minutes later found this:

A real bath

2012-01-04T18:52:00.001-08:00

Or as real a bath as you can have in the kitchen sink. Eli had his first real bath on Dec 11. As you can see, he didn’t really enjoy it.

My boys

2012-01-03T15:24:00.001-08:00

Ben has finally started calling Eli by his name sometimes and not just calling him baby. Ben's thing right now is to come close and say "Hi E-why" and then kiss his forehead. So cute!!

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Stocking Photos

2012-01-03T15:06:00.001-08:00

As the usual tradition, we stuffed Eli in his stocking to get the required “first Christmas Photos”. Mom must be making them smaller because he was super hard to get inside. As you can tell it wouldn’t really go up over his little belly.

Good daddy

2012-01-02T18:27:00.001-08:00

There are times where I catch James doing something with the kids and I think "he's such a great daddy!". Today there was one of those moments. Sariah brought him Peter Pan and both kids just climbed up to have him read. It was totally adorable. Yep Dad is AWESOME!

Today's photo

2012-01-01T19:44:00.001-08:00

Eli

New years resolutions- A Better Me

2012-01-01T12:33:00.001-08:00

I must say I like the new year. I like resolutions. A time to set over all goals and push to better. That is my focus this year. To be a "better me". Not a perfect me. So if I don't do each of these or do them perfectly that is okay with me. Just to try to do them or be better at each category is truly my goal. I just like something specific too so that I can be able to somewhat measure my progress rather than just saying be more of x.

So here are my little notes of what I'm trying to do to better myself in the upcoming year. And yep with blogging this I can check one off today. :)

New years resolutions- A Better Me

Better mom- Fun Friday
Try to do something fun each Friday with the kids

Better wife- 2 dates a month
Set up 2 dates each month for James and I

Better Physically- Running And Biking
Run one race at a 10 minute mile pace
Do one bike race with James

Better Emotionally- Blogging and Crafting
Blog something each day and hopefully take one picture every day
30 minutes of crafting every week

Better Spiritually- Scripture Study
5 minutes of Book of Mormon everyday

Better Financially- No Spending Month
Complete a no spending month challenge in February

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Coming home- 12/01/11

2011-12-29T20:56:00.001-08:00

So here are a few cute shots I took of Eli right before we came home from the hospital.

Check out this little smile…

Big yawn…

He was done with the photos and ready to be held

It always amazes me how tiny they are in their car seat!

Oh and as of this post (one month old) he has already outgrown this outfit!

Can you tell we are related?

2011-12-29T20:52:00.001-08:00

So I think that my babies all look a little different, but really can you tell who is who?

I turned them all black and white to make it a little harder…

And the ANSWERS ARE…………………….

ELIAS

BENJAMIN

SARIAH

I think the boys especially look alike. Although I thought that when Eli was born and many people have commented on it. Even though I’m pretty sure they will each have their own look, I don’t think there will ever be any doubt that they are all related.

I am a Child of God

2011-12-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Sariah singing I Am a Child of God

Stories of Jesus

2011-12-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sariah singing Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

Twinkle Twinkle

2011-12-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

Sariah singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Squishy love

2011-12-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

I just love this squishy snuggle boy.

What a helper

2011-12-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Sariah was holding Eli's binkie in for him so it wouldn't fall out. I'm blessed with such a great little helper.

Totally my daughter

2011-12-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

James took the kids to see the dance group that he does the Nutcracker with perform at Union Station. While there, I guess they went and got chocolates. They picked out special ones for she and I to have. Here she is showing off hers and her chocolate mouth. Yep she's totally my daughter.

Friends

2011-12-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

Our best friends Rob and Jessi came by last night for Uncle Rock to meet Eli.

Nap time

2011-12-11T15:40:00.001-08:00

I love to snuggle with my tiny man and nap.

Going to meet new brother Elias

2011-12-10T17:13:00.001-08:00

Not sure if this will work but here is a video of the kids coming to meet Eli.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxUTXI1pbrE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Elias James Ransom

2011-12-10T16:54:00.001-08:00

The stats:

Born: November 29, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Length: 20 inches
Weight: 7lbs 15 oz
Head: 13 1/2 inches
Chest 13 1/2 inches

Lots of dark brown hair.
Super awake and alert- more than either of my other kids.
Good eater.

I was induced. The labor was 5hrs and 24 minutes. Everything went smoothly. He did have the cord around his neck twice. My mom and James were there with me.

Okay so here are the pictures from the day Elias was born. There are a few less modest shots- just to warn you. Nothing too graphic though!

Here we are before delivery. Thank heaven for epidurals. The one I got this time was a little different then my others. He does 2 sort of. The first he puts in is a fast acting drug and then he places the epidural. So before I was even laying back, my legs were going numb. Rather than having to wait the 30 minutes for the epidural to work. It was really nice!

Quick eat lunch she is about to have a baby!!

So my timeline this time was really similar to Ben. I could almost copy my labor story from him and insert it here. But here is the quick report.

4:30AM: Wake up and Shower

6:00AM: Arrive at hospital

7:00AM: Doctor breaks water and starts Pitocin

9:30AM: Got Epidural

11:15AM: Nurse checks and I’m at a 6

11:27AM: I call the nurse back in because when she moved me to my other side about 10 minutes before I started feeling a lot of pressure on that side. I thought the epidural was wearing off on that side. She says, I bet your are ready- meaning ready to push. I laughed because I think she is nuts. I mean I was just at a 6. We had sent James out to get lunch. There was no way I was ready. So she checks me and well I was 9.5 dilated. She was like 2 more minutes and you will be ready.

So now we are frantically calling and texting James. We weren’t sure where he was exactly in the lunch getting process and sort of didn’t want him to miss the birth. He was just pulling back in to the hospital. So he rushed upstairs and him and mom both scarfed down lunch.

Then we waited. Yep that is right. Apparently it was a popular day to be induced with your 3rd kid. There were two other women being induced with their third that day and we were all ready to push at the same time pretty much. So everyone was racing around. Eli probably would have been born a good 10 minutes sooner except the doctor was in the other room delivering the one of the other ladies. The nurse even told the doctor if I hadn’t had an epidural, he wouldn’t have been delivering me.

So he finally came in, and they got all set up. After pushing for 4 minutes (according to one of the nurses), Eli was born at 12:24pm. I think I only pushed 4 or 5 times- it is okay you can hate me.

James waiting for the doctor- can you tell we got no sleep the night before-

Here is our little Elias James Ransom

This is Dr. Billharz- who was great! I saw him a ton when I was pregnant with Ben, but only once this pregnancy. It was nice to have a doctor I knew this time though. I forgot to get one with our AWESOME nurse- Stephanie. She was super great too!

They like to do the skin to skin right after birth which is super nice. Just so sweet to hold your baby right away.

One of my biggest complaints with being induced is the no food after midnight the night before rule. So I’m always STARVING by the time the baby is born. And for some reason my darling husband thinks he should get a picture of me eating right after birth. It is a tradition now I guess.

Grandma Ransom (James’ mom) was awesome and watched our kids during the labor. So they got to come up just shortly after Eli was born. Sariah wasn’t sure at first. I think just the hospital setting intimidated her. Then when I asked if she wanted to see his hair- she was in love.

I will post the video of Ben soon. It was probably the cutest reaction. He just kept shouting BABY BABY! and patting Eli. He LOVES his brother!

So here is our family of five! Still so hard to believe I have 3 kids.

The required silly face picture.

And here I am with Eli after the kids left. So yeah I guess with the 3rd kid things do slide. Apparently, since James was taking all the pictures I forgot to get the camera away from him and take some of him with the baby. Ugh!

I always have to check out their hair. Forgot the 10 fingers and 10 toes thing. Look at that cute head of hair! Most of it is dark but he has some blonde mixed in. And his eyes seem lighter than the other kids so it will be interesting to see what color they end up.

Also a little side note fact- Eli has his daddy’s name as his middle name and they are both 3rd in birth order and each have 1 older brother and 1 older sister.

Getting induced!

2011-12-10T16:15:00.001-08:00

So here are my last pregnancy pictures before getting induced with Eli. We took these the night before. James- yep still thought I looked huge. So sweet! You can see my reaction to that in the second picture. To be honest, I felt huge. I was so excited that I was going to be induced the next day.

The doctors appointment went like this.

Doc- Well you are now dilated to a 2, I think you look favorable to be induced. Let me get the calendar so we can pick a date.

Doc brings the calendar in… Well any day this week looks good.

Me- Umm is tomorrow too soon?

Doc- No tomorrow is fine.

Me- Okay great (On the inside I was singing praises of joy something like HALLLEEEELUUUUIIAAAA!!! TOMORROW TOMORROW I LOVE YOU TOMORROW…. yeah I didn’t do this out loud don’t worry)

The tree is up

2011-12-10T16:09:00.001-08:00

On of my major goals before the baby came was to get the tree up. I knew that if it didn’t happen before the baby it was going to be really hard to do after the baby.

Luckily, James’ family held their Thanksgiving day celebration on Monday because his dad was going out of town. So on Thanksgiving day, we just stayed home, relaxed and put up the tree.

Sariah was a huge helper this year. She hung most of the ornaments except the few super fragile ones.

Ben well he was around, but more into taking this off the tree then putting them on. So he was given the soft items to just play with.

I’m not sure if he was putting this on or taking it off. It looks all cute like he was putting it on the tree so let’s go with that!

BEN’S TWO!!!

2011-12-10T16:03:00.001-08:00

I made a decision a while back to do small birthday parties for as long as I could- aka until my kids beg and plead for something more. So we typically just have a party with us and a family member or few friends. This year Ben’s favorite Aunt Meme joined us.

And now he is officially 2. Although when we asked him how old he was he raised up 5 fingers and said “FOUR!” He has been acting the part of 2 for a while now but now we can really use that excuse.

Some things about Ben:

1. He’s a super sweet boy.

2. He loves to cuddle and give you kisses.

3. He is happy to be held and sit on your lap all day.

4. He is very much his own person. Many times I don’t know how to explain what he does other than- yep that’s Ben.

5. He LOVES his family. He especially loves Sissy who he follows around everywhere and wants to do just what she does.

6. He throws some serious tantrums. Usually ending in him smacking his head as he throws his body back on the floor. (Yep- that’s Ben.) And then looking at you like it is your fault he has hurt himself.

7. He can work the iPad all on his own. He could do this for a few months now. He knows exactly how to find Netflix and start up Go Diego Go.

8. He is obsessed with Diego and Dora. Especially on the iPad.

9. He loves to make a mess. His favorite thing is a clean room- that he can go in and pull everything down.

10. We love him. He is our sweet little man and fits perfectly with our family.

This year, Ben who normally loves to destroy stuff was for some reason terribly upset by the thought of ripping the paper off his presents.

No daddy don’t unwrap it!!

You want me to rip the paper?

The big winner was the train set. He and daddy and sissy had so much fun putting it together and running the trains.

On to cake! (Okay yes we had to rip him away from the trains to do cake. Next year I guess cake is first.)

Here I am trying to show him how to blow out the candles.

Huh Mom?

He got it after a bit:

Ben’s style of eating:

I tried to get him to use a fork. That lasted for about 20 seconds.

And now back to playing with trains. Forget the cake.

At the park

2011-12-10T15:43:00.001-08:00

Okay goal tonight. Update blog. So some of these are older and I didn’t get them blogged before Eli came. But that shouldn’t be a big surprise. This is just a little trip we took to the park. On a cold but not freezing day.

Elias gaining weight

2011-12-09T08:59:00.001-08:00

Elias has gained some weight. At his doctor appointment today, he weighed 8lbs 6.5oz.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Drama

2011-12-08T18:01:00.001-08:00

Conversation between me and Sariah:

Me: Sariah, don't be a drama queen
Sariah: Mom, I'm not a drama queen, I'm a drama princess.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

The Nutcracker

2011-12-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

This was James' second year being in The Nutcracker. Looking back I realize I was crazy for agreeing to this year. I mean hello my due date was the 1st and the performances were the 3rd & 4th- not to mention all the practices leading up to it.

But you pick your battles and you make it work. I was also crazy enough to go to the Sat performance with my 5 day old baby. But I had sacrificed James being gone so I really wanted to see the show.

It was worth it. I was exhausted by the time we got home. But James' mom took Ben and Sariah for the weekend and I knew I could rest.

Sariah loved going. She got to wear her special new Christmas dress and my mom braided her hair. She looked ADORABLE!!! And her favorite parts included:

When daddy came on stage: she yelled "That's my daddy!"

The Nutcracker (with the big head, not the doll or the prince): before he came out she kept asking "where's the nutcracker" and after he left she kept asking "when's the nutcracker coming back"

The dragon: during the Chinese dancers they had 4 little girls under a dragon like you see in parades. Sariah loved it but was sad when it left. I asked her why and she said she was sad "because the dragon didn't eat the princess at the end".

Little Bo Peep: they had a section with sheep and Little Bo Peep. She loves her from Toy Story so she was super excited that she was "just like in the movie"

Getting her own nutcracker doll: every little kid got their own little nutcracker. She was super excited she got a blue on just like in the show.

I could tell which parts she really liked because she would get up on her knees to watch it. They let all the kids come right up in front of the stage but Sariah preferred to sit back with me and Grandma at the table this time.

Here's a few little pictures:

Elias James Ransom

2011-11-29T18:44:00.001-08:00

Today, Elias joined our family.

The stats:

Born: November 29, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Length: 20 inches
Weight: 7lbs 15 oz
Head: 13 1/2 inches
Chest 13 1/2 inches

Lots of dark brown hair.
Super awake and alert- more than either of my other kids.
Good eater.

I was induced. The labor was 5hrs and 24 minutes. Everything went smoothly. He did have the cord around his neck twice. And I will try to write a more detail post tomorrow about the labor.

But here's a few pictures for now.

Truly a moment

2011-11-24T16:47:00.001-08:00

These little moments are the ones that make my heart melt.

Preschool for Sariah

2011-11-24T16:46:00.001-08:00

Sariah started preschool a few weeks ago. And while I was a slacker mom and completely forgot to get pictures on the first day of school, these are from the second day of school- so that is okay right?

She loves school! Although I don’t love the timing of it, I’m so excited for her to have the experience. She is an afternoon program with a local high school 3 days a week. They do all sorts of fun crafts and after class each day she asks when she can go back.

She really wanted to hold up her candy she got before school so that is a little box of Nerds in her hands.

Really, she is quite the ham- pretty sure that comes from her daddy!

Pregnancy Pictures- From 36 Weeks

2011-11-24T16:39:00.001-08:00

So these are a little old. (From 11/5 or 36 weeks along) But here are some pictures of my big belly! After having lots of people be so sweet and tell me how small I look, James took these pictures and said “Man you’re HUGE.”

Yeah feel free to smack him next time you see him!

My cute kids!!

2011-11-24T16:23:00.001-08:00

Here are just some random cute pictures of the kids laying next to each other on the floor. Aren’t they the cutest?

Changing Table

2011-11-24T16:20:00.001-08:00

So with Ben and Sariah, I had a changing table. Nothing fancy but it worked. So when we were cleaning out my parents’ house, we found this old dresser. I decided to take on the project of redoing it and making it into my changing table.

Little did I know how much WORK this would be. So here are the pictures of it in all its ORIGINAL GLORY:

At first, I thought I would use a stripper on it. So I had my “get it done” group help with that. We tried it and man it just wasn’t working. I mean we put the stripping agent on and scrapped and scrapped with minimal success. So then I turned to sanding it. This was more expensive considering how many sanding pads I ended up using. But much faster and worked a lot better. (After talking to friends I learned that strippers don’t work as well on old paint and oil paint- I think this dresser had both.)

So next go round of get it done, I had them help sand some more. And then I made James help sand some more. And don’t worry I sanded myself a lot too! You can also see the drawers in the background. We did replace the bottom of the drawers as they were starting bow. I just forgot to get pictures of that process. Here are some IN PROCESS pictures:

After a lot of sanding hours- A LOT- and some spray paint and some new handles here is the FINISHED PRODUCT:

(Note: Sariah refused to let me take a picture of just the dresser. She had to be next to it.)

Here it is with the changing pad. Of course my cover matches it- which I wish it didn’t. I had the cover already so oh well! I’m still debating on trying to add a glaze or distress it some. But as my due date was getting closer I decided I like it how it is and will do that in the spring if I still want to.

So from this:

To this:

I must say I’m pretty happy!

Yep still pregnant

2011-11-19T20:34:00.001-08:00

So I think I'm now emotionally stable to talk about my doctor's appointment yesterday and the fact that I'm still pregnant.

So I will preface this with pointing out that I'm pregnant and while I can tell myself rational things, currently my over emotional side typically dominates the initial reaction to anything.

So I had my doctor's appointment Friday. I am 38 weeks along and they were going to do a sonogram weight estimate. I had high hopes that this would mean scheduling the induction for about a week later. (This was based off a previous discussion with one of my doctors that this was likely. I didn't just make that up.). So part way through the sono the tech says he doesn't look that big and right then I knew this discussion was NOT going to be what I wanted to hear. Also keep in mind that I had NO sleep the nights prior to this due to irregular but painful contractions all night long. So basically the end result of the sonogram was an estimate of 6lbs 14 oz and measuring less than my due date by a little over a week. Side note I have always measured less than my due dates with every sonogram on every pregnancy- Ben was still 9lbs and Sariah 8.5.

So the doctor did check me and yeah I'm still dilated at a 1 (same as the last two times) but I did get to 70% effacement up from 50%. Which in my mind means great, I'm doing nothing.

So she says they'll see me again on the 28th. See me. Not induce me which is what I was wanting. See part of the problem is that James sort of doesn't get the option to take days off for the first 3 days of a month, because that is their crazy time at work. So I can't schedule for the 1,2 or 5th of December. She said they "might" be able to induce on the 29th after seeing me the day before but no guarantee and even with that James would be at work the day I come home.

So now I've had a good cry and gotten really upset that what I thought was waiting 1 week will probably be waiting 3 weeks. I've almost come to grips with it. Last night, I didn't have contractions all night long like before, and that gave me more confidence that I can handle waiting. The idea of having contractions all day and night for 3 weeks just seemed so unbearable. So I was super thankful the God gave me a break.

I know that waiting longer is better. I know that it would be great for the baby to have the chance to come on their own. I know the baby will come when the timing is right. I know that this gives the baby more time to develop and be healthy. I know I shouldn't rush it and I will only be more exhausted when the baby does come. See yes I am logical and rational.

It is just I feel huge and hurt all the time so despite knowing all that stuff... I'm still pretty ready to not be pregnant.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Ben and Mommy time

2011-11-16T20:27:00.001-08:00

Sariah has started preschool 3 days a week through the Oak Park High School. She loves it and although the times aren't always convenient for me, I know that it is such a good thing for her.

The other big plus is that it gives me time with just Ben for a little while before the new baby comes. We go shopping together, run errands, have lunch, etc. It is so nice to shop with just one kid! Ahhh trying to enjoy that while I can.

Today, was her short day. So we just ran out for lunch at Burger King. Here is my little king being as cute as can be...

Siblings are the best

2011-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

Ben is in the "follow sissy" stage. He wants to do everything she does, be where she is, eat what she eats, etc. It was super funny tonight. I took them both to The Grove (indoor playground). Ben literally just followed Sariah around. When he couldn't find her, he would come back to me and say "where'd go?" then once he spotted her "there she is!". And run off back to follow her.

Yep siblings are the best.

Dora envy

2011-11-11T14:30:00.001-08:00

Man, sometimes I wish I was Dora. I mean seriously.... A backpack with everything I might need yet light enough that a small child can carry it all day AND a map that knows where everything is and where it is going and can tell me how to get there is 3 easy steps.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

How are you feeling?

2011-11-04T06:39:00.001-07:00

I get this question a lot lately. I guess I should come up with a less snarky remark. My usual response is "Pregnant!". I'm now 36 weeks along. So ONE MONTH left! Possibly less if the baby looks big on the weight estimate I will have in 2 weeks.

I had my first weekly (ugh!) appointment yesterday. I really don't care for going to the doctor every week. I feel like I'm always there and I say I'm doing fine, they say you look fine, and I leave. But I know it is a safety thing and I should be a good girl and not complain.

I'm now 1 cm dilated. But barely according to the doctor. I was really hoping for more because I'm having contractions all day- everyday. I'm thinking I will probably get induced again so now for the waiting game.

Thankfully, I had a very productive day yesterday. I got a lot off my list. I'm mostly ready for this little one. All the clothes are washed. I plan to adjust the car seat straps today. My bag is halfway packed. The crib is ready just waiting till I'm a little closer to put clean sheets on. That kind of stuff.

Mentally, last night was not so good. The kids were a nightmare to get to bed. Still up fighting me at 10pm. I was literally sitting outside their door (crying) holding it shut with Ben screaming on the other side. One of those, I'm a horrible mom and can't handle these two and yet I will have a newborn soon.

Thankfully, it is a better morning. I'm renewed and positive again after a lot of prayer and listening to Jim Brickman to relax and sleep last night.

So yep I'm feeling pregnant and today so far positive.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Carrots

2011-11-01T16:35:00.001-07:00

Me talking to Sariah tonight at dinner:

Do I need to take your carrots away? No? Okay then stop sticking them in your nose.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Halloween 2011

2011-10-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween, Sariah picked Yo Gabba Gabba and assigned characters for each of us to be. She would be Toodee, Dad would be Muno, Ben would be Plex, and Mommy would be Foofa.

Of course, you can't buy a Toodee costume anywhere!!! Trust me I looked! So I again made the costume this year.

Our friend Rob snapped some quick phone pictures of us after a party tonight. I will try to get more pictures on the blog from Monday if I remember to take any that night. But at least here is a little peak at our group.

This first one also includes Iron Man as a guest star. Hehe. That is Rob and Jessi's son Ryan who wanted in on the photo action.

Sleep or eat?

2011-10-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes this is a hard decision. Apparently, Ben was so tired that he fell asleep while eating. Notice the hand still in the fry container?

Sick

2011-10-19T06:05:00.001-07:00

Sariah: (coughing) I don't feel so good.
Mommy: Should we stay home so you can feel better?
Sariah: Are we going bye bye?
Mommy: I don't think so. I think you are still too sick.
Sariah: I'm not so so sick. I'm just a little bit sick.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Fwd: Bad due date calculator

2011-10-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

> Okay so at times I love all the pregnancy updates my little pregnancy apps have. Like the development of the baby and when I reach the halfway point. Tonight...not loving it so much. That daily countdown part is really putting the pressure on me. I mean 8 weeks 5 days!!! Seriously???
>
> I've got a LONG to do list for the baby and for the house. And it is just a lot of overwhelmingness right now. Especially because I feel like much of the list I can't do with the kids around and much of it I need James' muscle for. Both things mean it is a slow process and not happening as quick as I want.
>
> Thank heavens my "Get it done" group is coming to my house this week. Hopefully that will get a lot of the list and let me focus in on less stuff.
>
> I've also had people ask me if I'm ready for 3 kids. To which my current response is "no, but I don't think I get a choice at this point.". I mean honestly I'm still have nervous panic attacks about how I will do it. I know that you just do. I know that I had the same kind of panic attacks with my other kids. How will I function on that little sleep? How will I do breastfeeding again? How will I give all my kids the individual attention they need? How will I get my grocery shopping done? How will I ever take off the pregnancy weight again? And on and on. And I know that you just do what you have to do. That it does work out somehow. I know that the Lord helps make up the difference. But sometimes I just feel like ahhhhhhhhhhhhhg!
>
> Seriously? 8 weeks 5 days?

Project

2011-10-01T21:19:00.001-07:00

Okay so yes these are sad, sad phone pictures of the current project. I promise it looks much better in person! But if I don't post something then it will be 6 months from now before I do anything.

I rescued this old window from my parent's basement. My mom and sister thought I was crazy, but I saw potential. I thought I was going to do vinyl on it with like family rules type stuff that I keep seeing. But I started it and then gave the cricut back to my aunt and really just felt unmotivated by it.

Then I saw some window panes with photos and decided to try this. I took the word miracles for two reasons. One I had already done it in vinyl so it was easy. And two I would like to remind myself of the small daily miracles in my life.

I'm slowly just printing pictures at home and plan to fill in the whole thing with my favorite photos of our family. I'm honestly just sticking them up there with double sided tape. Hoping that it will be something that is simple and I will actually do and that I can rearrange on a whim. So here is the progress so far...

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Playing

2011-10-01T14:43:00.001-07:00

As I’m trying to document my kids more, I had a good day the other day. Ben was being so cute playing in the door and I went and grabbed my camera. Here are some of the pictures that I took.

Cuddle with dad

2011-09-30T20:50:00.001-07:00

The last few days Sariah hasn't been able to get enough of her daddy.

Tonight, we babysat for friends and with James not feeling well he went to bed before they came back. When they got back they asked where James was and I said he went to lie down. A few minutes later I noticed Sariah wasn't in the room. She must have heard me and decided it was her perfect chance to go snuggle with daddy. This is what I came up to find. These are my favorite kind of moments.

Not a team player

2011-09-25T20:33:00.001-07:00

I’m the first to admit that I’m not really a good team player. Especially in school. I’m a VERY anal student. I know that being in school brings out my OCD like nothing else. I think that part of it is that I know I’m capable of an A and that if I don’t get an A in a class I feel that means I didn’t try hard enough. I have had a few classes that were exceptions. Where truly the professor thought their purpose in life was to never give an A to anyone. Those classes I can let go of. And I’m not saying this to sound full of myself. I just know that I’m a good student. If somehow I could make money at being a student that would rock!

So I’ve started masters classes towards an MBA. The first class I’m taking is Accounting for Management Decisions. So much of it is review for me. It is an online class. We have to do a team paper. It is due by midnight tonight. I’m pretty much ready to fire my group. Particularly one girl has NO CLUE what she is doing. I’ve had to draft much of her work for her and rework most of what she did on her own. I only left one of her parts alone, because it was so confusing that didn’t know what to do with it.

The main reason I hate team work in school is that I feel I have no control. You can’t force the other people to be good students. Even though you can do the team evaluation that doesn’t mean you won’t have major stress, have to extra work, and still have to turn something in that you aren’t completely proud of. And have to work on it on Sunday even though you don’t normally do any homework on Sunday.

Okay thanks for letting rant. Yeah and I’m having major Braxton Hicks about it. Tomorrow, I’m totally going to get ice cream!

Ben singing part 1

2011-09-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Trading phones

2011-09-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ben and Sariah crack me up sometimes. Here they are trading phones back and forth. Ben is obsessed with the phone right now and likes to talk on it.

Matching Rain Boots and my lived in house

2011-09-24T19:36:00.001-07:00

So I realize that this would have been cuter if I had gotten the kids dressed all cute and took them out in the rain or something fab like that. But well this is life. This is my messy basement. And hey at least I took a picture. A while ago I bought Sariah these cute rain boots. Thankfully she has tiny feet that grow very slowly so they still fit her, because someone gave us the same rain boots in a smaller size that fit Ben. And miracle they both wanted to wear them together when it was raining the other day.

I think that my kids hugging each other is about the cutest thing! Melts my heart every time!

Trying to take more pictures

2011-09-24T19:31:00.001-07:00

James has been challenging me to try to take more pictures of the kids. And by pictures I mean using the real camera and not just snapshots on the phone. And I hate to report that I haven’t done very well. In fact I was reading someone else’s blog who has links to their friends blogs down the side and saw that I hadn’t updated mine in 2 weeks and even that post was a phone picture. I really thought it had been more recent than that. Time flies with this forgetful and stressed out pregnancy brain I have. I also realized that I don’t think I have posted a single pregnancy picture. Maybe that is due to the fact that I feel huge this pregnancy and haven’t taken many pictures. Hmmm. I’m not going to make any promises for the future that I don’t know I will keep, but it did make me sad that I have slacked so much lately.

So here are a few random pictures from the day after James challenged me. (9/4/11) Yep I did really good for a day! hehehe

I was trying to get a shot of just Ben which is really hard to do with Sariah around…

Ahh here we go- just the handsome boy.

Sariah of course demanded her own turn..

Ben thinks it is really fun and helpful for him to feed you. Thankfully Sariah is a pretty good sport about it.

This is when the photos usually have to end. When Ben starts charging the camera desiring to hold it and see the pictures.

If Ben is quiet…

2011-09-24T19:23:00.001-07:00

There are two options for if Ben is being to quiet. The first and more common is that he is somewhere in the house causing trouble and making a mess. The second and super sweet is that he has randomly fallen asleep somewhere. These are actually from 8/28 so it was a few Sundays ago. But I had gone upstairs to get ready I think and James was downstairs on the computer. I came back down to get Ben dressed and found this. He had snuggled up with the huge horse that my aunt bought the kids and fallen completely and totally asleep. I’m telling you it is moments like these that make up for all of his craziness.

Food+Hair=Ben's Natural State

2011-09-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

The things we do

2011-08-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ah the things we do to have happy children. The military is moving my mom and sister in law's stuff today. And I'm the lucky one who gets to sit and wait on them so I can sign paperwork. So my kids get to hang and watch movies in the car all morning. So far it is a diet of donuts, juice, and lollipops. Pretty sure Ben will need a bath by the time they are done. But they are being good and happy so I'm willing to let it go for now. Hopefully it won't be too much longer for them to finish. Started at 8:40. Now 11:35. Getting close. Ugh.

Every last bit

2011-08-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

Ben just has to get every last drop of yogurt from his plate.

Nauvoo

2011-08-19T12:44:00.001-07:00

At the end of July, we had a fun little weekend away in Nauvoo, IL. Even with the heat, and Ben being crazy with no nap, getting lots of bug bites, and Sariah majorly scrapping her knees, we still had a lot of fun!

I think the kids liked the play area the best! It also provided the cutest pictures!

Sariah loved the little log cabins. And informed me that it was Snow White’s house.

Ben had to join Sariah in the tea party fun!

We had a great dinner by the camp fire. Although, we weren’t tough enough to actually camp- we opted for a hotel. Some of our friends camped and it was fun to have a taste of it for dinner.

Ben and Sariah both crashed after the pageant. Well Ben crashed during the pageant. So we laid them together in the hotel bed. It was quite possibly the cutest moment of the trip for me. That was until in the middle of the night Ben rolled off the bed and started crying. Which woke Sariah up and she decided she wanted to go home. So James slept with Ben and I snuggled with Sariah for the rest of the night.

Family portrait in front of the temple.

Family portrait featuring the dolls- See Sariah.

Playtime fail

2011-08-18T13:13:00.001-07:00

So some friends from church coordinated a play date at Dagg Park. Well yeah the city decided to close the fountains and the wading pool except for Sat & Sun and didn't tell anyone. So we got there and could only stare at the water from outside the fence. Then my kids were big wimps and didn't want to play at the park because all the equipment was too hot for their tastes. I decided it was too close to nap time if there wasn't going to be any water and we left early. I told Sariah we could go for chocolate shakes to make up for it. Hopefully after naps we can go to the Y for the splash park.

I wonder if I spoil my kids. I felt bad that they couldn't swim and that I needed to do something to make up for it. Hence the chocolate shake. But maybe I should have just told them it wasn't open and left it at that. It just seems hard for them to understand. Ugh. I'm probably spoiling them to much because I don't want to listen to the fits or tears. Hmmm
Mommy fail?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Poor third child

2011-08-17T20:12:00.001-07:00

So I really haven't blogged much lately. Other than some quick photos from the phone. So this poor third baby has barely been mentioned on here. I am going to try to do better but with trying to get the house ready and keeping up with the other two while being exhausted from pregnancy umm yeah not making any promises. So here are a few tid bits.

Yes IT'S A BOY. I should get sonogram pictures up. Especially since I have had more sonograms this pregnancy than any other. Current total is 4. They keep being these little things that they want a second look at to make sure everything is okay. They have gotten even more detailed than when Ben was born. At my 3rd one there was a dark spot in the brain that could either be just catching it during development or a major chromosome defect. But it was gone on the 4th sonogram-meaning that it isn't a defect just part of development. Yay! Healthy baby.

I am thankfully past most of the nausea. I still have little yucky feelings after I eat so I'm pretty addicted to mint gum. But with gum I feel just fine. I am super tired. I'm sure some of that is having more kids to look after. I pretty much have to have a nap on the days I go to the gym. And many of the days I don't. Hehe.

I am already having Braxton Hicks. Ugh. Nothing to worry about. Just feels like I'm uncontrollably flexing my stomach. I feel like it is early to be having these considering I just finish my 6 month. And I guess I have 4 more months of this to look forward to.

I have had lots of back pain this go around. I contribute most of it to carrying Ben. I try not to pick him up if I can avoid it. But well often it isn't avoidable and or is just plain easier and I answer for it later.

I am trying to workout more this pregnancy. Not sure how long into it I will do that. But I have high goals. I don't want to get as out of shape as I have before. And it is a nice break for both me and the kids to go to the Y. So hopefully I can keep on that.

I started a MBA program this week. Cause yes I'm crazy. It is online and I will be done before the baby comes. I will take off a semester to have the baby and then continue on. It is just one class at a time but hey that is something!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Ben

2011-08-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Ben loves the slide!!

Video

2011-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Sariah asked me to take a video of her at lunch. Here you go.

Hide and go seek

2011-07-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here is Sariah playing hide and go seek with me by hiding next to me- in the bed- under the sheet- giggling. She makes me laugh so hard sometimes!!

Braids

2011-07-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to work in my braiding skills-especially French braiding. So yesterday with the bribery of a lollipop and Princess and the frog movie, I did pretty good. I'm still super slow at it so hopefully Sariah will be patient and let me do it more often.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Ahh

2011-07-08T20:24:00.001-07:00

This is my view right now. Just relaxing in the hammock in CA with a nice cool evening. The trip so far has been wonderful. We've gone to the beach a few times. Unfortunately, I wasn't careful with my sunscreen application the last time and now have to nicely burned knees. Today I was able to go to the temple with my mom and sister in law which was amazing. Just the perfect place to be with family I think. And we had a fabulous Girl's night tonight. Went to their Farmer's market/festival last night and bought the cutest sun hat- I will have to post a picture of that later. So there are my ramblings of the trip so far. I miss my babies and hubby but it is nice to have some me time.

Father’s Day

2011-07-02T14:55:00.001-07:00

I think this was the best present Sariah could give James on Father’s day. After my shower, I came down to find Sariah and James taking a nice nap together. I didn’t have the heart to wake them (and Ben was napping upstairs). So we didn’t make it to church that day.

Also cute this year was the gift that Sariah picked for Daddy. I asked her what she wanted to get him and she just kept telling me a boy gift. I asked her what a “boy gift” was. She told me a Ken doll. I mean you should have seen how excited she was to buy Daddy his own Ken Barbie Doll. She was really good about keeping everything else a secret- muffins for breakfast, sensor for his bike, special dinner. But we had gone together to the store and James stayed in the car. The minute, we got in the car though she was so excited that she blurted out “Dad we got you a Ken doll!!” It was the cutest thing!

Too quiet

2011-07-02T14:47:00.001-07:00

There are times where too quiet actually turns out so cute. Usually if I can’t hear Ben for any period of time that isn’t a good sign. But a few weeks back he had been downstairs playing and then was really quiet for a while. I went to check on him and found this:

He’d climbed up in daddy’s office chair, put on daddy’s headphones, and fallen asleep. I mean really his is totally James’ kid and SO CUTE!!

Chocolate Pudding Love

2011-07-02T14:43:00.001-07:00

Umm I think pictures will show the love my kids have for chocolate pudding. Sariah has always been such a clean kid. She still even likes us to feed her. Ben however wants to feed himself and does pretty well…that is until chocolate pudding is an option. Then whatever makes the biggest mess is how he wants to do it. Who am I kidding? The kid makes a mess with about everything he eats. Chocolate pudding just brings on a whole new level.

Really?? Why??

2011-06-21T11:16:00.001-07:00

So Sariah decided to spend some of her quarters today to replace her broken Sleeping Beauty doll. They didn't have the single doll just the set that comes with dresses and a chair and vanity. And then I see I came with these...

Energy

2011-06-20T10:34:00.001-07:00

Since I'm finally out of the dreaded morning sickness phase, I'm finally feeling like I have a ton of energy...... For about 2 hours in the morning. :) I feel like yes today is the day I'm going to get everything done. Then we eat lunch and I think I must climb back in bed. Tomorrow, tomorrow is the day I will get everything done. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sariah's dance moves

2011-06-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some dance moves Sariah learned from Yo Gabba Gabba.

Got a quarter

2011-06-15T10:25:00.001-07:00

I'm loving quarters right now. I can get Sariah to do anything for a quarter. Last time we were at the store, she asked for a new doll. She has a million dolls already so I told her that she could do some work around the house and earn money to get a doll. She was thrilled. This back fired when we got home and she thought she could do something that night and then go back to the store and get her doll. Hello instant gratification. So many tears were shed but since then she has told me she will be patient for her doll. We have a little folder with spots for her to tape her quarters. So now if I want toys picked up, dishes done, anything all I have to tell her is she can earn a quarter. Today I wanted the living room toys picked up and for a quarter I got them picked up to the tune of "clean up clean up". I didn't even ask for the song. It is wonderful!

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Hats

2011-06-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sariah loves playing dress up with hats. And since Ben wants to do everything sissy does...

Whose toy is this?

2011-05-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

I thought I was getting an ipad for me.....silly mommy.

Snuggle Buggle

2011-05-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

One of the things Ben does best is snuggle. He loves to sit with you and lean against you. Usually I can't get any pictures of him because he won't be still once he sees the camera. Today, he just sweetly sat with me watching a movie so I tried to snap a few. He is such a sweet boy.

Sent from Sam's iPhone

Versatile

2011-05-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

And when you're done making bread, the bowl becomes a hat.

Cooking

2011-05-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Sariah cooked some bread for me tonight. :).

You may get sick

2011-05-17T14:20:00.001-07:00

Of hearing about me talk about being sick. But since that is my life right now well that is the blog. Just wait a few months and check back in then for something more interesting.

Today was a day that I'm fighting to be present. I felt pretty good yesterday and of course over did it. Let me also say that it doesn't take much. I went to the bank, did lunch with my mom and sisters, and went to Sam's club with my sister. And by the time I got home from that, I realized it was more than I should have.

So I have paid for it today. Thankfully I'm not throwing up but I'm fighting the urge for sure. Luckily, my mother in law came up to the airport this morning and came by to help me afterwards. And then my sister took Sariah for a play date with her cousins while Ben napped. If not for that I'm sure I would have been really bad off.

So I'm fighting to be present. To be able to play with my kids and talk with them. To be able to enjoy being pregnant. To be able to just get off the darn couch. I am thankful that I picked out very comfortable couches for my home. :)

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Oh just one by the way

2011-05-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

I'm a slacker at getting the sonogram pictures scanned. I will try to do that next week. I have had two sonograms already- lucky me. I have small subchorionic hemorrhage. It is pretty common and they aren't concerned so don't get all worried. It can actually happen just as sort of like a bruise from implantation. But they did a follow up sonogram to check on it.

But that isn't really point of this post. The point is to address the questions of whether there might be 2 babies since I'm so sick. My sister was giving me a super hard time in fact that it was twins. I told her that if it was I would take her out to a nice steak dinner. So after my first sonogram I had to call her. I said "so where do you want to go for your steak dinner?" PAUSE. she says "WHAT?". Well I had to give it up at that point. There is only one baby! Both sonograms confirmed just one baby.

So just to confirm. Only one baby is on the way!!

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