Boys Night Out

Last weekend Jacob and Bart were able to go to the Av's hockey game. Nana and Papa couldn't use their tickets and you have never seen two more willing participants. They will gladly bail them out anytime they can't be used. Nana bought Jacob a jersey as an early birthday present so he would be dressed in the proper attire. Anna and I got to stay home with Rachie and have a girls night in which proved to be quite fun too (Enchanted and popcorn=big fun). Jacob was extra excited to get to meet Dad and take the train to the Pepsi Center. They had lots of treats and came home with a big Nerf type thing in the shape of a hand that holds your drink for you. I am sure it is for beer, but hey, it works for Sprite and Diet Coke too. Jacob has become quite the Av's fan and the next morning was out drawing with sidewalk chalk and wrote 5 to 4 Go Avs. Did I mention it was a great game that led to overtime and then a shoot out, which they won, and I believe was the first time they've had a shootout at home. The boys didn't get home until nearly midnight, but hey, it was a weekend and who needs sleep before a soccer game? Sugar will carry you right on through. Here's to my 2 cute boys. I love them both!

Easter 2008

Easter was so fun this year. It was the first year that both Jacob and Anna knew what to expect. They were excited to wake up to baskets from Nana and Papa and a small present from the Easter Bunny too. They were even more excited to do the Easter egg hunt, as you can tell from this picture. It is quickly becoming like the Christmas tradition of sitting on the stairs before presents!
After the pictures, they jumped right into the hunt for eggs. Anna was allowed a head start so she could compete with Jacob. He was a good brother and made sure she got her fair share though. I think Papa and Daddy had the most fun hiding them all around.


Once the eggs were gathered and opened, we took a few pictures of just how many they had to find. We also thought it would be fun to put Rachel in the middle of them. She didn't make much noise. One day she will know the fun of opening the eggs! Okay, so they didn't turn out like Anne Geddes photos like they did in my mind before I took them, but hey, they are still pretty cute.

After all the festivities we got everyone ready for church so we could go and actually celebrate the true meaning of Easter. This is where exhaustion and sugar do not make a good mix. By the time we had everyone ready Rachel pooped again, Anna had a tantrum, and Jacob was ready to stay and have more candy. Naturally, I forced everyone out on to the porch for a great family photo and the end result after 4 pictures was not so great (as evidenced below). I will say that at least Rachel made a great debut in her dress for a special Sunday. Well, at least I have proof that every once in awhile we dress up and comb our hair and attempt to look like real people. Maybe next year won't be quite as exhausting!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Anna!

Our sweet Anna Kathleen turned 3 on March 22nd. We were extra lucky this year to get to have both sets of grandparents around on her real birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Nelson had to leave shortly after the party, but they were here for the best part. We spent the morning running errands and finishing touches for both the birthday and Easter the next day. Anna was so excited when we picked up her cake from Sam's Club. Sidenote: I normally make my kids cakes, but since everything I own is still packed up, I had to do a store cake. I was a bit sad about it, but my back after just having baby #3 is thanking me for giving it a year off. Anyway, I wish I had the camera with me when we picked it up, but the singing pictures are still fun. I love how she looks like she feels special and isn't that what it is all about? It is still weird to think that she is my big 3 year old girl. I remember her birth so vividly and how shocked I was that she was a girl as I was so certain she was a boy.

At 3, however, Anna is fantastic. She is the most stubborn little thing you have ever met, but boy is she also adventurous. She was the first of the kids to get stitches to prove it! She has a great smile and infectious laugh. She wants anyone and everyone to play with her (especially if you will play doll house). She loves pink yogurt, pink clothes---and will only wear things she picks out, ice cream (Baskin Robbins rainbow sherbet which is pink and orange), taking care of her sister Rachel, shopping, shoes, purses, sunglasses (yep, they are pink too), and following big brother Jacob around. Anna is very funny and loves to pretend to be about anything but her favorites are robots and doggies. She loves dolls and taking care of them. She is definitely a mother in training.

I think the thing I love most about her is that she is so darn independent and strong, qualities I definitely want her to have. I also love how good she smells, how cute she is, and how much she loves her family. Her Daddy is usually the apple of her eye, but there is room for the rest of us too. So, at this special time of year, we hope Annie, Anna Banana, Anna Banana Pants, sweet girl, princess, princess punk, and Anna Kathleen (Caf-a-ween is her pronunciation) knows just how much we love her. Happy 3rd Birthday, Big Girl!

The traditional family cake picture, but one of the only ones we have with all 3 kids and no crying! Aren't they cute kids? We think so!
Anna having just blown out her candle is proud and feeling special!

The picture with Jake is the present he gave her. He was so worried about me having a gift for him to give her, it was really sweet. Luckily, Mom (and Grandma who actually bought that one) were prepared! I love that he wants to give her gifts. The other pictures just have to speak for themselves as I am having technical difficulties right now!

Rachel meets Grandpa and Grandma Nelson

Rachel Elizabeth meet Grandpa and Grandma Nelson!!!

We were so excited to have Grandpa and Grandma come over to Denver to meet their newest grandchild. We are so blessed to be the 10th grandchild and there are another 3 on the way in the next few months! Rachel will have so many cousins to play with! We had such a great trip and definitely wore all of us out with shopping, swimming at the hotel, holding the baby, eating some yummy food (thanks Mom and Dad for cooking my favorite Mexican dishes), hanging out, washing the baby, more of Mom holding Rachel, and not to be forgotten, we watched A LOT of NCAA basketball. Good thing I like basketball as much as they do! We also got to celebrate Anna's 3rd birthday the day they left. I had a hard time watching them leave and definitely miss them so much, but we are so grateful that they could come and be with us during this special time. Rachel is so lucky to have such great Grandparents on both sides. She is already loved so much. We can't wait to see you again!

Grandpa and Grandma with Rachel

Grandpa loves how soft baby hair is...he always rubs his cheek against it!
3 Crazy Generations of Fun!

Mom loving Rachie in one of her new outfits!
Lavender is definitely a good color on her!

Add in the shrug sweater and she is a fashion queen already!
Grandma sure knows how to pick the cute outfits and how to love a girl!
This outfit is adorable, but it only lasted about 30 minutes before it was a complete disaster. Of course, by then we were already shopping and I was feeding her in the car. The poop got everywhere...a good 20 wipes later, a new outfit, a cleaner carseat, and with the help of my sweet Anna, we were able to catch up to Mom and Dad. By the way, this was the 2nd time in a row that Grandma had put on the diaper and a blowout had happened shortly after...is this a pattern?
One of my favorite pictures of Rachel in one of my favorite outfits. She is so beautiful.
Her sweet eyes trying to see everything. Here she is wearing a preemie outfit that as of today 2 weeks later, she has outgrown. It was SO cute!Rachel trying to go to sleep-leave me alone, Mom!Jacob had to fight Grandma for his time to hold Rachel. I love how he is dressed head to toe Broncos and how blue his eyes are. He truly loves holding Rachel and is an excellent helper. Fortunately Anna is learning to be like Jacob.
Time at the park...Jacob and Anna weren't ignored during the visit. Here we are at our favorite park, O'Brien Park in Parker. And it was a GORGEOUS day!
Grandpa was such a sport. He followed the kids around (bad knee and all) and played as much as he could with them. Jacob loves this spinning seat and Grandpa pushed him super high on it!We also took them to see the house and it had just been painted. I love it! And my husband is HOT in this picture too!All in all, it was a great visit! We miss you already and come back soon!

Tongue Tied

There are no pictures to accompany this post, just a few thoughts as I encountered Rachel's first medical procedure today. Yes, I did it. I had her fenulum released or a fenulumectomy (no I don't know if I spelled it right). What may you ask is that? It is getting your child's tongue tie cut. I have debated and stressed about this procedure for the entire 10 days that she has been alive. I finally decided on day 3 that it was absolutely necessary or we wouldn't make it much longer with breastfeeding. We were having such a hard time and thankfully I am not a first time Mom so I knew something was wrong. I asked and asked in the hospital about it and everyone said just wait and see what happens or as long as she is gaining weight it is fine. However, having great difficulty with feeding is NOT fine. I shall spare everyone the gross details, but I really almost gave it up. We were told our pediatrician could just take care of it, so imagine my surprise when on day 5 we went to the pediatrician and paid our $25 co-pay and he said, oh we don't do that here, you have to go to an ENT. An ENT? I am not kidding. And so I had to wait until today. I thought I was okay with it, but I got more and more nervous last night and this morning. Alas, we arrived to see this ENT and to proceed with the fenulum release. Of course, as I go to pull her out of the carseat for the scale it turns out she had pooped all the way up her back and front. So, with all that poop, a onesie and an outfit she came in at a whopping 7 lbs. I am certain it is closer to 6 lbs 11 oz. Maybe less by the amount of poop that came out. So there we stood ready for the moment and my Mommy protective nature kicked in. Was I really doing the best thing for her? Would she ever forgive me? Would I start crying as I watched in horror and of course due to the lack of sleep and overactive hormones? And most of all, would she really be okay? I hounded the doctor with several questions and then we went for it. It was painful watching them hold her little chin and head still and I couldn't look as they actually did it. Rachel didn't particularly like being held down, but as they held the gauze on the wound for blood the cute nurse rubbed her cheek and calmed her down. She never even let out a scream. I couldn't believe it. And I couldn't get to her fast enough. Amazingly they want you to feed her right there to soothe the wound (who knew breastmilk was so great) and it was a night and day difference. I couldn't believe how easy it was for her to latch on. I couldn't believe how well she ate. Fortunately it has lasted all of today and so I know I made the right choice. But man, it is hard to knowingly submit your child to pain...even though you know it is best for them and even though you know they won't remember it. What a stressful morning! I am so glad I did it, but it just reaffirms how much you love your child from the minute they are born. 10 days into this, I love her more than anyone could ever imagine. She better not ever doubt it! Of course, I apparently failed to explain it very well to my children as I was leaving. Jacob got it for the most part, but Anna came running to the door and wanted to see what her mouth looked like. I thought it was a pretty normal question until she asked me what Rachel would do with her tongue cut off. Oops. We had to explain it one more time. Gratefully, we are no longer tongue tied, although for a moment today as I waited for her to cry, I was tongue tied for just a moment. And that, my friends, is a true feat!

Tub Time!

Rachel's first tub at home! You can see how tiny she really is when you compare the size of the cup to her head.









She didn't love it at first, but once she felt the warm water, she calmed down. She much preferred the wrapping up in the towel at the end.














Here you can see how blonde her hair is already. She also looks EXACTLY like her Dad's baby pictures. Almost frightening really. Good thing Bart is so cute!

Anna looks on as Rachel gets clean. She liked watching and helping. She even helped wash her feet. Let's hope Rachel is as beautiful as her big sister!

Our New Family Life!

Here is a look at our "new" family shortly after Rachel was born. Anna was a little freaked out by all the wires and the idea of a someone else to share her Daddy with. She immediately wanted Dad to hold her when she came in the room. Jacob and Anna each brought a new baby Webkinz for Rachel to have. They wanted her to be able to hold them right away! It has been fun and challenging both to have a new baby in the family. We all love to hold her, but the sleep deprivation doesn't always bring out the best in Mom and Dad. Anna has decided not to sleep either, which makes for some really long nights! Jacob, however, has become such a big boy overnight it seems. He LOVES to be with Rachel and tells me how much he misses her when they are apart. I love this picture of them holding hands. It is one of his favorite things and makes him feel like she knows him and wants to be with him. He will sit and hold her for 30 min at a time and just wants to do anything he can for her. I think they will have a special relationship (at least I hope they will) as they grow up. He is so great with Anna, so I shouldn't have expected anything less with this baby. The last picture is one of Rachel with her eyes open the first night we came home. Each day as she opens her eyes more and more it is so fun to watch her learn and grow and to become more aware of us and her surroundings. Thankfully, Anna is getting more used to her and is proud to be a BIG sister. We are grateful for all of these beautiful children....even when they are challenging! Can't wait to sleep through the night again someday.....a girl can dream.

Introducing.....

Rachel Elizabeth Williams

We are so blessed and excited to share our new baby girl with everyone. Rachel was born on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. She weighed in at a tiny 6 lbs 10.2 oz and 20.5 inches long. She is the sweetest, best smelling baby ever! We were so surprised that she was so tiny. All reports were that she would be a big baby. Turns out she was just in there the wrong way...which made us wait a little longer, but not too much. Once she decided to turn herself around, she came out quickly. We had a fantastic labor experience and truly enjoyed welcoming her into the world. I am still amazed that our bodies can do this. I am amazed at how much you can completely and instantly love someone so small. I am so blessed that she is a healthy, beautiful girl. So far she is pretty mellow, but if her ultrasounds are any indication, she won't stay that way for too long. I am doing really well, I can't believe how much easier it is after the 3rd baby in terms of healing. I am super tired but have lots of help which is making it easier. And each day as it gets easier, my love for her grows. My love for my sweet husband grows and my love for my other kids grows. They are in love with her too. Jacob is completely taken and already possessive and protective as all big brothers should be. Anna is still somewhat unsure. When she is with me and the baby she feels like an important big sister, but isn't sure what to do when all 3 kids are around. I am sure it will take some adjusting and I have decided that we will for sure NEVER be on time for anything again if we ever leave the house ourselves again! Alas, here is our beautiful baby girl and I am certain there will be a lot of posts and pictures about her as the days and weeks go on. Welcome home, Rachel. We love you!

False alarm?!?

Last Sunday, I thought I was lucky enough to be having the baby, but to no avail. We went to our stake conference at church and the last half an hour nearly killed me. It took me a few minutes to figure out why I was so uncomfortable and then it hit me really hard. I could hardly breathe. I thought I should wait and see if they were regular or not and by the time they were and I got Bart's attention, we were winding down. He gave me the keys so we could start out the door, but they were such intense contractions, I couldn't walk fast enough. I could barely walk at all. Plus, I will admit I was terrified that I would stand up and my water would break right there in front of everyone on the wood floor and then I would slip and fall. Yes, that is a nightmare of mine for real. So, after the meeting was done Bart took the kids ahead of me to clear off the car that was covered in a few inches of snow and my Mom and I carefully braved the crowds trying to get out. I had to literally stop a few times because I couldn't walk through the pain. My cute Mom was visiting for the weekend and I thought she was going to burst with excitement. However, I have also inherited my Mom's stubborn will. She wanted to just go to the hospital, but I refused because I was in heels and more importantly, because I was hungry. I get so mad when I even think of how they try and tell you not to eat or drink ahead of time because who is really expected to do all of that work on an empty stomach? And to add insult to it they only offer you ice chips when you want to gulp down a 44 oz. Diet Coke, er water. And why do they always insist on breast feeding before you can even attempt to restore your body's resources? It makes me wonder if they really know what they are talking about! Anyway, obviously, I didn't have the baby last Sunday, but we did end up taking some pictures just in case. I am thrilled that I was wearing black as it definitely makes me feel slimmer. The kids were even well dressed and groomed for once at the same time, so we took a couple of family shots too. Which leads us to today, March 6th, my last day being pregnant. We are going tomorrow morning to get induced and to finally meet this little one. So check back in a few days to see just who we add to our family!

The Belly In All It's Glory!

Well, here it is,the much anticipated belly shot. The only thing is that the pictures never really do it justice. This thing is huge and apparently so is the baby. I know, I know my last baby was only 7 lbs 10 oz and my first was 8 lbs 5 oz, but with my stellar height of 5 ft 3 inches, this is a serious feat to be able to carry relatively large babies. And they are relatively large to my body! This picture was taken on Feb 21, 2008 at 36 weeks and 5 days, so we have grown even more since then. Fortunately the baby has also dropped so I think it makes your shape look a little better. I had to pull up the top shirt so that you could really see the bump of the tank top. This kid has been hiding in my ribs so when it finally dropped and I could breathe it made me excited that the end is actually near. Too bad that the rest of you has to get phat too. Well, for most people that happens. I wish I could say it was all belly, but obviously not! So, for those of you who requested it, there is the belly shot. One day I'll be able to use this against this child for something, won't I? Like, I carried you and looked and felt like this, so you better get an A in school? Do you think it will work? Yeah, me either.

Babies are curious things!

Naturally with a new baby on the way, the kids are bound to have questions. Unfortunately, they had to attend maybe a few too many appointments before we found some friends and family that were able to watch them. But, I thought I should take the time to write down some of my favorites that have cropped up during this pregnancy. And Bart promises a belly shot to go on the blog this weekend! Anyway, love what kids say:

Jacob: Mom, what time of day does Heavenly Father put the baby in your tummy?
Mom: I don't really know, I would guess usually at night while you are sleeping.

Anna: I don't like milk! I don't want any milk! (just to be opposite)
Jacob: You have to like milk Anna. When you get older you have to feed it out of your breasts to a baby.

Jacob: Mom, at what point do you realize you are pregnant?
Mom: Well, you usually don't feel good, so you have the doctor check you and they look at your blood and can tell you.
Jacob: Well, what if you don't get sick?
Mom: That's why we have check ups so they can look at your blood.
Jacob: And your pee too.
Mom: That's right, and your pee too.
Jacob: What's in there?
Mom: I don't know, we'll have to ask the doctor.

Anna: Mom, which part of your privates does the baby come out of? Do I have one? Does it hurt?
Mom: It comes out of the baby part and the doctors give you medicine to make it not hurt. Yes, you have one too because you are a girl.

I asked Anna to help pull me up off of the couch and she used all of her 2 year old strength and said, "C'mon, big Mama. You a big Mama with a baby in your tummy." She has since referred to me more than once as "Big Mama". Hope that one doesn't stick too long.

This last one occurred while sitting in the doctor's office. Jacob kept looking at the posters of the woman's anatomy. I finally had to explain that baby's don't come out of the belly button. He took in the limited information I gave him and thought about it. A few seconds later with the widest eyes you have ever seen he said:
How does a baby that big come out of a place so small?
Mom: I don't know, Heavenly Father just made our bodies so that they can do it?!?

The next morning I overheard him explaining everything to Anna. He was actually very accurate. Hopefully this hasn't turned him into the Kindergarten informant or I may be getting some interesting phone calls.

These kids are just too smart. Fortunately we have not had the one big question of how the baby got in there just yet...just what time of day and how they come out. Hoping to sidestep the big one for awhile!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! We had such a fun day this year. Jacob had to have a Valentine's box for school, so we took it to heart! We spent several hours making the perfect box for him, one that looked like Lightning McQueen himself. I must say that the idea came to me in tribute to my creative Dad. One year I had to make a box and wanted it to look like our Red Suburban. My Dad made the best box you have ever seen. The one we made was not nearly as cool, but it reminded me of how much I loved that box that I made with my Dad. Anyway, once we made his box, we of course couldn't leave out our sweet princess, Anna. Her life revolves around pink and we both have a thing for cute ladybugs, so the choice was obvious. The kids and I had so much fun and made such a big mess. Jacob did a lot of the artwork that we cut and glued to the box while I made the frame of it. We had a great afternoon and I hope one day they will remember it as a great day the way I do. The best part was Jacob carrying it home loaded with treats! We used them to put something special in them from Mom and Dad too. I have only one picture ready to post, but will add close ups of the boxes shortly. We hope everyone we know got to spend the day with their loved ones too! Who knew this holiday could be so much fun?!?

Spring is in the air!

I must admit that my two favorite seasons are Spring and Fall. I love the perfect temperature and the newness that both of the seasons represent to me. I am so over the snow and grayness already, which is why it is perfect that I am now in Colorado. It is so gorgeous here. Yes, there is snow, but it is mixed with so much sunshine in between that you can't help but love it here. We had an absolutely perfect day last week with the temperature at a nice 58 degrees. It was so heavenly, especially since I have been so confined to the house with this baby. So, we went to the park and had a wonderful time. It was a bit windy, but we didn't mind. It was so much fun. My kids behaved like angels and we had the place to ourselves. I even bribed them with candy for a photo shoot at the end. I took a ton of pictures, but so far have only managed to upload a couple of them. They were so cute though I had to put them up. And if you look closely, you can see Anna's new haircut. That is a fun story to follow this weekend for sure! Anyway, here is to a beautiful Spring with beautiful children. I love them so much, even when they really test me....just look at those faces, how can you not love them?

Pregnancy: How beautiful is it really?

So I must start this entry off with the fact that I am so very grateful to be pregnant. I have too many friends and family members that have struggled with this area of their lives to be ignorant to the true blessing it is. I can hardly wait to meet this little one and after a few very small, insignificant scares, I understand how much I already love this baby. So, I am not taking this pregnancy for granted.
However, I do still feel the right to complain a little bit and to see what other women out there really think about the subject: How beautiful is pregnancy really? I mean, as I sit here barely able to reach the laptop on the desk because I am so short and my belly so large, I started to wonder just how beautiful this really is. I, of course, have gained weight, but there is also the pregnancy acne, the swollen body parts (and not just cankles), the noises that come out uncontrollably when trying to move around, and as of late, the real true difficulty of putting on shoes and socks. Even pants are getting hard to put on because my legs are so sore. Really and truly. I can't sleep at night because I can't get comfortable. I can hardly get in and out of the car. I think I stink more, I probably do.
And then there is the idea that just because you are pregnant that you want to share your life with complete strangers and they with you. I have fallen into this category before but then you get a bizarre comment and you think, why? Why did that person say that? My favorites are: wow, you look like you are going to burst--well thank you, I'll keep that in mind for the next 5 weeks that I have. Wow, are you having twins? NO I am not, my butt is just that big. You don't know what you are having, how can you handle the stress of not knowing? I don't know I just like surprises, how can you handle the stress of being so rude?
Seriously, what is it about pregnancy that everyone claims is so beautiful. Yes, the end result is beautiful. I love holding a newborn more than anything. The fact that our bodies can actually do this and that so many babies are actually healthy after enduring this is beautiful. It is beautiful to see families grow and to see your spouse become a parent (whether the 1st or 2nd time, so I imagine the same for the 3rd). But what, physically, is beautiful about your belly sticking out so far that you literally can't drive your father-in-law's stick shift? Really, what? And does this just make me sound bitter that I am not the person that looks normal from the back and then turns sideways and everyone at the gym hates her? I guess so. Oh the joys of being a woman. Is there any possibility that they could just hook me up to the epidural now? I won't complain anymore, I promise, I won't. Any comments or funny things that people have said to any of you ladies out there? I really need to hear them to keep me laughing!

Happy, Happy Bart!

Well, I am having camera difficulties, but promise to get some pics on soon. However, I couldn't let the day pass without a shout out to my love of my life! My old man turns 33 today and I think each year how happy I am to have him in my life. Each year I can look back at struggles and triumphs and be so grateful to have experienced them all with him. So, to the man that I love. I love you for being the best daddy ever, including wrestling nearly every night with the kids. I love you for helping to rub the kinks out of my pregnant back. I love you for the look in your eyes when you see me and the kids. I love that I feel grounded when you walk in the room. I love how hard you work for me and the kids. I love how much you love a bargain and watching you do anything for a bargain. Really, anything. Even for a few pennies. I love that we have lived in 6 places in the last 9.5 years and all the adventures that have come with each one. I love that you are always the most fun to be around. I love that you love to surprise me as you know how much I love them! I love your jokes. I don't love your bum, but I love that it still cracks you up, as juvenile as it is. I love that you are always there for me. I love that you were born today. I love you more than I could ever really express, especially in a blog. So, I hope that the white sheet cake was well worth the wait. I love you the most. Happy Birthday, babe!