Out of the mouths of babes

Tanner is notorious for saying whatever he's thinking- last Sunday in Primary was no exception...

We had a guest speaker in Sharing Time who is about 8 months pregnant.  After she was done Tanner raised his hand and asked her if there is a baby in her tummy.  She laughed a little and said yes that there is a baby in her tummy.  Tanner replies "oh, my mom has a baby in her tummy, too."

Instantly I felt my face grow hot and tears come to my eyes as all of the adults in the room looked at me. 
So, yes, it's true.  I do have a baby in my tummy.  In telling our kids we were ready for everyone else to find out, I just wasn't expecting such a public (and embarrassing) announcement to be made.



Questions everyone wants to ask, but only some are brave enough to:
How far apart will Henry and the new baby be?  about 14 months (about 3 weeks further apart than Tanner & Cannon)
Was this planned?  Nope, but we're excited anyway
Do you hope it's a girl?  No, but we'll gladly take one
When are you due?  September 21
How are you feeling about it?  Honestly I cried for several days- I cried when I remembered how hard it is to meet the needs of a 1 year old and the needs of a newborn.  I cried for a lot of selfish reasons (i.e. no waterskiing again this summer).  I cried because I am just so dang tired.  I also cried over the fact that Henry will not get to be the baby much longer (I know it sounds silly, but I think most moms get what I mean).  But I mostly cried over the fact that I have sisters and friends who would give up most anything right now to be in my position, and I was not rejoicing over the fact that I was pregnant.  In expressing my feelings to a dear friend, she kindly reminded me that although we would like to think we are, we are not the one in charge.  After I put more faith and trust in my Heavenly Father, I got over my fears & anxiety, and peace and happiness soon filled my heart.  When I had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and saw this little peanut swimming around- I was so overwhelmed with feelings of love for him, that I can't want or imagine anything different in my life right now.

Andy and I are being blessed for reasons we don't understand and probably don't deserve; we will do as best as we can to do what our Heavenly Father wants and raise our children in a way that is pleasing to Him.  

And seriously, if you got to hang out with this cute baby everyday- wouldn't you want another??

Here's Henry!


Our sweet Henry was born Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 10:57 p.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz. and measured 20 inches. He came out screaming (really, he screamed the WHOLE time in the O.R.- it was a little bit embarrassing) but is sweet, cuddly, and smells like heaven. I spend hours everyday just holding and looking at him; I feel so blessed to call him mine.
For me it was love at first sight
Andy is also thoroughly smitten
The boys loved him instantly and smother him with kisses every chance they get
We tried to take a "nice" family picture of us all in the hospital- but really, that's just not us :)

4 For 4 Ain't Bad

We had a very important Dr. appointment a couple of weeks ago... the boys were especially excited because they got balloons! Andy and I were really excited too, not so much for the balloons but for the healthy-looking baby boy that will be joining our family mid-July.

3 + 1 = 4

We're "that family"

So the other day the baby was napping, and like all good mothers I was spending some one on one time with each of my bigger boys. Tanner had just read with me and was coloring quietly in the other room, and I was reading with Cannon. I noticed a praying mantis on the fence outside the basement window. I quickly pointed it out to Cannon and suggested that he get Tanner and they go outside to catch it. They ran out the back door and told me to get a jar. Instead of getting a jar I actually switched over a load of laundry, put a few things away and then walked out into the backyard. This is what I saw:

Yes, my 3 and 4 year old were on top of the garage roof. To be totally honest I was too shocked to scream. I asked them what they were doing and they said the praying mantis flew up on top of the roof so they followed it. I told them to stay where they were so I could get my camera to take a picture for Daddy, then I helped them get down.

How did they get up there? We built a deck last year that the railing runs very close to the carport that is attached to the garage. When doing it we realized that one day our boys would figure out how to climb on top of the garage but we thought they would be 6 or 7.

Did they get in trouble for being up there? No. By the time I had taken their picture they were getting pretty nervous. When they had to climb back down the roof and across the carport they were extremely nervous. They would have had to take quite the jump to get down to the deck, so I had to lift them off the carport and put them down. While standing on a wicker chair to get them down, my foot fell through the bottom and I pretty much dropped Tanner onto the deck. Pretty sure they're not going to try it again, at least this year.

After all was said and done, I was kind of chuckling to myself thinking about what they'll do next. Suddenly I had visions of my boys all piling into the red wagon and racing down a hill, jumping off the top of the garage roof onto the tramp, breaking neighbors' windows, stitches, broken bones, etc... I realized that we just might become 'that family'. You know the ones that all the teachers say "that boy's in your class? He's in that family" or the neighbors all get a little nervous when they see 'that family' coming down the street?? I kind of got a sick feeling in my stomach (see the family I had always envisioned was not 'that family'), but I've decided it is what it is. My boys are adventurous, problem solving, daring, active, and competitive- basically, they're boys. I'm anticipating that Max will be right along with them next summer and after we throw a few more kids in the mix we will be 'that family'.

Elephant Parade

So we've never forked out the big bucks to take our kids to the actual circus, but I do love taking the boys each year to the free circus parade at Gateway. This year Tanner and Cannon loved seeing the clowns and the big balloon people. Max absolutely loved the elephants! Cannon making a silly face with his clown nose! Unfortunately Tanner is at that stage in his life where he hates having his picture taken- so he tries really hard to make annoying faces so that I will perhaps stop taking them. Doesn't really stop me. Max's forehead is constantly covered in bruises and scrapes. My sweet baby runs faster than his feet can move and is always tripping.

The boys patiently waiting for the parade to start.

Max "oohing" over the elephants- so cute. See how cute Tanner can be when he doesn't realize I'm taking his picture?

Tanner and Cannon at the circus parade in 2007... where does the time go?? Honestly if I could go back in time and just spend another day with those two babies so I could know to treasure it a little more...

Cabin Fun

Just hanging out one weekend at the cabin. The boys loved going for a hike and trying to catch butterflies in their nets! Cannon & Max relaxing on the deck.

Cannon holding tight to the butterfly he caught.
All summer Tanner had been wanting a butterfly to land on his finger. I guess if you injur it enough and stick it on your hand, the butterfly won't really fly away.
Cannon, so proud of his catch.
Andy and Max all geared up for our hike.

4th of July

Our Fourth of July festivities started on the evening of the 2nd of July with an icecream social and bike decorating party at the ward. Max ate TWO icecream cones- bet you can't guess what flavor of icecream he had first!
The morning of the 3rd our neighborhood did a parade. All 3 kids rode in the parade. Andy stayed with Cannon and Max and I ran along with Tanner. Luckily Tanner was on his scooter because he would randomly run off and abandon it to get candy that was thrown- my pockets were full of taffy by the end.
At the end of the parade there is a street carnival- honestly, I love where we live. The boys LOVED the cotton candy, popcorn, and snocones. They loved the fish pond and tattoo booth as well. My Mom and Dad came to watch the boys in the parade and play at the carnival- which was very nice to have an extra set of hands because Tanner kept running off to get in another line. We had to skip out a little early because I had a baptism to get to, and the boys all came home for some naps!

Lake Powell June 2010

We spent a week in Lake Powell- we had a blast!! Here are our favorites from the trip:
Andy- spending a whole week with the kids
Kimi- watching the boys LOVE things that I LOVE (swimming, building sandcastles, tubing, waverunning, waterskiing, etc...)
Tanner- showing his seashells at the talent show, going down the slide, going on adventures with Daddy, and learning to waterski
Cannon- building sandcastles and swimming by the houseboat
Max- swimming, tubing (really, he would point and whine to go out there), being held every minute because we were so worried he would drown

Easter Pics

With General Conference falling on Easter Sunday, I had the boys wear their Easter clothes the week before Easter (and they'll wear them again this sunday). I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!!