Hawaii Countdown!

In just 12 days, Mark and I will be embarking on our vacation to paradise

(aka Honolulu, Hawaii)!

We are getting so anxious to go and enjoy the sunshine and ocean. We are also so excited to be able to see Amanda and Solomon. We will be staying with them for the week. It will sure be fun to see them. This will be my first time going to Hawaii and Mark's second. It will be a great getaway before our new little addition arrives.

How we came about to going to Hawaii was a surprise! Mark has been working many long hour days this past summer and one night while working with his boss, his boss told him that he would give him two airline tickets to wherever we wanted to go. Well, we have been wanting to go out and visit the Nairs while they are still in Hawaii so that was our choice! We feel very fortunate to be going and I am now very grateful for those extra long hours Mark put in!

Our Upgrade!

We officially have upgraded to being a VAN family!

Mark and I have been discussing whether to sell our Toyota Highlander. It seats five but there was no way that we could fit another car seat in there. So we made the decision to sell it. We put it on ksl.com for about 2 weeks and then got an offer on it this past Saturday.

So we started looking like crazy to find a van. We wanted to either get a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. We were very fortunate to find a Honda Odyssey in our price range with lower miles that very day. AMAZING!! Once we sold the Highlander, we went and bought the Odyssey. It worked out perfectly!

It was a bitter-sweet day for us because we loved the Highlander and I was still in denial that we just bought a van!!! I always told myself that I would never own a van. But, as I have aged and become wiser, I have realized that if I am going to have more than 3 kids then I must except the fact that a van is the best option. I have since found this past week that I absolutely love the van! Getting the kids in has never been easier and the kids love being able to open the automatic doors themselves. Plus, it is so spacious and comfortable to ride in! I guess I am officially a soccer mom and I am OK with that!

Baby "Tina" Update

I am now 17 weeks along! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by now that I am not sick. I was able to feel the baby move for the first time September 2. I was just sitting at the computer and I felt a shiver in my stomach. The next day, I actually saw my belly move. So fun! I actually feel like I am pregnant now.

I went to my 17 week appointment on Monday. I gained 6 lbs in just 4 weeks. I guess being able to eat helps in the weight department. I just hope my body is just accounting for the weight I lost in the first trimester. My doctor said the baby looks great and is growing well. It is so fun being able to see the baby each time I go in for an appointment. While doing the ultrasound, my doctor asked if he told us what the baby was. I said yes that that he thought it was a girl last time. He then proceeded to look around and they told us that it definitely looks like a boy! Well, that was a surprise! (See picture below).
He continued with the ultrasound and before he finished he looked one more time and found that the baby looks more like a girl. The umbilical cord must have been down in that area for the first shot. So he still says that it is a girl. He printed off this ultrasound and told Mark to show it to our little girl in a few years. We have the big 3D ultrasound in a couple of weeks and we will be able to finalize whether to pull out all our pink or blue stuff. We will gladly take either!

We Love Mr. Owen!

Helping Mom bottle tomatoes

Oh, how I just adore this little boy! He is just so much fun to be around. Owen is now 26 months old. He learning new things daily which helps him keep us with Vanessa.

Here are some fun facts about Mr. Owen

• He has just recently started calling Vanessa, "Madetta." It is the cutest thing when you hear him calling for her.

• His new favorite toy that he must carry around is his "sword" (a yellow play kitchen knife *see photos above). He even requests it when he falls asleep. That "sword" rarely leaves his little hands. He likes to play pirates and be a bad guy with it and run around the house shouting. "I'm a bad guy. Arrrrr!!!"
• He loves to talk and tell stories. His stories are quite the stories. We get a kick out of him every time his tells us one. They mostly consist of his daily activities so it is fun to hear how he perceives things.
• He is quite the little helper. He loves to push up his chair to the kitchen counter and "help Mom cook."
• He thinks that lotion is soap and loves to climb up on the bathroom counter and wash his hands.
• He misses Vanessa every time she goes to Preschool but enjoys the one-on-one time with Mom.
• He still is a very good eater. You would think that he would be a big kid with all the food he eats.
• He loves watching the ultrasound videos of the new baby. Just a few days ago, while listening to the baby's heartbeat, he reached over and put his hand on my belly. What a sweet moment. He will also come and kiss my belly and tell the baby "I love you."
• He loves to say prayer. He is very reverent and we have to be very quite to hear him say it.

• He wears size 24 months to 2T clothes and is in a size 6 shoe.

He is at such a fun stage right now and we love just being able to watch him grow!

Labor Day Weekend

We were able to go up to East Canyon and spend a few days enjoying our family and playing outside. The weather was perfect! Not too hot and not too cold. Fall is in the air! The first thing the kids wanted to do was to go swimming. So we got our suits and went for a swim. They love swimming there because it has a little kiddie pool which is perfect for them. After swimming, the kids played with their many cousins while the adults played card games, talked, or played tennis. Mark got in some good tennis practice this weekend which was fun for him. We were also able to celebrate Vanessa's birthday with the rest of the family since we had to cancel the family party. Vanessa sure didn't mind that one bit! All the little kids were able to blow out some candles too!
Vanessa got sick on the first night there. Her eyes started to get really goopy, painful, and red. I knew it had to be pink eye. She also complained of an ear ache. I wasn't sure if it was really one because after about 15 minutes of complaining I asked her again if her ear hurt and she said no. So it made me believe that she must of slept on it wrong. I have drops just for that but they were at home so we had to suffer through a long sleepless night until Grandpa was able to bring the drops back up to East Canyon. She seemed to be doing better once I started giving her the drops so we decided to stay another night. Well around bedtime she became really irritable and started to complain that her other ear hurt. So after trying to console her I asked Mark and Grandpa if they would give her a blessing. Within a few minutes after the blessing, Vanessa calmed down and was able to go to sleep. She woke up the next morning with clear eyes and no sign of an ear infection. I am so thankful that I am surrounded by worthy men who hold the priesthood. It has truly been a blessing to have! And I am grateful to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who answers prayers.

Overall, this past weekend has been an eventful one. We were able to still relax and have fun enjoying each others company. Getting together at East Canyon is always a treat!

Friends!

This past Labor Day weekend, we were able to go to our friends' little girl, Anellina's birthday party. They live in Colorado but came back to Utah to celebrate her birthday. We are so glad that they did because we miss being able to see them.

We went down early Saturday morning to the party. Her theme was "Tangled" as well. It must be a very popular theme this year. They had some fun games to play like pin the nose of Flynn Rider and a game where the kids had to say "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" and a big long braid came down the deck and prizes where attached. The kids thought that was so much fun! But the best was when Rapunzel and Flynn Rider surprised us all with a visit! Rapunzel sat down and read the kids stories and then made crowns with them. The kids had a blast! They had a lot of fun running around and playing together. On the drive home, Vanessa told us that Anellina is her best friend.

We got to spend some time visiting with Josh and RoShawn. We went to eat lunch together at Wendy's. It was so good to see them again and to catch up. We really miss having them in Utah but it is nice to get to see them every once in awhile. I think some of the people were wondering about our parenting because our kids were crazy! I guess having a 4, 3, and 2 year old all trying to sit on the same little bench is quite the task! Oh well they had fun and we were able to talk to our friends for a bit. We are glad that we were able to go to the party and see our friends and have some fun!