SICK.

So we all just sick all of a sudden the past two days and it stinks!  It started with me at midnight Sunday night.  I woke up just knowing that I was going to throw up and I did and was sick until about 2:00pm yesterday.  Then about 12:30 in the morning Sunday, Camry was up with a 103* fever and it still hasn't  truly broken.  Pacen has a very deep cough and Claira has the other kind of stomach issue.  Somehow Gentry is getting away with nothing so far knock on wood.  Monday morning Than was working from home but had some important calls to make for most of the morning so I called Peggy and basically burst into tears just saying, "I don't feel good.  Come take care of my kids!"  And she did because she is wonderful like that and she came and stayed for a few hours and let me sleep while Than worked and then he took over taking care of us.  It was the worst!  I haven't been sick like that in a long time and then I felt really bad with my kids being sick and not really being able to take care of them.  But Than was able to be the care taker and did a fantastic job giving everyone their medicine and soup and Gatorade. But now I think we are on the mend...hopefully.  

But I do have to write down this funny story about Pacen.  He comes in to my room and I've been lying in bed until 2:00pm which is obviously unlike me and he has this concerned look on his face and he's like, "Are you okay, Mom?"  And I'm like yeah, I'm feeling a lot better.  And then he says, "Well, is the baby going to die?"  And you are just thinking...bless your heart you sweet boy.  And I say of course the baby isn't going to die.  And he says, "Well, you know....some babies die."  And I say,  Well yes they do but just because I was throwing up doesn't mean that the baby is going to die.  She'll be just fine.  And then he says, "Well, you know, if the baby did die, we could get another baby and it could be a boy."  That is when the conversation went from super sweet to relatively creepy. :)  It was all I could do to keep a straight face when he said that.  It was so matter of fact and still sort of sweet.  The boy just wants a brother, dang it!  We tried, bud, we really did try.  You get your dad all to yourself and that will be awesome too.  Since I just booked Than and Pacen's father and son's BYU Basketball camp in May and the BYU football schedule just came out and Than has all the games planned out that you guys are going to go to I think you'll be just fine. 

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow.  I'm hoping that they'll say that I've at least progressed a little bit  with all my stomach cramping.  :)  I'm FOUR days away from my due date and that just seems unreal.  It still seems like it would be a far way away.  But four days really isn't that far!  She'll come late...I'm counting on that unless she really wants to break the trend for my girls.

Speaking of my other girls, I'll post a few pics of them I took the other day.  This is why I love girls.  Sword and light saber fighting has been resurrected in the house and I'm all about that.  What I really love is when they fight with a sword in one hand and a purse in the other.  Seriously I love my girls.  

And Gentry has been hilarious lately.  She is just a ham and it makes us laugh all the time.  Especially at the dinner table.  She can speak more but a lot of it is still jibberish and we all just die laughing.  I need to set up a video camera from afar so it can be natural.  Sunday night we were all having dinner and she was doing her comedic routine and all I kept thinking was, This is what people imagine when they picture what their family will be like and I get to have it.  All sitting around a table just laughing and loving each other and just being happy.  And then Sunday night we all got sick.  There is opposition in all things.  We must know the difficult times so we can truly appreciate the great times. :)  

Pacen the cook.

Pacen has been really into making food for himself lately.  It started with making hot chocolate for himself.  I don't think he realized how easy it was and then he was a hot chocolate making fool.  One morning before school he made hot chocolate for everyone!  It was so cute.  

The other morning I asked him if he wanted to make pancakes for everyone and he did it all by himself.  I guided him but now he's like a pancake making fool.  Have I mentioned how much I love that we have Sunday afternoon church now???  We did this before church along with a bunch of other things and still made it to church on time.  I love it!  

So here is Pacen working hard....

 ...with his little helper. 

Enjoying the fruits of his labors.....

I blame the baby.

OH man.  This baby is sucking every last ounce of energy from me these days.  When we finally get everyone in bed for the day and I have a chance to sit down at the computer, I basically just fall asleep on the couch instead.   What are you gonna do?!?!?  I have basically all of january to catch up on and I know that it's not going to happen so I'll just write about what I can remember.  

We haven't been up to too many crazy things.  Basketball is over and so now we officially have no sports going on!  That is what we planned on with this baby so I'm glad that it's working out.  Today we actually had NOTHING planned which was amazing and we had a fantastic, laid back day.  Than went on a 13 mile run with a friend from work.  He's training for another half iron man in March and has been having a terrible time fitting in workouts.  Just too much to do but he's doing his best.  We met them up at a Farmer's market and spent way too much money on stuff we don't really need but it's pretty fun.  We had a delicious crepe and fresh mini donuts and bought a pie and blood oranges.  A successful trip.  From there we actually just puttered around the house.  Than did some yard work.  I have been working hard getting the girls rooms all switched around and did hung up some curtains and shelves. I'll have to take some pictures when I get them all finished.  

Want to know what is crazy???  I am only ONE week away from my due date.  One week.  I could (if my babies actually came early....thank you, Pacen, you are the only obedient one out of the bunch!) have the baby at any time.  We will have FIVE kids!  That is nuts but people do it all the time and we can do it and survive too.  I've been dreaming about having the baby and in yesterdays dream I was in labor for three days and the baby came out able to walk.  My dreams have been CRAZY lately.  I had a dream about Katie the other night where she asked me to take her daughter to the dentist in San Ramon even though they live in Washington and I saw Cameron on the freeway and we spoke to each other in our cars while we were driving about how silly it was that I would need to take her to the dentist but then when we got there I couldn't find the insurance information and Jana was there and it was all so strange.  Pregnant dreams are the craziest.  But I really do love being pregnant.  Than is convinced that it's our last baby and I'm going to act like it is even though I'm having a hard time being convinced of it.  I can totally see our family being complete with five kids with my body issues and our life in the bay area but it's strange being done with this phase.  I definitely see the benefits of being done with babies but I love having babies and having a baby around and snuggling but it's hard balancing everything with older kids.  Pacen has just been being difficult lately and I'm not used to it.  He is having a tough time learning that in life you have responsibilities and you have to do what you have to do and then you get to do what you want to do.  The other day it took him like three hours to do his homework and practice his piano.  At one point he was saying, "Why did they even make a piano??  I hate practicing piano!  And Camry isn't going to like it!  And Claira isn't going to like it!  And Gentry isn't going to like it!  And the new baby won't either!  Don't they know that it just stresses kids out?!!?"  The poor guy.  He spent 90% more time complaining and crying about it than he spent actually getting his piano done and it happens every day.  Every day he has to get his homework and piano done and every day it's like it's a new thing that I'm just throwing on him to make his life miserable.  Hopefully some day it'll click and he'll get used to it but it has been a battle.  And it's so hard to keep my cool when he gets like that.  I just want to yell at him but I know that that doesn't help and so I just try to not let any emotion show and try to be encouraging but man...it's tough.  I think that battle alone is a reason that I fall alseep on the couch every night! :)  Add that on to all stuff I do with Camry, Claira and Gentry and I'm spent.  Some days I'm like, seriously how are we going to do five kids?!?! 

Camry had her first disappointment of her sweet little life.  She is doing drama this year for the first time  and they had to try out for the part that they wanted.  She wanted to be Mama Bear and she learned the lines and was convinced that she would be Mama Bear or one of the other three spots that she has requested but she didn't get any of them!  I was actually quite surprised and she was pretty disappointed but it only lasted a few minutes and then she was over it and playing like usual.  But her face was pretty sad for those few minutes and I felt bad for her.  But it's also a good lesson for her and she is going to be great as the duet singer with her friend, Fiona.  

Let's go over the pictures I have finally uploaded.  I've been slacking on the picture taking but just picked it up again so I'll blog more. :)  

These two girls are so fun to hang out with during the day.  We watch shows and play games and puzzles and go shopping.  Gentry really loves her rare-ra and Claira loves her Genchy-pie. Claira is always giving her big hugs and kisses.  Here they had put on their ballerina outfits and were singing something.  It's been too long now and now I can't remember.  I hate that!  But they sure are cute! 

This was just us at lunch one day.  Just a normal day eating chicken nuggets.

Did you know that on a normal day you are supposed to wear a fancy dress with your hair all cute??  That is claira every day.   Everyday a dress and everyday fancy.  I love that about her.  

Gentry has been being more and more grown up lately.  She's into dressing up but only as Minnie Mouse.  She loves minnie and it's so cute.  She also loves Sophia the First and we watch that on a regular basis and she sings the song and it kills me!  She is so adorable.  She loves to snuggle with me and tells me that she loves me all the time and gives me kisses.  I can't get enough of her.  

One thing that is cute but frustrating is her desire to "help you Mama".  She wants to "help" me with everything from cooking to cleaning to sweeping...you name it.  And it would be great if it were in fact "help" but really it just takes me three times as long to accomplish anything. :)  But it is great because before long she won't want to help me anymore.  

Here she is "helping" me with the dishes.

Notice that she is in her minnie mouse pj's.

The other day she threw a huge fit because she was helping me sweep and just kept moving my pile of dirt around and I was getting ticked so I took her broom away and she probably cried for 15 minutes over it.  And I love it when she's at the sink and gets all upset because her dress gets wet.  Some things you just can't learn once.  

Than bought Pacen the Pistol Pete videos to give Pacen something to practice in basketball and he loves them!  He really loves basketball these days and has gotten so much better at it and really tries hard. 

He also had his first pinewood derby!  

Than and Pacen recruited Opa in our ward to help them create their design.  It's the Jimmer.  It may not have been the fastest...but it was the coolest! 

Of course Than was asked to lead some songs at the Derby.  He is the song master out here. 

The Jimmer in action. 

And who knows what was happening here!  Just coloring and dancing on the table.  A normal activity in the Hancock house.  

Sad...January is almost over and this is almost all I have.  Goal....blog more! 

I love VT and The Lion King

So the other day, a friend of mine, who also happens to be my visiting teacher, called me up and was like, "Hey, you're having a baby soon and I want to do something to help you.  What can I do?"  After thinking, well, I don't really need anything I said, "I actually need to paint our downstairs room.  You could help me with that."  And so she was like, "Okay, I'll babysit.  Lets pick a date."  We set it up and then yesterday I posted this little picture on Instagram....

...and just said something about getting a little rest in between teaching preschool and taping so I can get ready for painting.  A few hours later my other visiting teacher, unbeknownst to my other VT who was babysitting for me, sends me a text and says, "Hey, can I help you paint tomorrow?  I can do it anytime before noon."  Ummm, YEAH!  I totally need the help.  It was actually very motivating for me  and I really didn't even know if I was going to be able to have it all ready by the next morning since we were taking the kids to see The Lion King musical last night but somehow, miraculously, it did and I actually got it done!  It was amazing.  I love the visiting teaching program.  It is truly inspired.  I love that both of the people that volunteered and pretty much made me say yes to them helping me were my visiting teachers and they both just did it out of the kindness of their hearts and it wasn't even planned.  I love that.  So, the girls new room is all painted a pale purple and it looks great.  I can't wait to get furniture in there and some decor up.  Unfortunately, Camry wanted a rainbow room and I slapped the veto, and then Claira wanted it to be purple with pink butterflies.  We'll see about the butterflies. :)

But like I said, we took the kids to The Lion King last night in the city and it was super fun.  It was one of their Christmas presents.  Gentry had a "playdate" with a friend since she was just a little too little for the play.  We had dinner and shopped around a little and then the play was awesome.  

I have to say that I really enjoyed the musical, but it wasn't one of my all time favorites but the kids really enjoyed it. They were singing all of the Lion King songs today and kept bringing it up.  That makes me happy.   Because it's not like its cheap to take the five of us to a show but it's worth it, especially when they like it.  

The passed out kids at 11:30pm.  They did great today, too, despite their lack of sleep.  I'm glad that we can do things like this with our kids.  One man mentioned to me how well behaved the kids were and it's totally true.  They can be stinkers at times but they also know how to behave. 

And today, just a few minutes ago actually so more like tonight, this is where Gentry fell asleep.  She is such a stink about sleeping lately.  She has to be right next to me or seeing me and so tonight while I was folding laundry in my room she pulled her little pillow and blanket in and made herself a little bed on the floor. 

At least it wasn't in our bed but I guarantee that she'll be there in a few hours. 

SICK!

Pacen did the sickest thing ever tonight.  It is still giving me the heebie jeebies.  I was getting all the kids teeth brushed and Pacen just wasn't coming and wasn't coming and I was getting so frustrated.  Then he comes up the stairs with this little white thing in his hand and let me note that he tries to pull this stuff all the time with little pieces of plastic or pieces of paper so I was not prepared for what I saw. He really pulled out his tooth and his mouth was bleeding everywhere.  Just TODAY he told me that his tooth was a little loose and all of a sudden he pulls it out!  It was so nasty and I just kept saying, "EWW, EWW, Ewwwwwwww!"  But before I could get him a napkin, I pulled myself together enough to take a picture first and it was even grosser than what is shows.  

He was soooo proud of himself.  I was like, "Why did you do that?!?!?"  And he says at first, "Well it was just bugging me so I just pulled down really hard."  And then (I think to be funny for the girls) he said, "Well I just wanted five bucks!" 

We'll see if the tooth fairy buckles under the pressure.  He did pull a pretty bold move and may just deserve it.  Only time will tell.  

Then Gentry was all about showing her teeth.  And her crazy Doc Brown hair.  It was really cute today all up and fun and then when I pulled it out....YIKES!

Gentry and her crazy underbite that will cost us a pretty penny someday.  

I didn't mean it, Gentry.  We love you even with your cute little underbite.  :)  And your hair is beautiful and you are the cutest little thing when you say, "I lub you too!"  And when Pacen asked if you loved him too tonight and you said, "No pay pay!  SHHHHHH!" and put your finger up to your lips.  You really do love your Pay-Pay and he knows it. 

 The new updated mouth sans blood.  

The funny thing is that Camry has her first ever loose tooth and it's practically all that she can talk about.  That and her school play that she's in and just had her first drama practice today!!!  It is the Goldilocks and the Three Bears and she is so super excited for it.  At first, she was like, "I think I'll probably be Goldilocks."  I felt bad because I didn't want to tell her that there are like 30 kids in the play and most likely, she wouldn't get to be Goldilocks but now she either wants to be the narrator or Mama bear.  We'll see how she does in her audition.  Isn't it strange that a little six year old has to audition for a part in a play????  She doesn't seem too phased by it.  I'm sure she'll do great. 

Anyway...about her tooth.  The other day she told me she thought that her tooth was loose and sure enough...it was!  And the cool thing is that TWO of her teeth were loose.  And all day her hands are in her mouth wiggling those things and she'll things like, "When I eat, I can feel my teeth move."  Or "Is it going to hurt when my tooth falls out?"  Tonight she was wiggling it a lot and she just said, "I just want to know what it's like to lose a tooth." She's so cute.  I actually don't like it when their teeth fall out because her mouth the way it is now is the only Camry mouth I've ever known and it makes me sad when it changes.  But she's so excited.  It's hard not to be excited when she's so excited.  

And then there's Claira.  Our neighbor gave this to her and she wore it for the first time tonight.  She was dancing and singing and looking at herself in the mirror and loving every minute of it.  She totally posed like this after saying, "Take a picture of me and my new leotard."  What can I say, she knows how to work it. :)  I love that Claira.  She is so snuggly with me all the time and has been very helpful with Gentry lately.  They have a good relationship and they've been playing very well together.  I can't believe that she'll be in school in August!  That blows my mind and makes me incredibly sad. 

In other news, we went to the BYU vs. USF basketball game on Saturday.  It was so much fun!  We sat with Michael and Mikila and the cougars won so it was awesome.  I love that we can see BYU play now that they are in the WCC.  

 And Pacen was super brave and got some autographs from the players.  And he asked them all by himself!  I was so proud and he was so excited.  These pictures are with Brandon Davies and Tyler Haws.  

 And in other-other news....I had a doctor's appointment today.  I'm 36 (and a half!) weeks along and am already progressing.  Maybe....just maybe....this girl won't come a week overdue.  I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket but it does put a light at the end of the tunnel.  The good news is that I won't be pregnant forever.  :)  I've been pregnant for 45 months of my life.  Is that crazy?!?!?!?  I love being pregnant and being able to feel the baby move but I HATE getting dressed everyday with how fat I am and just want to wear my comfy large pj's all day.  Still not a definite baby name set...any suggestions?  I can't wait to meet her and the kids are so excited.  Claira keeps asking when it's going to be Valentine's day and just today Camry came up and gave me a big kiss on my belly.  This baby will be well loved.