Blessing Day

         She wore a dress covered in tiny roses on the day of her blessing. Surrounded by all of her Utah family       she was given a special blessing by her father. It was a great, beautiful day and I'm so grateful to everyone who made the long journey out here to visit. (Photos taken by her grammy, Gay)

Master Builder

Some of Logan's early morning "projects" he's made while waiting for mama. I've been meaning to document these for a while, so here's about 5 days worth! This boy is so creative, he comes up with the neatest things. (And yes, this is post to pre- haircut! And also pay no mind to the fact that he's worn the same jammies for the past...while)

Tiny Rose

Sweet, wonderfully smelling baby sleeping on my chest. Its amazing how new it all feels again with a tiny infant around. Everything just seems a bit..different. Fresher. A brand new beginning all over again with this new life. I've spent so much time lately just sitting, staring at her little face and wondering how on earth something so beautiful could have been growing inside me for so long. Again. I knew there was a baby in there of course, but the moment she came out I just couldn't believe it. A real baby! She is worth every labor pain, sleepless night, and spit-up stained shirt I've received. Baby Rose, I just love her so much. And didn't I tell you all she'd be a HER?! Its not that I didn't want a boy, quite the opposite actually. We'd been rooting for a boy since the beginning. But the moment I'd decided it was a girl I was at complete peace, and then I knew that's what she' be.
At nearly 7 weeks old now she is sleeping through the night for 6 hours straight (Except for a few pesky nights here and there) an is nursing like a champ. A dreamy 4th baby, if I do say so myself. She smiles her huge gummy smiles and it makes us all crack up laughing. Her siblings absolutely adore her (especially big brother) and shower her with (soft!) hugs and kisses from the moment they wake up. Rose completes our family in so many ways. Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you.

(This post was originally written a month ago and has been sitting in my un published section while I've been adjusting to life with a newborn! Time to dust it off and add some new posts!)

Welp, since my newest one is not yet here I decided today would be the perfect day to do a post on my three that I DO currently have. Here is a bit on each of them and what they have been up to lately:



Logan, age 5

Logan has been thriving lately! Over the summer he told me that what he wanted most out of this upcoming school year was to learn how to read!  I was pretty shocked because up until this point I hadn't stressed academics AT ALL with him. Actually I'd been fairly against doing any type of "school" until they were all at least 6, wanting to give them all a firm foundation of play and a free, unstructured childhood. And believe me, if I had started doing actual schoolwork with him at a young age, he would have been reading by 3. No doubts. He has always soaked information up incredibly fast. But I felt it best, developmentally, to wait. I'm glad I did for the most part, but I couldn't force him to wait another year or two. Not when he was so passionate about learning something. So, during the month of August I designed a whole mini syllabus teaching him letter by letter (one letter a week, at that) the sounds and shapes of each letter and how to identify them.  Lessons were going great (and still are) but what I didn't plan on was him teaching himself, despite my slow pace! A friend of ours lent us the BOB books, have you seen those? They're pretty great! Well, I started putting them out for him to get into whenever he felt like, and guess what....he's reading! Just like that! He taught himself! Ok, ok, so its not actual chapter books or anything, and I did help him here and there when he asked for it. But for the most part it was on his own, and now he can officially read any 3 letter word you put in front of him.  Oh! AND did I tell you that somehow he knew all of his letters, how to write them, (uppercase and lowercase) AND the sounds that they ALL make! I'd seen hints of this but I didn't realize how advanced he was until we started. We are still doing a brief review, but for the most part he's miles ahead of where I thought he'd be. I'm having to completely re-adjust our curriculum in mid December! Homeschooling is the best. The world has completely opened up now, and he's trying to read absolutely everything! It really is such a wonderful, amazing thing to watch unfold.

What else, what else. Oh! Logan, Claire AND Jane all started a local Montessori school one day a week to supplement their homeschooling. This is something I seriously never thought I'd do. But honestly, I've fallen pretty in love with the Montessori philosophy this year. I love that they're in mixed age classrooms and not just with their "peers".  I also love that the kids aren't taught any formal, sit down lessons.That instead they spend their time doing whatever kind of "work" is available to them in the classroom. Whatever they choose to do! Its child led... indoors! And honestly, there are so many cool learning toys there that I just can't afford to buy, and really just don't want sitting around my house. Plus, I really wanted to be able to have some uninterrupted down time with the new baby during the week. This has been such a huge blessing for our family. If you don't know anything about Montessori, you should watch this short, cute video. Love!http://youtu.be/09Y-huCMjIc

Ok ok, what else can I tell you about Logan? His biggest interest has still got to be legos. Ever since he was 4 we started buying him the tiny, complicated sets and simply handing him the instructions. He couldn't stand the duplos anymore, so we decided why not? Now, no matter how big or complicated the design is, he will sit for HOURS in his room putting it together. I love how much time and attention he's capable of putting into one single project.
Oh, and I couldn't end this without mentioning how proud I am for him trying so hard to come out of his shell lately. In just these past few months alone he's gone from such a shy guy with maybe a handful of friends, to playing with nearly every kid on our street and in our homeschooling group. He's even started talking more to other adults (something he'd never do before)! When people ask him his name or age or really any question at all...he answers! Hallelujah! Such a HUGE change! I don't know what sparked it, but its been absolutely wonderful to watch unfold.
Other tidbits about Logan include: His current favorite color is blue, favorite season is winter, favorite holiday is Christmas, favorite type of food is Chinese, and his favorite television show is Curious George. Oh, and he recently learned how to ride a two wheeler from his Nani (my mom) and now rides like a pro! And that's all about Logan for now...

Claire, age 3

Oh my spunky, tomboyish Claire bear. This girl. What can I tell you? She knows what she wants! Bossy isn't the exact word I'd use, but its pretty close. She is very matter of fact, this one. Recently she's been on a kick about getting "pokes" in her ears so she can wear earrings. It took me off guard initially because she doesn't really like many girly or frilly things. But I think its more the piercing aspect that she's into, haha! No really. We've watched videos online of little kids getting their ears pierced and she always wants to be up close next to the screen when it actually happens. Crazy kid. So she says when it happens she wants spider earrings..or ones shaped like sunglasses. I'm going to give it a few weeks to see if the phase passes. If not, I might give in only because it would be super cute.
Claire is definitely the most articulate of the twins. Talking to her is pretty close to talking to Logan... she just GETS things. Which is great because my girls were suuper slow talkers in the beginning. What else, what else? As I said, she is attending a Montessori school with her siblings once a week and absolutely loves it. Whenever I pick her up she goes on and on about the work, teacher, and children in her class (She's pretty fascinated with a boy named Joshua). Its been so good for all of them to make more friends! She is also completely obsessed with the Frozen movie (much to my dislike) and decided that she HAD to be Elsa for Halloween. Fine. She will be one of the thousands of Elsa's out there but I guess that's just what happens sometimes. This summer we finally finished potty training the both of them, which was just so so exhausting! We started back when they were barely two and pretty much did it on and off for a year. I'm finally pleased to say we are done! Honestly, we probably could have done it in a month, but it was so dang tiring, and I absolutely HATE staying put all day. So as you can see, the problem was mostly with me. Sigh.
Claire also loves: Playing on her scooter outside whilst wearing her obnoxious unicorn helmet, following her brother around EVERYWHERE and repeating most things he says, playing legos and cars, her baby doll "Tighdee", playing with magnet blocks, telling me that I have a really big bum bum (and then smiling to herself and declaring that she too will have one some day), and coloring just about anything. Oh and did I tell you that she now buckles herself in her own car seat? Finally! Why'd that take so long again?! Claire also loves singing church songs to very loudly to herself, the song "All about that bass", her sparkly tennis shoes, the colors black and purple, and coloring with her big brother. Just a bunch of random facts, but that's pretty much Claire in a nutshell these days.


Jane, age 3

Baby Jane. My cuddle buddy. She is as sweet as they come, this little girl. While the other two seem to cling together, more often than naught Jane ends up being my buddy, spending her time clinging to mama. Jane is your stereotypical girly girl. She loves princesses, anything pink, kitties (oh, the kitties!), baby dolls and dress up clothes. She's also had a bit of a mermaid obsession for the past year and is more than happy to show you what a mermaid swims like in a swimming pool (Warning: cuteness overload...not in the least way resembling an actual mermaid, haha!).  When I asked Josh to help me describe Jane the first thing he said was "klepto," and that I better write that down, haha! Its true, she does have a bit of a problem, ehr, swiping things. She always gives them back eventually but usually not before she tucks them into some nook in her room to investigate it for a while. Sigh. She's so innocent looking too when you catch her that you almost don't believe she truly knew what she was doing....but she does. We're in for it.
Jane is great at memorizing facts. Once she learns something like the name of something, or a shape, or anything really it never leaves her mind. She may be a bit slower in speech than her siblings, but mentally I think she's right up there (if not ahead in some areas). She's also definitely played the "baby role" in our family for the past three years, which makes me wonder if her speech will get a bit better when the new one gets here? Hard to say. Hope its not the other way around!
What else? Jane has let me know that she absolutely does NOT want pokes in her ears, even though her sister does. She DOES want to come though, so she can watch Claire's ears get poked with a needle, haha! Jane is not all scaredy cat however, she is the only one of her siblings who consistently tries new foods and even asks for jalapenos with her meals regularly. A girl after her daddy's heart. She also likes hot sauce...where did I go wrong!? Jane is going to be Anna from Frozen for Halloween. "Yippee!" (Much sarcasm). I think she honestly wanted to be Elsa, but Claire was a bit more aggressive in declaring it her favorite so Jane just went on to second best. Another thing I will say about Jane is that she is very tender hearted. If anyone in the family gets hurt or anything is wrong she is the first one there with a kiss and a comforting word (and a very high pitched, "comforting" voice). Sweet girl.
Other tidbits about Jane include her love of: Pizza, mommy's jewelry, the game "Candyland", her scooter, all the pink things, and trips to the mountains.

We set out for a "quick" drive between conference sessions to check out the fall foliage in the canyons. 3 1/2 hours later we were finally coming home, after finding ourselves in Brighton, Park City, and then Midway all via mountain back roads. The colors were so much more vibrant than I thought they'd be, I wish my little smart phone camera could do them justice! Oh, and that forest. We drove the whole time with the windows down Josh and I kept saying, "Do you SMELL those pines!??" Such a wonderful change from the smoggy, stinky valley we live in below! The kids did great on the drive. They were so in awe of all the snow (can you believe it?!) that we drove by near Park City. The girls even went the whole time without a potty accident, which was such absolutely amazing! Meanwhile, I sat in the passenger seat the whole time drinking a HUGE thing of iced red raspberry leaf tea hoping that the combination of that, and the altitude change would send me into labor. It didn't work. That said though, it really was a wonderful way to end our weekend. And who knows, maybe it was our last weekend as a family or five? 

Oh my, how time flies! This was me at almost 36 weeks (a week and a half ago). Its crazy to think this little mystery baby could come any time now. I feel so unprepared, yet truly I know that I have everything I need. Its funny, the difference between my first and my fourth. With Logan, I felt like I wouldn't be ready unless I had absolutely EVERYTHING set up by the day he was born. I set up his nursery in its entirety, bought a ton of baby toys, a baby bath, and basically, brand new everything! Then, come two months after his birth we were moving cross country and I realized that he had never once slept in that nursery (he slept beside me in a co sleeper for the first 8 months of his life, same as the girls...I'm a nervous parent) he never once played with those little toys (what newborn has an interest in toys right away?!), and I found myself simply rotating a handful of basic, comfy outfits all the time (No need for all the uncomfortable but "cute" ones I bought him). So basically, I went way overboard. With the twins I was lucky enough to inherit ALL of the hand me down twin girl clothes (starting at newborn size!) from a friend of a friend. Such a blessing! I didn't buy a single thing for them. Along with that, at least 5 people in our ward knitted/ crocheted beautiful baby blankets for them, so there were no purchases there. And the ladies of the ward even bought their car seats as a surprise! I was so so blessed! Those ladies still have a very special place in my heart! 

Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is that with this one, its absolutely wonderful to feel so at ease. No muss, no fuss. I guess that's just what comes with being an experienced parent. I know that I don't need much, and there is so much freedom in that. Instead, I've been able to spend my days simply playing with my older three, and trying my best to remember this time of it being just them. I'm also finding myself talking to my belly a lot more these days, and savoring the (Huge, Painful!) kicks from this little one.

 It may sound crazy, but with this being our last, I want to make a mental note of how this all feels.

 Now, I'm fully aware that some day ten years down the road I'll probably be sitting somewhere holding a friend's newborn baby asking myself, "what if?". Inevitably those baby hungry pangs will start creeping in from time to time (Don't they always?) and leading me to question my decision. But, despite all of this, I know in my heart that we are done. For my health, my sanity, and for the well being of the four I DO have, its time for us to stop. A decision every family has to make with themselves and god, I suppose. But I have to tell you, there is such a sweetness to being able to look at your family and say, "This is it! This is enough. THEY are enough!" I have my dreams for all of them. Places I want to travel with them, how I dream of showing them the world. Life experiences I want to give them and the kind of people I hope to expose them to along the way. The world is ours. Me, my favorite man, and our four beautiful babies. 

In these past few months before our homeschooling year began (We started labor day) we tried to spend as much time as we could living as freely as possible. No real schedules (except daily nap time) and no real rules.  We went to coop activities galore, numerous hikes in nearby canyons and mountains, fun museums, countless parks and trails, and to the pool nearly three times a week! I feel exhausted even writing that!!! All this despite the fact that I absolutely loathed this summer (Summer plus a heavily pregnant me is never fun). That said, I really wanted to do it up right for the kids. I needed them to have memories of a full, happy summer before this little babe comes and they're stuck inside for a while. Now as our school year is beginning, I'm finally relaxing our outdoor activities schedule a bit. It feels so so good. My bones are so tired, and my pregnant belly is making it harder and harder to accomplish the easiest of tasks. I actually find myself daydreaming about winter, which never happens! Long dark, cool days snuggling a new baby, sipping hot chocolate and watching sappy Hallmark movies. Yes please! Till then, I am trying to savor this stage in my life and these days I know I'll never get back.

(btw, please stick with me as I figure out this picture quality thing! Hopefully in the next few posts I'll get it down!)