Bear Lake 2009

It was Sabrina's first big outing! The fam-dam-bly went to Bear Lake on Saturday a a fun get-together as well as to celebrate Dave's birthday (more on that later)... Here's Mia-Babes!

I got a shot of me in the the car, but Ella insisted on hiding! Gruff! *We rode with Mom and Granny -THANK YOU!! I figured that on Bri's first big car ride I should be available -instead of behind the wheel...

Here's Ella and Nanny on the boat. No, I never made it on the boat this year. I am bummed -but needed to be close to Mia and Sabrina. Next year, FO SHO.

Ella and Kimmy (Lexie's sister)!

Dad's shirt.

Here's Lily and Noah!

Sarah took this shot of me at our little picnik.

Mia had a BLAST in the water. She's such a little fish!

*Love this shot.

Here's Mia and Tessa playing in the sand -which believe me, got EVERYWHERE.

It was an excellent trip and we had some great family bonding time. I think that as kids get older these events will be a little less chaotic and a little more relaxing! In the meantime, they're fun memories as they are. :)

Bri

Without any official nick-name in mind, our baby BriBri has become a Bri. It's interesting, when I was young I couldn't stand the names Mia or Bri, but now they're some of the most beautiful I've ever heard. Here's me with Sabrina.

This is Ella's first meeting.

...And here's Mia's.

We are so blessed.

Sabrina Anne

Welcome to the world, little Sabrina Anne. The birth of this little angel is the most excruciating story of my life. Never have I experienced pain like this before -and understand with ease how women can die from delivering quite easily… But it's a happy story in the end!

YES, I took the caster oil, and yes, it was effective. I didn’t know at the time that my doctor wouldn’t be available for the delivery on that date (grrr) and that I’m technically not “supposed” to do this caster oil bit because it’s so dehydrating. Oh well. After a lot of running around on Sunday -getting laundry done, sorting and putting away all of Ella and Mia’s hand-me-downs for the baby, etc., I found myself in a lot of pain! We dropped Ella off with Donny and Debbie, and Mia off with Granny. *Best to keep the load as light as possible, as it’s such a HUGE favor to us. ….Thank you, parents!

We arrived at the hospital around 6:00 PM on August 23rd (Sunday night). Okay, I’m going to throw this out there, but I have a VERY sensitive cervix! Checking me for dilation was quite painful --little did I know that it was only the tip of the iceberg for what I was in store for… Upon the first check, I was 5 cm, and was READY for the drugs! The nurses hooked me up to an IV (no drugs yet) and I got a little rest (save the occasional contraction) for the first time that day. …Everything SLOWED DOWN!! The nurses were then telling me that it’s a tell-tale sign that I’m in ‘FALSE LABOR’. Excuse me?????? So, after I calmly explained that I was in too much pain to be sent home, it was suggested that I take a walk. Ouch! Lance and I padded around the floor with my IV in tow for around an hour. …They had told me that if I progressed they’d keep me. The doctor on call was a nice enough fellow, but he was apparently very “by the book” but he un-lovingly told me he’s had women go for WEEKS dilated to 5 cm. LOVELY. We got back to the bed and I was checked again (PAIN) and was a 7-8 cm dilation. …No drugs yet.

So we get out the good ole’ fentanyl (my happy drug) in order to get the epidural going (I have a hyper-sensitive back that won’t let someone jab around unless I’m “sedated” a bit). Out comes my sweet little Anesthesiologist who gets started. Bless his heart, he tried. He tried and tried and tried and TRIED. My back curvature wasn’t super cooperative -trying to round over a big baby in my belly… He couldn’t find the space he needed to. This meant that when he’d get in, he’d have to use the needle and poke around to find the correct space -against bone. I was wailing by this point. I remember holding as still as possible, attempting to breathe through intense contractions, and looking down (with Lance’s arms around me and my head pushed firmly against his chest) just watching the tears dumping out of my eyes. …This pain was excruciating. On the 4th try, the doctor felt that he had what he needed, however, in the end, he numbed one thigh. There was no pain relief.

The labor progressed and my ability to breath and concentrate through the contractions waned with fatigue. The now CRAPPY fentanyl wasn’t doing JACK for the pain, and I found myself begging for something more, something different. I couldn’t face the idea of going back to try the epidural for a 5th time, but I couldn’t face the idea of delivering naturally as this pain was unbearable as it was. My water hadn’t broken -and that was the key to getting the entire process done. The doctor on call was busy with two separate c-sections, which left me with nurses who could only tell me “yes you can do it” and “we can’t give you anything else”. NIGHTMARE. After being rolled to one side that sent me hollering and probably swearing too, I managed to get back on my back when the doctor appeared. He said we were ready to go. Lance tried to remind me (sweetly) to BREATHE through the contractions, but it was nearly impossible. I had to push. The pushing didn’t take too long, but I swear, I felt my entire body burn and then split in two. We had our baby. …Delivering the after-birth was painful, all the “checks” afterward were painful -and I couldn’t focus on the joy of the moment to save my life. I had endured HELL and it wasn't disappearing with any form of speed.

My doctor has told me that women are created differently -and it’s a matter of the physical composition of the cervix that determines whether or not she really can withstand a natural birth -it’s not pain-wussiness!! I actually am a pretty tough girl! I am NOT built for natural child birth, however. BAH!

7 lbs, 5 oz. 19” long. Sabrina Anne came into my life on Sunday evening at 11:34 PM. …By the grace of God, I survived the journey, and now have the most beautiful angel in my home to make 3 miracles.

Let's Get This Party STARTED!!!

Okay, so I went to the doctor on Friday and was partially stripped (for those who don't know, you don't really want to...). So, I have been hard at work trying to get this baby party started!! We're thinking she's already around 7 lbs, and with the state of 'discomfort' I'm experiencing and the fact that this is numero tres, my doctor is totally cool if baby comes anytime. SO! Lance left to pick up some caster oil which will hopefully hook this mama up with some babiage sooner rather than later...
Wish me luck, friends!!! Perhaps my next blog will be a birth story! :D

Baby Steps

Yeah, this has nothing to do with the baby... I got Ella registered for school today!! VICTORY! She tests next week, but I'll tell ya, I was nervous I'd have to start home-schooling! I lost her immunization card at the last minute -and we'd put off registering her anyway because of the move recently.
Regardless, we'll have ourselves one intelligent publicly educated daughter, come August 31!!

Operation Repo

Now that's fun times!

Man O' The Hour: FAVRE

LOOK WHO'S BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, it is the FAVRE-meister, back for yet another season of NFL.

...If I have to watch it, it might as well be interesting.

Go Vikings!

motivation

Motivation comes in different forms.

De-Motivation comes in different forms as well.

De-Motivator? Husbands on couches. I got a few things done today, but as he was home (took the day off for a birthday party of a friend of his -happy B-day, Clayton!) and in a very chill position on the davenport, I found myself quite cozy on the big chair next to him.
Maybe tomorrow will be more productive! Eventually I need to grocery shop, bake cookies, get paint for the new (hand-me-down) dresser for the girls, get baby clothes from my mother’s house (thanks for the free storage, Mom!), get baby stuff together in general (HEY, I have bought a new bottle of baby lotion and some A&D Diaper Rash cream for the new baby, does that count as preparation? …I also have 2 diapers for her; they came in the mail…), plan some stinkin’ activities so that Ella doesn’t get bored and throw fits to keep herself occupied, and I guess I should do some deeper cleaning around here too. I remember with Mia thinking that there was no way I could have a baby with my blinds that dirty! …And by-gummit, I didn’t! Not so much motivation this go-round. What the heck?

De-Motivator? Knowing your couches have garbage in them -you know, gum wrappers, a few pennies here and there, maybe a golf tee and perhaps a petrified string-cheese… The other day I had some kind of garbage in my hand and actually found myself stuffing it into my cushions after having seen how bad they were earlier in the day! YES, I know I’ll have to clean it up, but I figure I’ll have a whole bag full of crapola from the couch when I do, so what’s one more wrapper when I get around to it??

De-Motivator? PREGNANCY! …At least round 3 (ding ding ding) for me… I feel and now look like a train. There’s no “pretty pill” that takes this away. I’m not taking an ungrateful-pity-me moment. This is simply stating fact. Any woman who feels sexy at this stage of the game deserves to be drawn & quartered.

I think that’s one of the things I miss most: I feel like I’m SO not myself right now. I am quite out-of-touch with my inner-diva, which makes life for my poor family a little less normal -a little less happy too, I think. For Lance especially, honey, I know I am not the same woman I usually am, but we can all celebrate the fact that we know this stage is coming to an END!!! We’ll have a new little girl in the family, and the queen will once again reign with a bit more NORMALCY (…as is a relative term within the insane house of S.).

Rough Day

Today has been so rough! I had an appointment at 9:00 AM. At 8, Lance came to bed ready to crash -as he’d taken some Tylenol PM. Ouch! I scrambled and had my in-laws (THANK YOU!) watch the girls. It wasn’t super easy for them, because I thought I’d only be an hour.

I’d woken up with a particularly bad migraine and once at the Dr. office, it got a lot worse. Down a pound, great (water weight, gotta love it), dilated to 1 ½ cm and am 60% effaced. They gave me the little cocktail for headaches (don’t remember the drug names exactly) by shot. I had to be observed afterward, so the appointment ran long. After I got the girls home I was a mess. I still functioned and got the girls taken care of, however, the drive to care for the kiddos was scrambled at best. Gratefully Mia had her nap and Ella was pretty good about playing outside. After Lance got up and I went back into function mode again, I started to lose it after dinner. I was -and am still overwhelmingly tired.

I had a sugar crash to top the evening off and just feel shaky and weird all over. Gratefully the pain in my head has subsided and I seem to be okay. …Here’s hopin’ for a better tomorrow, eh?

Mom's haircut!

Mom went to see my insanely wonderful hair-stylist Lori. She gave her a fabulous haircut, so we needed to be sure everyone saw how adorable she looks!

Love you, Mom! ...Thanks for having us over this afternoon!

Living Room "talent show"

Sometimes living room "talent shows" -as Ella calls them, can take away a bit of the inside blahs. These little forts are the girl's stages where they hang out and play with toys... Doesn't make much sense, but if it does to them it's all good!
My poor children are dealing with a mommy who has energy for minimal outtings these days.

We keep busy playing with toys and blocks and reading endless books. I keep telling myself that once school starts and we have a real schedule (and I'm not so PREGNANT) that the boredom will become a thing of the past! I think this fall will bring with it some fun new playing and learning opportunitites. :)

In the meantime, bless their hearts, the forts --I mean "talent shows" aren't going too far...

*Yes, Ella has some seriously chipped teeth! She's a wild girl, what can I say? :)

Grandmother

Grandmother is Dad's mom. She's not "grandma", nor "granny", but is specifically Grandmother, and always has been. She came to visit us about a week ago, and it's been so nice to see her.

This is a picture of Granny, Grandmother, and Ella. These lovely ladies are the two Great-Grandma's on my side for my girls. It's a blessing to have them both alive and able to see how awesome my kids are!

We love you Grandmother. Thanks for coming to visit us!

Competition

So Sarah is crazy photogenic. She takes some really beautiful photographs... She'd had this one and I thought I'd steal it and post it on my blog since I'm so much better at keeping my blog up than she is. ...Hey, I gotta have something up on her, right?

Competition within my family is hilarious. I think when you grow up with six kids and have to fight for your position, everything is (ahem) healthy competition! ...This is why I have an extremely loud voice/ opinion. This is why Rachael worries so much. It's why Sarah has so many stunning photographs of herself. It's why Dave drives an SUV with skulls on the rims (jk, Dave -you win for prettiest family). It's why Mary got a hook-up prescription for Latisse (like her eye-lashes need ANY help!).

I love how sweet and messed up my family is in our quirky little way.

I win for busiest blog!

Spoiled?

Seriously, how gorgeous are these flowers?

My Lance-

I can't thank you enough for your show of support and love for the role I have taken on here at home. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be with our little girls -and to take care of you (though low-maintenance, you are). Thank you, thank you, thank you for working so hard for us and for giving our family this new life.

-Becca

Swimming at Nanny's

New summer love; headin' to Nanny's house!

The girls are overflowing with anticipation. ...When Mia's "little swimmer" comes on, the party begins!
We've found an exciting way to spend a lazy summer afternoon...
BTW, Tummy-Yummy's are cheaper than Bug Juices. Kids love 'em, bottles are re-usable!
My Ella-Boo!

...And sissy too!

Well Bless My Phoebster!

Does this picture not say it ALL???

Sunday was been so insanely busy. Bless Candace’s heart, she called and took Ella for a sleep-over on Saturday night, which meant that I didn't take her to SLC for Phoebe’s blessing. I have officially decided that this is the LAST time I’m driving to SLC before the new baby is born (f-a-t-i-g-u-e). I slept in after my alarm went off at 6:15 AM (used to go off at 4:30 AM, what the heck?), so Lance got me up at 6:25. I was out the door having woken Mia up and thrown a dress on her. We tried to stop for gas, but good ole’ Sam’s Club doesn’t have their pumps open early Sunday mornings. It would behoove me to learn their hours! I left on a prayer that we could skid in on time and on fumes.

Here's our family -those who made it!

After the gas light turned on in Centerville, I went to the wrong church (in Taylorsville). I found Granny’s van at the next church and mad-dashed in. The shush-ing lady from the back row scowled at me when I considered darting to the seat saved for me near the front --it was during the blessing, so I stayed in the back and caught ½ of it. I listened as carefully as I could to Dave as he gave a sincerely beautiful blessing to dear Phoebe Alexis. It was SO sweet.

Here's me (wearing a fabulous black/minimizing ensemble) and the Phoebes.

After church, Lexie’s and our family gathered at Rachael’s home for lunch. It was really nice to hang out with everyone. There is a lot of history with Lex's dad from when Dave and Lex first got together, but it all seemed so full of forgiveness and joy of the occasion. I was really touched by Lexie’s dad’s prayer for the lunch, and I think we all felt the peace that the gospel can bring even after all the circumstances. Overall, it was a lovely day.

Sarah took this cute shot with Lily and Mia! :)

...And I can't resist a cute pic of Mia (thanks for the new dress, Mom)!


Congratulations to Dave and your beautiful family.