4 to 2

Today was quite the day.

We had to be out the door by 7:45 to get to the Dentist by 8:15...Our appointment was at 8:30 but I don't believe in MST I believe in VST and so that means we are 10-15 minutes early to just about everything. In fact being on time means I am running LATE...which I hate - which we won't get into today.

Okay so we ended up leaving at 7:57 because Nathan was "helping" me today.  We did end up getting there by 8:20 but still - I felt late.

The kids all had appts. with Dr. Sean - THE BEST DENTIST EVER!!!  Lucas got XRays and Bridget was awesome during her exam, they both got great scores on their dental report cards.  Dr. Sean told me and Nathan that the kids were doing an excellent job on brushing and that if we continued and nothing TRAGIC happened to their mouths by the time they were in middle school Lucas and Bridget would probably not need braces.  They have great spacing and very healthy cavity free teeth. Go us!

Scarlett was happy the entire time until it was exam time.  When she had to lay down she cried. This was her first official dental check up and she was scared - which is funny because the kids are all together during the exam, she watched them check Lucas and Bridget. She saw the fluoride treatments, and flossing on both of them.  But when it was her turn she screamed for Daddy. He leaned over her and she calmed down and was happy after that.

Juliet had her tongue looked at and he said he wasn't worried about it like the pediatricians were.  I trust him enough to hold off on the surgery.

After that we went to Nathan's work because EVERYONE wanted to see the baby.
Seriously - she was out of control the entire time - look...

J/K she slept the entire time... surprise surprise. :)

The kids had fun checking out the different offices and Nathan's friends/coworkers.
They attended a board meeting - where the kids demanded MORE MONEY for their Daddy! J/K

Then Luke's girlfriend Susan made special cakes for us. She is a professional baker and they looked great! She made one for the office and one for us to take home which almost didn't make it home because the kids were salivating in the car for it the entire way to lunch.

We stopped at Target -

(this was from a different day but you get the idea)

This is how we do 4 at Target. Hahahaha.

Then off to Chipotle for lunch. Mmmmmmmmm. We dropped Lucas off at Preschool and then I had 2 meetings to go to.

Nathan woke up the girls, picked up Lucas and met me at the park.

The kids saw their friends the Cantrells at the park.  Bridget misses Drew the biggest tallest boy in her class - but they are in the new ward now so we don't get to see them.

She just couldn't say goodbye!

The Taylors brought us a nice dinner and then we devoured the 2nd cake...

The kids liked this one better - it was CHOCOLATE!

Whew! What a day!

FHE tonight deserves a post on its own. Hehehe..Stay tuned for that.

Tomorrow is my first day on my own.

Wish me luck. It was fun having Nathan home but its time to get back to the real world.

Tomorrow will probably be titled 4 to 1 waah! J/K

Umm Okay?

*this never happens*

Today we had Ward Conference.

3rd hour Stake President Johnson walks in and stops to look at Rebecca Smith's baby. (She was holding Juliet)
He is in total awe and is looking at her like - good job! When she quickly tells him that the baby is mine.  I tell him she is 11 days old and he said she was so beautiful and I should keep having babies because Juliet was so beautiful.  I am embarrassed but don't say anything because well what do you say?

We have a funny and good lesson and during the lesson he said
"I learned something about this sister...she makes beautiful babies!"
I am BEET RED and just smile and he asked her name and then motioned everyone to look at the baby.
I seriously had no words I was in shock that a guy would say that.

After class the High Council guy that was in the room walked up to me and agreed that she was beautiful and if he weren't in his 70s he would be baby hungry just from looking at her. Again, uh okay thanks.  I can't get out of that room fast enough before more ladies stopped to look at her.  It was flattering and embarrassing at the same time.

We get in the hallway with the other 3 kids and the Stake President looks at my heap of kids and said "Your husband is so lucky to have beautiful children."  Nathan was right behind him and shouts "Oh I know, I know."

It was such a weird day at church.  I was trying to get a good picture of her after church but Lucas insisted he could do it so here are some that he got...

 Which means Bridget had to get in on it too...

 And then Scarlett couldn't be left out...

 And this one...no one could explain it to me...

Umm Okay?

If you were in RS with me today - please tell me you thought it was weird that Pres. Johnson did this...or tell me that he does it all the time. Haha.

free and clear

Juliet, sweet Juliet - is a lot like Bridget.

Besides her coloring she also shares a horrible thing that no one would ever want to share...CONSTIPATION.

(she is pointing to the problem area)

We literally had to train Bridget how to poop the first 2 weeks of life.  It was terrible.

Juliet is having the same problems and has had to undergo the same "treatment" to get her to #2.

It has been sad to hear the crying, but finally after 10 days (really 8 days) of poop training she finally did it on her own!  It was a lot of this...

And some of that...

(red from pooping not from jaundice or olive orangeness)

She was nice enough to save the momentous poop during nap-time so the older kids didn't have to see or hear her. Now I make it sound like she screams all day and that is just not true.  She usually cries for a few minutes after she eats and then just gives up.  She has been like this since the Meconium passed. It was funny because the nurses were trying to explain it to me and I knew all about it because of Bridget.  We are "pros."

After 3 messy diapers..she was finally able to relax.  Apparently it gives you a headache. Haha.

She was swinging in the swing for a good 20 minutes when I look over and her legs are completely out of her snapped jammies!

I guess we will be double checking her clothes and making sure she is snapped into the swing from now on!

If she is like Bridget in every other way - this will be the worst of Juliet's first year.
Besides the horrendous diaper rash. But Bridget was the easiest to potty train (since she did it herself)
I'll take it!

Silly post, but we finally got her free and clear! :D

- look at her feet they are HUGE!-

-Then -

After dinner...

Nathan- Bridget what should your punishment be for climbing into the crib when Juliet is sleeping in it?

Bridget- I guess I will just sit in time out and serve my time like a man.

Lucas- You can't possibly do that.

Bridget- I can.

Lucas- It just can not be, Bridget.  We all know you can't sit for that long, choose something worse like shovel dirt naked outside in the cold.  That sounds like a better punishment.

Seriously? What planet did they come from? Hahaha.

Foggy Friday

Whew what a morning full of frost and fog.  I woke up at 6:15 to a newborn who squeals like a little piglet when she is hungry.  I went down stairs and made a bottle and Bridget came down quietly and asked if she could help me feed Juliet.

I gave her the bottle and she sat there in the semi-lit room with her sister on her lap and just stared at her the whole time.

 After Juliet was finished eating Bridget just sat there admiring her sweet little sister.

 It was such a great little moment.

Then later that morning, I gave everyone their breakfast cookies. (don't worry they are made of wheat and craisins and other healthy junk.

I looked down at my feet and realized Scarlett must have grown a ton over the last few days because she is a GIANT to me now.  Weird.

 Seriously - Best Baby EVER!!!  She is so sweet and pretty and doll-like. :)

We took Bridget to TotSchool and as soon as we get home these two crazies start laughing and playing and are just having a genuinely good time.  They play together SO well.  It gives me hopes that Bridget will be like this next year with Juliet. :)

I just love little moments like this.  I love that our house is filled with love and laughter and if you didn't see on facebook or my other blog yesterday...our house is filled with silliness too---

Its days like this that make me so grateful that I am able to stay at home and raise my kids. That I get to participate in the silliness or help create it. :)  I am also grateful for a husband who is present in the kids lives.  A guy who sacrifices sleep and fun hobbies to go to school fulltime, work a real job, and still have time for me and the beautiful kids he helped create.  I am lucky, and I know this.

I also love that when he thinks I am not looking he enjoys the kid shows or toys or tickle fests just as much as they do...

This post should be called sappy friday huh? hahaha.

Life with 4...so far

We are just about to round out week #1 with 4 kids and I don't know if I should count it because Nathan is still home...but - I have caught the plague so really Nathan has been the one who has had all 4 kids.

I am not "sick" but I have this lame dry cough that will not go away and let me tell you my abs already are sore from the CSection, and my incision is "healing" as much as it can with a hack hack hack every 6 minutes. Not to mention the seal voice I now have because of this lame uncongested "sickness" I am carrying. 

My favorite is when people call to schedule a building in the stake and ask for Valerie Witte and I have to convince them in my seal-man voice that I am in fact Valerie Witte. 

 Just thinking about it makes me laugh again...oh yea that hurts too.

Juliet went in for her 3-4 day check up and even though everyone claims she has jaundice - Dr. Campbell... the best pedi this side of I25 remembers Bridget and how she was orange for a while too.  You see us with olive skin have an orange glow for the first 2 weeks of life - if your Bili score is above an 8.  Its okay though because we know what its supposed to look like but to the unlucky not-olive people its hard to grasp that you could be any other color besides Jaundice Yellow and White.  Besides skin color she is a great baby. Finally eating 2 oz...it took longer than my other 3.  We actually have to wake her to feed her because all she wants to do is sleep.  Except for 3pm when she is wide awake and usually grimacing or furrowing her brow at LOUD siblings. My favorite feeding is 5-6AM because its when the whole house is quiet and I can just listen to the sounds of my newborn. Which if you knew me, like really knew me you would know how funny that sentence really is - because I HATE 0-6 weeks.  I am not a newborn person.  Good thing I married one. :)

She woke up like this...

Which leads me to believe that Nathan fed her with his eyes closed. Haha.

While we were setting up the NEW bunk beds...

I caught Scarlett doing something naughty...

Uh yea- she TOTALLY knew she was being naughty.

Other than just hanging around and being lazy I think tomorrow will be the real eye opener on life with 4.

We have TotSchool, Dr. Appt, Lunch, PreSchool then dinner.

I know we can do it - but it will be fun seeing how long it takes.  The true test will be when I can finally drive.

So far, so good.

The kids wanted to put Juliet to bed...

Tomorrow's lesson - Too much of a good thing, isn't a good thing.

(hint: blankets)

*sigh* I love my family. :)

1st Sunday

 Yesterday was Juliet's first day at church. Lucas thought it was funny to celebrate it, but we did nonetheless.

 She slept the whole time, and was passed around and adored.  4 days old and so reverent!

 When we got home she was finally AWAKE!  

So I took some with her eyes open - its so rare I had to take them fast!

 She is such a great baby so far.

She fits in perfectly!  She even likes to watch the kids favorite Sunday show!

It was a nice day at church.

Crying Colorado

Yesterday was the last day with my parents.

We woke up hung out for a bit and then waited for them to come to our house.  It was beautiful outside probably 55 degrees so we went to EB Raines so the kids could run and jump and play.  It was nice because I could theoretically sit and watch and not have to move that much.  I was starting to feel really sore from trying to go and do.

Juliet was trying to catch up to Grandpa on the tanning.

I LOOOOOOVE this picture.  If only you knew the love Lucas has for his grandparents.

After the park we went to Red Lobster.

We have been telling Lucas that there is a place that serves Shrimp lots of ways and you can eat as much as you can at this place.  I told him Grandpa would take him there and he delivered.

Lucas love shrimp, and now loves Red Lobster. 

He ate 3 different shrimps and tried Lobster too!

He was a happy camper.

We split up after lunch Nathan took the 4 home for naps and I went with my parents shopping for the kids.

They bought some adorable clothes for the spring and I can't wait for them to wear them all.

This is Scarlett totally EXCITED about getting new clothes, In this picture she is saying "Me? For Me?"

The kids love clothes so it was totally awesome for them! :)

While at the Toy Store the kids got to pick 2 things. This is one of Lucas's choices.  He is so good at picking out awesome things. This outfit had a field journal and a bunch of other neat explorer things.  He spent the next 30 minutes checking out stuff in the front yard.

We hung out at the house. I have the anesthesia phlegm going on so coughing hurts and it was nice to just play together. Then it was time to go.

 Lucas made up a song for my parents it was sooooo cute.

Juliet is so Horn in the coloring look at her!  

Aww. So sweet.

My kids cried and cried when it was time for them to go.  Lucas especially was upset about them leaving, he really loves Grandma and Grandpa and wishes we could see them more. I do too. I think they had a great time.  

When my parents left after a BEAUTIFUL weather week...it started to rain heavily.  Lucas told us at dinner that even Colorado is sad about them leaving because its crying too. Haha.