Freaking out a bit

I was at Costco the other day and the lady in front of me scanned my cart full of boys, my belly and said: "Those can't possibly all be yours?!" I remember thinking its not like I have 18 or anything, and they were really being the best little boys this trip.
However, today the four number is a little daunting. Not many people I know have four little kids. What exactly was I thinking this time? Less than six weeks out and I have to admit I am panicking just a touch. Hopefully, once this little one isn't sapping all my energy and making it feel ten degrees hotter, if that is possible, the whole concept of a family of six won't be a scary!

"Aunite/ Niece" Night Out

Jefferson's sunbeam teacher is playing Mrs. Potts at The Hale Theater in Beauty and The Beast The Musical. Our ward organized a mother/daughter night to go see it. Since I am daughterless, I borrowed my sweet niece to be my date. She wore her best princess dress, got tons of attention and was such a trooper during the almost three-hour long show.
Waiting for the "Belle Party" to start. We had great seats right next to the isle. All the cast members ran up and down the stairs all night. The wolves were a little scary, but the dishes were great!

Enjoying a monster cookie during intermission.

One very tired little princess at the end of the show with Mrs. Potts. Janae did such a great job, I am always amazed when people can sing so well.

Avery kept asking when the real Belle was coming out. The iconic yellow dress in the final act was all it took to put a perma-smile on her face. She told me Belle was "dressed correctly", very important to a four-year old.

Thanks Ave for a fun night and to my sweet husband that watched A LOT of kids so I could go.

Lovin' Legos

Lately my boys have become enthralled with a glorious new passion! Legos are the best; they don't stain anything, plenty of pieces to share and endless hours of fun. I often find pictures on my camera of various creations that Ben wants to document. They will play them in the afternoon for an hour or more, unasissted and happy. What more can a mom ask for?

Summer Family Vacation

Now that the boys are in school, maybe I can finally get around to documenting our summer. It was relatively uneventful, because I couldn't go anywhere, but we made some great memories just the same. I don't think the kids cared that we were twenty minutes from home or in Hawaii, they had both our undivided attention for 48hrs!
We travelled all of about thirty miles to a local resort to enjoy the sandy beach and great food. We have finally arrived at the point in our little family where we can all sleep in the same hotel room and it is fun, kind of like camping with a fantastic bathroom and room service! We put a cot in between the two beds and we were all cozy and slept great. The kids had so much fun looking for "treasures" in the sand. Favorite finds were beads and lego pieces.

Seven months pregnant is the PERFECT time for a family photo in a bathing suit!

Waiting to go down for breakfast and swimming.

Who needs the ocean?

Every trip is better with cousins.

Lukey loved the water.

Preggo sisters enjoying the shade. It was such a fun weekend. Grandma and Papa joined in on the fun and made the trip complete. Being confined to the valley isn't all bad.

The Final Countdown

Most people countdown to the end of their pregnancy, we countdown to 34 weeks. Although not ideal, a baby born at 34 is not considered premature and most likely won't have to spend any time in the NICU. I am 30 weeks and the last two pregancies I have been on bedrest for 5+ weeks by now. I am having a ton of contractions, and have stopped to time them three times, but I have not started to dialate and haven't had to go to the hospital. Another great note is that for the first time the baby is measuring big, 2+ weeks big!

So, we will count our blessings, hold out breath for four more weeks, four more progesterone injections and then enjoy the rest of the time the baby spends inside me.

No Pictures!!!

The boys were painting ceramic bugs as a craft this afternoon and I walked out of the room to chat on the phone for a minute. When I re-entered the kitchen, Luke was standing on the kitchen table, in all his naked glory with his special "parts" painted green!

Why Not?

"Sniff..Sniff..Sob"

So, I think someone got this whole school thing wrong. I feed them at all hours of the night, change a million diapers, teach them to feed themselves and potty-train and then just when they are self-sufficient, pleasant helpers, who are joys to be with, someone else gets them all day. Who's idea was this??????????? This handsome little man started Kindergarten today and yes I cried. (Actually I sobbed in the shower, but he didn't see that.) Despite my separation anxiety, Ben did great and kept telling me "Bye, Mom, Bye, Mom". True to Benjamin style, only the carrots came back in the lunch box, and he proudly wore the green bracelet for great behavior. He can't wait to go back tomorrow!

His buddy Spence made the transition smooth, as well as his fabulous teacher and aide. I really am so excited for him. We love the school and Benjamin is more than ready.

Jefferson also started Pre-K and I could just about eat him up this morning he looked so cute. He was so anxious to be like Ben and truck off to school. They are right down the hall from each other and he had a blast as well. He told me his favorite thing was recess! I can't believe he is so big.

I think the highlight of going to school for Jeff was these new shoes. He wears them all the time. I think he loves that there weren't Ben's or Noah's first. He loved having Avery in his class, although I think the whole Boy/Girl difference even takes precedence over playing with your cousin.

Lukey also had a great day and will thoroughly enjoy the next few months having "Wukey time" until the baby comes. We went to the library and to get a donut while the boys were gone. He loved every minute.

Now maybe I'll have time to post all our summer fun.