You have to go here

I don't have the CD yet so I can't post the pictures myself. But if you go here you can see some more of our family pictures. The kids are the cutest. Thanks Chelsea

Family Pictures

My amazingly talented sister took our family pictures in California.  I will post more when they get done.  But here is one for now.  Just wanted everyone to know we were still alive.

We are Having a Party!

This Saturday – October 17th @ 6:30 PM in Salt Lake City, UT.

You are all invited.

We are celebrating Chris’ 30th birthday!!

I am Coming to Utah!

We are coming to Utah this weekend and the girls and I will be staying all next week.  I would like to see so many of you that are living there.  If you are interested in meeting up please let me know.

A Little something I have been up to

Before

 

After

We have bought a thin piece of oak to stain and put on top, so it will be a solid black table.  I am loving these chairs.

Playing Catch Up

So I have neglected the blogging for a while now.  I am back and hoping to stay on top of things.  Here is just a quick look at some fun we had the last few months:

Audrey turned 6.

 

 

Birthday dresses thanks to Grandma Margaret

Kate turned 4 – Here she is opening her new “Red Sparkly” shoes.

Wearing her new red sparkly shoes

I am Frustrated..

I was trying to make this












And I ended up with this




















I know a bunch a little first graders are not going to care. But I do. I am really trying to be good at this cake decorating stuff, and it is just not coming.

And now I am left with a kitchen that looks like this:

Thank you

Thank you Chris. Thank you for making the last 7 yrs great. Thank you for asking me to marry you, and for really going through with it. Thank you for sticking out the tough times and always being there for me. Thank you for the three precious children you helped me bring into this world and for being such a wonderful daddy to them. Thank you for calling me during the day just to say hi. Thank you for working so hard to provide for the family and allowing me to stay home and raise them. Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for being able to fix anything and always finding ways to make my life easier. And most important Thank you for letting me take a nap today.

I Love You!!

SOOOO BIG!!

So our boy is getting so big. He is trying really hard to crawl, and I'll bet that by the time Chris gets back from his next trip we'll be needing to baby proof the house again. He's also really enjoying his thumb the last little while.

Food has become one of his favorite things. He's always hungry and not just for a bottle. He really wants human food. But without teeth, it's a little difficult.

He's also loving his bouncer. Enjoy this little video of him having a good old time.

Updates & Excuses

Audrey started 1st grade. We have year round school here, so she is in her 3 week of 1st grade. She will be off next week and has until August 17 or 18th till she goes back. I can't believe how much she has grown up. I miss my pudgy little baby. Man how time flies.

And here is a picture of another of my little babies. He is so sweet. This last week during Sacrament meeting he has found his vocal cords. He now "talks" a lot. And he loves to eat. It seems lately he wants more solid type stuff instead of the runny baby food.
So I haven't posted very frequently lately, and that probably won't change much. I have been in a biggest loser competition and need to make sure I get my exercise in. So if my time only allows for blogging or exercising, exercising will (or should ) win out. Plus Chris has been traveling to Pittsburgh a lot. He will be home this week and leave again next week, so that makes balancing everything more difficult. I am down 20lbs and still have 30 more to go. If anyone has any good diet tips or recipes please send them my way. I would really like to loose as much as I can.

Happy Birthday Sis

I want to wish my little sister a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY. She is awesome and I hope you have a great day Chelsea.

My sister is extremely talented. She is the one who designed my lovely new blog heading, and she has just started a new web page/blog for her photography. She has an amazing eye for detail and I encourage all to check it out here. Plus she is having a giveaway for a free mini photo shoot. Anyone in California would be stupid not to try and win it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I love you

I need to end this affair

Photo courtesy of flickr

I have been having an affair for a long time now. I have a passionate attachment to food. The sweet and decedent kind in particular. I need to end it but don’t know how. I have been loving him for so many years now, I’m not sure I can break up with him. But I have too. He is not fulfilling me. He is and always has left me feeling empty and self conscious. I have given him a lot of good years; have turned to him for good occasions and bad. I have turned to him more than some of my own family, but he has only left me with heaviness. Not heaviness of heart, but of hip and stomach and thigh. Where I have indulged in him and brought him to many events, he has given me nothing but belly fat.

I thought I was over him, but his sugary, doughy, chocolaty ways keep me hanging on. He keeps seducing me with promises that each bite will be so good. And they usually are, it is just I am left holding them (literally) forever.

So it must stop.

It has to stop.

Today I will break up with him!

Wish me luck.

Shh he is sleeping

Picture update

He is getting so big.


All the shoveling I had to do from the snow storm we got in the middle of April.

This is the baby bunny that fell down our basement window well, the Saturday night before Easter. Chris was able to open the window and get him out. We have a bunny family that lives in our backyard, a snake every once in a while and now a bird has made a nest and is resting on three eggs. We have our own little animal preservation back there.
CJ's blessing day. Thank you Aunt Patty for the adorable outfit.


Look how little he was.

P.S. I know that having kids makes me loose brain cells, but I put these pictures in order of how I wanted them and they came out backwards. Then I couldn't get them to move around. What am I doing wrong?

Happy Birthday to Me

Just thought I would send me a little birthday note. Happy Birthday to Me. Here is a little motivational picture of lighter days. Hope to see them again this year!!

Recovery

I know it has been a while since I have written. We have had lots going on. We have been enjoying our little CJ, we had lots of family come out for his blessing and I am now recovering from surgery. On Tuesday I had my gallbladder removed and a cyst on one of my ovaries. I am really sore, but doing well. If anyone wants to see them I have these really cool pictures of all of the gallstones that were in my gallbladder. There were tons.

So I should be back soon with some new pictures. (of the baby)

If you want to see the cutest picture of the cutest baby, go to thebiggies.blogspot.com

Yesterday = No Regrets

I know I haven't posted in a while, and that I need some new pictures of my adorable new baby. They will eventually come.

Yesterday I didn't do very much and it was wonderful. I have been the Relief Society secretary for a little over a year. And if any of you have been that before you know how busy it is. Well Sunday I was released. Audrey was sick for the last two days and that meant I didn't have to take her to school. So without having to check my computer every hour for something "important" to go out to all the sisters and not having to stress to drop off or pick up a kindergartner, I stayed in bed and snuggled with my little boy. He is so snugly by the way.

I kept thinking maybe I should get up and do something (I am having 10 guests come stay at my house this weekend) but each time I just looked at my sleeping baby and decided it could all wait, I didn't want to miss this. And so yesterday I have no regrets. I won't think to my self a year from now when CJ is big and running around "I wish I had just enjoyed him as a baby more". Because yesterday I did.

Has It Already Been a Week

Nana Jann came this last weekend to see her newest grandchild.
She bought matching pajamas for all the girls.
On Sunday Kate held CJ for the first time. She hadn't wanted to until then.


Oh, how I just love new babies, my new babies.

P.S. A little side note, Audrey is wearing a mask in the hospital room because both her and Kate had a really bad cough. We were worried about them coughing all over CJ.

The long awaited pictures

CJ has arrived

CJ was born today at 12:35 pm. He was 20 inches long and 6-14.5 lbs. Mom and baby are doing very well. As soon as I am able I will post some pictures of him online.

The Date Has Been Set

With this bed rest stuff I don't get down to the computer all that much. But we now have a date set to have our baby boy. I will go in this Sunday night and they will start inducing me. My blood pressure is just not cooperating very much and my Dr. feels that at 38 weeks it is time. I am so excited to finally meet baby CJ. For the most part I feel that that is his name. He will be named after his father, Christopher Lyle Hereth. And if he turns out half as wonderful as his father(which I suspect he will be) I will be a very happy mother. Chris is so wonderful, he is an amazing husband, father and friend. I am so grateful he asked if I would be his.

So instead of 20 more days, I have 5. I am so excited - not for the delivery part - but the baby part.

Modified Bedrest

Well the inevitable has happened. Last night I had to go into the hospital, because of cramping and high blood pressure. And was put on bed rest. Everything looks fine with baby and my body responds to rest, so that is the prescription. I can get up to shower, bathroom and eat, but not much else. So if anyone is bored, please call me. In fact when Chris finds out I went down to the basement to get on the computer and write this email, I am going to be in big trouble. Have great weekend, I know I will.

The Bravest Little Girl

Here is our little trooper waiting for all of the pre-op stuff to be done. She was so good waiting for two hours before she went back. She jumped up on the bed and thought everything was so fun. I've never seen a girl so excited about surgery. Of course at the time she didn't know exactly what surgery was.

The last picture is of Kate just after we got up to her room after surgery. She was already drinking juice and everything. She was so amazing. The anesthesiologist said she was the best kid he has seen. She didn't even fuss or fight when he went to put the mask on. And she has eaten and drunk great.

Chris has been super dad as well. He was my rock. He went back with Kate into the operating room. I couldn't handle it. I didn't want to cry in front of Kate. And he was so good to stay the night at the hospital, to make sure that I could sleep at home in a real bed. He was also so smart to buy a book years ago. When he was at BYU they were having a book sale and he saw a book about going to the hospital. Thinking that someone in the family might have to go to the hospital sometime he thought it might be good. We have read that book to Kate the last few weeks and it made her so prepared for everything she was going to experience. That is why she knew not to be afraid of the mask.

We are doing well, EXTREMELY tired but good. I hope her recovery continues to go as good.

As Chris and I sat in the cafeteria last night with the girls, both of us commented on how blest we are. Chris has a great job that he can take time off of, good pay and good insurance. I just felt so overwhelmed with all that we had. And then looking around the Children's Hospital we can't help but feel blest that our children are so healthy. I just kept thinking of our blessings knowing that we don't have anything chronically wrong with our girls. I know trials are there for our good and help us grow and these precious children will be blest for what they go through in this life, but my heart just can't take some of it. I think my heart is too weak or should I say weepy. I had a headache yesterday from trying to hold everything in and not be a weepy mess. I guess I can blame some of it on hormornes, right?

Our little Katie-Kate

Don't you just love her little head to the side pose.
This is my baby girl. (I guess my baby for just 6 more weeks). She is the funniest little girl too. She cracks us up all the time. She is independent, smart, mischievous and extremely lovable. And she will be having surgery on Tuesday.

She needs an adenoid and tonsillectomy. She has a hard time breathing or should I say doesn't breathe at night when she sleeps. So this will hopefully be the cure. I am having a hard time with it. I know it is routine and not that dangerous and I am so grateful she doesn't have anything really wrong with her, but the thought of my little girl being put under and cut is really taking it's toll on me. Doesn't help with all the pregnancy hormones in there as well.

I am trying to get things all cleaned and organized today, so that after Tuesday I can just sit and hold my little one. She should enjoy the unlimited diet of ice cream, Popsicles and pudding.

A little Recap

Well, I am getting chewed out as I type this, for not posting enough. So here I am, trying to think of things to write about.

Here is a little recap of the last little bit.

My mom broke her foot and then four days later broke her arm. This was back in Oct. My sweet sister (the same one to chew me out) moved in with her boys to take care of her and my Grandma. This was a lot of work for her and she did great. I was able to go down there for a weekend in November to try and help and have some fun. I took this picture the minute I walked into my moms house. Being that she was okay we found her predicament quite hilarious.


With that weekend not being long enough to give my sister a good rest from all the duties, I talked my mom and Grandma into coming out here for Christmas. So I didn't post much for lack of a free moment. The trip was great, we had lots of fun and no pictures to show for it. (sorry)

My grandma has Alzheimer and we hoped it won't be too traumatic to bring her to a place that she doesn't know for 10 whole days. But she did better here then she does at home. Heavenly Father must have known this swollen pregnant girl couldn't deal with too much. While she was here I was just the really nice girl, with some cute girls. Hopefully someday she will appreciate our time together.