Poppity Pop Pop Pop! Popcorn.

When your family has a movie night, and popcorn needs to be made, how do you make it?

When I was growing up, we walked to the pantry, pulled out a bag of popcorn, stuck it in the microwave, hit the Popcorn button, and watched the bag grow. I could probably teach Jake how to do it.

But thats not how we roll anymore. We buy kernels Costco style, and Nathan stands at the stove and heats up oil or something, throws the kernels in, and then on the side, makes his own garlic butter stuff. I don't know how to do it, obviously. Nate says that I need to learn, but I like that he is the only one who knows how to do it, because then when the kids (mostly Jake) ask for popcorn, daddy has to do it because mommy doesn't know how to :)

I actually really like to watch Nate make the popcorn and watch the kids check out the process. I remember when Will was 2 and Nate would make popcorn with him. Kind of makes my heart warm and tingly.

On a side note, once the popcorn is made, Nate pours out 2 big bowls. One is for him, the other one is for the other 4 of us to share. Just sayin.

Last night Nate made popcorn while we were watching Water for Elephants, and I was super nauseous, so I didn't end up eating my (small) bowl. This morning I came downstairs a few minutes after Nate and the little kids, and I soon found that little popcorn scavengers found the bowl that I didn't eat.

Caught!

Breakfast of champs :)

Cotton candy skies

When people find out that we live in Vegas, we get so many comments and questions, like "I wouldn't want to raise a family in Vegas." "Are you on the strip often?" "How is it living there with all the gambling?".

I'm not going to lie when I say I ABSOLUTELY HATE the billboards our city puts up. Nearly naked girls up everywhere, alcohol and sex references on almost every billboard you drive by. I can ignore that stuff, but you know who can't? My 8 year old. Will has started asking questions about the meanings on these billboards, and I cringe every time. The fact that we have slot machines in our gas stations and grocery stores doesn't really bother me. Its the damn billboards.

BUT, if we can avoid taking any freeway ever, Vegas isn't too bad of a city. We stay on our side of town, so our kids never really go into casinos (some have movie theatres, so sometimes we have to walk through the casino to get to the theatre, which is super rare). We live in an incredibly gorgeous part of town. People complain about the school system, but I can't complain because we have had nothing but positive things to say about Will's schools. The fall and spring weather here is amazing, and there is SO much fun to be had in the summer time!

One of the best things about Las Vegas are the sunsets. Now, its not like this every night, but most nights the sunset is pink and orange, and completely stunning. I was sitting on the couch last week with the kids, and I looked out back, and all I saw was pink. The garage was tinted pink, the patio furniture was tinted pink, the air was pink! The kids and I ran to the front door to check out the sunset, and what we saw was breathtaking! Not gonna lie, I thought that the ozone layer was stripped open and everything was going to be sucked into space. An apocalypse of some kind. But nope. It was just nature at its best.

These pictures just don't do the sky any justice. Even Will and Jake were like "oooooo". When I logged into Facebook later that evening, I saw about 15 different pictures of the sky from different views around the valley. It was pretty neat :)

Daddy's Apple Pie Taster

These are the things I have learned about the people from Seattle: 1) everyone has a garden, no matter what state they end up residing in, 2) they love to make and eat pies, 3) they are extremely environmentally conscience (good job guys!).

We recycle in this house, and we are actually extremely good about it. Las Vegas has made recycling very easy - they give you 2 BIG bins. One is all black, that's where trash goes. The other has a blue lid, and you dump ALL recycables in it. You don't even need to sort through paper/glass/plastic anymore. Easy peasy. {For those of you from LV who are reading this and do not recycle, shame shame shame.}

However, you know my husband is from Seattle because he loves to garden (that sounds kind of girly...hmm... he loves 'yardwork'), and he is the best pie maker EVER! Well, apple pies, but still. The pie literally makes melts in your mouth, it is sooo delish!

He made some apple pies a couple weeks ago, but this time was different - he had a helper :) And his little helper stood there the ENTIRE time daddy worked. It was so dang adorable, I could hardly stand it!

Will isn't a fan of any pie except for pumpkin pie, so the next morning, I got this note on the fridge:

Mommy divided by 3.

It's funny how you love your kids all the same, yet each love is so completely different. (This is where all the parents reading this pretend like they don't know what I'm talking about, but think about this very topic daily.)

When I was pregnant with Jake, I would sometimes cry because I was so worried that I wouldn't love him as much as I loved Will. For 5 1/2 years, Will was the light in my eyes, the beat of my heart. But the second I held Jakey, I laughed a little at myself for thinking such a silly thought. Of course I loved him just as much as I loved Will! They were my children for pete's sake. When I was pregnant with Sophia, I didn't think that I wouldn't love her as much, with Sophia, my fear was that Jake had to share attention (unlike Mr. Will, who held the spotlight for so many years), and now with a baby, he would receive even less attention. I wish I could say that I laughed at myself for that thought, but unfortunately, I was spot on. These 3 little kids had to have my undivided (but actually divided by 3) attention. All. The. Time.

{I sat here to write a post about the differences I see in boys and girls, but I've turned to rambling. Surprise surprise. I may get there.}

Anyways! Sometimes I feel completely torn on the whole 'attention' thing. Will needs help with homework (or as of 2 seconds ago, needs to know how to spell "jiujitsu", not even sure that's correct), Jake just neeeeeds me, and Soph needs a diaper change, a binky, some grapes, me to hold her, or me to just stare at her and not even take a moment to blink. I know I need to help Will with his homework, its a priority in his life, but how can I help him when Jake is running around with a toy gun yelling at everyone to put their hands up, and Sophia is screaming because she ate all the grapes, and unbeknownst to her, we don't have an unlimited supply here. What's crazy is that I think this stuff every day, yet Will's homework always gets done (and he has amazing grades at that), Jake still knows that we love him, and Sophia manages to get ahold of her 15 month old emotions. If any parents of multiple kids have some advice for me, I'd love to hear it!

Attention. That's how I got off topic. I was going to start with I feel like sometimes I pay more attention to Sophia than to my boys. And while I do feel a little guilty admitting that, its true. She isn't as self sufficient as my boys, she likes for me to play with her, whilst the boys have their own things going on in life.

Plus she intrigues me. Now, no doubt I love all my kids the same. All that love vibrates out of the same spot - my heart. BUT, she does things my boys never did. For one, at 15 months old, she listens when I tell her to do something. That started awhile back. She loves to cuddle with blankets and stuffed animals. Today I let her play with this mini hair straightener, and after a few minutes, I noticed she didn't have it, so I went on a hunt to find it (Lord knows, once my boys found it, who knows what they would be straightening once they plugged it in), and guess where I found it? The drawer that I pulled it out of! I couldn't believe that she remembered thats where I got it from! And she PUT IT BACK! When I ask her to pick up her toys, she does. She has been eating with a fork and spoon the last couple of months, she's the cleanest baby eater I've ever seen. She absolutely adores shoes - she'll bring you every pair she has so you can put them on her, and I'm not talking a polka dot shoe and a boot, she brings you a matching pair. And her new thing is, when she eats, she has to have a napking nearby... she loves to wipe her hands and mouth during meals!

Let's not get all like "Sheryl loves her girl more than her boys!". I freakin LOVE my boys! Their rowdiness, and energy puts a smile on my face (when its being used for the good). I love watching them wrestle, get dirty (its even cuter when daddy's around and he has to clean them). I think its cute that Will and Jake dug up a bunch of worms together over the weekend (I stayed inside and watched through the family room window, and it definitely wasn't cute when Will ate one of the worms). They both have charming, yet subtly devilish qualities about them.

What are some differences you notice between your girls and boys (at an early age like this)? Do you favor one gender over another at certain ages? How do you balance the attention of multiple kids? Do you treat your youngest child differently than the older ones? If so, how come?

I've talked about birth order on a previous post before, but I've become genuinely curious on how other parents handle the chaos of multiple kids. Please leave a comment with answers/advice/suggestions, I'd love to hear it all!

xoxo,
Sher

Belly Project: 20 Weeks

20 weeks down, 20 to go!

Back in the backs of time...

I was talking to a friend this morning, and we were chatting about the show Teen Mom (its fine, don't admit it outloud, but I know we all here watch this reality show), and the young moms on that show Break. My. Heart. I can't just watch that show like a normal person, I watch it from a mom's perspective, and being a teen mom myself, I watch it from the perspective of the girl who was in that same situation. There are times during the show where I realize I've stopped breathing altogether. Sounds stupid right? It's just a dumb reality show, most of its probably a set up. But regardless, those girls go through SO much, and I can totally feel their pain..

Let's face the facts here- I had Will when I was barely 18, fresh out of high school, just moved to AZ to live with my aunt because I had no where else to go, trying to figure HOW to figure out what to even do with my life. I had no direction, not even an inkling of who I was, or who I even wanted to be. In retrospect, I was so incredibly lost, had I been an outsider looking in, it would've broken my heart. But the second I held that gigantic boy you see in this picture below {the one with the spiky hair, mischievous eyes, and swoon-worthy smile}, I knew exactly who I wanted to be - first and foremost, I wanted to be the best mom I could be (what, with the teeny, tiny bit of direction I had in that area), and I wanted to be someone Will could be proud of.

I didn't exactly have the best childhood, and no thanks to myself, ended up struggling in the beginnings of adulthood. Will and I fought alot of battles together, emotionally and outwardly. By the time Will turned 2, we had lived in 3 different places, 2 different states. We were living in Vegas, my dad living in Tennesee, my mom in California. I was working full time, trying to be a single mom, trying to be a teen, trying to be myself, and I have to say, the absolute hardest thing I had to deal with ---- Judgement. Judgement from family (so sad), judgement from my friends, my peers, my co-workers. I couldn't understand why all these people in my life spent so much time making comments about my situation when they could have easily stepped in and helped put some positivity into my life. We weren't living an extravagant life, but at the end of the day, I was exactly who I wanted to be - the best mom to Will. And check it out - I was figuring it out by MYSELF :)

When Will was a few months off from turning 2, God gave us one of the greatest gifts - Nathan. He was 20, living in a house with 3 other guys, working part time, partying, going to UNLV. Sauntering through life, being a 'normal' 20 year old. Except that he wasn't. No other 'normal' 20 year old would pick up a girlfriend AND her toddler. But he did. And almost 7 years later, we have a unit here, Team Maier. We are a strong family of 5 (soon to be 6). Even on our worst days, we have a our health, we are happy, we have love.

I had a baby when I was 18. That baby helped shape me in to who I am today, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I don't think its wise for teens, or even young adults to have babies. Most people are never ready for it (I'm BARELY ready for it, and I have 3 kids). Give those teen moms on the dumb MTV show a break. It's not like they woke up one morning and thought "Gee, I'd like to make my life as difficult as possible. Think I'll have a baby in 40 weeks, that ought to do it!".

We should always remember that every person comes with their own story <3

This photo is about 15 months old, but good God there is so much love vibrating out of it, I had to share it :)

The verdict is in!

A few days ago I secretly went to the doctor and got a gender check on Baby Quattro. I was completely anxious to even be there, knowing how close I was to finding out the baby's gender. So it took everything in me to tell the ultrousound tech to not tell me the results. The look she gave me said something like 'pregnancy clearly makes this chick crazy'. After the ultrasound, the tech sealed the results. I walked to my car, put the results in the back seat, got in, and drove straight to my best friend Brittney's work place to have her hang on to the results. The entire time, practically jumping out of my skin. I mean, I had the results to our baby's gender within my reach! And I am so far from a patient person, the thought of waiting 4 days to find out was literally making me CRAZY.

The plan was that Brittney was going to put together a present revealing the baby's gender, and we would open it as a family on Christmas morning. That was the original plan.

I had a photo shoot today, and after the shoot Brit met me to give me the present she put together. Seeing the balloons and gift immediately put me into Crazy Sheryl mode. So I changed the original plan. I called my sister in law Sarah and asked her to meet me at home so that she could video tape us opening the gift from God (and Brittney). I came home, and started gathering the fam together. Nate was trying to take Will to the park to play football, and like an insane person, I made him stay. It was apparent that he was thinking the same thing the ultrasound tech thought of me just a few days earlier.

At any rate, here we are (don't mind Jake and Soph, those poor babies have been really sick with a virus, and Soph has been finding it hard to even keep her little eyes open) before we find out the gender of the new little blessing.                          Please be a girl, please be a girl!

The first part of the gift was to pop the balloons....

The first one I popped had blue confetti blast out of it. Little girls wear Blue right?

The time to open the REAL gift has come. So Nate went to town....





Whaaaaaaaat!!!!

It's a BOY! The ultrasound tech wrote "PEE PEE" and drew an arrow to our little boy's penis. And I'm allowed to say the word "penis" in my blog. There's a plenty of them in my life, so I get the priviledge :)

I feel a little guilty because I had been hoping for a girl. I could hear myself calling her name (that I picked out without Nate's knowledge), and I could see her playing dress up with her big sister Sophia. Even though I had those thoughts, I truly am so excited to have this HEALTHY baby BOY enter our lives (in 162 days according to the Pregnancy app on my phone). Sophia will remain our little princess, and Nate, Will and Jake get another member in their Penis Club. Everyone wins!

Brittney, thank you so much for making this gift such a special one. It means alot to us that you took time out of your life to make sure that found out the gender in such an awesome way. We are so lucky to have you in our lives <3

Thank you God for such a wonderful family, I couldn't have dreamed up a better one. And Happy Birthday Jesus!

Merry Christmas everyone, we hope you have a day filled with love and laughter.

Much love,

Sher & Family







Belly Project: 15 Weeks

I grow people. What's your super power?

I'm not gonna lie- I feel a tad guilty that I didn't do this with my other kids. But I make myself feel better by reminding myself that every one of my kids has gotten something from me that the other hasn't. Like for instance, Will got $5 for lunch this morning, and when Jake asked for lunch money, he only got $1. To be fair, Will really does need money for lunch at school. At any rate, not every child will get the same treatment at every moment.

I'm getting totally off topic (whats new).

Surprisingly I am doing this Baby #4 Belly Project. Of course I didn't do it when I was uber tiny with Will. And I actually did do ONE photo shoot at the end of my pregnancy with Jake. And I tried to keep up on belly pics with Soph, but I just couldn't remember to do the picture! So, why not do this belly project with Baby #4, since I already looked pregnant before I actually got pregnant. Why not showcase how large and in charge this fourth pregnancy is making me :)

There is a time in every pregnancy that is hard for me. That awkward phase from Week 10-20 that just shows chubbiness is hard for me to handle. On the flip side, I will be the first one to talk to you about how beautiful pregnancy really is. A BABY is growing inside of me. And that baby is going to come out just as beautiful as my other 3 kids, and we will take our unconditional love and give that to our new bundle of joy. Its amazing what a woman's body can do.

Anyways, here I am. At this point I'm almost 16 weeks, but this is a 15 week photo. That's important because I grow tremendously. Every day. A lot. So by the next photo in this project, you'll all probably be like "omg, Sheryl is almost due!". But rest assured, my Pregnancy app on my phone tells me I have 171 days left. So cook on Baby Maier!

Love,
Your largely friend

Chores smores

Every couple has their roles in life, and every family is different. That's cool. Nowadays moms work full time, and dads stay home to care for their kids. Women are powerful. Men do the grocery shopping.

Like every family, we have a situation that works for us - Nathan works, he is the breadwinner for this household. I stay home with the kids, and have a growing photography business on the side. Since I stay home, I'm pretty sure that its assumed that I will take on the most chores: cleaning the bathrooms (gag), doing the laundry (my worst enemy), the floors (upstairs and down), picking up rooms (which needs to be done every time a child enters a room). Yes, its true, Nathan is extremely helpful when it comes to cooking meals and helping clean up the kitchen. But let's be honest, the vast majority of chores are written with my name next to it. In stone.

Whenever I go to a friends home (whether they stay home too or not), I feel like their house is always clean. And my house is almost always disheveled. And by "disheveled", I mean TORE UP! Let's not kid ourselves though, when I know someone is coming over, I clean up, and this house looks (somewhat) presentable. And I love love love when people compliment my house. Makes me giggle inside. I wonder if my friends do the same.....

Anyways, the truth is about to be revealed, and I'm sure Nathan will love my pure honesty. Here it is: Taking care of our energetic kids all day tires a prego out. Just to get a meal ready, kids fed, cleaned, and mess picked up, I genuinely feel like I just had a solid 30 minute work out. Seriously. Soo.... this is what the house looks like during the day:

Nate usually calls me on his way home, so I'm able to get my hustle on and pick up the house.

That also makes me giggle inside :)

So there it is friends. I'm a lazy bum who lets her house fall apart while her husband is at work. I mean, I can't be alone in this right?

Tiredly yours,
Sher

Welcome to the Zoo.

For realsies.

I'm even going to make a sign that says 'Welcome to the Zoo'. And I also want a sign that says 'Please excuse the mess, my children are making memories', but that sign is irrelevant.

So I've been listening to alot of people in our lives lately analyze our kids. I'm not sure if its because our kids have huge personalites and are full of passion, if its because they can't handle the life my kids fill a room with, or if its because they are the type of people who don't like puppies. At any rate, no one knows my kids like I do, and a blog post sure as heck isn't going to even shed a little light on their amazingness, but at least it'll give a little explanation for the next time you are around them.

First and foremost, I am a firm believer that birth order makes a difference in personality traits. So let's hit that first (you can go here and here to read the articles I am quoting):

First borns are natural leaders. "They also tend to be reliable, conscientious and perfectionists who don't like surprises. Although, firstborns are typically aggressive, many are also compliant people pleasers. They are model children who have a strong need for approval from anyone in charge."

Middle children "are the most difficult to pin down" and "does not openly share his thoughts or feelings". "They can usually read people well, they are peacemakers who see all sides of a situation, they are independent and inventive."

"While lastborns may be charming, they also have the potential to be manipulative, spoiled or babied to the point of helplessness." "Younger children tend to get along in the world better – a trait known as 'agreeableness'".

Ok, so with that being said, I also think that nurture has a lot to do with how children act and grow. I'll be the first to admit that we aren't perfect, or even in the vicinity of perfect, parents. We don't beat or starve our kids, so they are pretty lucky nonetheless. We let our kids be themselves, and I take pride in that. We don't make them feel bad for being too silly or loud (though there are times and places for that). People say my kids are loud. Guess what? I'M loud. So shocker that my kids would be too right? Nate likes to play fight with the boys, so our boys play fight with other kids. It's just what kids do. They learn from their environment, take that info, and mold it to fit their personality. Accept it, because thats how you became who you are today too!

Will - is silly. Is a people pleaser (which I always say, and what the article above says!). He truly loves to make others smile, at all expenses. He is creative. He loves to draw. Tell stories. Dance. We should all be lucky to have him share his huge imagination and creativity with us. He loves to know that people love him, and even though he is 8 and tries to act so tough, I still find him trying to cuddle with me sometimes.

Jake - is Jake. The kid has more silly faces than any other human. He is definitely our loudest child, most outspoken (yes, at 3). He wants what he wants, and he'll fight for it. He's a leader for sure. He is the furtherest thing from a push over. He loves his family, and for as long as I can remember, puts people in their place if he thinks anyone is talking meanly to another person. He is super smart - I can't wait to see what he grows up to be! He is the most energetic child I have ever seen, and some days I couldn't keep up with him if you paid me.

Sophia - is our tiny little baby girl. She really is so sweet. She carries baby dolls around (which is new for us, and I totally love), and she quietly plays to herself. She loves to dance, and she absolutely LOVES when her big brothers pay attention to her. She is also very sassy. She wants us to know when she is unhappy, and she is figuring out ways to let us know. I'm definitely in no hurry to see what the arrival of her little sibling will do to her attitude!

My kids are the loves of my life. They are my whole life. And I get so beyond frustrated when I hear people say things about my kids; "Your kid is too wild" "He is too loud" "Doesn't that kid calm down". I literally could shake the people who say these things. First of all, my kids are KIDS. They are supposed to be crazy. They are little people who don't quite know that most adults are cranks. They are figuring out the world. They don't know rules like 'don't scream at Target, it annoys people'. Or 'don't run through the racks at Ross, someone might steal you'. These are things they are learning. But do believe me when I say, my kids will learn these things. And while I teach it to them, I will continue to let them be themselves.

And don't judge my parenting, by the way. I have 3 pretty fantastical kids, and I didn't even get a manual on what to do after child comes out of the birth canal. No one suggested a 'Raise human this way for correct results' book. No one said "Hey, take the Right way to Parent class". I say that as long as you love your child, show them kindness, teach them to be a kind and productive member of society, and let them be themselves, you are doing good.

So in good 'ol bragging rights fashion, I leave you with this - my kids are cuter than yours ;)

xoxo,
Sher

Guess what?

Baby butt!


Soooo..... I'mmmm.....!

It's true!

Well, 7 if you count Jack the Dog.

We are beyond thrilled, and feel so blessed that we are adding a new member to our family. Our kids are our lives, they are our pride and joy, and we honestly couldn't be happier! Actually, I suppose I could be a tad happier if I weren't so sick :)

I am just under 9 weeks, and we weren't planning on shouting it out to the world until I was out of my first trimester since I have had miscarriages in the past. However, people talk whether we want them to or not, and I was feeling guilty that people dear to us were finding out, and it wasn't coming from us. I don't want anyone to feel like we weren't sharing this information with them. {If this is sounding super dramatic, its because it is. Listen, my horomones are on overdrive people, cut me some slack!}

At any rate, baby #4 is due on June 4th, so luckily I don't have to pregnant throughout the hot hot summer, yeah baby!

Congrats to Will and Jake to becoming big brothers again, and to our little Phia Phia to becoming a big sister. This baby is the luckiest!

Nate says our kidney bean looks like a boy, what do you think? :)

xoxo,

Sher



Spaghetti dogs

I found the cutest idea on Pinterest the other day, and just HAD to try it! So I gathered up my favorite red head, and we had a little fun! It was one of a few projects where I wasn't a complete control freak ;)

xoxo,
Sher

You spent HOW much at Costco??!?!?!

I recently discovered the awesomeness of Costco.

With our family growing so much, bulk is definitely the way for us to go! Last week I bought a ton of meat and groceries to start stocking up our new home, and I spent less than $180! When I went that day, I wanted to show Nathan what I bought, because I was way excited, buuuuuut, I had to put the stuff away before he got home.

So I decided that today I would show him! You're looking at $193.57 worth of stuff (not including the 2 cases of water and dog bed I also bought)!

Jake's diapers will last him at least a month and a half, and the baby wipes will last at least 3-4 months. The coffee and creamer will last us over a month for sure!

I'm not sure if Nathan will be as excited as I am once he sees the bill, but honestly, I feel like I hit the motherload!

Bookworm babies

When I was a kid (and even as an adult!), I used to lose myself in books... it was my escape from the world. I'd feel completely in touch with the character, like I knew them. I'd create the vision in which the setting took place. I'd lay awake at night and think about how the book impacted me.
I was a complete bookworm. I even looked like a bookworm (you will not be viewing a picture of those days today)!

Well my kids love to read too, and it touches me... Will gets so lost in his books too, and it brings great joy to me. Yesterday I went to look for Jakey, and he was sitting on the couch reading! Or looking at pictures. Same diff.

Luckily for me I always have my camera handy, so I was able to capture some of these special moments. Sophia even brought all her books outside to read! Hee hee

Enjoy some pictures of my bookworm babies.

Much love,
Sher

Introducing...Sophia Rose!

October 2... Mine and Nate's one year wedding anniversary! We had a plan to go to dinner at Texas De Brazil, just the 2 of us. It was going to be a time to reflect on the last year, and spend some one on one time together before little miss Sophia got here...
I was almost 39 weeks pregnant, and we had been scheduled to be induced on Monday (today!). I was already 4 cm dilated, and had been contracting for WEEKS already! I couldn't believe that I was even still pregnant! But by Thursday, I talked to Sophia and I told her that we had a busy weekend ahead of us, and to just stay put until Monday when we would force her out via pitocin. Well well well, look who doesn't listen to her mommy already! -
We had gone out for a Going Away party on Friday night, and while we were sitting at dinner, I was having some really uncomfortable contractions. But I didn't say anything to anyone because I had been contracting regularly for about 2 weeks, and I just figured my body was messing with me again. So we picked up the boys from Carol and Dan, took them home, and put them to bed. I had fallen asleep with Jake, and woke up at 1:30 to go into my own bed. Nathan was awake when I walked in there, and neither one of us could sleep (he must've had a feeling his little Princess was on her way). By 3 am I realized I was having contractions every few minutes, so I got up and walked around, drank some water, tried laying back down. Nothing was getting rid of or slowing down the contractions. So at 3:30 I woke up Nathan to let him know that if I was going to be awake dealing with contractions, so was he. I think he knew I was being serious because I started cleaning the house. Nathan got up and showered, and finished packing our hospital bag. By this time it was only about 4:15, and Nathan was totally dressed and ready to go. He sat down in his recliner, turned on the Ryder Gold Tourny, and told me to let him know when and if I wanted to leave. By 6 am, I knew the contractions weren't going anywhere, so he called his parents to come hang out with the boys.
It wasn't until I sat down in the car that I realized how strong the contractions were, and once I realized that, I asked Nathan to please hurry, being that our hospital is about a 35 minute drive away. But wait! Nathan was hungry. Priority stop - McDonald's. The cashier was practically leaning into the driver's window and asked when I was due. I said "like right now"... I don't think he thought I was serious :)
We got to the hospital at 7:30. She hooked me up to the monitors, confirmed I was contracting hard every few minutes, checked my dilation and confirmed I was at a 5, called the doctor (not MY doctor, because of course he was out of town that weekend), and got the doctor's permission to do what we needed to do to deliver the baby that day. Before we got things rolling, I had to make sure of 1 thing - was the anesthesiologist on site? The answer? Yes. Yes he was.
By 10 am, I had my IV drip, bloodwork done, and my epidural (which I did need by that point!). I was still at 5cm after I got my epidural, so the nurse broke my water to get things rolling. Shortly after, our entourage started filing in.
Around 11, Kay, my nurse, checked me, and I was at 6cm. I hadn't progressed as much as I'd liked, but that was ok. I was being entertained by the boys and our family, so it was taking my mind off of my body. At 12:15, Kay checked me again and I was still at 6cm. I was disappointed, so I decided that I was just going to lay there and relax, which was easy because most everyone had gone downstairs to eat. At 12:40, I was talking to Kay and Carol, and all of a sudden I felt this hard pressure, so I told Kay immediately, and she looked at me and said that I just had a variable (when the baby's heart rate drops as she slides further into the birthing canal), so she checked me and said I was complete - aka= 10 cm! It was BABY TIME!
Nathan, Jocelyn, and Carol stayed by my side as we (I) so easily (and gracefully I might add) pushed little Sophia out. It was with hardly any effort that she flew into the doctor's arms. I hadn't cried yet, but the second I saw her face, and she was a spitting image of Jake, I lost it. She was so beautiful, it took my breath away!
Sophia Rose was born at 1:09 pm, weighed 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches!


Happy Anniversary Nathan!! I got you a baby, what'd you get me??

Sophia is so precious, and more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. As I looked at Nathan, the boys, and Sophia last night, I was completely overwhelmed with love and happiness. I am so blessed, and feel like the luckiest woman in the world (I still feel like that even though I'm sleep deprived, that has to say something)!
Click on this link to view pictures of our beautiful daughter:
http://picasaweb.google.com/WillandJake08/MeetSophiaRose#
Much love,
Sher

Yellowstone/Seattle Roadtrip!

So back in June we went on this amazing roadtrip... but I'm a slacker as we all know, so pic's have not been posted (click on the link below to view our pictures!).

Here's our trip in a nutshell:
We left Vegas and drove up to Yellowstone National Park. We spent a couple nights in the park, hiking, exploring, and most importantly - avoiding bears. When we left Yellowstone, we started heading west to Seattle, but stopped at some caves first. Once we got to Seattle, we had LOTS going on! We spent 98% of our time visiting family (which we LOVE to do!), and did some other fun things too, like... go to a Mariners game, visit the Seattle Science Center, and go to Snowqualmie Falls. After a week and a half, Nathan, Jake and I started heading home while Willy got to continue his trip with Grandma Carol, Grandpa Dan, and Auntie Sarah, and visit Glacier National Park, and Gem Mountain. Will got home JUST IN TIME to celebrate his 7th birthday, yeah!!!
Here is the link to check out our pictures from our roadtrip:

http://picasaweb.google.com/WillandJake08/YellowstoneSeattleRoadtrip#

Me and my lil man at his family bowling party :)

Will relaxing after his super fun pool party!

Congrats to a gorgeous girl!

My little sister Michelle graduated from Coronado High School last night... it was great to be there for the event!

Next time tell me its FREAKING cold!

Nathan bought us a tent trailer. Yes my friends, he did. We used to camp alot when I was pregnant with Jake, but haven't been since. I know Nate and Will love to camp, so I like to appease them and tag along on the trips.

We decided to take the new toy out for Memorial Day weekend. Before I started packing for myself and the boys, I specifically asked Nate "what is the weather going to be like in Utah", and I QUOTE, he said "It will be cold". Well, its practically June, it can't be too cold. So I pack up a couple hoodies for us, and we get on our way.

As we are driving up the mountain, there is a ton of SNOW on the ground. I'm thinking 'no way'. To sum it up, it was 27 degrees that night. Between being frozen and being afraid that Jake was going to suffocate under the 3 blankets I had on us, I could not sleep. We decided the next morning to pack it up and head home. I told Nate on the way home "Next time I ask you what the weather is going to be like, and its under 50 degrees, tell me its going to be FREAKING cold". I think my new rule is: No camping for me unless I'm NOT pregnant, and our kids have to be over the age of 3 :)

Needless to say, when we got back to Vegas, it was HOT HOT HOT! So on Memorial day, we took the boys to a little waterpark and swam in the pool. I can honestly say it was a good holiday weekend!

My work day

So right now I am watching my good friends kids during the days. Kylie is Jake's age, and Katelyn is 7 months. Like in all jobs, we have a our good days, and our bad days (though every day is LOUD!!). I thought I'd post a few pictures of the babes, bc although it can get HECTIC, I love them like they are my own, and will enjoy the next few months we have!