Our baby girl...Ainsley

Sugar and spice and everything nice....Pink and bows and everything girly!

I am so excited that all of this has begun.When Mat found out we were having a girl I think he was nervous and his first question was, how am I going to be a Dad to a little girl, I don't know how! I reassured him that it would all come naturally and that she is going to have him wrapped around her little finger. His second question was, are you going to always dress her in pink and have her be super girly....uh, yes! Of course I am!

So fun getting the nursery ready for a girl. It was a lot more work, we had to start over with new furniture and everything because what we had left over from the boys was all hand me downs which we handed down to other family members. It didn't break my heart. It was fun to get to buy new stuff. Her nursery is pink and brown and I think Mat secretly likes all the pink!

I am beyond in love with this amazing little girl already!! It's crazy to have a baby inside of you one moment then holding it in your arms the next. It's fun to see her face for the first time and fall in love with her in that second.

Our birthing story is crazy and I need to condense it...but in a nutshell it was amazing and excrutiatingly painful at the same time. I went natural. That should say it all. Luckily it was a pretty fast labor. My dr. stripped my membranes at my appointment in the afternoon at about 3:30 and that night around six I started having regular painful contractions. Mat's cute mom came to our house to pick up the boys while we headed off to the hospital.

We were admitted at 9:30 p.m.... my contractions got stronger right away and I progressed super fast. She was born at 11:53 that night.

We had hired a doula (labor coach) that was assisting us in our natural birth. Let me just say that she was AMAZING at her job and made the biggest difference with me handling my pain and being able to get through the labor and delivery.

From my perspective I did a lot of screaming and crying and yelling and swearing. Mat and our doula did a lot of massaging and touching and calming. I labored in the tub and on the birthing ball until about the last 20 minutes when I had to get on the bed to push.

We had an awesome team. Our nurse was super cute, we loved our doctor who did a great job, and our doula made all the difference. The whole time I was in labor the thought kept running through my head, why does anyone do this to themselves? That, and the question can someone actually die from so much pain? I guess not... I didn't anyway. I survived, but just barely. I don't know if I could do it again....but if the time comes, I probably would. Recovery after birth is so much better and in the long run I'm glad I did it natural, and felt so great afterwards.

I wasn't sure how welcoming the big brothers would actually be once we brought the baby home and they realized that she was here to stay, but they are so cute and concerned and in love with her. I think having a baby girl is just what this family needed.

So fun to have a baby around again, so tiring, our house is a disaster and it's hard to find time to shower, but I love it all.

I love our cute little family and am so happy.

birthdays and reunions

We had a family reunion last week that was all Norwegian themed (Mat's grandpa is from Norway). We usually have it in a place called Hannah, but it didn't work out to go there this year, so it was all done in Mat's parents backyard. All the food for the weekend was Norwegian themed, and on this day for family pics everyone dressed for the part.

Here are Mat's grandparents along with 4 of their kids.
Nana and Poppy and all of the Great-Grandkids!
This was all in Mat's parents backyard...they did a great job of making it look super festive, even putting up a maypole and it looked awesome with everyone in their scandanavian garb for the family picture!
Don't judge, I am 9 months pregnant in this picture! Super scary still, I really shouldn't go out of the house in this condition
Thatcher turned 6 last week and he is obsessed with Toy Story. We were still at the family reunion for his birthday so we kind of did everything with the entire family around. I think he loves it...tons of people around to celebrate with him and he gets fireworks...I think he feels pretty lucky!

He got a Woody doll which he has been wanting for a long time, along with some other Toy Story fun stuff.
We made him Alien cupcakes from Toy Story. We thought they were easier and just as cute as making a huge cake, and these were perfect to share with everyone. They turned out awesome!
Thatcher just graduated from K and will be starting first grade in two weeks...I am so hating year round! He gets a total break for the summer of 3 weeks, which I think is so unfair. But on the other hand he needs something to keep him busy. He left K reading at a level N...I guess most K read at a level C....so he was bored and will hopefully be able to be a little more challenged in first grade.

He is so funny about his wardrobe lately. He has to have everything matching and cannot leave the house without changing at least 3 times...I don't know where he gets this from! I guess it's good that he likes to look presentable, but really? He seems way too concerned about it for a 6 year old. Maybe it's just a phase and in a few months all he'll care about is getting dirty and having fun no matter what he is wearing!

Happy 6th birthday little man!
Luke turned 3 last month and he wanted a dragon cake...super fun and easy to make! We went to dinner with the whole fam and then back to Gramme's house to have cake and open presents.
Luke is still as mischievious as ever, but he is so fun to have around. He loves to sing and will go around the house singing to himself all day. He still has his cute little voice, it will be so sad when he grows out of it...I could just listen to him talk all day.

Kids are so funny, he LOVES Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and wants to watch it all day every day....literally! It will get over and he just wants to start it again. He knows all he songs and characters and can't seem to get enough of it. Even though the 2's and 3's are the hardest years, I think they are my favorite! Toddlers are amazing
Happy 3rd Birthday Lukey, we love you!

Luke's funny video

We are officially on the potty train express...and while Luke is not loving it ( nor am I) it has it's moments. Luke had been sitting on the toilet for a while when Mat heard him talking and caught some of it on his phone. He is reading the Friend magazing and if you can't hear the video well enough, he is saying "talk to me Jesus" over and over. It was soooo funny and cute!

The waiting game

Waiting....I'm impatient and hate waiting and want to know everything right this second! Seems like we are waiting on everything right now....waiting on life, to see what happens. Mat has applied to BYU for the MBA program, and we are waiting to see if he gets in. It's been a long process and we still don't know. So that means we have to wait to move. Wait to find out where we can move, and where our life will continue in the next year.

In the mean time I am pregnant and just waiting....waiting to meet this amazing baby that has been kicking me! Waiting to decorate a nursery because I don't know where we will be when the baby is born...even waiting to buy ONE thing that is girly!

Waiting to be thin again and be able to work out, waiting to register Thatcher for school, waiting to plan our Disneyland trip...

I am at a standstill for at least another month and in the mean time will just have to WAIT!

I have been thinking that blogging, as little as I do it, can be something I can keep like a journal to at least remember some of the things that go on in our lives. I think most people will not care about what I have to write so just keep in mind this is what it will be! I just want to state for the record how amazing my husband is. He made my 32nd birthday amazing and I need to jot it down before I forget.

My 32nd birthday...not expecting anything whatsoever because once you get to a certain age, they seem to just be less exciting. Mat made it awesome and I love him. I had to work half the day, which actually ended up being part of the fun. The girls at work decorated my desk with balloons and streamers and bought me a cake and had the whole office sign a card...no easy feat! I had two dozen roses delivered to work from "my boys" that were absolutely beautiful. When I got out to the car, there were more balloons and birthday cards and a cd that said "put me in and push play". On the cd was a variety of birthday songs and then Thatcher's voice came on saying

"hi mom, it's Thatcher. Happy Birthday and I love you. Your boys would like to take you to lunch at one of the following places..."

Then luke's voice came on and said "hey mom, it's your crazy son Luke, I love you and hope you have a great birthday.

Seriously, it might not sound like much, but it totally made me cry, it was so sweet! So I met my boys for lunch for a birthday celebration at five guys. Then that night my mom watched the boys while Mat and I went to cheesecake factory with some of our favorite people! So fun and I was lucky enough to get an awesome rendition of Happy birthday from our friends loud enough for the surrounding patrons to stand up in their seats to get a glimpse.

It was a perfect day. I love my family and my cute friends. I couldn't have asked for anything more!

Easter festivities

Easter is always such a fun time for hanging out with family. This year Mat and I had brunch at our house on Easter morning with some family that were still in town. It was fun hosting and we had a good time with some awesome food.
My mom does her big Easter celebration at her house the week after Easter so that all of the kids can be there since so many go out of town the weekend before. She always goes all out and it ends up being so much fun for everyone. All the grandkids got cute Easter baskets with bubbles and flip flops and candy which they were all so excited about! Then we have a BBQ and lots of yummy food in the backyard after which the grandkids get to go on an Easter egg hunt.

Trying to get all five of the grandkids to pose for a picture...

Cute Easter baskets Gramme made for the kids

Luke thought this table was a great place to hang out and observe the fun

We started off the weekend making cake balls that my sister-in-law Brittany found online. They were super messy but so fun to make! They turned out really cute...animals in a fun little basket of cake ball Easter fun.

My mom put together 6 games from minute to win it and we all had so much fun competing! She had a little score board and each married couple was a team competing against all the other couple teams...We ended up coming in second over all...the one that hurt us the most was the string behind the ears pulling up the candy, I was in charge of that one and could not get the candy to stop falling off before it reached my mouth! We all had a blast with the games, we've already scheduled another game day for next month.
Here are a few shots that Thatcher was able to capture amidst the fun and excitement! Thanks mom for putting together such fun Easter activites!

On a side note.... We are pregnant with a baby GIRL due in July!! We are super excited and that time cannot come soon enough! I got really behind on blogging for a few months because of the extreme sickness in the beginning, but I hope to at least get a good blog in once a month from now on...we'll see how that goes!

last few months

Last weekend over conference we made Halloween cookies. It's been a tradition that started with last year and I think will continue. For some reason this is the only picture I took with Thatcher in his little helper apron, but didn't get any after pics. FYI, they were delicious
We went to the fair last month and saw some incredible sights. We didn't ride any rides aside from the giant slide because we would have had to take out a loan to do so. We instead relied on the entertainment that people watching provided us, and there was plenty of variety! We did however splurge on a deep fried snickers bar. Who can live the fair experience to the fullest without one? It was our first time, and our last. I have to say it was quite disappointing. But at least now we know, we no longer have to live in constant wonder.
The little farmers experience for the kids is the best part of the fair, and the cheapest.I think maybe Mat should change occupations and we could become farmers. The boys are hard workers now, I can only assume would be better and stronger with years to come. Could be a lucrative business....especially since we are destined to have all boys.The boys enjoying the fruits of their labor. It was hard work milking that cow, and even harder to make it sanitary and flavor it in time to enjoy before the fair closed for the nightI am in hardly any of these pictures because I happen to always be the one taking them, but I think it works out to everyone's advantage. The boys are much more photogenic and fun to look at

The night ended with a free concert starring Bucky Covington!! You can imagine our excitement, we couldn't believe our luck! Oh wait, who is Bucky Covington? We stayed in our seats for about 20 minutes during the opening acts then left....we left the rest to our imagination

The next few pics are just little tidbits of what we've been up to over the last few months. You'd think it would be easier to blog a little bit every now and then than it is to sum up one big blog....and it probably is. But it all comes down to the fact that I suck at blogging and I think it takes too much time. So updates are not very often, but every once and a while there are some amazing pictures posted of our very fun and eventful lives.....
Fall is the best time to get out the bike trailer. Even though I learned that Thatcher is probably too big for this now, I get an enormous workout and only hear their fighting from a short distance and muffled in the breeze
Thatcher stared soccer again and become slightly more aware how the game is played...that there is a ball involved.... a little more even so, that the object is to kick that ballMat coached a couple of the games and was the one in charge during team pictures. He makes a cute coach, I think!

Real Salt Lake game - company party for my office so it was free, plus and additional $40 in concessions. Before going I thought, wow, $40, we'll never spend that for just the four of us.... one tub of popcorn, two drinks, and some ice cream later, problem solved
Mat helped his mom make these cute treats for our nephews 1st birthday. His mom made the little cupcake hamburgers and Mat made the cookie french fries. I had to post this picture because I thought it turned out so cute...Mat sent me a phone pic of the fries after he was done with them and I thought they were real, forgetting he was making cookies. So fun
In September we had one last outdoor movie in my aunt and uncle's backyard. We were all snuggled up with our blankets and chairs watching Earth. Thatcher however, needed a seat right up front. He does seem to be nice and relaxed....
Mat and I went on a fun date to Trolley Square and saw Marcus perform. His stand up is so funny, my stomach hurt from laughing. He remembered me from high school even though I don't think we ever spoke, but we had to get a picture. We need more date nights I think!

BEAR LAKE

We spent a week in Bear Lake last month.... my favorite week of the summer! Here is a picture of the cabin we stay in, it's right on the lake so it's perfect for playing in the water all day every day.

There is a fun game room that has pool, ping pong, and air hockey.... there is also a slide going from the upstairs to the game room, the boys were always entertained

We decided to do something different one day and went on a tour of this amazing cave close by

There were 888 steps total, some were super steep, but even Luke managed ok. At the end they turned off the little lights and we experienced "total darkness" it was really cool

We were so lucky to have a boat for two of the days thanks to my brother in laws parents

Thatchers first time on a tube and he wasn't loving it

The last night we went to a demolition derby and seriously had a blast, Thatcher was screaming the whole time and couldn't get enough

We were right in the front, so we got sprayed with dirt every time a car came close

Kyle's wife Whitney decided to participate in "musical buckets" during one of the intermissions and totally beat out all of the guys and won $50, you rock Whit!