Welcome Baby Elizabeth

WELCOME ELIZABETH!

Born August 4, 2014 

Weight: 9lbs 4oz

Length: 21 inches

I guess you could say that life sometimes happens.  Since I last checked in our family went to Disneyland for Halloween in 2013, I got pregnant, my sister and her family moved to Washington, my brother and his wife moved back to town, and I gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl.

Last October we were lucky enough to take our kids to Disneyland right before Halloween.  It was an incredible trip.  Both my parents and Ryan's parents were able to be there with us, as well as my sister and her family and my brother and his wife.  We were in the park all day until our feet ached.  Gabe loved Splash Mountain so much that we rode it six times, including a couple times while dressed in our Halloween costumes.  Sera loved Autopia because she wanted to drive a car.  I rode with her and we both agreed that driving is not her best skill just yet but we laughed the entire ride.  

It was such a magical trip to take with the kids.  Gabe is the perfect age where everything was real and amazing.  He was so good about waiting in line and wanted to ride everything.  He was not afraid to try any ride with the exception of the Tower of Terror.  He went on it but was afraid that he was going to disappear like the people in the movie did.

In December Ryan and I found out that I was pregnant.  We were lucky enough to be able to tell both of our families at the same time during our Christmas Eve family party.  I was scared to be pregnant again but could not wait to find out what gender our baby was going to be.  I know that I kept telling everyone I wanted to have a boy but that was probably because I was terrified to have a girl.  You see, Gabe got here and so far, I have been able to raise him fairly well.  Who knew if I would be able to do that same for a baby girl?!?!

But low and behold we got the news a few months later and...

In between the time we found out that we had a baby girl on the way and the time that she got here, my sister and her husband decided to move to Port Angeles, Washington with their son Noah.  I was sad when I heard that their family was moving out of state.  My sister has been one of my best friends and I couldn't believe that she was moving away.  I get to talk to her often on Skype and we text.  She is happy and her family is where they are supposed to be.  I still hate that she is gone but am happy for her new adventure.

The blow of Becca moving was made easier by my brother Byron and his wife Holly moving back to Salt Lake City.  They had both graduated from Utah State and moved back to the big city.  Byron is going to school and Holly is working hard.  It has been fun to get to hang out with the more.  I love my brother's sense of humor and we always have a good time together.  

After a fun summer it was time...

On August 4, 2014, I arrived at St Mark's Hospital for my planned C-Section.  I was a little nervous but  honestly, it was not bad.  I had Ryan by my side and after having Gabe via C-Section, I was ready for what was about to happen.

So at 8:12 am, we welcomed Elizabeth Diane into the world.  She was born at 39 weeks and weighed 9 pounds 4 ounces and was 21 inches long.  I was instantly in love!  She had a tiny little layer of dark hair and big round cheeks.  

But my state of peace and bliss was going to quickly change.  At about Midnight on August 5, the nurse came into my hospital room and informed Ryan and I that Elizabeth was struggling with her breathing and she was losing weight a little faster than they were comfortable with.  It didn't take long before she was having chest x-rays and blood work done.  And by 6:30 a.m. she was being sent to the NICU.  I was heart broken and terrified!

Elizabeth spent almost 36 hours in the NICU due to fluid she inhaled while in the womb.  She was on oxygen and IV fluids.  It was one of hardest and scariest 36 hours of my life.  I know that it could have been much worse looking back at it.  But having to go and visit my newborn baby girl in the NICU, having to talk to the doctor about her condition, discussing the possibility of having to leave her there if I was discharged before she was better-it was all horrible.

Luckily she recovered quickly and was able to come home with me.  Since being home, she has been doing great.  She is now even starting to smile at us which melts my heart.  Gabe is proving to be a great big brother.  He loves to feed her and give her kisses.  He is even great about taking dirty diapers to the trash.  Sera is being just as awesome as always.  She loves to hold Libby and give her lots of snuggles.

I know that I have been absent for a long time.  I am hoping that this is the start of my blogging.  But with 3 kids now, 4 if you count Ryan, I am bound to be pretty busy.  I appreciate everyone encouraging me to get back into blogging.  Much love to you all!

Life Goes On

I took a break from blogging as most of you know.  I am not sure why I did it.  I think we all need to just step back sometimes.  I found that blogging was becoming less enjoyable and felt more like a chore than something I wanted to be doing.  

At the end of May, I lost my Grandpa Jim.  He loved his grandkids very much and even more, loved his great-grandkids fiercely.  He always had a smile and a piece of candy for Sera and Gabe.  I will always have fond memories of him as my Grandpa, but even more special are the memories I have of how much he loved my children.  I did not feel that I could not post something about his passing.  

 The love of my life, Ryan with a lady who is very special to me and I hold very close to my heart, my sweet Grandma Diane.  She is one incredible woman.

 And despite the sadness that come with a loss like this, there is so much life to celebrate.  Particularly in the arrival of my handsome and wonderful nephew, Noah "Hank" Larsen.  Here he is meeting is cousin Sera for the first time.  She is such a tender and loving little girl when it comes to babies and little ones.  

I know I have said this many times before but, I hope that I will get back into blogging on a regular basis.  There are so many wonderful things in my life and I want to record them for my kids.  One day my memories will fade as will so many of the stories.  This blog is my way of making sure that my kids can look back one day and remember all the happiness that has always been a part of their lives.  

Talk to you soon Internet.  Much love to you all!

Something Is Missing

Gabe got on his Dad's big boots and was ready for the cold weather.  Well, except for the whole no pants issue.  Much love to you all!

Rocking and Rolling

This past weekend we took the kiddos bowling which they have both been asking to do for a couple weeks.  I don't know what it is with my kids and bowling but they LOVE it.  Oh wait!  It is because I suck at bowling.  That must be the reason.

 Family Photo!

 This was supposed to be silly faces and most of us seemed to get that concept.  Gabe tried but got distracted by something. 

I love spending time with these 3 people even if we spend it doing something that I really suck at.  

Much love to you all!

Chico Guapo

Just an average Sunday night wearing a luchador mask...ya know, like ya do.

 

Mucho amor para todos ustedes!

Happy 11th Birthday Sera

Sera turned 11-years-old on January 5, 2013.  It is crazy that she is so grown up.  Ryan and I wanted to get her something really special, something that she would really remember.  Christmas was only a couple weeks before and we didn't want to just get her more stuff so we decided to give her an experience.  So for her birthday we got her an animal encounter at the zoo.  She got to go in to the small animal building early in the morning and help the keepers get the food ready, put it out, do some animal counts, and pet some of the animals. 

 

Here is a picture of Ryan and the kids just outside of the small animal building.  The wolves pen is right outside the door and the 2 wolves were really active.  Ryan was really excited about that and I so I got quick picture of him and the kids. 

 Here is Sera petting some creepy snake that I was staying far away from.  She was not scared one bit and answering a lot of the questions the keeper was asking.  She is so smart!

 This is the sloth that lives in the small animal building.  She is a very old sloth and according to Sera, her top fur is a little rough but the deeper fur was really soft.  I have now learned something new about sloth fur.

Mmmm...a nice breakfast delivery for the animals from a very adorable waitress.

 And here we are in the kitchen where the food for the animals is prepared.  Sera was so happy because she got to add in the meal worms.  Oh joy!

 After the animal encounter we headed over the cafe where Ryan and the kids had some hot chocolate and french fries.  I had water and a reduced fat cheese stick.  Sera is showing off her sticker that informs everyone she was a V.I.P.

I really hope that Sera's visit to the zoo is one that she will always remember.  She is getting so big and mature.  She makes Ryan and I so proud.  I hope that she knows just how much her Dad and I love her and want nothing but the very best for her.  Happy Birthday Miss Sera.  We love you very much!  And much love to you all as well.

For Fun

Yes, we had Christmas.  Yes, it was fantastic!  Yes, Gabe is suffering from a Christmas Hangover.  But since I don't have time to go into detail right now...enjoy our silly faces!  It is now almost impossible to get Gabe to take a normal picture. 

Hope everyone had a safe and blessed Christmas.  Much love to you all!

Festive, Fun, and FREEZING!

Tonight we bundled up and braved the 38 degree weather to take Gabe to Hogle Zoo to see Zoo Lights.  At Christmas time, Hogle Zoo goes all out by putting up thousands and thousands of lights.  We have never been before but now that Gabe is REALLY into Christmas this year, we figured we would give it a shot.

 What we didn't know is that Santa was making a special visit to the zoo tonight.  While we waited in line, Gabe wrote up a list of the things he would like for Christmas-the first thing on his list was candy.  We had a little bit of a wait because Santa was extra friendly and took the time to really talk to each kid.  It was very special.

 Gabe was overwhelmed by all the beautiful lights.  We had to keep reminding him to stay with us.  But of course, even with all the extra things to look at we have to stop at his favorite places too.

 I will admit that I kept getting a little distracted myself.  For example, I loved the peacock lights.  I think Ry and I need one for our house next year.

 And this is the bridge that goes between the Rocky Shores exhibit and the Asian Highlands exhibit...this picture does NOT do it justice because I thought it was breathtaking. 

 Even better was that Gabe like the bridge just as much as I did.

 And the night wouldn't have been complete without a ride on the carousel.

 Another shot of the lights that doesn't really convey how gorgeous the zoo looks.

 I think these two figures were Gabe's favorites: a giraffe and an elephant.

So despite the fact that my nose is still trying to defrost, Zoo Lights was a lot of fun.  If you can find the time to get up to the zoo, you should.  Just be sure to dress warm and pregame with some hot cocoa.  

Much love to you all!

Happy December

After we went to the Festival of Trees on Thursday, Gabe could hardly wait to get our Christmas tree set up.   Once we got it finished, Gabe turned off the lights and just sat in front of the tree and looked at it.  I love getting to see Christmas through Gabe's eyes.  I even don't mind having to pay a larger power bill for this month because he won't let us turn the tree off anymore.  Much love to you all!

Extra Spicy!

I think I just discovered what Gabe really wants for Christmas.

Much love to you all!

Festival of Trees 2012

Utah has a tradition called The Festival Trees and Ryan decided that it would be fun to take the kids on Thursday night.  I am not sure if other states have similar festivals but in Utah people decorate and donate Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, quilts, and Christmas crafts.  Then the Festival sells them and all the money raised goes to benefit the Primary Children's Medical Center.  This year the festival had over 700 trees plus all the other stuff I mentioned.  It was really neat just to see all these amazing trees piled into one room.  Below is a picture of the kids standing in front of one of their favorite trees which was inspired by the movie "Despicable Me."

 What the kids were most excited for was the Kids Corner where there were all sorts of activities and crafts.  Sera could hardly wait for her turn on the bubble machine.  She kept popping the bubbles before I could get a picture of her actually in the bubble.

 Luckily, Gabe was a little more unsure of what to do and I was able to get a picture of him inside the bubble.

 The next thing we did was make sand necklaces.  Sera made a really neat rainbow pattern in her bottle.

 Gabe did mostly blue sand with a little yellow and red.   Once the bottles were filled with sand, a long ribbon was tied on it so they could wear them as necklaces.

 This is Sera trying to find the best prize possible at the Giving Tree.

 The one thing Gabe really wanted to do was to climb in this little phone booth and called the elves at the North Pole.  He was so excited that he got to talk to an elf.

 And of course, we had to stop and say hello to Santa.  Sera asked for a Furby and Gabe asked for stickers and candy.  Yes...stickers and candy. 

 And here is a big tree that was set up just outside the big room full of trees.  When Gabe first saw this tree his mouth fell open and he said, "Wow...I can't believe it."  

Even though my feet were sore after walking on concrete floors for 3 hours, it was a fun night.  I wish we could have spent more time looking at all the trees but I am glad that the kids had fun.  I cannot wait until next year!  Much love to you all!

Spicy!

I have had people ask if Gabe still likes Cholula Hot Sauce now that he is a little older...

Yes.  I am not kidding when I tell you that we have to keep the bottle hidden in the fridge so that Gabe cannot find it and drink it all.  Much love to you all!

He's Coming To Town In Style

Today we took the kids over to the Valley Fair Mall because Santa Claus was coming to town and arriving in a helicopter of all things.  Ryan and I thought it would be a fun way to kick off our holiday season with the kids.  It was really cold sitting on the curb waiting for Santa but it was worth it when we heard the sounds of the helicopter approaching.  

Everyone stood up and kids started screaming and clapping.  Gabe was just a little confused about why everyone was so excited.

 But then the Big Guy himself stepped out and he got the biggest grin on his face and yelled, "HI SANTA!"  Sera was laughing and clapping.  I will admit that, for some reason, I got a little choked up watching my kids light up with joy.  I love seeing their little faces so excited.

 Of course we had to go over and say hi!  Both kids ran towards Santa and I was worried that when Gabe got closer he would get nervous and start to cry like he has every other year.

 But instead he gave Santa a big hug.

 After we said hello to Santa, Ryan asked the helicopter pilot if we could take a picture next to the helicopter and he was nice and said yes.  He even asked if the kids wanted to see inside the helicopter where he sits to fly it.  And of course, they both said yes.

 So he opened it up and showed them both all the dials and buttons.  Gabe was fascinated and really wanted to start pushing things.  

 After that Ryan decided it would be a fun treat for the kids to pick out a cupcake at The Sweet Tooth Fairy.

Sera picked out the Double Fudge cupcake and Gabe got the Fairy Fetti cupcake.

 We then hurried home because they really wanted to eat them but I said they couldn't in the car.  It was TORTURE having to wait the 5 minute drive home.

It was such a fun way to start getting ready for Christmas.  I have always loved Christmas but now that I have kids, I love it for a whole new reason.  I love getting to experience Christmas through their eyes.  I love how innocent and amazed they are.  I love seeing them be excited for all wonderful things.
I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and are just as excited for the rest of the holidays as we are!  Much love to you all!