One month already!

They say time flies when you are having fun. Berlyn has been a lot of fun. She takes up a lot of my time, and the boys have noticed that I am a lot more occupied these days. But they love Berlyn anyway. I think she is the most hugged, kissed, and loved baby of all time! She is a good baby - meaning she is a good sleeper, pooper and eater! She had her days and nights mixed up for the first couple of weeks, but seems to be doing better now. She is awake more and more and we get to see a lot of her pretty blue eyes. I'm hoping they stay blue, but wonder if it is asking to much to have 3 children with beautiful blue eyes. She already has her first cold, poor girl. But I am sure with a brother in preschool and a doctor for a dad there are many more colds to come this winter. We are just praying she won't get RSV. I just had her weighed and measured  - she is 9 lbs 11 oz (almost 10 pounds!!!) and is 21.5 inches long. I still can't believe how blessed I am with my little family. I love my kiddos so much and am constantly amazed at what they say and do. I have such a wonderful and supportive husband - I'd say he puts up with all my antics but you all already know it goes the other way around! Just jokes! :) But seriously he really is wonderful and I am grateful everyday that I got to be the one to marry him. My life really is blessed and even though it has officially been a month since I slept for more than 3 hours in a row, I am truly grateful that this little girl has come to be a part of our lives.

 
 
 
 

Preschool Time Again

Moses is in preschool for another year; this time in Claresholm's Learn-a-lot-Playschool. He secretly loves it. I say secretly because to me and Scott all he does is complain about how he doesn't have any friends, and how he doesn't like his crafts, and how he doesn't think he should go. But when it is time to head out the door in the morning, you just mention not going and he has his shoes and coat on faster than fast! Also, when I get there to pick him up I see him playing and interacting with his teachers and friends and he always has the biggest smile on his face! And he is always in such a good mood on preschool days! I'm learning it's just Moses' personality to be a little bit dramatic, and pretending to not like school seems to be a good way to be dramatic!

Moses on the first day of school - he thought it would be funny if he didn't stop moving while I was taking a picture and refused to move while I did a video. As a result neither of them turned out really well. I guess it will be a funny story to tell when he gets older!

All the parks in claresholm

All the parks in Claresholm!!! That was Moses' idea when I asked him what he wanted to do when he was bored. He got the idea from the Friend when it had ideas for summer fun. I just couldn't say no to a childhood dream!

Before we started we set some ground rules. First rule was only 5 minutes at each park, this was down from Moses' original ten and a half request. Second was we would not go to any school parks that were fenced in. This was because Moses' preschool was fenced in and you can't get in, but this rule saved us from at least three parks that we drove by!

Well it just so happened that it was a terrible day for it, cold and rainy, but we still had great fun. I set the alarm on my phone and when it went off we ran back to the truck. Of course I didn't know where all the parks in Claresholm were so we just drove around looking out the window. Their butts were soaked after the first slide but it was great fun. We ended up finding five parks in town.

Afterwards the boys helped me run a few errands and then we stopped at subway for lunch. It was one of those things that I would usually just say no too thinking it was an absurd request, but I'm really glad I didn't!

Who do I look most like?

Does She look more like Moses (on the left) or Kael (on the right)?

Two big Brothers

Moses and Kael have been so great with Berlyn. They truly are the best big brothers and I am so proud of them.

 I came downstairs and found Moses reading to Berlyn just like this. I think they are going to get along great!

They Grow So Fast! It's hard to believe these boys were ever that small!

The edible bouquet was a gift from their cousins.The boys loved it! Cookie Monster has been a favorite with them recently.  Their other cousins gave them smiley face balloons and gummy worms at the hospital, but those didn't last long enough to make it home.

And she's here!!!!!!

Well after a horrific 45 minutes of labor, baby Berlyn finally arrived! By 45 minutes of labor, I mean 45 minutes from when it hurt (GET ME AN EPIDURAL NOW!!!) to Berlyn being born. We arrived at the hospital around 7:30 am. The doctor inserted some gel to try and get my uterus to contract and my cervix to dilate. It started working right away, but then stopped a couple hours later. So around 11am the doctor broke my water. More little contractions, but they didn't really build until after 1pm. By 1:30 I asked to be checked so I could get an epidural. I was only dilated to a 3.5 and only 80% effaced (that's labor talk for you still have a LONG way to go!) They agreed to give me an epidural, but the anesthesiologist was in surgery for another 45 minutes! It turned out that it wouldn't have made a difference if I could have gotten an epidural right away anyway - because I was fully dilated and ready to push by 2:10. I have to admit I totally lost it with this labor. I embarrassed myself by yelling rude things and even a couple profanities. I had at least one panic attack and almost passed out a few times because I wasn't breathing the way they tell you to in those Lamaze classes. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective and Berlyn was born by 2:27 weighing 7 lbs 4 oz and measuring 20 inches long.

She has been with us for just barely over a week, but it feels like she has always been here. I already can't imagine life without her. The boys love her - sometimes too much. I don't think I will ever be able to leave them alone. My days of showering are officially over!

Last Day Pregnant

I knew I was getting induced the next morning, so of course I knew this was the last day I would spend pregnant with Berlyn.What better way to document it than with pictures of my BIG belly!

 That's right ladies - I have three kids NO STRETCH MARKS! Wish I could share the secret, but I have no idea how that happened. I'm just glad it did!

The Nursery

I've always wanted a coordinating nursery - so this time I did it. Starting with nothing but an old brown dresser and an idea for a quilt, I made a few matching pieces and it turned out really nice. I love the babies room. Which is good because I plan on spending hours and hours in it nursing this little girl!

I got this idea for a quilt. The original was over $200 and didn't have any pink. I bought the fabric for less than $100 and made it exactly the way I wanted. I had never made a quilt before, so I owe a really big thank you to Scott's Mom and Aunt Pat. I couldn't have done it without them.
The dresser was an old hand-me-down from Scott's parents. It was really ugly dark brown with outdated detailing. Four coats of paint and some hardware changes latter, and it matches the quilt AND the crib! I love how it turned out!

What we've been up to this summer

Wow! We have had a busy summer. Here is a little catch-up on what we have been doing since our Dino camping trip last June.

First, Scott graduated from his medical residency. He is finally officially and completely done with school! He recieved word that he passed his final licensing exam and is allowed his very own prescription pad. So now you all know where to go to get the good drugs (that's a joke by the way - he doesn't give out drugs to just anyone). As a side note - he finally let me get rid of his med school binders. I know it was hard as they represented years and years of hard work. Way to go babe - I know first hand that you have earned the title "Dr".

Secondly, Scott turned 30! Happy birthday old man! He for sure finished school before he turned 30 (even if it was by less than a week). He just wanted to make sure he could say that he was done with his education before he got really old!

I made him the yummiest carrot cake cheesecake - just like the kind we had in New York City. We even bought the restaurant's own cookbook so I could make sure it was the same. It took me 3 days to bake it! No joke - 3 days. You have to make each layer separately and let it cool in between before stacking it together into a delicious tower of a cake! It turned out great and now I am afraid I might have to make that same cake every year!

After the birthday celebrations we went on another camping trip to Idaho where we met my family for some fun times in Coeur D'Alene. We went hiking, played at the lake, and had some good times around the campfire. Check out the pictures by clicking here. Or click here to watch the slide-show!

After Coeur D'Alene it was time for us to move. Scott started work in the Claresholm hospital and clinic on July 5th, and we moved out to join him July 10th. We love our new house (even if it is a little weird to be renting again) and the community seems great. There are a lot of really old people in the little town of Claresholm, population aprox. 3500. It is a common occurrence to see people driving their mobility scooters or walking through downtown with their walkers. But there are some young people too, and I think we will make lots of good friends here.

As soon as we were settled, it was time for pioneer day celebrations with Scott's family in Glenwood. They have so many traditions for the 24th weekend there. It is the same every year - and it is always fun! The festivities start with softball games Friday night. Families put in teams for a just for fun/bragging rights tournament. Then there is a family dance. This year there was a live band. And Moses made a little friend. They spent almost the entire night dancing together! SO CUTE!

Glow sticks are a MUST at the dance!

I think my personal favorite are the fireworks. I have never seen fireworks as good as the ones in little Glenwood, Alberta. Not even at Thanksgiving Point in Utah - which are supposed to be really good. I think part of it is that you get to be so close - probably too close for safety! It makes them so much cooler when they are going off literally right over your head! I tried to take some pictures of them this year to prove how spectacular they really are, but they didn't turn out as good as I hoped. I need more practice - maybe next year.

 

The next morning starts off early with a pancake breakfast in the park, followed by a good-old-fashion parade where the kids always get lots of candy. Then there is the picnic in the park for lunch. After lunch they have races for every age. That afternoon they finish the ball tournament. By the end of the day, everyone is so exhausted but it was all so much fun that we can't wait to do it again next year!

 

Along with moving, celebrating, graduating, and being 8 months pregnant....we decided to renovate our old house so we could rent it out. This included painting, redoing some fixtures, and replacing the linoleum. It was a lot of work, and long hours....and we will never do it again. :) We would travel from Claresholm to Lethbridge (about an hour drive each way) a couple times a week to work on the house. We got Scott's sister to watch the boys for the painting, but most of the time they came with us. They were good sports, and even a little bit of help!

The last thing we did before the end of summer and the arrival of Berlyn is a trip to Tie Lake with Scott's family. We spent an entire week relaxing by the shore and enjoying the water. I love time at the lake and I know Scott and the boys loved it too!

Proof that I did enter the water at least once! I was worried I wouldn't float so well - being 36 weeks pregnant and all - so I took 2 noodles!

I just think this kid is so cute!

Both boys took a solo spin on the knee board! At age 4 and 2!

I had a feeling this would turn out badly... And it did. But then he did it again two seconds later!