Dancing Queen

Sydnee turned 7 on April 7th.  She wanted to play Just Dance at her party.  Ben's office has a new club room with a giant big screen TV on the wall and so we got permission to use it for the party.  It was lots of fun!  Sydnee and her friends danced and played and ate pizza and had a great time.  There were lights that would flash along to the music and the girls loved that.  It was the perfect party for our little dancing queen.

Easter Egg Hunt

Our kids had a great time at our ward's annual Easter egg hunt.  Maren especially loved collecting prizes afterward.  She didn't want to share with her sisters.

11 years and still going strong!

General Conference

I love conference weekend. It's really hard to be able to listen with little kids, but I was still able to listen to most of the talks even over the noise and chaos. I felt like there were several talks just for me. I can't wait to read the talks and be able to get more from them. I also loved the music from the choirs. It was a nice weekend. We also love our new conference tradition, crepes for breakfast. Mmmmm, they were spectacular!

Huge

Huge just about says it all. I'm feeling huge these days and I'm down to the last few weeks of pure misery. Last week was pretty hard. I went to bed on Tuesday not feeling well, I had an upset stomach. During the night I started having horrible stomach cramps. I've had a lot of stomach cramps in my life, but these were the worst that I have ever had. I figured that I had the stomach bug that was going around. Ben was sweet and stayed home Wednesday morning to get the kids off to school, but things were not good at work and he couldn't stay home. My mom jumped in and took Maren for the day. I took a Phenergan and quite literally slept all day. The cramps were so bad that all I could do was curl up in a ball and cry. Wednesday was a little better, Ben got the kids off to school and Maren and I hung out watching PBS all day. I was finally able to eat a little and drink some without wanting to die. During the night the cramps came back and all I could do was cry. I remember praying and telling Heavenly Father that I just couldn't take any more. Things settled down a little and I was able to get my kids up and off to school. I called the doctors office and waited to hear back. I then called Ben and shortly after his dad showed up to take Maren for the day. After talking to the nurse at the doctor's office I was ready to scream. I think she thought I just needed to tough it out. I should have asked for Val, my regular nurse. The nurse kept trying to convince me that I either had gas or was maybe going into labor. I don't think so! Finally she said let me talk to one of the other nurses and I'll call you back. She called back about 2 minutes later and said we think you should go to labor and delivery to be checked out. Thanks. I called Ben and jumped in the shower. We showed up around 10 and waited for a little while and then were taken to one of the patient rooms. I was hooked up to all of the monitors and was having regular contractions. Amazingly though, the stomach cramps stopped once I was all checked in. I felt a little silly, but it was a good thing I went in. I was really dehydrated. They put in an IV and gave me fluids and anti nausea medicine. After 5 needle pokes and 5 hours of monitoring I was finally told that everything was okay and I could go home. My blood pressure was high and I was sent home with the jug for the 24 hour urine test. I thought "here we go again" with the preeclampsia and the bed rest. I was able to go home and eat and drink and the cramps stayed away. Ben and I went back to the hospital the next day for some follow up monitoring. Everything looked great, the baby was doing great and my blood pressure was down. No bed rest for me, yet. I am so glad to be feeling better. I really don't like these scary moments. I will admit that I am feeling huge and uncomfortable, but I'm grateful that my baby is healthy. If I can just survive the next two weeks, then I'll get to hold my new little baby. I am so thankful for my family. They are all so good to jump in and help out. Thank you, thank you!

Spring Choir Concert

Addy had her final choir concert last Thursday. She was so excited! Addy loves to sing and she has a beautiful voice. The choir has been practicing really hard since January and they sounded great. I think my favorite song was "what a wonderful world." Addy's favorite was "Never Neverland." It was fun to see her sing her heart out. She was also excited because she got to sing for the school twice and on Friday they went on a field trip and were able to sing at the two local care centers. I am so glad she loves to sing and has been so willing to get up early for practices all year. I know she'll miss it, but it will be something for her to look forward to next year.

The Hunger Games

I loved the Hunger Games book and could hardly wait for the movie. Camille bought our tickets the day they went on sell. Our nephew Parker loved the books as well and also shared our excitement for the movie so we gave him tickets for his birthday. Camille made sure that his tickets were in a different part of the theater so we wouldn't embarrass him. Camille and I thought it would be fun to dress up as one of the characters but decided that wasn't going to work, so we painted our nails instead. We really wanted flames on our nails like in the book, but we settled for the capitol colors riveting and electrify made by China glaze. Yes, I bought the official nail polish. We had a great time and enjoyed the movie. I'm not sure I loved the movie, I'm going to have to watch it again to make sure, but it was fun to watch with Camille and Leanne. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Happy birthday to Ben!

Maren modeling Ben's new shoes

On the 21st of March Ben turned 36! He took the day off of work and we were able to spend the day together. We had lunch out and then celebrated with the kids by having grilled kabobs for dinner and rice krispie treats for dessert per Ben's request. It was a nice relaxing day. The girls and I gave Ben some new shoes and some new pans for cooking. It was fun to spend the day together and just relax and enjoy each others company. I'm so glad to have Ben as my husband, he's the best!

Oops, she did it again!

I'm not sure we need a boy at our house, we have Maren who is our daredevil. She's always getting into things she shouldn't and hurting herself. Two weeks ago (March 18th) we were at my parents for dinner celebrating the March birthdays. It was already past the girls bedtime and we were getting ready to leave. We called out for Maren and she came running down the hall at full speed. She missed the entrance to the kitchen and face planted into the wall. She started screaming and was holding her forehead. It was one of those moments when I couldn't get to her fast enough. She moved her hand and blood was running everywhere. I picked her up and someone threw me a towel. I laid her on the bar and took a look and knew right away we were headed to get stitches. Grandma gave her a candy cane to suck on and she calmed right down. Thank goodness for Grandma and Grandpa. They took Addy and Sydnee home and put them to bed while Ben and I made a trip to the Instacare. Maren did great! She started to cry when the doctor took off the bandaid with the numbing medicine because it pulled her hair. She cried while he numbed her up with the needle, but then calmed right down. Ben and I held her hands while she got her stitches, but she held her head still and didn't have to be held down. She was so brave. She got 9 stitches, that's 3 more than the last time. Afterward the doctor gave her a token so that she could get a prize out of a machine in the lobby. She thought that was pretty cool. When we got home she ran in and told Grandma and Grandpa that "The docor fix my head!" She was quite happy. Hopefully we are done with this stuff for a while, or else we are going to have to buy her a helmet.

Finally...

my little tick about to pop

My parents gave my girls new snow boots and snow pants for Christmas. Because of the crazy winter or lack of winter we have had they really haven't been able to use them. Finally the other day it snowed enough that all 3 girls were able to wear their new snow gear. They were so excited to finally get to wear them. Addy and Sydnee wore theirs to school and when they got home, all 3 girls played in the snow for a long time. They built a snowman with Ben and made snow angels over every square inch of the lawn. Some of the pictures remind me of the movie "A Christmas Story". "Getting ready to go out in the snow was like getting ready for extended deep sea diving" and "my kid brother looked like a tick about to pop!"

I love my sister

The other day my sister came over and brought me this. I love it and I love her!

Still catching up

I'm not sure why, but I just can't seem to keep up with life right now. It couldn't be that I have 3 very busy kids and one more on the way could it? I'm heading down the home stretch with this pregnancy. It hasn't been to horrible, especially compared to Maren's pregnancy. Thankfully my blood pressure has stayed normal and at the moment there isn't a threat of bed rest. I'm getting tired of all the aches and pains and swelling, but all in all it's not horrible. I just keep telling myself that I only have to do this for a few more weeks. 32 days to be exact, but who's counting. I'm getting excited to have my little boy here, but also a little nervous. I keep hoping the nesting will kick in soon and I'll be able to get my house clean and ready. Until then, I'll just keep counting down the days until I can see my feet again and hopefully they won't jiggle when I walk!

Addy turns 9!

I can't believe that Addy is 9. It really seems like yesterday that I was at the hospital being handed a new little bundle. Addy has grown up to be such a sweet, beautiful girl. She is nice to every one around her and has lots of friends. She is thoughtful and helpful and just a great kid. I am so happy to be her mom and to have her in our family.
Addy had a friend party the day before her birthday. She wanted a spa party. She planned everything including the games, food and activities. She and her friends had a fancy lunch with sandwiches, chips and fruit and fresh lime drinks with cherries and lime slices in their glasses. The girls thought that was pretty cool. After lunch my sister and I gave the girls manicures and painted their nails. The girls loved picking out their nail polish colors and soaking their fingers in warm water. Then they decorated cupcakes, once again, a pound of sprinkles makes a cupcake fancy. Then it was time for presents. Addy had a great time and so did her friends. It was a success! I couldn't have done it without my sister Camille and Ben. Ben took Sydnee and Maren out on a special date to keep them busy. Sunday was Addy's actual birthday. We celebrated with dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Williams house. She asked for a giant cupcake for her birthday cake. Addy always seems to stretch her birthday out for days. She went shopping for her birthday and out to dinner with my parents a few days before, then she had her party, then dinner on her birthday and the next day I took her shopping to pick out a present. Then the next weekend Grandma and Grandpa Yancey took all the kids out for dinner to celebrate. I don't know how she does it every year, but somehow she does. No one else seems to be able to stretch their birthday out as much. Happy birthday to my grown up girl!

Random

My sweet visiting teacher Cathy gave me an amaryllis
back in November. It produced 3 flowers and was so pretty.

Shopping can really wear you out

Annual Fancy Nancy Party

We had our annual Fancy Nancy party back in February. It was lots of fun as usual. This was Maren's first year to attend. The girls had their outfits picked out for at least a month in advance. They were so excited. We went to Grandma Williams house for a fancy lunch. We then made sparkly snowflakes out of chenille stems (that's fancy for pipe cleaners). The girls made valentines with pretty paper and suckers and then they decorated cupcakes. Any time you add a pound of sprinkles to a cupcake, it's fancy. It's always fun to get dressed up fancy and play with Grandma and Aunt Camille. Thank you Grandma for another fun party!

A silver lining

Maren is a daddy's girl. When daddy is home she wants absolutely nothing to do with me. Today was no exception. She cried several times and would not allow me to hold her and comfort her, only daddy. Only daddy could push the grocery cart. Only daddy could help her get a snack. Only daddy could change her stinky diaper (I was okay with that one). Only mommy gives baths though. Tonight while Maren was in the bath happily singing and playing, she looked up at me and said "I love you mommy!" She's never said that before. It's moments like this that make it worth it. She may be daddy's girl, but she loves me too!

Will it ever end?

If you remember my post about blessings, we've had a lot of things break around here. Well, it hasn't stopped yet. Our ice maker broke again. We replaced it 9 months ago. Now our toilet has broken. I'm not just talking about the seat, the base of the toilet has cracked and is slowly leaking. Our weekend plans now include replacing a toilet. Exciting huh? Oh the joys of being a homeowner. I'm crossing my fingers that this is it.

The end of an era

My first license (I was 18 when the picture was taken)

This was my last license (pic was taken just a few years ago)

Warning: Epic novel to follow, read at your own risk.
I have to admit that on new year's eve I was a little sad. Not because the year was ending, but because a huge chapter in my life was finally closed for good. My EMT certification expired. I know it probably sounds silly that I was sad over this, especially since I quit my job with the ambulance over 3 years ago. I guess in the back of my mind I always thought I would get to go back to work. I wanted to be an EMT since I was in grade school. I had neighbors who worked for the ambulance and my 6th grade teacher did also. When I was in grade school one of my friends fell off of the monkey bars and had the wind knocked out of him. Mrs. Durrant the 6th grade teacher came running out with her jump kit and took care of him. At that moment I knew that I wanted to be an EMT. My chance came when I was attending Snow College. I had applied for the class and was initially turned down. While I was home for Christmas break I received a call from the professor over the class telling me that he had an opening for me. I was thrilled. I'm not sure my parents were, but they helped me with the extra money I needed for the class. I loved the EMT classes. They were my favorite classes at school. I would go to class on Fridays from 6-10 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. I became really close with two of my neighbors whom I took the class with, they ended up getting married the next year. I loved the hands on aspect of the class and I did really well. I had some fun and interesting experiences while doing my clinical hours at the emergency room at UVRMC. I also had to do 100 patient assessments on people and take their vital signs. My sister-in-law Leanne was a good sport to let me bug people at her baby shower and take their vitals. In March (1997) I took my state tests and passed with flying colors and became an official EMT-Basic.
The next year I began running with Ephraim ambulance. I wasn't a homegrown citizen of Ephraim so I was considered an outsider with most of the locals. They weren't thrilled to have me running, but Dave Lanier and Kent Olson who were on the association board took me under their wings and treated me like a daughter. I didn't have many calls while running with Ephraim ambulance, but I got my feet wet and started to build my confidence. I ended up taking the EMT-Intermediate course. I loved this class a lot, I learned how to put in IV's and how to intubate. I absolutely loved learning EMT skills and practicing them. I sacrificed a lot of my social life and family time to take them, but I feel it was worth it.
After graduating from Snow College I worked as an EMT/first aid specialist for the LDS church for the summer at a girls camp. I loved that job and the experiences that I had. After finishing up the summer I took a few months off and then went to work for American Fork ambulance.
I worked for AF for 10 years. I put in lots of hours and was fully dedicated to my job. I worked on call for 12-24 hour stretches and was paid $1.25 an hour. I loved my job and it helped me to grow immensely as a person. When I first started I was so shy and felt like I was such an idiot. Once I got used to the people I worked with and learned where things were and how to use everything, I felt a lot better. I gained confidence and felt like I was really making a difference. I became a CPR instructor and loved teaching people. A few years later I became an EMT instructor which was lots of fun. I was able to help teach a basic class in Saratoga Springs and I taught our EMT's on training night. After I had been running with AF for a while I was asked to take the first response vehicle. I was scared but excited. I kept the car at my house which was full of all the equipment an ambulance was and if I was called out I would go directly to the scene. I was the first one to go in and start caring for the patient. I was always really nervous to run first response, but it gave me a good boost, I felt a little more important. While Ben and I were dating, he thought it was pretty cool to ride in the first response car with me. He wasn't too happy though when I would have to take off and leave him.
I had so many interesting and life altering experiences on the ambulance. I had some really good calls and some really bad. I also had a lot of really dumb calls where I wondered "now why on earth did you think you needed an ambulance?" I helped many an elderly patient back into bed after a fall, I took lots of patients from AF hospital to another hospital and had everything else you could imagine. I even delivered a baby once. There are some calls that still haunt me and even some that still cause me bad dreams. But all in all, I loved the time I spent helping others. It's sad that what ultimately caused me to quit were the politics and the poor treatments from my boss. I was a good EMT. I took my job seriously while still being able to laugh at myself. I worked hard and tried to show genuine compassion for people. I even became the training officer for the department to try and help out. I loved the people I worked with, well most of them. I loved my crews. My last crew I worked with were the best. We got along so well that during a call we hardly had to talk to each other, we knew what our roles were and we all just dug in and worked together. We also had a lot of fun together. There were many nights that I would come home from a call with a sore face from laughing so hard.
I also think about all of the time that I lost with family and friends. When the pager would go off, I would drop everything and run (drive) to the station. Ben was very patient with me and I know it wasn't easy. He hated it when I would have to leave. I missed lots of family events and holidays because of the ambulance. We even have a home video of Addy's first birthday. She was blowing out her candles and you can hear the pager go off in the background. Luckily that night I wasn't gone very long. I missed out a lot, but I'm still grateful for the experiences that I had. I'm grateful that my family, especially Ben is forgiving for all the moments that I missed. Even though my time with the ambulance didn't end in the best way, I still am grateful for those 10 years that I spent giving up my sleep to do what I felt was making a difference. I feel that working on the ambulance helped me to be a better person in many ways and it shaped who I am today. It's a little sad to know that it's over, but I am grateful to not have to run out on my family any more. I'm grateful to be a full time stay at home mom, it's the best job. Who knows, maybe one day I'll go through the classes again or finally become a nurse. Only time will tell.

p.s. now my mind is buzzing with memories of ambulance calls, I may have to write some of them down for history's sake. And if you read all of this thanks for putting up with my boringness.

Happy new year everyone! We are celebrating with the kids tonight. We're eating appetizers for dinner and drinking virgin margaritas. We'll probably play some Wii and maybe some board games. I'll be ringing in the new year in my sleep, since we have 9 o'clock church in the morning. This years resolution is not to make any, I never keep them anyway!

Out with the old and in with the new

You thought this was going to be a new year's post didn't you? Well it's not ;) We're getting ready for our first boy here! So it's out with the pink and in with the blue, well not out with the pink completely. We do still have 3 girls living here. Anyway, our new little guy is going to be all decked out in cute clothes thanks to a shopping spree and lots of gifts from friends and family. Here is just a sampling of what we got!