Freedom!!

Well, almost. Tomorrow I will be 36 weeks and can officially be off bedrest. I am cheating at the moment but as long as I don't go into labor today then I can have the baby here and don't have to fly to Tucson! Thanks for your comments and support. Thankfully it hasn't been too long of a rest.

My kids will be glad to have me back. The boys have been going every Tuesday and Thursday to a friends house thank goodness. They go crazy with me just laying on the couch drinking gallons of water to try and fend off contractions. I think all of this was just triggered by our crazy Christmas holiday schedule with party after party after party. My body was just done. I feel much better now and hopefully this kid will hold off a week or so to let me wash his clothes and blankets and find a spot to put him in my trashed room. I really just want to get up and do a dance just because I can. I am getting so excited to meet this little person! Good Luck to everyone else that is pregnant too. Hopefully all your little ones will get here with no trouble!

Bedrest

I thought I would update this real quick during my limited out of bed/chair/couch time. I have been put on bedrest because apparently this baby thinks he needs to come early or at least my body thinks he does. I keep having lots of contractions. After Christmas and all the craziness I ended up in the hospital for a couple hours while they tried to stop me from having contractions every few minutes. After getting a shot of yucky stuff they finally stopped and I am now on bedrest until 36 weeks (only 1 1/2 weeks to go). After 36 weeks they say I am okay to deliver. Of course, I figure after all this he probably won't come until after my due date just to make me even crazier!!

A Wedding

This last weekend we went to Snowflake to go to my brother's wedding. Aaron (my brother) and Carrie are now officially husband and wife!! We are way excited to have her be part of the family and for him to be married. My parents only have 1 more to go now!

It was quite the adventure. We left Pima about 6:30 a.m. or so and headed to Snowflake. We had actually never been to Snowflake from this direction before so it was an all new drive for us, which made it kinda fun. We still made it really fast because there was no traffic. Luckily no one got sick on the windy roads. We left the kids at my aunt Daphne's house while we went to the sealing because we didn't want them out in the cold waiting for us and we didn't want poor Stephanie to have to chase all those kids around the temple. She was watching my kids, Elizabeth's 2 little ones and Ren and Amber's 1, so 6 kids in all. (Thanks again Steph!!)

After the ceremony we dashed back to get the kids for pictures at the temple. Unfortunately it was super windy and we weren't hanging around for any pictures. Plus they wanted me to climb stairs and I was already swollen and decided we would just hang out at the church and wait for lunch. The bride and groom stuck it out and got some pictures. We ate quickly and dashed back to Pima for Kiara's dance recital at 5:30. She did really good, but I think all of us were really tired by the time we finally got home at around 7:30. We got the kids in bed and just plopped on the couch. Of course, I started having contractions and my hands, feet and face were all swollen from the crazy day, so I drank a whole lot of water and went to bed.

We were so glad to go and see Aaron and Carrie get married, but what a whirlwind of a trip! It was really neat to get to go back to the Snowflake temple. We hadn't been there since it was dedicated and we were living in Flagstaff. It was also wonderful, as always, to remember the commitments Shane and I have made and be all lovey dovey remembering why we did this in the first place. It is so easy to forget in the midst of all the craziness of life that it was just joyous to remember that we love each other and that we love each other even more than we thought we did back then : )

Funny Random Pictures

Some funny pictures I found on my camera when I was uploading birthday pics:

Kiara in the treehouse and Rowan with Moly in the backyard

Aidan and a train and Aidan's tongue

Rowan and Shane

Aidan ready to work

Rowan with lipstick on his arm (at least it isn't on his lips)

Happy Birthday to Rowan!

Rowan's birthday was Sunday, Nov 30. He is now officially 2 years old. I have officially been crying about that for a while now. I think I'm having problems with my kids getting bigger because I also cried all the way through the primary program with my 2 big kids up there singing and sitting so reverently and saying their parts all by themselves. I would blame it on me being pregnant, but I'm pretty sure I would be crying about it anyways.

Back to Rowan, my 2 year old. . . . . I'm not sure he knew what was going on all day, except Kiara kept calling him the birthday boy and Aidan was so excited all day for it to be "night" so Rowan could open his presents. My mom and Stephanie came over (everyone else was sick or out of town) to see him open his presents and have cake and ice cream. Once we convinced him it was fun to open presents he really went at it. He was pulling paper out of bags and saying "TA DAH" like the paper was what we were all waiting for. He got some wonderful toys that make lots of noise and are therefore very cool. He also managed to put his fingers in the cake in several places while waiting for the candles to be lit. Aidan was very impressed he could blow the candles out all by himself and pronouced Rowan "big now." It was fun to see Rowan so excited.

I can't believe his is 2 already, but he is talking up a storm, knows what he wants and when and does everything he can to get it. He is quite the character and I can't wait to see what this next year brings!

And just for fun, the big kids being silly before the party! They are good at the silly part : )

Thanksgiving Thanks

I saw this on someone else's blog and am totally stealing the idea.

Things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

T: Tummies, an ever growing one that means our baby is getting bigger and bigger, little kid ones to tickle and kiss, good food to put in them.

H: Home, my wonderful little home that fits everyone in plus a dog, a cat, 2 gerbils and a fish with room for one more.

A: Aidan McQueen the car Shane Hansen. This 4 year old keeps me on my toes with constant questions about the letter A and how to spell Thomas's name and all of his friends names. He also is very excited about his newest baby brother.

N: 'nother boy: Rowan. He is the funniest almost 2 year old I think I have met. He is always pointing his finger and giving his "angry" face whenever anyone does anything he doesn't agree with. He gives great hugs and kisses and talks up a storm and then some.

K: Kiara. At 6 years old, she is so excited about school and everything new she can learn. She is gaining a love of clothes and shoes and wishes she could wear makeup, the girl I never was, but I guess I will be now!

S: Shane. I can't even begin to say thanks for all he does for me, but for now I am just glad he still loves me after being with me through almost 4 pregnancies and the accompanying hormones and cravings for endless bean burros.

G: Gifts. Giving them and getting them, of all kinds. Sometimes the very best gifts are the ones that don't cost anything, but touch your heart and make you remember.

I: Income, as in having some. I am so grateful Shane still has a job with the mine laying off people and the economy so shaky and crazy.

V: Very amazing world we live in, with kids who manage to survive with crazy moms, flowers that grow, rain that falls, rainbows that come, days that pass, problems that work out somehow and knowing that someone is in charge of it all, watching over us all.

I: Ice cream and the way it just seems to solve all sorts of problems. Kids don't want to help on clean up-bribe 'em with ice cream, sad-ice cream is a great antidepressant, happy-ice cream works for celebrating, pregnant? have some ice cream, it won't start labor, but you'll be happier about it!

N: next boy. The more I think about, the more excited I get to have another boy. Another boy to carry on his daddy's name, another boy to serve a mission, another boy to build forts, wrestle and just be smelly.

G: Grandmas and grandpas. I am so grateful we get to live here where my kids have 4 sets of grandparents within 10 miles. It is such a blessing for them to have such great relationships with not only their grandparents, but their great-grandparents as well. Plus, grandmas make the best babysitters!!

There are so many more things I am thankful for, it makes me smile just to think about all I have to be grateful for now and everyday.

Hooray

I found out today that I don't have gestational diabetes, which means I can eat for the holidays however the heck I want!! Whoo hoo!! My 3 hour glucose test came back all normal. I guess the 3+ hours I spent in the doctor's office on Friday were worth it. So all I can say is bring on the chocolate pie and Christmas cookies. I'm pregnant right, I'm not supposed to be losing weight, right??????