Announcing....

Baby #5! Miss Melody is finally joining our family which very well could make us complete.

She is due to arrive between May 12-16, I'm betting on the 14th unfortunately. Miriam's last day of kindergarten and thus graduation is on the 16th somehow I don't see myself attending, but we will see. We were a little surprised because I was wanting more time in between children, I was thinking another year. What made it more ok than when I found out Benjamin was coming was May- I have always wanted a May baby and the Lord let me know in no uncertain terms that this was when she needed to come. Everyone is excited for our new baby. Pregnancy has been relatively easy. Morning sickness was the lightest ever, no throwing up at all, but I think my poor body is worn out so I started experiencing 3rd trimester aches and pains early.

Miriam's Fifth Birthday

We were so lucky this year that Baca got to take off a day of work so we could celebrate for 2 days! My parents came up Thur night and we played and played all weekend. First we went over to Aunt Nicole's clubhouse to swim around 11ish. I believe it was Benjamin's first time swimming and it was a little cold for him and Rachel. We really love swimming!

After naps we went to get Miriam's pictures taken at Target while Baca entertained the other kids. For dinner we met up over at Chuck-E-Cheese and had a great time! I hope you can see some the great pictures from Chuck-E-Cheese with our guests- Grandma, Baca and Aunt Dar (ie Jennifer). I love how much my kids enjoy being with each other for the most part. What a great day!

Saturday, her actual birthday with the traditional strawberry waffles though the kids seem to like whipping cream better than ice cream on their waffles. Yum yum!

With Easter approaching Grandma and Baca wanted to help us decorate our Easter Eggs. We loved having extra help. Aren't our eggs beautiful?! It's fun seeing them get more and more into decorating. we wanted to go on a picnic and have an egg hunt, but it snowed us out so we decided to have our picnic inside.

We had a picnic of mashed potatoes, chicken, strawberry pop, grapes and potato chips (aiming at a picnic, some of Miriam's favorite things. Picnic went well except for a couple of spills. Also a lot warmer than outside!

 Miriam with our usual balloon bouquet, and helping Grandma with her Rapunzel cake. She got to open her presents Saturday after the picnic and got lots of cool things. Like a bike helmet so she can learn to ride a 2 wheel bike. Grandma and Baca also took her over to Kmart to pick out something.

Kids View

Aaron told me the other day, "You make things so hard for me". Of course I was puzzled, we were trying to get everyone ready to go with shoes to go over to the babysitter so I could go help with centers at Miriam's school. He said it was because I made him clean too much. Oh brother, I got so tired of nagging, bribing and threatening I really haven't asked them to do anything for awhile except get dressed, put their dish in the sink and get their pjs on. In the car he continued I wish I was the only one in the house so I wouldn't have to do anything and could eat whatever I want whenever I want. Also note I have never asked them to do anything on their own I'm always doing it with them.

Story number 2 on Aaron. He was so excited when Eric came home from deer hunting with "deer horns". He went around saying deer horns like a battle cry and waving them around. It was hilarious.

March 2012

Aloha!

Sunday March 11 posing after church in our Hawaiian clothes. I can't believe how young the girls look almost a year and a half ago!

Sporting some of our St Patty's clothes. Upper left the kids on March 6, we like to get started early and wear them all month! I love how Aaron obviously was not into the picture, it was probably right before we were getting ready for bed. Lower left is Rachel on March 8, also same on the right, she had too many adorable expression to pick just one! She is wearing shamrock pajamas and is 8 1/2 months old definitely sitting well. Middle is all of us in Delta on St Patricks day. Upper right is Rachel also on St Patricks day, not sure why she is wearing 2 different outfits. Lower right all of us sitting on the back deck on March 15.

 On Saint Patrick's day we found ourselves in Delta. Upper left Miriam and Aaron doing their favorite Delta activity- watching movies! Upper right we went out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant La Rancherito (?). While we were there the wind was threatening to send us to Oz and some cowboys came to eat. Miriam was excited to see the horses and wanted her picture with them, bottom left. After lunch we stopped at Alco where Aaron tried out a little motorbike in bottom right picture.

Not too much happened in March the only other thing was my brother moved back from Texas just in time for Miriam's birthday. We were glad to have him back! He also let us use his trampoline as he had no place for it. March 31 showing how much fun the kids had with our new 'toy'!

4 year checkup

April 29, 2012 in her dress that Grandma Delta gave her and her dolly.

I've decided that I love four year olds the best of any age so far and that three year olds are way worse than two year olds despite the catch phrase terrible twos. Miriam has blossomed so much in the last year and I have felt a shift in her capabilities and desire to learn, grow and explore. In some ways it scares me because I'm not at the top of my game and I don't want her scarred for life thinking that a huge disaster of a house is normal. Also I'm afraid of missing some vital training because I'm too whacked out taking care of 4 little kids. Being our oldest she is the prototype for how we want to raise our children and we are learning as much or more right along with her.
Miriam finally got potty trained day and night for the most part, there are a few accidents when she waits too long to get to the bathroom but nothing bad. She also magically has been sleeping in her own bed all night long and will even take herself off to bed and go to sleep herself! That is so huge and gives me hope that maybe Aaron will do the same. She is a wonderful big sister and a huge help for me most of the time. There are times I have to remind myself not to expect to much from her in the way of babysitting because she is only four. She and Aaron are still best friends and do everything together.

 Taken April 1, 2012 during general conference wearing a dress Grandma Nicee picked up on her trip through the south. Also thought she was big stuff wearing Daddy's boots.



 She had her well child check up on March 22 and at 3 they change the statistics they are looking for slightly. Except she had the misfortune of having para influenza for her birthday. Miriam weighed 33.51 lbs putting her at the 42%. Over the last year she gained 3.53 lbs and decreased in percentile. She was 39.5 in tall putting her in the 51% which was a 3 1/4 in growth dramatically increasing in percentile. Then BMI is 15 (still not sure how to interpret that) though it was one less than last year. Everything else checked out great. She is wearing 3T clothes and 4T dresses.

Taken on April 22, 2012- Miriam loves our chickens and helps take good care of them.

Family Bike Ride

Before Miriam's cousins moved they passed down a 2 wheel bike. Miriam was so excited but we didn't get very far with it as first. Then Miriam's interest was renewed when her friends brought out their bikes though theirs had training wheels and Miriam had to have them. So we got her a helmet for her birthday and she started riding until Daddy accidently smooshed one of the training wheels. Time passes but then her bike was ready and Daddy let her ride to the park on Thur (while I worked on cleaning without children around!) She was hooked and has been riding constantly since.

Saturday Eric decided to get our bikes out ready for a work bike trip we're taking next week. I don't think my bike has been ridden in a good 2 years due to babies.

We have recently obtained another bike trailer so we can all go as a family. Rachel and Benjamin strapped in and ready to go. This was Benjamin's first bike ride on July 27. He wailed a lot of it unfortunately until he fell asleep. We decided to test everything with a ride to the Little Acorn Drive In apx 2.2 miles away. I thought we would just load all the kids up, but Daddy decided to let Miriam try riding by herself. She did fabulous! She rode all the way there keeping up really well, in fact I still might have been the slowest most tired one! The only trouble she had was on the uneven rocks she would get stuck. She had so much fine that she was till riding while we were eating and had to keep going even after we got home!

At the end of the ride wearing her helmet, camelback and gloves just like Daddy!

Miriam's 4th Birthday

Somehow a new baby tends to slow down the blogging from less energy while pregnant and then all posts after are of the new baby. I am not sure how I will keep up on four kids! Also perhaps if I kept up faster on events then I wouldn't have lost that file of pictures last year right after my birthday. The computer ate most of Miriam's birthday pictures, sadness. Though we have lots of videos though I can't seem to upload any more videos.

We had my family come down a little early (Thur night I believe). We let her open a few presents before Daddy left for work. Aaron picked out a fishing pole for the bathtub and we gave her a cupcake necklace. Normal meals for the day- strawberry waffles and mac n'cheese for lunch. The kids decided to eat outside for lunch.

Then we did something a little unusual. I had gotten a groupon to play laser tag long before and this was the last possible chance to use it so I arranged a group date with my cousins that night. My cousin Dallin's birthday was also around then so my mom cooked his favorite birthday meal of lasagna and cheesecake that we came back afterward for. We had Dallin+ date, a Carlson cousin + date, Jordon, and Ryan besides Eric and I for the date as we couldn't find either Jordon or Ryan a date unfortunately. We also invited my cousin Stephanie but our kids had a pretty contagious flu thing and she didn't want to risk it while she was pregnant. Ryan had actually just moved back to Utah from Texas that week so it was fun having him around after 4 years of him being down there. The kids liked playing with the college kids and they enjoyed watching Miriam open her presents also. It had been a long time since we did something with a group like that. I really enjoyed being with them and playing laser tag for probably the second time it you count the portable one I did at my high school during a a lock down.

Miriam opening the rest of her presents that night to an excited audience. She received play food, a Princess kite (what she is actually opening), an a leapster (that she calls her laptop) from Grandma and Bacca. Rachel enjoying the new play food also!

Saturday we played with the new kites down by the school. Bacca was an excellent kite flyer.

Miriam went back and forth over what she wanted on her birthday cake. I showed her all the different cakes Grandma has made and talked about all her favorite things. She had about three she was deciding between. We thought she finally decided to do a Clifford cake and then when the time came she changed her mind and wanted a monkey George one instead. Her are Miriam and Aaron supervising Grandma decorating her cake.

Unfortunately this is the best picture I have of the cake. I will have to check with Ryan and see if he has any better. Thanks Grandma for the great cake!