Easter

Just a couple spare pictures... Her hair finally fit into two little braids today!

Easter Treasures

Maisey was so thrilled that the Easter Bunny (partially my grandma), had sent her more than two pieces of candy this year. We try to avoid sugar but she got more than usual thanks to some outside contributions.... Her favorite was a chick that lays eggs that are really gum!

Easter

This year we celebrated Easter close to home at Adam and Carey's house. We had a delicious meal and the kids enjoyed hunting for eggs as usual (although indoors because of the yucky rain outside). Carey (my sister in-law) uses a wonderful color coded system with the eggs which works out great for the children. Each child is assigned a different color of egg to search for so that everyone gets an equal chance to hunt despite the possible age differences between the cousins.

After the hunt

Carey's 6 foot festive tree which she decorates for every holiday, including the kids birthday's and back to school... Something they will always remember.

The cute kids table

Annual Dye Time

Every year since Maisey has been born we have dyed Easter eggs in Hood River at Oma's and Opa's. However, this year we did not... Jill, Tod, and Ruby were out of town, Ryley is ready to arrive at any time, we don't live in Hood River, and Carey and Adam have been working a ton, so we dyed eggs with a smaller group (Adam, Carey, Peyton, and Colby) at our place. Chad was in charge of pictures and consequently, we didn't get too many (especially not good ones!), but that doesn't really matter because everyone had a great time tye dyeing, sponge painting, and decorating the many, many, many eggs.
Maisey and Aunt Carey


The beginning stages...

Shower Time

Last Thursday my visiting teachers threw me a baby shower and the turn out was excellent. With spring break, Easter, and it being on a weeknight because of my finals in the days leading up to it, I wasn't sure who would be able to make it... However, lots of people showed up to celebrate in Ryley's honor and have a good time. JoAnne and Cheryl (my visiting teachers) set everything up so nice and I really appreciate them taking time out of their busy schedules to do such a generous thing. I was really lucky to have them assigned to me when we moved in to the ward and they are great "mother-like" role models who balance work and family perfectly, while serving and living the gospel as we are asked to.

Not now...

Well, an update on the lottery outcome... The drawing for one particular nursing program I have been interested in was on Tuesday. However, my number(s) were not picked this year. I firmly believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason and with the little guy on the way and less than a year left on this other degree, I am ok with that. After this year, I will decide which of the two programs I am interested in and decide which one(s) I want to pursue and I go from there. For the last several years when thinking of time I have naturally equated it with "terms", which after four equal a year, and I just don't want life to fly by as quickly as it does. Maisey is almost five and it feels like I had her maybe three years ago. I'm trying to slow down a little and do the simplest of things like keep better written records of found memories and funny quirks. Well, if that doesn't happen, and it isn't always easy, thank goodness for cameras, video cameras, and blogs!

I'M DONE!

No, not being pregnant (although that would be nice too), I am done with finals, which means I am done with one more term! And just in the nick of time... Since I got home from my weekend away I haven't been able to see my ankles. Despite these unsightly "kankles", I do realize that I am very blessed to have gone through this pregnancy without any hypertension, pre-eclampsia, or expensive weekly stress tests! Because of that I was able to "knock another term down" as I like to say and now I am so ready to meet this little, I mean big guy!

Mmmmm Baby!

This weekend while I was in Eugene my Aunt Michelle held an afternoon baby shower in my honor- I mean Ryley's. It was sweet and intimate with the ladies of the family (my side) and a couple of close family friends. Maisey enjoyed opening Ryley's gifts and she will really be excited when she realizes that he won't be able to open Birthday or Christmas gift for some time!

The cake was from my favorite bakery and had cherry filling (if you know of a good bakery in the area let me know because nobody comes close to this quality and flavor).

Thank You Aunt Michelle and Family!

Mr. Wolverine

This weekend Maisey finally got to debut as Wonder Woman when she accompanied my brother as his child escort in his high school's senior pageant. The pageant role was made up of 11 seniors and together, in less than 4 months they raised over $29,000 dollars for The Children's Miracle Network! These guys worked so hard on their skits and choreographed dances so that they could put on the best show- which they did.

In the picture below and to the right my brother is playing the guitar while the other guys join in for a song. He is a very talented musician and has had a band since he was in the 8th grade. For the last couple of years they have been playing gigs all around town at clubs and in bars (even though they are minors... but my parents are always there to cheer him on), and they have also recorded a CD. The name of his band is Trapped in a Mini-Van (you can look it up on Myspace). He sings, plays the electric guitar, drums, and pretty much does it all. Hey, he has so much musical talent maybe he got all of mine (I was born without any)!

On the left is a clip from the formal wear segment and he is escorting our mother.

Maisey looks up to her Uncle Chasey so much and her Aunt Erin too. She loves visiting Eugene and she loves all of the attention and treats that Grandma and Grandpa give her! She even commented while eating the "forbidden" chocolate cereal one morning, "Mom, I get to eat junk food here but not at home, huh?" Between a weekend of: rehearsal (and fruit snacks), performing (and treats that were awarded whether or not the child needed to be bribed or distracted), Chuck E Cheese (and a lolipop), Ryley's shower (and cake), a couple of nights at Grandma and Grandpa's (with gum and other hidden treats), and just all around fun, I think Maisey loves being the first grandchild!

He's a Whopper!

It has been too long since my last post but school has been wrapping up and my last final for the term is on Tuesday. Yeah!

Now, to the point...

We had an ultrasound on Wednesday and Ryley "weighed" in at 8 lbs. 4 oz.!!! I still have 3+ weeks to go and so he will probably end up being around 10.5 like the "Doc" predicted two or so months ago. My Doctor is also a Stake President and he is going to General Conference in Utah which happens to be right before my due date and he will be gone the last two weeks of my pregnancy. His first day back is Monday the 7th of April so I am scheduled for a c-section that afternoon (it will be a long day of fasting and of course an exciting night of bonding and adjusting). However, We will see if he chooses to come sooner or not!!! I really DID NOT want another c-section but when he was weighing in big at twenty-one weeks, I think that was when I really came to terms with the fact that a VBAC might not be possible. Hopefully Maisey (ok and I), will be able to handle the separation while I recover in the hospital for a few days.

We will keep you posted if he makes his debut any sooner!

Anxiousness

So I put up the crib and cradle a couple of months ago and now feel like I have nothing to do. Chad is tired of me going through Ryley's stuff again and again like I have OCD, but I am soooo excited for this month to progress! I have been so eager to "nest" and I don't have much to do because I usually do things the minute I think of them... School is coming to a close (I already finished one class, without consent 4 weeks was shaved off the term, but don't get me wrong, I am thankful). Now I have a little extra time and yesterday I managed to get in some exercise and I took Maisey for a good bike ride, cleaned out the car, set up some baby gear, swept and washed the patio, and cleaned the windows and tracks. I thought I should get my "Spring" cleaning done now so I don't have to worry about it when Spring actually arrives. Lately we have enjoyed the wonderful sun, its Vitamin D, and the extra energy that it is giving us as it takes us out of the house (not that we aren't gone enough)!

The Temple

Last Wednesday Chad and I took the afternoon and went to the Temple. Even though we only live 15 minutes away, it is still an afternoon outing with traffic. A couple in our ward here in Beaverton arranged a "switch" with us and now we have somebody to swap babysitting with so that we can at least go together. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful place to be.

A Night in the Hood

Saturday we headed to Hood River for a quick 24 hours with friends and family. We had to cancel some dinner plans with good friends a couple of weeks ago during the snowy winter, but we were all able to reschedule for Saturday night. Afterwards we went to "game night" with a group of friends from our old ward and we loved that the once a month gathering coincided with our little trip. Maisey got to spend her second night away (I won't keep counting), with Aunt Jill, Uncle Tod, and Cousin Ruby. She has been asking to stay again since the last time we visited (hopefully she doesn't expect to stay every time we take a trip up), and she was thrilled at the invite. We, or I actually slept this time (instead of worrying) and I only hope that Aunt Jill sleeps well tonight as we thank her for her willingness to wake from her sleep several times a night in order to give us some alone time... I think Maisey likes it more than us- it still feels weird when she's not in the middle. We spent Sunday with family and Oma even took the day off work:) We felt very special and we enjoyed spending the day with our old neighbors (family). Maisey has missed Ruby a ton and told her numerous times that she misses living in Hood River. But, on the way home she remembered her cousins Peyton, Colby, Miranda, and Michelle here in Beaverton and she said she was glad to live close to them. As long as we have family nearby (which we do- Eugene, Hood River, and Beaverton) we will always be happy.

Wonder Woman

Maisey is sporting her new Wonder Woman costume that she will be wearing as she escorts my brother (who is a high school senior) in a school fashion show/talent contest which will be held on St. Patty's Day. We are very excited to see him dance, act, and compete against the other twelve seniors at Willamette High School in Eugene as we are sure he will win!

Presidents Day at the Zoo

Today was a beautiful day and we decided to make a trip to the Zoo. Our pass hadn't been used since Zoo lights and the sunshine was calling our name. However, because of the holiday it was crazy busy. The actual zoo wasn't too bad, but as we exited the freeway we were asked to turn back around, head West, and find the park and ride shuttle which was a mile or so away. When we arrived after waiting in line to exit and re-exit the freeway, there were about 100 other patrons waiting for the school bus. At that time we decided to head for a transit center and Max it. The Max is very exciting to Maisey but as far as convenience goes, it usually isn't any easier than driving- or cheaper. As always, there are exceptions and we were grateful we didn't have to wait for the yellow bus for who knows how long!

By the time we arrived home Chad was up and ready to take on what was left of the afternoon. It is nice having him home (awake) everyday by 3pm!

My Valentine

We never do much around here for Valentines Day but Maisey let us know that wasn't acceptable. So, next year we will probably exchange more than just a kiss... Here is Maisey sporting her new Valentines dress.

Maisey and I decorated this cute box with my very neglected scrapbooking materials for all of her school Valentines. It did get the most attention and it was just her style.

Dinosaurs

Omsi also had a great dinosaur exhibit and some of them were mechanical.

Maisey had so much fun seeing the life-size dinosaurs and even more fun digging up fossils.

Omsi

Saturday we went to Omsi because we hadn't been in a couple of months. We wanted to show Maisey the developmental stages that a baby must go through in order to come out healthy and she was pretty interested this time around, now that Ryley is coming into the world within a short time.

In the past I thought there were signs posted that you could not use photography in this certain area, but after looking everywhere and seeing numerous other postings, we snapped a couple... However, it was after we exited that we discovered a tiny little sign and by then it was too late.

If you haven't been to this exhibit it is really amazing and the stages cover 28 days to 32 weeks. The baby above is where I am at, 32 weeks and 18 or so inches long.

If the real babies are too sad to look at you can enjoy other models. We walked Maisey through a C-section and that was kind of fun.

I'm it...I've been tagged by Melanie!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 other people and posts their names. Next, they leave a message on their blog telling them they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog for directions.

What was I doing ten years ago?

I was almost 16 and I was loving team sports in High School. I played soccer, swam free style on my schools swim team and club, and was a thrower in track and field.

5 Things on my "To-do" List Today

1. Take Masiey to and from a 1/2 day of school.
2. Have family home evening... Though we aren't sure what.
3. Update my blog.
4. Write an awfully dreadful paper for my social change class on the fact we are running low on oil in our highly industrialized country and take a test for the same class.
5. Cook dinner.
*As always, the list continues on...

3 Bad Habits I Have

1. I'm a loud mom, I often raise my voice or shout during extreme chaos rather than talk softly.
2. I am a cleaning machine (I have to clean my bathroom at least 2-3 times a week and we aren't messy people and above all, I clean before studying or I can't focus!)
3. I worry if anyone is late. I almost ALWAYS arrive places too early (like 20 minutes or so), and I get woozy and worried if people are more than 15 minutes late.
* Summed up- I am a busy, high-strung woman, who in my adult years has developed a Type A personality across the board.

Places I have lived

Eugene, OR
Seattle, WA (Summer time)
Troutdale, OR
Hood River, OR
Beaverton, OR

Things most people don't know about me

-I would like to have several careers (RN, Midwife, Social Work- at the least).
-I really do not like animals- EXCEPT, I am obsessed with horses (Chad loves ALL animals so I am in a tough spot... Little dogs are ok if raised and bonded with from birth).
-I don't have much of a desire to travel (Of course I want to take some regular family trips Hawaii and Disneyland).
-I consider friends to be family.
-Activity Day Girls was my favorite calling and I miss it.
-I am 'shy' and quiet when I am the new person.
-I'm a wanna-be seamstress who only learned a year or so ago how to thread her own bobbin.
-I don't laugh easily (However, I can hardly breathe from laughing so hard when tha stupid show candid camera is on).
-I have an entrapeneural spirit but I'm too broke to do anything about it right now!
-I've always wanted to adopt
-I HATE chain letters and stuff like this but I will comply because people had to use names when tagging and it will be obvious if I screw it up!

I tag, Jamie, Kristy, and Ali. All of my other bloggers have been tagged so I have to think on it.

Our Prophet

After hearing many people's testimonials on Sunday about the fact that we know Gordon B. Hinckley as Our Prophet and others see him just as the President of the LDS Church, it made me want to steer away from the word 'president' at this time because he was so much more.

As joyous as it is that he has returned to Heaven, I can't help but be sad still about his passing. I joined the Church in March of 1996 and he is the only prophet I have known. I have always enjoyed watching specials on the BYU channel about his life over the years and now with his passing more might be produced spanning through his last days... Chad and I hope anyway.

On Sunday night I enjoyed a 20 or so minute interview that he gave 11 years back on 60 minutes. I was so impressed with his concrete answers and I was thankful that the station played the broadcast again for all of the world to see. I am also glad I went with the prompting I felt to turn on the t.v. as it motivated me. The interview made me reflect on my missionary efforts or lack of at this time, and inspires me to be more vulnerable around the people I love and interact with regularly so that I might share with them ways in which the gospel has played a hand in my life.

Rug Burn

I know you are thinking what is up with the hidious feet on this blog but pictures really allow us to share...

This is a rug burn Chad obtained while bowling with his Wii! I have always been completely turned off by video games but this system is pretty engaging. As this picture shows, some people get a little to into it. He use to bowl on a league and he said he would drag his foot the same way.

Chad just started a graveyard shift and as a way of keeping the schedule on his nights off, and as a means of keeping me company physically while I study until 1 or 2 am (yeah I'm back to those hours!), he has been killing time with his Wii. He got this rug burn from bowling several days ago... He made the comment to me that he needed to wear shoes and/or socks because it kind of hurt!

I just noticed it today after several nights and I had to share because it is ridiculously comical.

Excercising The Body

Maisey was finally well enough to go to indoor soccer practice this week... However, she was WAY too sore to go to basketball the next day. I seriously thought something was wrong yesterday as she walked around all day like a child with braces on her legs, or as Chad put it, "Forest Gump". Since she was 2 she's taken gymnastics, tap, ballet, and swimming. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought these other muscles would complain so much. So, later today Chad is taking her to the gym to play some more soccer in hopes of working those weaker muscles out!

Excercising The Mind

As Maisey was recovering from the flu I stumbled (literally) onto one of her latest pastimes. Ok, so she doesn't really sit around spelling with colored pencils everyday, but I sure thought it was creative and interesting.

She was pretty dissatisfied with the 'S' and the 'O', but I thought they were legible.

One Big Boy

On Monday we had another ultrasound and it revealed the Rhyley is weighing in at almost double what he should be. The doctor isn't concerned and everything else is going great. However, if he keeps up this growth pattern, it will most likely be another c-section. Maisey was 8.54 and he thinks he will be larger than that. The good news, so far no signs of preeclampsia, which means no bedrest this time around!

Here is a kind of ghost-like image of Rhyley's facial profile.

Guenther Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Old pictures

ER

No, not the show- but the actual ER isn't all that entertaining. The flu and pediatrician sent us that way last night and after 5 or so hours we got to come home. Maisey stayed awake the whole time, until 3 am when we were discharged. We were able to avoid I.V fluids thanks to a great cancer med for nausea called Zofran- a costly yet wonderful pill that dissolves- no not there, but on the tongue! I was very surprised to. They are changing the ways in which they treat children with the flu and it made life a lot easier. Tomorrow is day 5 and I think and pray that it is a day of recovery rather than dangerous throw up with blood! I am still nervous Chad and I will get it next- there is a 14 day incubation period...

Anyway, we hope you and your families are all healthy the rest of the season.

Maybe This Year...

Today was the deadline for Portland Community College's nursing program. The two year program is something I have applied at for the past three years. It is a lottery so the fact that I have a lot more schooling than many of the other 1000 or so applicants is irrelevant (all you need is a high school diploma for this program). Maybe, just maybe if it is meant to be, my number, or numbers in this case will be drawn in April. Oh, how wonderful that would be to use all of that nursing coursework I spent 3 year of the last 5 years of school working on! Of course if my number is drawn, everybody in the world will know. Pray really hard for me! Because of the other degree I am working on, and the fact that I am a senior and have one year left, this is the only program that I am applying to this year, as opposed to the 9 last winter!

Not Today

Maisey will not be making it to basketball today because the flu is still lingering. It looks like we will be catching her favorite Full House at 3pm and playing lots of Ponyville and Barbie. Yeah, another day playing with old time favorites. Excuse the sarcasm but it isn't fun for the folks either when the little tikes are sick!

The Down Side of The Family Bed...

First of all, most of you know my stance on this one, do whatever works for you and your family.

There was a time when co-sleeping worked great for us (probably before age 3), but here is a list of the down side from our side.

1. You may, and probably will get thrown-up on.
2. You may, and probably will get peed on.
3. You may, and probably will get kicked out of bed and/or in some very uncomfortable places.
4. You will probably have to listen to snoring.
5. You will have to fake the fact that you really aren't going to sleep when the little one is.
6. You will have to leave your conversation, company, or tasks (for who knows how long), to put the little one back to bed!
7. And I am sure I know of many more when you have a 4.5 year old in your bed still!

Because Maiey is still in our bed for over half the night, Rhyley will not be. And we hope that she outgrows that security issue before he wonders why he is the only one not in the 'family' bed!

Sweet Dreams or Not

This sweet princess bed wasn't looking so sweet of couple hours ago...

We are under courantyne again! We are making it through thanks to de-solv-it (the world's best stain remover which I recommend on big stains caused by popsicles), pull-ups (I won't go in to detail), and two sets of adult hands.

To begin with Maisey came home from school on Wednesday complaining of a tummy ache. I thought she was hungry for the dinner I was preparing- but that wasn't the case. I didn't force her to eat dinner (although I had no clue she was really sick), and we let her have a fruit popsicle before bed.

At 12 am she beckoned us to come get her (as usual), and shortly after falling back to sleep (in our bed) the moaning began. It was a long night of the pukes, but with the help of Chad, we made it through. It was difficult with the heightened sense of smell that most women experience during pregnancy, but I stayed really tough too.

After six loads of laundry from the long night, we think Maisey may be able to go to her first basketball practice tomorrow. She was very disappointed because she had to miss her first soccer practice today and she is really excited to get into uniform.

Stay posted and we will let you know if she makes to basketball tomorrow!

An Evening of Mingling...

Saturday night consisted of a fun evening of visiting and Wii time with 8 couples from our new ward and the Sorenson family too. I'm not sure if our ward would still be considered 'new', as it is our 6th month here, but after being away for several sporadic weekends throughout the summer and into fall, it still feels new.

Chad had a great time playing with his Wii and the other dads on the theatre screen.

I enjoyed the evening and Maisey was in Heaven playing with the 18 kids that attended.

Chad snapped some pictures... They are a little unscripted but like I've said, we are still trying to remember to use our camera for pictures other than one's that end up in Maisey's album.

Party Time

Saturday was our niece Ruby's 10th Birthday party at the bowling ally in Hood River.

Here is Maisey sporting a Best Friend Necklace... Ruby has one half and Maisey has the other and has been wearing hers for a couple weeks now.

She adores Ruby and has looked up to her ever since they first met.

Nesting Time

Ok, so I am aware that I still have 84 days to go... But, with school and all sometimes I just need to distract myself. Plus, it has been SOOOO long since we have had the chance to 'play house', and it is just as fun as it was with our first!

Here are some pictures of our 'masculine' decor. You know brown is my favorite color!

One Fun Hat

I had to post a picture of this adorable hat Aunt Jill brought back from North Dakota for the adorable Maisey. It also has matching gloves! This is certainly a hit!

Maisey the artist...

Here is Maisey's most recent picture that includes Rhyley- as most of them do these days! She has drawn Herself with buns, Daddy, and Mommy w/Rhyley in utero, swimming in, no not our pool, but her Unlce Adam's and Aunt Carrie's! I just had to share...

A girls got to feel beautiful!

Ok, so I realize this isn't an online journal- but that just may be how I use it. The topic here is beauty when you might feel the least bit beautiful...

Recently, I was talking with a gal pal about making those uncomfortable visits to your 'friendly' doctor- you know what I mean, the ones that involve de-robing... Anyway, I was saying that when that dreadful time approaches I always find myself receiving a pedicure shortly before.

She laughed and said that her Doctor recently commented on that trend and the comical side of it... Well, comical as it may be, a girl has got to feel beautiful in that most uncomfortable time! Right? Feel free to share your angst on this one!

Yes, you guessed it. That is what I am up to later today! I thought this only occurred once, in the early stages of pregnancy and postnatally, and that is true unless you change doctors! If we don't have too many children that may just be one reason:)

One Sick Chick!

Maisey is feeling better after being pumped with many different medications (especially antibiotics), after falling very ill Saturday. After a trip to the Doc on Tuesday it was determined she had strep throat, earaches, and maybe a form of the flu (4days of fever and soreness). The poor gal didn't even want to walk because her body was so sore and she hasn't eaten since! This picture is of her making her recovery!

Oh, the frustration...

Have you ever ruined a whole batch of white clothes? Well, I am taking the blame for the once ultra-white clothing that came out with orange spots last night. What can I say, I checked all the pockets of the articles in the machine before giving them the ol' run through, but somehow they came out with construction site neon orange spots! Yep, khakis, garments, tights, and Chad's favorite white church shirt! The only explanation I have is dye in the peach colored prenatal vitamins that I take, but who really knows- something small slipped in there??? Oh, the frustration...

Can You Say Preview...

My apologies to anyone who may have heard any sort of ill tasting music in my Holiday playlist... My goal wasn't to turn people off, but as I was changing up my winter picks I encountered a rather interesting song about "knowing what the boys like"! Hey, all I can say is that I didn't preview all of them first because I was going for cheap, or free, and the site I was dealing with made me come up with a playlist of 18 before I could even post one song! The free 'holiday' music that was from a recommended blog.spot website turned out to be something I wouldn't recommend if you know what I mean! My greatest apologies and I have found a new website with all my faves!