What has Been Going On

The days kind of just melt into each other so here is a mesh-mash of what has been going on around here the last two weeks.

I set this Dr. Pepper case on the floor by the garbage and Asher picked it up and put it on! It was too funny not to take a picture.

Gage got some diaper rash so he got to have some “free time” to help dry his bum out a little.

Asher loves to get up on the fireplace and make it his stage where he sings and dances.

And he can talk daddy into doing it too.

Asher will often ask to “sing” and we’ll put on music for him to sing and dance to. But if he wants “cowboy song” then we have to turn on Lincoln Highway (Small Time Blue Grass Album)  and he puts on his cowboy hat, and usually grabs a bat or two to use as a guitar, fiddle, trumpet, drum or flute.

Asher loves to lay on the ground and sleep like a cowboy.

Ben working on the computer with little Gage snuggling his chest. Aww!

Asher and Gage having floor time together.

The ground hog must have predicted 6 more weeks of winter because this morning we woke up to:

and it’s still coming down.

 

More Pictures

I know that you’ve all been wanting to see tons and tons of pictures. I hate to disappoint but the last thing on my mind is to run and get the camera! I do have more pictures from the hospital to share though so enjoy!

All clean!

Wrapped up nice and tight!

My three boys! Aren’t they the cutest?

Asher leaning in for an Eskimo kiss.

“CHEESE!”

Also, a big thanks to Karen and Trevor and their kiddos for having Asher over while Gage was being born! Asher had a great time and we didn’t worry about him at all.

Things are going well at home. Thankfully I have the best husband ever and he’s the biggest help anyone could ask for. I am really sore and having some pain but overall it’s much better than the first go-around! We are also pretty tired so don’t be sad if we don’t answer the phone… or call you back.

 

Our Family: Bigger Than Last Time You Saw Us

Baby Gage joined us earlier this evening. Meagan is a amazing, and my hero. She is doing well, the baby is healthy, and the labor went faster and smoother than we ever hoped for. We have been blessed and we thank each of you for your faith & prayers. We give thanks and praise to God for His tender mercies.

Gage rests on Meagan minutes after birth. What champs!

Gage warms up under the baby heater following his first bath.

Gages sleeps between meals and diapers.

More photos will come in the following days, but please be patient with us. As most of you know our lives not only got more awesomerer, but also a little busier.

 

No Baby Yet

If you’re all checking our blog to see if this baby has arrived you will be disappointed, not more disappointed than me because I don’t think that is possible. I am now 39 weeks, and no I don’t have a photo. Tomorrow I go in for a check up and I’ll be scheduled for an induction on Thursday. I’m hoping that things have progressed more and that this kiddo wont need much encouragement to come out and see us.

In the extra weeks we’ve had waiting for him to come we’ve done tons around the house. And by we I really mean Ben. I make my “Wish List” every weekend and he gets almost everything done on them. He’s amazing, I know. You’re jealous, I understand. Our house is now decluttered (YAY!), nearly every single room has been rearranged, has new shelves, a fixed shower door (who cares if Ben broke it while he was trying to fix it and then had to really really fix it; it was still fixed), a mirror in the master bathroom, the clock is hung above the mantle, Asher has had tons of dad-bonding time, mom has gotten some much needed napping. Old baby clothes have been dug out of the garage (Ben) and washed and put away (me), along with rotating clothes that don’t fit Asher now being boxed away for later. And some items have been designated to go to Good Will. Oh, we also lost a car last week. Not really, but kind of. My brother went into the Marines and his wife and kids went to stay with her family. Well they had a second car they were good enough to drop off and let us use. It was amazing having a second car and we are going through withdraws! But my husband is even the best when it came to the car pick up because he was good enough to work from home the day it was supposed to be picked up by the car service. The semi ended not being able to pull down our street because it is too narrow so Ben drove the car to the semi and then walked home… while I napped. Isn’t he amazing?

I seriously have the best husband ever. And to those of you who say, “no no, my husband is the best!” Let me just remind you that even though I technically have not reached my due date I have been under the impression for 3 WEEKS that this kid would be born. My doctor surprised us at the end of December saying that he might make his appearance around January 1st. So being pregnant 3 weeks longer than anticipated does not make for a nice, calm wife. It makes for a more hormonal, emotion and probably irrational wife. So my husband beats all of yours because he’s been SO amazing and patient and wonderful.

We hope you are all having a wonderful start to the new year and we should have a baby no later than Friday, unless my doctor changes her mind tomorrow about inducing on Thursday. And if she does I’m sure you’ll all want to check back in to read a hormonal venting session!

 

Out with the Old and other Updates

We’ve had several changes over the past two weeks, we got some curtains to cover our painfully naked sliding glass door – YAY! And I got new house shoes. Now most of you may think that getting new house shoes might not be blog-worthy but let me assure you that certain members of Ben’s family will be more than delighted to know that a change of house shoes has occurred! And they can thank my dad for them because that is part of what I spent my Christmas money from him on.

Do you people know how much curtains are? It’s crazy how expensive they are! Thankfully we got ours 50% off but we seriously stretched the limit even with them on 50% off. And as you will see we didn’t go all extravagant and fru-fru. WOW are we adults now or what?

New Curtains:

I have to tell you about my old house shoes. I had worn out my blue terry-cloth slippers and with some of our wedding money (obviously not much) Ben and I picked out these slippers together. *Awww* Well in Idaho the winters are long and cold so when we went to visit Ben’s family I always took my slippers with me to wear and keep my feet warm. Pretty much every time Ben’s grandpa Bruce saw my slippers he’d laugh at me and say something like, “I can’t believe you wear those things!” or “Haven’t you gotten new slippers yet?” To which I’d tell him that they were new and his grandson picked them out. So I thought Bruce would be happy to know that I have grown-up slippers now.

Old House Shoes:

New House Shoes:

In other news, Asher loves for me to get the camera out and the other morning he asked me to take some pictures of him crawling behind the couch so I did.

Almost 38 Weeks:

Yes you can all guess that I am now pretty much constantly wearing Ben’s T-shirts because apparently I carry babies much further out than the average women and my maternity clothes have not fit me for weeks.

 

Snowed In

What we woke up to Christmas morning:

Backyard:

Driveway:

To be honest we made no attempt on Christmas to dig ourselves out. We heard the blizzard warnings, we had our food, water, firewood (in the shed blocked by snow). So we weren’t too worried. Today Ben spent hours digging out our super-long driveway and a path to the shed so we could get the firewood out. Thankfully for us the electricity hasn’t gone out because apparently our wood isn’t aged enough to really burn… we get smoldering, some fire but mainly hissing, sizzling, dripping wood. A bit of a dissappointment you might say.

Asher loved running around and throwing snowballs. He thinks his dad is way cool but should put a coat on… I agree but Ben says he’s hot. Those Idahoans, so hot-blooded!

 

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to spend time with family and friends. We had a wonderful Christmas here in Kansas and it was even a white Christmas with lots and lots of snow! This was our first Christmas not visiting family and although it was sad not to see family the lack of a hastle of traveling/adjusting naps/etc was nice. The reason we didn’t travel? The baby is due in just a month! And it looks like it is a really good thing we didn’t go anywhere because Kansas got hit with a blizzard and we’re snowed in.

Asher had a great time checking out his stocking and playing with the airplanes that were in it; so did his dad.

Ben got a cool level he was super excited for. Good job Asher!

This is the only picture of me so I thought I better include it.

Ben got an air compressor for Christmas! Yay! He is really excited for it and all the cool things he’ll get to do with it. My parents chipped in the majority of the money – thank you. And a special thanks goes out to our friends Mark and Eliza for storing it in their garage for me since November!

I got a picture of Asher in his footie pajamas riding his new scooter with his new cowboy hat and Skittles candy cane! What a funny boy.

 

New Hair Cut

I know you’ve all been on edge, biting your nails waiting for my hair cut pictures. So here are two shots. Ben was unavailable to take them so these are my very own handy-work; I know you’re all jealous of my skills.

It’s kind of a mix between options 2 and 3, with some layers but not many. Something that will look good as it grows out but is still long enough I can pull it back. Yay! I’m happy with it.

 

35 Weeks, Pumpkin Bread and a Party

35 Weeks… just 3 more, I mean 5 more to go. Lets all hope and pray for 3 weeks because this beached whale is feeling it! I pulled this shirt out of the closet today thinking it would give me some room, little did I know it is TIGHT! I’m going to have to change again! A lady at church yesterday told me she didn’t think I was going to make it to my due date, and I told her I hoped not to.

In other news I was released from the Primary Presidency. Well everyone was released, not just me. The bishop said that they would give me some time off with the baby due next month and to let them know when I was ready for another calling. His councelor was a little dismayed that I was getting a break because our ward is hurting for callings, but I didn’t argue and I’ll take that time off! Ahhhh.

Pumpkin Bread! I made Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and Banana Bread for Ben’s co-workers and my visiting teachees. It was my first time doing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread and it turned out really yummy. If you’d like the recipe check out my other blog here. Or the banana bread recipe here. Mmmmm. I want to make some more just thinking about it!

We went to a super fun birthday party this week for Asher’s friend Emily. Here are some pictures from the party. It was a Tinkerbell and Pirate party. The girls got fairy wings, headbands and wands. The boys got eye patches, do-rags and swords. It was a super fun party all the kids (and adults) enjoyed themselves.

 

Gift from the Boss

Every year here they have a gingerbread display and the kid entries are gram crackers. Ben’s boss, Jane, bought some gram cracker houses on auction for the kids of people in the office. Asher got a Mount Everest which he thought was pretty cool and surprisingly left alone pretty well. And I thought it was fitting seeing how Asher’s Grandpa Larry was a glaciated mountian climber. Thanks Jane!