7 weeks (plus some)

Here are some cute pictures of Kimball. He is now 7 weeks old and very strong. Today I put him on his tummy on the floor and went to get some groceries from the car. When I came back in he had rolled onto his back! He seems very strong.

Ode to Finners

Saturday evening, we came home from running errands and found Peter's beta fish dead in his fish bowl. I guess after having Kimball, I haven't been the best at reminding Peter to feed his fish, and he hasn't remembered to do it himself, so we starved the poor fish to death. We all felt awful, especially Peter. We had a long talk about the resurrection, and how even though we don't understand it all, that we can have faith that Heavenly Father will take care of Finners. It was a hard, but very hopeful, lesson for Peter to learn.
On Sunday he had to make a choice on what to do with his fish. I told him we could flush him down the toilet or bury him in our yard. It was a tough choice. He didn't necessarily want to flush him because he knew what sorts of things went down the same pipe, but it had just snowed 8 inches outside and that didn't look too comfortable for poor Finners either. After hours of deliberation, he decided to finally bury his fish. So, with shovel and pick ax in hand, we went outside and dug a hole. Peter sweetly kissed the special box we found for Finners, and choking back the tears, buried his dear fish. Oh, why do these lessons have to be so hard for parents as well?
I am so glad to know for myself the doctrine of resurrection and be able to teach that to my son. I hope he gained a testimony of faith and resurrection through this experience, because it brings me such hope.

Polar Express Party!

Last Friday we had a Polar Express Party for Peter and his friends. We had SO much fun! Everyone came in their pajamas and we started of singing Christmas songs, dancing and playing train games. Everyone got their own box to decorate into a boxcar and then we went downstairs, put together our train, and read The Polar Express by the Christmas tree. It was magical. All the children were entranced. One of Peter's friends, Stephen, assigned himself as the conductor and he took us on quite a wild ride to the North Pole! After we read the book, who should appear but Santa Clause himself who handed out bells and candy canes for everyone! Peter was beside himself. As Santa left, Stephen started staring out the window and said, "I'm just going to wait to see Santa fly away in his sleigh."
A friend of mine, Stephanie, who helped me with the whole party said, "Well, I don't think you'll see him, he has to fly North." That sparked all the childrens' interest and they all ran outside to catch Santa. That poor Santa was taken by quite a surprise! We all learned that Santa uses a car, probably so that his reindeer can rest up for Christmas Eve.
Afterward we helped ourselves to some hot cocoa and homemade nugats. I told Mike that evening, "I think I've made some happy memories for myself to last a long time." I think I may have had more fun than the kids even.

Gingerbread Houses

Mike grew up making gingerbread houses every year, so naturally, this is a family tradition of ours too. It was a lot of fun, and Elsie especially enjoyed it. We pulled out all the candy and tried to set it aside for the actual decorating. Elsie would have none of this. She wanted rewards, immediately and dived right into everything. There was absolutely no stopping her while she shoved and crammed her mouth full of chocolate and goo. She was quickly a slobbery mess.
My favorite, though was when she found the cinnamon bears and shoved one in her mouth all in one bite. I warned her that it was hot, but she kept chewing anyways. I kept asking, "Is it hot yet Elsie?" Nope, she was not giving me any satisfaction of being right. Finally, after a minute or two, she couldn't take it any more and spit it out in the garbage. I thought this would be a lesson and she'd steer clear of the bears, but she must have tried another, because I have been picking up bits of cinnamon bear throughout our carpet throughout the past couple days. It was fun watching her and building the houses as well. Mike was the expert, for sure!

Christmas Magic!

Oh, the joy of having a 4-year-old for Christmas this year! Peter is absolutely loving Santa Clause. One day out of the blue he says to me, "Mom, do you know who I'm going to marry when I grow up?"
"No," I reply, "Who?"
"Santa's wife!" and then after a moment of reflection Peter added, "That is, if he dies that same day."
This dialog has been followed by all sorts of questions about Santa's reindeer, the sack he holds his presents in, and of course the mystery of the chimney. Well, a few days ago we went to a Christmas party at a friends house where Santa was also visiting! Peter was thrilled to see Santa and sit on his lap. Later on in the evening, Peter must have been thinking. He walked up to Santa, tugged at his belt and said, "Santa, how do you get your reindeer to fly?"
"Christmas Magic!" was the wise response.
Peter then came to me with a grin from ear to ear and I said, "I guess Santa really is magic, huh!" Peter replied, "Then his sack must really hold all those presents!"
A couple weeks ago Peter dressed up as Santa for our ward talent show and he and I recited 'Twas the Night Before Christmas together. He was the cutest Santa, don't you think?

Tradition gone wrong

Well, I know it's awfully late to be blogging about Thanksgiving when Christmas is right around the corner, but this is worth mentioning. This year was the year to spend with my husband's family, which is always an adventure, as there are 9 children in his family (7 of them brothers). So, there Thanksgiving tradition has always been to play a game of basketball while everyone else slaves away in the kitchen. With a bunch of competitive brothers playing to be the victor, it can get quite aggressive. As a matter of fact, Mike came home with a huge, swollen, black and blue ankle. I was just sick, knowing how long those can take to heal. Come to find out later, he actually sprained both ankles. However, as much of a bummer as this was, Mike fared well. Later on in the day, they brought the basketballs out again, only to have another brother brake a rib! So, I'm wondering, was this football, or basketball? I hope this tradition tones down in the future!

Highlight #7 - Halloween!

This is the final highlight I want to write about. I have a friend that says she loves Halloween so much because there is no pressure to find the deeper meaning of this holiday. It is the perfect holiday before Thanksgiving and Christmas, that's for sure. I love Halloween because of all the fun traditions that take place - pumpkin carving, harvest time (as I mentioned earlier), pumpkin and apple goodies, parties, cute costumes (I'm not into the scary thing), and fun paper crafts my kids love doing. Also, in my community they put on a "Pumpkin Walk" we go to every year. People throughout the community create a scene made out of pumpkins and squash. So, we walk around looking at the different scenes and carved pumpkins lining the walk, and at the end we get a little cookie. It's a great family event, plus it's free!
However, being due November 1st, I really did not want a dual celebration of birthday and Halloween. So, I was so glad when he was born on the 28th! Although this Halloween was a bit overshadowed by Kimball's birth (rightly so, too!), I wanted to make sure Peter had a chance to see his friends in their costumes and have some fun. So, on the morning of the 28th, I threw Peter and impromptu Halloween Party. It was so funny when all his male friends showed up in spiderman costumes and the lone female was a princess, or the damsel in distress. We played games, did a craft, and sent them home with pumpkin bread. I had a lot of fun with Peter and his friends. One of the moms offered to take Elsie home with her, which I gladly accepted, which is why she's missing in the pictures.

Highlight #6 - Grandma's Funeral

Okay, so this might sound a bit demented, but it was hard to dround in my sorrow's when my 91 year old Grandma, who felt like her life was an overdue book, finally passed away. It was a highlight to go to her funeral, reconnect with with 39 of my 41 cousins, aunts, uncles, and immediate family, and to reflect on her stalwart life and think about how I will carry on her rich legacy.
Just as my mom said when she spoke at the funeral, my Grandma was a "Lady". She was sweet, loving, endearing, always looking her best, and always seeing the good in others. As my uncle put it, "There was no malice in her heart". These are the things I will take with me and work hard to become. This is the legacy I have to look to and rise up to. What a life she lived, and what a posterity she has left behind, with 7 children and 41 grandchildren, and a generation of great-grandchildren that is still in the making. All of her grandchildren felt so loved by her, as she always kept up on all of our day-to-day lives and I'm sure we all feel the weight of her legacy, that we may become more. I hope I can continue this tradition of hers and pass the same feeling onto my children as well.

Highlight #5 - 50th Anniversary

Mike's parent's celebrated their golden 50th anniversary this September. What an amazing thing! All the sibling and in-laws worked hard and put together a dinner a program to celebrate this event. It was so fun to hear all the stories about each of the siblings growing up. Mike helped put a video together with pictures and videos of his siblings sharing stories. He grew up in a family of 9 siblings, and they all managed to come. Can you imagine the mayhem that goes on when they all get together? One sister-in-law put together this beautiful quilt with everyone's handprints on it and a family tree of all the children and their spouses on it. Then we all helped tie/quilt it together. It was beautiful and she did a great job. It was fun to finally be giving to my in-laws because they are such giving people themselves, that I am too often only a recipient of their kindness. Here are some pictures of their posterity.

This is all of Mike's siblings. I think I got the handsomest out of the bunch!

This is most everyone - children, in-laws, and grandchildren. You may not be able to see anyone.

This is our family picture. I seem to be looking at something other than the cameraman, but it was the best picture we took.

Highlight #4 - Harvest Time

Well, I never thought of this as a "highlight" before, but then I realized, what would August and September be like without the wonderful harvest? We grow a garden, and Mike's parents have a small orchard, so in the fall we have a plethora of produce and I am in the kitchen canning like mad! This year wasn't too bad - I decided to give myself a break, being pregnant and all. It was the year of the jams though. I canned rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, cherry raspberry, and apricot. I think my favorite is cherry raspberry. I'll have to do more of that one next year. Mike is really great at helping out too. He's a great sport at peeling and helping me get the job done when it's late at night. He's great. We also canned peaches, cherries, cherry pie filling, and apple pie filling. I love watching the kids run around eating peaches and apples from the trees, and stealing corn out of the garden. Don't you just love the pictures? This year
there were lots of cherries and my kids loved them!

Highlight #3 - Oregon Coast

Mike and I really wanted to take our kids on a real family vacation this year where we would all have fun, and after much thought, we decided to drive to Newport, Oregon. We had so much fun! Peter was so excited to get to the ocean on our way there. On our way, after an 8 hour car ride, we stopped at a camping spot by the Columbia River and set-up our tent for the night. Peter was so excited to play in the water and tiny beach for about 20 minutes. The next day he thought we were going home and that he had already played in the ocean. The world is so big to a 4-year-old! When we finally arrived in Newport, we camped several days and played and played at the beach, went to the aquarium there, visited lighthouses, discovered tide pools, watched boats, seals, and sea lions, and flew our kite. The last couple nights we stayed in a hotel and swam in the pool, ate lots of ice, and explored the hotel. It is so fun to be on vacation with kids and see the world through their eyes. Here are some pictures.


This is at Cobble Beach...while Dad and Peter explored in the tide pools, Elsie communed with the cobbles.

This was the lighthouse we didn't go up. It was pretty disappointing. I had geared Peter up all month talking about lighthouses and watching Pete's Dragon....only to find out there was a height restriction. Sigh. It was pretty to look at, at least.

We heard the Oregon coast is the only place where all colors of starfish - red, orange, and purple - co-habitate. I thought this picture was kind of neat, seeing them all together.


Mike is an explorer - he's not afraid of anything and is handy at just about everything. He even talked me into picking up a starfish.

Kite flying at its finest.



Peter loved using the Kelp as a "laso".

Here is Elsie, enjoying the sand as only she can. She was always such a mess.

In the Newport Aquarium, they have this area where you are encircled in the aquarium and can see the fish all around. Elsie showed Peter how fun it was to look at the glass on the floor. I just needed some orange cones to set around them for those passing by.


Ummmm....Lollipops!

Peter LOVED to chase the waves. We spent a lot of time running along the beach. It was a lot of fun!

Highlight #2 - Nicholia Ranch

Every other year my side of the family has begun doing a family reunion. This summer was our second biannual event and we held it at the same place - Nicholia Ranch. Why have a reunion in the same place 2 times, because it is so dang fun for everyone! There are fishing ponds, horses, a plethora of 4-wheelers, hiking, games...the perfect adventure for anyone under 90. The cousins love to explore together. This year the favorite place for the 9, 6, 4, and 3 year old boy cousins was the junk yard. Can you imagine? Old cars, rusted metal, glass chard's, dangerous flamable material - pretty much anything you shouldn't burn. Yes, this was very exciting for the boys, and nerve racking for the rest of us! But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we got to the ranch, we all made the time to stop and visit my Grandma Rydalch. She was 91 years old and this was the last time my kids or I were able to see her as she just passed away last month. What a wonderful person and a great experience this was. I really hope Peter will remember her always.
While at the ranch, Grandpa put together a treasure hunt for the grandkids. This was no ordinary hunt, however. The cousins found themselves digging for treasure, fighting bad guys with their swords, drinking magic potion for more energy, and following maps and compasses as their guide. It was a definite highlight for us all during the vacation! Here are some pics....





We also went on a little hand-cart trek - it was only a couple miles, but carrying one inside me as well as 1 on my hip, it was more than enough to give me a great appreciation for those dear pioneers who walked across the plains for religious freedom.

My dad was ingenious when he thought of bringing these along....the pieces to build our own marshmallow shooters! They were a ton of fun, and Elsie and Eden enjoyed the spoils of the battle. Lanita, in the background, just got a marshmallow shot down her throat - hence the lovely expression.

There was so much more we did. We flew kites, made movies (Thanks to my award-winning brother-in-law, Micah, for being the director and shooter), and played a rousing bean-bag game we couldn't get enough of. We rode horses, which Elsie LOVED. She would giggle and laugh all the harder the faster the horse would go. She is definitely a thrill seeker! Peter earned the fisherman's award. Every time I turned around he was trying to talk an adult into going fishing with him. He would cast all by himself over and over until he'd catch a fish. He wasn't afraid of their slimy, gross scales and flipping bodies as he pulled them out of the water. It was great. We had a lot of fun. A big thanks to my Uncle Carl for letting us use his place. It gave us all such great memories for a lifetime.

Highlight #1 over the past 20 weeks

I am a very over-anxious pregnant person - I am either cleaning and working like mad or I'm lying down in sheer exhaustion, and there is not much activity (such as blogging) in between. However, there was so much that happened over the past 20 weeks that I can't let them go by without a few words and pictures.
So, Highlight #1 would be Peter's 4th Birthday! He had his first birthday party and we had so much fun! Peter was quite specific on what he wanted to do for his party: a water balloon fight, treasure hunt, and a Winnie the Pooh birthday cake. We all had so much fun!

Okay, so I forgot one can't make red out of food coloring, so my boy got a pink birthday cake, but he didn't seem to mind. That's what counts! The next picture we are filling up more water balloons. Trying to do this with a pack of excited 4-year-old's was a hilarious experience.

I loved this picture with all the skinny arms flailing around. This picture puts me in motion.

This is when we showed Peter his new big-boy bed he got for his birthday from Mom and Dad. What an exciting day!

Peter was born the same day our town does its 4th of July celebration, which means he gets fireworks on his birthday every year! We get together with my husband's family and eat dinner and cupcakes while we wait for it to get dark. Elsie sure liked the frosting!

Peter is modeling his new p.j.'s Grandma just gave him for his birthday.

New Arrival!

So...20 weeks of gestation later, taaadaa, we have a new baby boy! He was born October 28th at 7:00 pm weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz., and 19 inches long. We named him (not a moment too soon!) Kimball Marcus. Here is a pic right after delivery.lKimball has been the perfect newborn! I couldn't have picked a better delivery...I checked into the hospital at 6:15, not knowing if I was in labor for sure, and he was born at 7:00 - 45 minutes later, AND the doctor was even there this time. It was great! Since then, he has proven to sleep well, eat well, and tolerate his siblings without any complaints. He is the cutest little one I have held in about 21 months! We came home from the hospital the next day and met some excited older siblings, which we naturally documented with more pictures!

We are having a fun time getting to know this new spirit in our home. Peter and Elsie have really taken to him. Elsie wakes up and the first thing out of her mouth often is, "Kimball?" We all love and adore him!

My Mom came and stayed for a little over a week and helped me with the kids and household. It was great to have her here! Only, after looking through my pictures, I realized we totally missed taking a picture of her while she was here! Sorry Mom, I really slipped up and was enjoying the help a little too much! Elsie especially really bonded with her Grandma while she was here. It didn't bother her in the least that I was busy taking care of Kimball because she knew she had Grandma's undivided attention whenever she wanted. After a couple days stay, my Mom nicknamed my kids The Dictator (Peter), Queen Bee (Elsie), and The Boss (Kimball). Yes, it is a power struggle at my house.

Now my Mom is gone, the weekend is closing, Monday will soon be here, and I must fly solo. Wish me luck!

It's a.... Boy!

Yep, we're adding another boy to our household! We had our ultrasound and, of course, had to know what we were going to have. I have never been one for surprises. I find it much more enjoyable and much less stressful to anticipate what will happen, and am a deer in the headlights any other way. I must admit, this whole boy, girl, boy pattern we are setting up has me a bit confused, coming from a family of all girls and all. We are all pretty excited. However, when I told Peter he was going to have another brother he replied, "I already knew that, Mom." So, whether we knew it or not, we are all happy and busy anticipating!

A Movie Date!

The last movie Mike and I went to with just each other may have been....the First Star Wars. I remember because I was super pregnant, and we stayed up way too late and I only got 4 hours of sleep before I went into labor and had Peter. That would have been almost 4 years ago! It is quite pathetic, but the movie that finally got us out of this dry spell was the long awaited Star Trek. Mike and I got a babysitter and everything and went out on the town. It was great just being with Mike, but to add to the excitement, the movie was completely entertaining and fun. I loved seeing how all the characters developed, and best of all, seeing the real Leonard Nemoy. It was so well done and I could watch it over and over. It was a huge hit with Mike and me. When we came home, the babysitter had put this happy, loving magic spell on our children. They were laughing and so excited, and Elsie kept giving Peter hugs over and over again. It was too cute. I tried to capture it, and this was the best I could do.

A Fun Weekend!

A week and a bit ago was a fun packed weekend for this girl! Friday evening I had my sister, Becky, and her family come up from Provo and spend the night. I had a great time being with my sister and playing with Eden, who is a week older than Elsie. I love watching the little munchkins run around everywhere! Eden's a champ runner these days for sure! As much fun as I had, Peter was in heaven spending time with his Uncle Micah. He kept saying, "Uncle Micah, I love you....I missed you." This is the ultimate compliment from Peter because he is constantly telling his 'far-away' grandma and grandpa, "Don't worry, I won't miss you." Once he even told me, "Mom, if you died, I wouldn't miss you." Thanks bud. Glad to know you would be okay. So, apparently, he connected with his Uncle Micah.
On Saturday we had big plans to go to the zoo and see elephants and giraffes! We had read and sang songs about them all week long. However, those plans quickly got scratched, because we would have to leave Uncle Micah, and he was much more fun! So, we spent the morning bonding and playing and then by late morning we left to head down south for a small high school friend reunion. I had so much fun seeing good 'ole friends from home! Stephanie, Amanda, Jordan, and Severin with all their spouses. I was the only one with kids (for the time being) and was soooo appreciative that everyone was willing to put up with their energy and exuberance. Mike was really good to help as well, and I had a great time catching-up and chatting with good 'ole friends. It was a great day!

A Broken Arm

Last Sunday Elsie took a fall from a kitchen chair and landed on her stomach and hands. She cried for a while and seemed concerned about her hand. Mike and I held her and made sure everything seemed okay and sent her on her way. That day everyone was sick and we had mostly stayed home from church. Elsie continued to act fussy, but we chalked it up as being sick like the rest of us. Well, she cried through part of the night and continued to into the morning, just wanting to be held. Mike and I couldn't figure out if this was her being sick or if something was truly wrong with her arm. At about noon we decided to take her into her pediatrician. After looking at the x-rays, the doctor said, "Well, it looks like we have a broken arm." The big bone, right below her wrist joint was broken over half way through. Ooops. Elsie is a very small 16 month old, barely fitting into her 12 mo clothes, which meant figuring out how to imobilize the joint took some thought and consulting. Finally they decided to cast it. She held SO still as her doctor bandaged her up, and when he was done she turned to him and said, "Thank you". It was pretty cute. Once we took her home she was running around with it like nothing ever happend. I'm just wondering how I'm going to keep her out of the mud and water for 3 weeks. Yikes, it could get ugly!

No Training Wheels

Mike and I had a really busy Saturday planned. We got up early and started on our chore list: mowing the lawn, cleaning the garage, etc. A little after 8:00 Peter informed his dad he wanted his training wheels taken off. You don't turn a request like that down, so by 8:20, all chores had ceased, and Mike was helping Peter onto his newly solo 2-wheeled bike. Peter got on and took off. Mike ran with him around the corner and up a hill to a neighbors house, where Peter turned around and came back home. He took to it like a fish does to water. We were so proud! By noon he was riding his bike everywhere and making all sorts of obstacles for himself to ride around. It was the highlight of our day. Funny how something like this makes you realize how menial your "to do" list really is.

"Our" Dogs

We are the minority in our neighborhood because we own just one solitary fish we keep as a pet. Everyone else has a dog. There is Ella, the hunting chocolate lab, Toby (golden retriever?), Mocha (Australian shepherd), Elvis (golden lab), Doodle (an 8-week old poodle), and our favorite, Duke (he’s a boxer). We love all the dogs! Mocha, we must admit tries our patience. When she gets into our garbage searching for Elsie’s dirty diapers, our love wanes, for sure. However, she is still a young, big, pup. Duke loves to play and be pet. He is right next door, so we see him the most. Yesterday Elsie even said his name, “Duke”. It was really cute. Our neighbor’s son also got a brand new dog, just six weeks old. His name is Choppers and he’s a Mastiff. I doubt he’ll stay so little for very long. So I’m wondering, why would we ever get a dog when we have so many to love all around us? We’ve got the best of both worlds – lots of dogs to love without having to take care of one. I’ve just got to convince Peter and Elsie. Here are the pictures of some of the dogs I’ve told you about.