Happy birthday to my little girl Eliza.  3 years old never looked so cute.

I can't believe these kids are coming up on birthdays!

A couple of months ago I found out I was pregnant.  I am very happy to be expecting another baby.  Amidst my happiness I have been worried about some possible complications.

At the beginning of the year I noticed a bulge forming in my abdomen.  I was losing weight and working out, so I kind of ignored it and just added some more ab routines to my workout schedule.  Although I kept losing weight and getting smaller in every other place, my waistline was not shrinking and the bulge was becoming more prominent.  By the end of February I found out I was pregnant.  But I also knew there was something wrong going on with my abs.  I went to the my primary care doctor.  He agreed that the bulge was weird and sent me for an ultrasound.  When he called to give me the results he told me that there was a large split between my abdominal muscles allowing my bowels and organs to bulge out.  

I have since visited my OB/GYN and he has confirmed that I have a severe case of diastasis recti.  Fortunately there is no risk to me or the baby.  The only bad things so far: 1. I look much further along in my pregnancy than I really am.  2.  I have absolutely no ab muscles to help support me, making standing or walking for any length of time tiring and painful.

Tomorrow I will be 13 weeks along.  I'm definitely not feeling as sick any more.  And I'm starting to have a bit more energy.  Yay!  

So we'll see how this pregnancy goes.  Here's hoping November 11th will come quickly and without too much pain.

Last week was spring break.  We had really great weather and house guests, two of my favorite things.  We went to the zoo with my sister and parents.  It was great.  Here are some pics from the day.

Some may not agree with this post, and I'm ok with that.  The Easter bunny did not visit our house this year.  We dyed eggs yesterday and will have a small hunt with them.  I did not buy an Easter gift and tons of candy for each of my kids.  I think this holiday has gotten way out of hand.  I think the focus has shifted way off course.  

We will be watching a video about Jesus on lds.org, watching Music and the Spoken Word, and generally try to focus on the true meaning of Easter, Jesus Christ.  I'm not trying to toot my horn.  I'm hoping that others feel the same way I do and we can start a revolution.  Who's with me?

Ben the artist

Ben loves to draw and paint.  He's always asking for paper to create new things.  He especially likes to draw out swords, color them in, then cut them out.  (Should I be worried that he likes to make weapons out of paper?)  Today since Granny was here, he tried his hand at painting.  Granny drew Iron Man on the canvas board and Ben painted it in.  The results speak for them self.

I'm so proud!

Birthday Kids!

Last Saturday May 11 was Tom's 5th birthday.  We celebrated by throwing a little birthday party with his friends.  We had Star Wars cupcakes, a Darth Vader pinata, and light sabers made from pool noodles.  It was a lot of fun.

Tom riding his new birthday bike.

Tom blowing out his candle.

Tom wanted to have Yoda on his cupcake.

The birthday boy with his friends.  (I'm not sure what Ben is doing in this pic.)

Tom opening his gifts.

After opening each gift Tom would hug the person who gave it to him.  In this pic he's about to hug Jak.

Here he is hugging his future wife Elise.

Tom had such a great birthday. He was so spoiled by all of the gifts that his friends and family gave him.

5 year old Tom is a funny boy.  He l  He loves playing the Wii.  His favorite games are Lego Star Wars, Skylanders, and Super Smash Brothers.  He also loves going over to friends' houses to play.  He really enjoys building robots with his Legos.  He likes to watch Dora the Explorer with Eliza or Pokemon with Ben.
Tom is a really smart boy.  He can count to 100, name all of the ABC's, he can sound out words, and can read all of the readers his preschool teacher has sent home.  He doesn't like to cut, color, or practice handwriting much, but he does like figuring addition and subtraction problems.
Tom has a tender heart.  He is good at cuddling, snuggling, and making you feel better if you are sad.  Sometimes he quietly will tap my arm and whisper, "Mom, I love you."  He is a quiet about love and affection.  He loves receiving gifts and is really good at showing his gratitude.  His facial expressions do all the talking.
Tom's favorite food is applesauce.  He also like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti, honey and butter on bread, yogurt, and Honeynut Cheerios.
Tom is a very special boy.  I love him very much.

Today May 18 is Eliza's birthday.  We had a lazy morning.  Eliza opened a few gifts in the morning, including a birthday outfit from me and Sam, and a lot of clothes from Granny.  A little later we went out to lunch at Sam's club (we're big spenders).  Then we went to the mall to play at the dinosaur play area.  The kids had a great time running around and being crazy.  After we were done playing we decided on a whim to get Eliza's ears pierced. 
When we got home we opened the rest of her presents and had a slice of cake.  It has been a really low key day, but really fun as well.

She just finishing her cake.  Notice her newly pierced ears.  She only cried for 1 minute.  She was a champ.

 

Just after blowing out the candles.

Blowing out the candles.

Opening her gift from Aunt Katie.

About to open her gifts.

Birthday girl in the new outfit we got her.  Doesn't she look so big?

2 year old Eliza is a very fun girl.  She loves to play outside, on the swing set, digging in the dirt, or riding bikes.  She also loves running through the sprinklers. 
Eliza is a good helper.  She likes to help pick-up toys, sweep the floor, and help put dishes away.  She likes to mother and boss her brothers around. 
Eliza is a good balance between girliness and tom-boy.  She loves to wear pink, flowers, and sparkles, but she loves rough housing and playing in the dirt.
Eliza likes to sing and dance.  She will usually shimmy on demand. 
Eliza likes applesauce, spaghetti, grapes, bread with cream cheese, pancakes, and oatmeal. 
She's finally starting to get more teeth in.  She has 6 in the front (3 top, 3 bottom) and 4 molars. 
Eliza is fearless and smart.  She is learning to count and can recognize about half of the ABC's.  She speaks in short 2 word sentences.  She loves to look at books and be read to.
She is a sweet girl.  Whenever one of her brothers is sad she tries to comfort them.  She freely gives out kisses and hugs, and likes to cuddle.
Our family is better because of Eliza.  I love her very much.