Random

A few random things from the past few days...

My dear friend Jenny, the crafty girl, gave me the most adorable baby quilt. I am in love with it! Thanks Jen!

Klein keeps taking Preslee's binkie, which I am not sure she is really into but just in case I decided to buy some extras to have on had. Klein also picked out two of her own and can suck, or chew, on both of them at the same time.

I am not sure I will be able to go back to work when the time comes. I am loving being at home with the kids. I have still been working at home, or trying to. I currently have 545 emailed assignments waiting to be graded. Someday I hope to get to them...

We have a freezer full of beef and coincidentally, Klein's new favorite song is "Rawhide"-- thanks to a weekend trip to the Cracker Barrell where the Tumbleweeds band was performing. I downloaded the song from iTunes and now we both have the words memorized.

Yesterday we went to the MC homecoming parade. The kids had a blast but Klein couldn't figure out why they were throwing candy. At one point, she started throwing the candy back. We drove through out old neighborhood and saw that our first house was up for sale. Max really wants to buy it again. I shed a few tears thinking about the memories we made there. Darn hormones combined with a lack of sleep... I cry over pretty much everything these days.

Today, Max's first grade class put on "Lady Bug Day." Max really wanted his Grandpa Lee tocome more than anyone else. Grandpa Lee was a great sport and showed up for the big event which totally made Max's day. It was fun to see Max in his classroom and see him interact with his peers and teacher. I wish I would have taken my camera...

Sunday is Preslee's blessing- there is a lot to do to get ready but I did find a darling dress for her. She is growing and changing every day. Her pretty dark hair is still there but her head is growing, resulting in a receding hairline. She has quite a bit of hair in the back and she will reach back and pull it and then cry- Klein did the same thing.

Preslee- 5 weeks

Klein- 7 weeks

Max- I couldn't get a baby one to upload but here is one of my favorites of him at about 18 months

September

There is not too much going on around here- trying to adjust to three kids and to Max's school schedule and keep on top of everything. Max has lost three teeth in week and got a new bike. Klein got her stitches out. Preslee is growing. Life is good.

7 Stitches

Last night, Klein and Max were riding their bikes and had a head on collision. We weren't outside and didn't see what happened but Max came running into the house to say that Klein was bleeding. I rushed outside and our neighbor was carrying a blood covered Klein toward me. She said that Max turned around and was going full speed but couldn't see Klein because the sun was just going down. It was the most horrible sight-- there was so much blood and Klein was screaming. We got her and the other two kids into the car, make a quick stop at Grandma's and the headed to the emergency room only to have to wait forever. When they brought in a little TV and movies, I figured we were in for a long night. The worst part was the clean up shower and the hair washing which she doesn't like anyway. The numbing part was also pretty bad but when the doctor finally started putting the stitched in, she fell asleep. She has seven total stitches in two different places. It was a four hour adventure but Klein was really brave.

We definitely need to enforce the helmet wearing for all bike riding.

A funny coincidence is that Max also had seven stitches when he was Klein's age. Although his accident happened during church...

Busy Week

This past week was full of craziness as school started and we are making the adjustment to three kids. Max started first grade and that first day seemed like the longest of my life. Max, being a typical male, didn't have too much to tell me about his first day. I wish I could send him back to kindergarten because I hate to see him grow up. It was strange for me to be home on the first day but I didn't have time to worry about my students because my kids were keeping me plenty busy. I have a great substitute which has helped ease my stress.

Preslee is a very sweet baby and has spent the week sleeping and being loved by her siblings. She sleeps at night for four hours at a time which is great unless Klein also wakes up during the night. It is fun to play with Klein during the day. She really misses Max. She also wants to help with the baby and constantly tells me "My do it!" Luckily the newness has worn off a bit and Klein is not constantly trying to carry the baby and shove the binky in her mouth. For the first few days I had to literally hide Preslee from Klein. I am looking forward to my short stint as a stay at home mom and am already dreading October 18, the day I return to school.

Everyone said that the transition from two kids to three is really tough. I don't think it has been too bad although at one point on the second day home with the baby, all three kids were crying and I really didn't know what to do. I think the hardest part is going any where in the car and trying to get them all in and out. I am lucky to have such sweet kids and I thank my Heavenly Father every night for sending them to me.

Klein reverting back to her baby days-- although she never used a binky

Preslee in the bassinet and hiding in my closet.

Welcome Preslee!

Preslee Major arrived bright and early on August 20. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long. I had a feeling she was going to come early but I didn't really think it would happen on Friday morning. I had my appointment on Thursday morning and then worked at the school. I didn't feel all the great but I wasn't having major contractions. I stayed up late working on things and then went to bed around midnight. At 1 am I woke up with some serious contractions and knew it was time to head to the hospital. We called Jason's parents and when they got here, we sped to the hospital (Jason was having fun flooring it down main street). Things were pretty quiet when we got there and I told them it would probably happen fast which it did. We got to the hospital at about 1:45 and Preslee was born at 4:14. Things went fast, just like with Klein. I had an epidural but it didn't work all the way and I was pretty miserable.

It was a long night and I was exhausted but feeling pretty euphoric with a new baby. We had to stay until Sunday and I was pretty much bored out of my mind (even with a good book it is hard to sit around all day). Max and Klein were very excited and both wanted to hold and kiss Preslee. Jason is a pretty proud dad.

We are home now and feeling great, except for school starting and the stress of getting ready for a sub. We are so lucky to have a new baby in our home. Preslee is very sweet and darling. It is amazing how small they are in the beginning! I hope I can handle three kids... there have been a few moments of craziness but overall life is great and we feel so blessed.

(I will post more pictures but it is late and I am exhausted and Preslee needs me so I better run...)

Muscle Car Mania

We became the proud owners of a 1969 Dodge Charger today. A Charger is the same car driven in the Dukes of Hazard aka the "General Lee" and Jason is very excited to finally have a muscle car of his own. It is in great shape and will be fun to have though the garage will be a bit more crowded. Max is in heaven with a race car of his own too.

Other news... we finished 9 days in a row of swimming. I did water babies with Klein rather than fight to keep her out of the water but putting my suit on every day was not my idea of fun. We hit the Brigham Pool last week and then trekked down to the North Shore in Ogden on Friday with Shauna and her kids. It is a great pool and the kids had fun. We celebrated Grandma Maxine's birthday at Deer Cliff and visited Denise for a day. I have been at school a few times trying to get things ready for a sub. We made our annual trip to the county fair which was pretty disappointing. Max and Klein enjoyed the animals and tractors but there wasn't much else to see. Our baby girl will be here in less than two weeks and I am not ready... obviously I have been too busy playing. Let's hope she doesn't make an early appearance or we could be in trouble.

Klein and Sam

Klein and Lane (Lane is only 10 months old)- Klein always wants to hold and take care of Lane which is kind of hard when he is almost as big as her.

Cute swimmer- she loves the water!

Max loves the water too!

Max and Klein both love tractors and spent about an hour climbing on the shiny news ones at the Fair. Max begs to go to Grandpa's every day so he can help bale hay or cut grain.

Jackson Hole Road Trip

We decided to take a little road trip this weekend with my parents. They drove their Corvette again while we rode in the nicely air conditioned Denali. There were no rooms in Jackson so we booked a room in Driggs and headed out Saturday morning. We stopped in Alpine to buy fireworks which was the highlight of the trip for my dad and Jason. We went down to the Snake River to watch the rafts.

We wandered around Jackson in the rain and then made our way to Driggs for the night. The kids swam for hours and then jumped on the beds until they were too exhausted to keep their eyes open. Jason and my dad found a potential muscle car-- a 1969 Charger which was their other favorite part of the trip.

We woke up and went to Teton Village and rode the Jackson Hole tram to the top of the resort and enjoyed some great views. After that it was time to head home.

It was a very short but very sweet trip. We love road tripping with my parents-- my dad loves to drive anywhere and my mom was a trooper, hiking with us even with a bad knee and recent life flight ride for her heart. The kids were angelic... they were great in the car and good every where we went. Klein mimicked Max's every move and called out "hi Grandma" every chance she got. Max threw rocks at every stop and finally got a little pocket knife. It was a long ride for me but worth the smiles and company.