Happy Birthday Hayden

Hayden's birthday was last Wednesday - she turned the big 3!! Since there really isn't much she can do as far as activities right now, we decided just to have a little pizza party at our house with some kids from our neighborhood and ward. We had pizza and cake and ice cream and then watched a movie. It seemed like they had a good time, and I think Hayden enjoyed having other kids come over.

Hayden got to have round 2 of cake and ice cream that night with the family. We got Hayden a Smart Cycle for her birthday, but obviously she can't play with it yet. Avery wanted us to open it right away, but we told her she had to wait until Hayden gets her cast off so she can try it first. She is having a hard time waiting to play with it, but it is a good way to teach her patience!

Hayden gets her cast off in 3 weeks from Friday. The doctor said it will take her a few days to get comfortable with standing and walking again. It will be interesting to see how she does once the cast comes off. The Smart Cycle actually may be a good way for her to build up her strength in her legs again. We'll see how it goes... In the meantime, we are counting down the weeks! Happy Birthday Hayden!

Five Weeks to Go...

Hayden has been in her cast for almost three weeks now. We thought she would have it on for only six weeks, but we found out at her one-week checkup that it is actually eight weeks. She is scheduled to get it off on Feb. 20th, which is five weeks from today. Woohoo! We figured out how to get in her in the stroller so we can at least take her outside for a few minutes or push her up to the table to eat dinner with us like this. This picture was taken after the first week.I took this picture of the girls today. This is Hayden's usual position on the couch. Avery is enjoying watching all of the movies with Hayden of course. I have noticed that there is a lot less fighting around our house lately, which is nice. Avery has been pretty good about being sensitive to Hayden and letting her play with toys that they normally would fight over. And it helps that they can't chase each other around the house or push each other over or hit each other. Besides the DVDs playing over and over again, it's actually pretty quiet around here most of the day. (Sorry these pictures are so blurry. I can't figure out how to get my memory card from our camera to upload, so I have been using my cell phone to take pics).Avery was getting jealous of me taking pictures of Hayden so she had to pose for a photo too.

In general, the last three weeks have been a little overwhelming at times, but for the most part they've gone pretty well. None of us slept much the first week. Hayden would cry and scream a lot, partly from pain (we think) and partly out of frustration - I can't blame her for that. But, thankfully, she is sleeping a lot better now at night and only wakes up one or two times crying, but goes back to sleep after I go in there. There have definitely been some adjustments and Brandon has gone to the store several times for me since I can't leave the house during the day. And our ward members and neighbors have been so wonderful! We had dinner brought to us three days in a row this week! I am totally being spoiled. I am so grateful to all who have helped babysit, drop things off, make dinner, take Avery for the day, phone calls, emails, etc. We are so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family members. Thank you!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Emergency Room

Well this last week has been quite adventurous for our family! Christmas was really fun this year. It seems to get better and better as the kids get older. Avery got a new bike from Santa. She was so sad it was raining that day and she couldn't ride it outside. (By the way, it was so great to have a rainy Christmas this year. It felt more like "winter" here in AZ.) Hayden spilled her orange juilus all over her pajamas, so I had to take them off after breakfast. After I took Hayden's pjs off, she pushed her new baby doll and stroller all around the house in her birthday suit. Of course I had to get a picture of it.Kiley was in heaven with all of the toys, wrapping paper, and goodies to play with on the floor after all the presents were unwrapped. We had a really nice, low-key Christmas. And thank goodness it was low-key! The two days after Christmas were spent packing up and moving to a different house (only about 10 min. away). After spending all day at a friend's house, we picked up the girls and brought them to the new house. They were so excited to be in a different place - they were running around and jumping on everything.

Brandon and I were rearranging furniture in the living room and Hayden was jumping around on some pillows and cushions on the floor. All of a sudden she slipped on one of them and we heard a "crack" as she landed. She immediately started screaming and holding her right leg. Brandon and I looked at each other with the, "Oh no, what do we do now?" look.

So Brandon took Hayden to the local hospital where they took x-rays and discovered she had broken her femur! She was transferred by ambulance to Phoenix Childrens Hospital and I met them there at about midnight. The following day (Sunday) she was put under general anesthesia while they put her cast on. The doctors thought she may need surgery, but thankfully it was not needed. Because of the location of her break though, the cast goes all the way down her right leg, up around her waist, and halfway down her left leg.This was Sunday night at the hospital. We came home from the hospital on Monday to a house full of boxes. Thankfully, Brandon already had the week off of work and we have had a lot of help from family and ward members. It is almost impossible to get her in and out of the car like this, so someone will have to be home with her at all times. It's going to be an interesting 6 weeks, but we will make the most of it! Hayden spends most of the time on the couch at home and enjoys watching lots of movies. Considering her condition, she has done remarkably well and she still has her spunky Hayden personality. There are moments of frustration on everyone's side, but we get through them. It's funny that just the other day Brandon and I were talking about how great things were going for us lately and we both mentioned that something bad was bound to happen at any time. Unfortunately, we were right. That's the way life goes!

Truly Inspiring

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted anything on here and there are many reasons for that. There have been so many things going on lately and to be honest I haven't really known where to start. About three weeks ago, a very special person died from cancer. Her name is Susan Mortensen Turley and she was 25 years old. She is my brother-in-law's sister and a friend of Brandon's from high school. She had just gotten married to her husband Justin in January of this year and was diagnosed with colon cancer in July. She went through several rounds of chemo and surgery to remove the large tumor in her colon. Unfortunately, her body became too weak to fight anymore and she passed away on Dec. 5th. She and her husband kept a blog throughout her whole treatment and experience and on the last day of her life she used what little energy she had left to tell Justin what to say in her final post. Susan expressed her gratitude for the love and support of others and finished with her powerful testimony of the Savior. It moved me to tears and was incredibly touching.



Although I did not know Susan well before this whole experience, I have learned so much about her through reading her blog, from the comments of her friends and family, and through the stories told of her at her funeral. She was such a positive person and even when she was so weak and in immense pain from her illness, she always found something to be thankful for and expressed her gratitude often to those who cared for her and showed their love and support to her. She put the feelings of others above her own and truly had Christlike love for everyone around her. I have learned so much from Susan and her example has changed my life in my many ways. I have found myself making more of an effort to be kind to others and smile, even when I don't always feel like it. I have noticed myself giving Brandon and my girls a few extra hugs and kisses. When I am having a bad day and I start to feel overwhelmed, I think of Susan and the pain and struggles she endured and suddenly my 'problems' don't seem so unbearable anymore. I think the most valuable lesson I have learned from Susan is that what really matters in this life is what we do for others and the service we give - not because we have to, but because we love the Lord and want to serve Him through others.



That is what I will remember the most about Susan and take with me throughout my life. It is obvious that she was much better prepared to leave this world than I am right now. I have a long way to go to be like her and to have the spirit and attitude and light that she had that affected so many others. I will forever be grateful to her for sharing her thoughts and feelings with us during her difficult trial. I admire her husband Justin for his unconditional love to Susan and his example of how we should all love our spouses. My heart goes out to him as he struggles in the weeks, months, and years to come. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through something like that. It seems like things like this only happen to the best people and to those who have much more faith and patience than I do.


If you want to read Susan and Justin's blog it is http://www.lemonademakers.blogspot.com/ , or you can click on their link under my blog list. The latest post is the program from her funeral, as well as the talk her father gave at her funeral. You will see how beautiful she is, inside and out, and why so many people love her. It is truly inspiring.

Two Princesses and a Spider

Before the costumes...
I finally gave in and bought the pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets this year. The kids have usually just used plastic bags or whatever I could find, but I thought it would be fun to have the real thing this year. Avery was so excited to have one.

Hayden decided to use her pumpkin to put all of her princess dolls in.

All dressed up...

Avery was so excited to be Belle this year, and Hayden wanted to wear anything but the Hula girl outfit I was hoping she would. Oh well, another princess it was.

Despite her lack of smile, Hayden did have a really fun time trick-or-treating. She just goes through these pouty moods (quite frequently I might add) but thankfully this one didn't last long.

Kiley was our little Spider this year. My Mom bought her this adorable costume, and although the hat was a little big, it was really cute on her.
Unfortunately, the spider costume was made for places that actually get cold on Halloween, so she couldn't wear it very long without sweating. Thankfully, we had a backup strawberry hat that Kiley could wear to our ward trunk-or-treat party. (The rest of the strawberry costume was fleece from head to toe, so a onesie it was for our 80 + degree Halloween night.)

We had a great time and the kids loved dressing up in their costumes and of course getting handfuls of candy for their buckets. I still can't believe another Halloween has come and gone. Where has this year gone?? Anyway, hope you all had a great Halloween too.

Preschool Halloween Party

Last week was my first time hosting preschool at my house. We had a Halloween party on Thursday with all of the kids in Avery's preschool class. They were so cute in their costumes. We read some Halloween stories, played Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin and a Halloween matching game, and decorated trick-or-treat bags.

Kayla didn't want to be in the group picture, so I took a picture of her on the floor.

Avery (a.k.a. Belle) dancing with her friend Emily (the ballerina) before the party started.When the moms came to pick up their kids, we all went outside and they "trick-or-treated" to each of us. We all brought 8 non-candy items to pass out to the kids, so they got some fun things like glow in the dark bracelets, coloring books, and parachute pumpkins.
There were a few extra kids in this picture outside because some of the younger siblings of the preschoolers (including Hayden) wanted to participate in the festivities. Overall, it was a really fun party and the kids loved wearing their costumes to preschool and showing them to the other kids. It was a busy, but fun day.

Baby Tag

1. Where were you when you first found out you when you found out you were pregnant? I have always found out with home pregnancy tests, so at HOME.
2. Who was with you? My hubby
3. What was your first reaction? I was very excited with all three, but more nervous with the first one, but none of them were surprises
4. What was your husband's reaction? He was excited too, although the excitement wears down a little with each one – probably because we’ve been there before and both of us know what to expect
5. Who was the first person you told? Our parents
6. Were the pregnancies planned? Yes.
7. Was everyone happy for you? Yes, although many were shocked when we got pregnant with Avery only a few months after we got married.
8. What was the sex? All girls
9. Did anyone throw a shower for you? I had two showers scheduled, but I went into labor three weeks early so I missed them by a few days. I did have a small surprise shower for Hayden with family since I missed out the first time around.
10. Did you get any outfits you wouldn't use? I did exchange a few pricey ones that were new. ( I would rather have 2 or 3 outfits than one fancy baby dress. )
11. How much weight did you gain? About 25 pounds with the first two and 30 the last time
12. Did you get stretch marks? A few on my rear, but none on my belly (which I am very grateful for)
13. Did you crave anything crazy? Not really, however chocolate milk always sounds good when I’m pregnant
14. Who or what got on your nerves the most? Just waiting at the end and not knowing when I will go into labor. I am not very patient during the last few weeks, especially after having the first one early.
15. Where were you when you went into labor? Thankfully I have been at home when my labor started with all three babies
16. Did you have any complications? With Avery, I had some type of uterine infection which gave me a high fever, so they had to keep her in the NICU for three days to monitor her. I also have weird reactions to epidurals. They never work on my right side for some reason, and each time they have given me more meds, I have gotten sick and the baby’s heart rate has lowered. That is one of the reasons I decided to have my last baby Kiley naturally.
17. Did your water break? Only with Hayden – and thankfully it was only trickling until we made it to the hospital 45 minutes away.
18. Who drove you to the hospital? Brandon
19. Did you go early or late? 3 weeks early with Avery, 1 day late with Hayen, and 5 days early with Kiley.
20. Who was in the room? Just me and my hubby.
21. Did you video tape it? Heck no - even I would have been traumatized to hear myself scream like that.
22. Did you have any pain medication? (See # 16 above)
23. Did you have a c-section or natural? Natural
24. What was your reaction to the birth? Each time I have been amazed that this tiny person just came out of my body. I love holding them for the first time. After delivering Kiley, my initial reaction was, “That was the most pain I have ever felt in my life and I am never doing that again.” I really had no idea how painful child labor was until I went through it with no drugs. I have a much greater respect for the pioneer women and all of those tough mothers who gave birth in horrible conditions. At least I had a hospital bed and ice chips!
25. How big was the baby? Avery was 7 lbs. 1 oz. Hayden was 8 lbs. 5 oz. and Kiley was 7 lbs. 5 oz.
26. Did your husband cry? He did wirh Avery - the first one is emotional for everyone
27. When is the next one coming? Not for a few years (the last one is still fresh in my mind – and my body!)
28. If you could would you do it all over again? Absolutely! There is nothing greater than being a mom, and I know now more than ever how important that calling is. It is definitely worth all of the sacrifices and hard days and diapers and crying. There is nothing more joyous than watching your baby smile back at you, or hearing your toddler say, “I love you Mommy.” It is the best job in the world!

I'm not going to tag anyone specifically. I would love to hear your baby stories though if you want to answer these questions too.