Friday, February 29, 2008

Sleeping

What does the way you sleep say about you?

Proper: This is Emmeline. She sleeps on her back with her arms folded across her chest. Her blanket is perfectly straight on top of her.

Cuddly: This is Joshua. He sleeps in the fetal position, clutching his tassel blanket.

Adjectives can't describe: This is Benjamin. He sleeps flat on his face without regard for pillows, blankets (except Wilson), or the bed itself. The only reason he can breathe is because his head is hanging off the bed.

This is how I found the kids the other night...having a campout. I thought it was funny how their personalities shine through, even in their sleep.

I'm also pleased to announce that Samantha and I are alot alike! We're both girls who live to eat and have exactly three outfits that fit.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I know a name....

Emmeline, Joshua, and Benjamin are excited to "officially" announce the arrival of their new baby sister

Samantha Raye

7 lbs. 11 oz.

21 inches

February 23, 2008


Moses?

Definately not Moses, but that's what I think of every time I lay her in this awesome basket.


Awwww!


Joshua and baby girl.


Benjamin's not sure about baby girl.


Emmeline's going to take this pic to school to show all her friends her new baby.


And Benjamin getting in on the camera fun!

Gina Bardoo?

No, her name isn't GinaB, but I needed a title for these pictures of as yet nameless baby girl.


All ready to come home!


Relaxing with dad.


The sibs...more interested in the tv than the camera.



Gina Bardoo.

Brand new baby girl...

Her first photo!

Sleeping after all that hard work.


Proud papa...his little girl is wearing a Mariner's hat, of course!


Mom and baby.



A family of six! We're huge...I can't believe it. When the kids came to the hospital, Emmeline was instantly enamored with the baby. Joshua thought there must be another one in my belly, seeing as it was still huge. Benjamin stood in the corner and stuck out his lower lip...something was going on and he wasn't sure what!

Friends with Bellies!

Not many people get to be pregnant with their best friends...so I think it's pretty cool that Carly and I are (were!) expecting at the same time. Here's our first and last belly shot, as I went in to labor the next morning. Kirstin and Carly (at 39 1/2 and 25 weeks, respectively). Thanks to photographer/head-cutter-offer EmJ.

And, I just had to post this picture of Benjamin, taken a few weeks ago. He ADORES his books, as you can well see. He buried himself as much as he could, and then turned to me for help. I couldn't add just any book to the stack, he let me know one-by-one which books I was allowed to put on top!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

She's Here!!!

This morning we welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world!

7lbs, 11oz, 21 inches
black hair, blue eyes
8:48 am

She arrived after 3 hours and 48 minutes of labor...most of which occurred with the blessed medical intervention called the epidural! Woohoo!

I'M NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE!!!

I'll post again in a day or so with pictures and hopefully a name!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Willie

Wilie continuously entertains us, but continually needs to be entertained. Yesterday, we had four cousins over all day, so I figured he'd be completely happy, social, in his element. Well, he was, until he had to go to the bathroom. I guess three minutes alone is too long because shortly after he ran into the bathroom, I heard, "SOMEONE, COME TALK TO ME RIGHT NOW!!!"

Wow.

Benjamin was adorable with his cousins, too. At one point, he and Clark (only 2 months younger) had an actual conversation. I think they may have just been walking around the room, pointing out all the toys, but it was so cute to hear their little voices, taking turns just like you're supposed to. It's too bad I didn't think quickly enough to grab the video camera (which is in the car, waiting for it's trip to the hospital. Waiting, and waiting, and waiting...AND we're back to the pregnancy complaints!)

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Valentine's Day

I just have to share an adorable story of what happened on our severely white trash Valentine's Day...yes, we went to Denny's...yes, we took the kids...yes, we made them eat off of our plates even though it was a special occassion...

But, Benjamin tried the buffalo sauce. He first dipped his sausage in marinara (yuck), then in syrup (decent), then begged for the buffalo sauce (which I drank, but apparently spicy food does not induce labor, bummer). He stuck his sausage in the sauce then in his mouth and immediately pulled it out to say, "HOT!" He licked his lips for about two more seconds and gave us a slow, emphatic, "Oh, hot!" It was hilarious and I wish that you could hear for yourself his little voice making that great discovery. Needless to say, he went back to the syrup pretty quick!

And, just so you don't think we're completely lame...we did go out on a "real" date the next evening!

Finally, I've been tagged again--since it's related to marriage, I'll do it. Anyone who wants to do this, I tag you.

How long have you been together? 8 years on April 14th
How long did you date? 4 months
How long we're you engaged? 8 months
How old is he? 31
Who eats more? Definately me
Who eats more sweets? Me
Who said "I love you" first? Me, again, but I was tricked!
Who is taller? Luke
Who sings better? Me, but that's not saying much!
Who is smarter? People smarts=Luke Book smarts=Kirstin
Who does the laundry? Mostly me
Who does the dishes? Mostly me...just a note, though...while I keep the house "clean" day to day, it's Luke who does all the deep cleaning, Saturday chore type stuff, especially when I'm pregnant. It's awesome!
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me
Who pays the bills? Whomever picks up the mail that day
Who mows the lawn? In this house, apparently nobody! (Just kidding, as soon as we get a lawn mower it'll be all Luke!)
Who cooks dinner? Cook is a relative term...but I "prepare" the meals!
Who is more stubborn? Hmmm, I'm not sure, it depends on the situation.
Who kissed who first? Luke
Who asked who out? Luke
Who proposed? Luke...at a seniors retirement community...we were in AZ visiting his Grandma
Who is more sensitive? That may depend on the situation, (or the stage of pregnancy), but I'm more of the, "I told you I loved you when I married you, and if it ever changes, I'll let you know!", variety--so generally, I'd say Luke is more sensitive.
Who has more friends? Luke
Who has more siblings? Luke
Who "married up"? Definately Luke! (Thanks for adding that one, Bri!)

Saturday, February 16, 2008

What's in a name?

We named my son after my father. I've always known that he'd have some big shoes to fill, but yesterday, my father's hometown paper added a quality to the ever growing list of traits...

SILKY SMOOTH

That's right son, you need to be silky smooth. I'm not quite sure if the article was referencing grandpa's hair or his basketball abilities, but nonetheless, you need to be a patient, kind, spiritual giant, possessing of the silky smoothness of my father.

Get to work son!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

We have...

HEAT!!!

A FIXED CAR!!!

ADORABLE VALENTINES (that Emmeline made herself)!!!

THREE WORKING TOILETS!!!

Basically, we have EVERYTHING! It's all ready, prepared, done, you name it. I have covered every base that needs to be covered and then some, and still...NO BABY. I'm sick of waiting and I feel like an arthritic old woman. I'm conniving ways to get myself admitted to the hospital because this waiting is a nightmare.

But, I'm glad we have heat!

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

A note for Ashley...

We have an '03 Pilot. The problem seemed to be something with the idler. They replaced the part, charged us an arm and a leg, and Luke will pick up the car later today. So, it turned out to be no big deal...and the problem was just having to do with age and bad luck. (And the stuck door that I mentioned a few weeks ago was nothing...the car just had to thaw!) We've generally had great luck with Hondas, hopefully the Pilot will be no exception.

And to everyone else...today is the day I picked on the baby poll! No sign of labor, unfortunately, but I'm officially 37 weeks, so I can officially say, "Any day now!" Hopefully that day will come soon!

Monday, February 04, 2008

$$$$$ Drain continues...

Man, it's fun to complain on my blog. People must think I'm terribly pessimistic!

So, this morning, I woke up to the revving of a car engine. Groggily, I came downstairs thinking, "What moron....?," only to look out the window and see that it was our car. Luke had started it to warm it up before he left, and it took to revving itself. Not a good sign. It was like there was a tiny, invisible mouse pushing the gas pedal every three seconds. (Which wouldn't be too suprising considering the Templeton carcass on our front lawn...but that's a story for another day.) So, we add the next chapter to the "what else can go wrong?" saga. I sure hope our roof doesn't cave in with the next heavy rainfall...

Sunday, February 03, 2008

$$$$$$

As we walked in the house from church today, Luke said, "Alright, put on your coats we're going inside!"

Yes, our thermostadt is broken. We tried to simply replace it yesterday and found that the problem is faulty wiring, not just the thermostadt...so, once again, $$$$$ flying out the door. To add insult to injury, our kitchen faucet is leaking profusely. We bought a new one, which on the box says, "easy 1-2-3 installation," so I'll stay out of Luke's way as he tries to become a plumber. Electrician, painter, and mechanic have not exactly been pleasant experiences.

Good news, though, on the home repair front. Now that we know how to change a thermostadt, we've installed a new one in the family room (our rooms are individually controlled), so now that heater (which generally runs nonstop from October-June--because it's old and crappy) can actually be turned off. It should save us some money this winter...unless we all end up with pnemonia because of the lack of heat. I think it's sort of ironically funny that we were mad because one heater ran all the time, costing us $$$, and the other wouldn't run, also costing us $$$$. I suppose we've nothing better to do than complain about our falling apart house--old enough to have a big yard, but new enough to fall under the "housing boom equals shoddy workmanship" category. Gotta love it!

To switch topics, I wanted to share a sweet Emmeline story. Last Sunday, as many of you already know, the Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away. I told the kids as soon as we heard the news. Joshua was visibly upset and asked, "Who will be the Prophet now?" I was able to find a book by President Monson so I could show the kids his picture, and I explained simply about how the Lord will always have a Prophet on the earth. (Straying a bit from my story--Joshua was mad today that our regular old Bishop was at church and not President Monson!) Anway, later that week, I pulled out the Friend to read to the kids, and there happened to be a story told by President Monson. Emmeline took one look at the picture and exclaimed, "That's the new Prophet!!" I love that she was able to recognize the face of the Prophet we will soon sustain. I also love her example of simple, yet perfect faith--If the Lord (or my mom!) says he's the Prophet, that's good enough for me! No questions asked.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Tagged Again...

The new version of "tagged", I guess. So here it goes...

10 years ago: I was 15, anxiously awaiting the blessed age of 16--complete with dating and driving!

On my to-do list: catch up the scrapbooks, paint a necklace hanger for Emmeline's room, help Benjamin write thank-you notes

5 places I've lived: WA (four different places), CA (5 different places), UT, NY, NJ (2 places that I remember!)

5 jobs I've had: MOM, grunt-work at my dad's firm, grunt work at an ortho, nanny, babysitter...okay, let's face it, I've never had a real job. I've never applied for a job. I've never found a job w/o my mommy's help. It's kind of embarassing, BUT I know how to work. I am not, nor have I ever been lazy. Hopefully I'll pass something good on to my kids! Willie, go get a job!

If I had a billion dollars: I'd buy a baseball team. Do they come that cheap? Maybe I can buy the Royals.

Bad-Habits: I don't put the lids of things back on tightly--toothpaste, pickle jar, milk cap, etc. I also don't roll up the chip bags, cereal bags, or cracker bags. (In my defense, though, we eat these things fast enough that they don't get stale...and why would you pick up a heavy jar by the lid, huh? That's an accident waiting to happen!)

Things I enjoy: My family, reading, scrapbooking, running, baseball, and eating

One thing you don't know about me: I have a secret desire to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader! (No, just kidding, Dad!) Um, something you don't know about me...Man, this is tough...I've been sitting here forever trying to think of something original about myself. Nothing. Although, I do sometimes resist the urge to travel to the Phillipines and sell my children on the black market. (As I type this, I can hear Jimmy Stewart saying, "You call this a happy family? Why'd we have all these kids anyway?!")

And, I'll tag...Emily, Angie, and Laura...sorry guys, I don't have that many friends...

Benjamin's Birthday!

Well, our little guy is offically two! I can't believe it! Here he is first thing birthday morning, enjoying his new basketball hoop, relishing in the fact that we're about to let him wear his football jammies all day long (not knowing that he's about to get his binkies thrown in the garbage!), and awaiting his football party later that night!

Conversation with Benjamin on his birthday...
Kirstin: Benjamin, what's your name?
Benjamin: I'm two!
Kirstin: Yes, but what's your name?
Benjamin: Happy Birthday!

I guess we've been building anticipation for the birthday a little too much. He has forgotten his name!


When he opened a few of his presents, he started jumping up and down all excited. We should have had a video camera on hand!




Others of his gifts, he was very serious about. Studying them, reading them, and not wanting to go on to the next one--which incidentally made the other siblings and cousins very impatient!

Belly Picture




There has been a call for a belly picture, so here it is. This is me + 40 lbs at 36 weeks, 3 days. Oh, and that's Luke in the "swallowed a basketball" pose, for comparison sake. Many thanks to photographer, Emmeline--indeed, for pictures such as these, blurry is better!

Oh, and we've changed the template for our blog in honor of the GIRLIE little bundle set to arrive pretty soon. I'm sure I'll be sick of the pinks and purples and frills pretty soon, but for now, it's fitting.