My Little Fish...

Last Friday the boys completed their swimming lessons for this year. Tyson was in Swim Kids level 1 and Carson was a Sea Turtle. I was impressed that Carson actually got in the water and enjoyed himself. Last year he threw a fit on the first day so we didn't have him continue with it. It is amazing what a year can do. Tyson is a natural swimmer. He just loves the water. It was nice this year because he was tall enough to touch the bottom of the pool so he was better able to do what the teacher instructed him to do without a life jacket. That boy has grown quite a bit in the last year. Here are some pictures:

These two were in the same class together. It made for an interesting 30 minutes. Here they are examining their certificates, and their prize.

It was another successful year of swimming. I remember as a child we lived right across the street from the pool in Cardston. I would anticipate each summer when our parents would buy us a seasons pass and look forward to swimming the summer days away. I couldn't get enough of the water. Looks like I passed that on to Tyson. I think that teaching your kids to swim is such a good life lesson for them to have. I am thankful to my parents who also thought the having me know how to swim was important.

I have been crazy busy the past few days. We have had 3 birthdays to go to in 5 days! Wow do I feel like I have been buying lots of presents and it has been very hard to explain to my kids that no we weren't going to Toys R Us to get them something but we were going to go and pick something out for their friend. I usually let the boys choose their gifts and they like this, but Carson seems to think that he is going to get the toy for himself. So we usually have a little bit of an issue there.

I am SO looking forward to our summer holidays, it can't come fast enough! Now that Grace is here I feel like I am ready to leave my house and go on vacation. I am starting to get cabin fever and I really want to go camping. The boys and I are counting down the sleeps until we go. LOL!

The past 2 Sunday's I have had to go to church by myself as Tyler has been working LOTS! I must say that it is a bit harder to get 3 kids and myself ready and out the door by 9:45 so that we are on time. So far..so good. We even managed to get their early enough to get a bench. I am so thankful to the kind families in our ward who have helped me out with the boys when I have had to take Grace out to feed or change her. It is a nice feeling to have when you know your other kids are being looked after and you don't have to worry about them. I am so thankful for a ward family, I don't know what I would do without those extra helping hands.

Thankful...

I have been thinking a lot lately about how thankful I am that I get to be a stay at home mom. Sure the days are long, the pay is very minimal, you are under appreciated, and there is always a never ending amount of work to be done. But the pay off is SO worth it. I am so thankful that my kids can sleep in when they have been up to late, that they don't have to be woken up and drug out of the house to some daycare or day home. I am thankful that at a drop of a hat I can pack my kids up and we can go to the park or the pool. I'm thankful that I don't have any deadlines or meeting to attend. No late nights spent working in an office or working on Saturday's. I'm thankful that my kids and I can be lazy and stay in our p.j.'s all day if we want to. I'm thankful that I am home to take my kids to soccer, swimming, and piano lessons.

I am so thankful that I married someone who is a hard worker. Who sacrifices his own sleep to get up at a very early hour so he can go to work so that I don't have to. I know that Tyler goes to work everyday and works hard so that I can be at home with the kids. He knows the importance of having me stay at home to raise the kids instead of having me go out of our home to work and put the kids in daycare. He would sacrifice his own time for leisure things so that I don't have to work. I am very thankful for this.

I have empathy for those mother's who don't have choice whether they work or stay at home. Sometimes there isn't a choice to be made, they just have to do it in order to make ends meat. I cant' imagine having the stress of 2 full time jobs. Your job as a mother, and your career. Not only to you have to work for an employer, but your work is not done when you get home. I feel for these women who miss out on so much because they don't have a choice.

There are days when I think it would be easier to go to work. To leave the screaming and the fighting for someone else to work out. But then I look at my kids and my heart melts. I wouldn't want any other person to here their sweet voices. And I wouldn't want to miss out on hearing their "I love you's." That makes it all worth it!

Drumheller Part 2...

Wow a few days goes by FAST! I finally have a minute in between feeding Grace and attempting to highlight my hair by myself (YIKES) to sit down and do another entry about out trip to Drumheller. So here is part 2...

After the museum we took the kids to Reptile World. What an awesome place, especially if your kids are into amphibians & reptiles, which mine totally are. Here are some pictures:

This place had about 150 different exhibits, so it was well worth the $, and it wasn't even that expensive to begin with. I think the highlight of the place was seeing Carson so excited to touch the boa constrictor named Brittany. I thought Tyson would have been more enthusiastic as he is the one that loves all things creepy crawly, but he was too afraid to touch it. Carson wasn't though!

Another highlight of Reptile World was seeing Carson's face as we showed him this HUGE crocodile. Watch the video to see his reaction...it is priceless!

We will definitely be going back to Reptile World in the future. It is definitely worth the stop!

On our way out of town we stopped to look at the World's Tallest Dinosaur. It really was HUGE! The kids had fun playing on his feet. You could have paid $3 a person to walk all the way up inside and then look out of the dinosaour's mouth. But we didn't think the kids would be able to make it ALL the way up there. So we have something else to do on our list the next time we visit Drumheller!

P.S. In case you are wondering how my hair turned out...well it could be worse. It isn't as streaky as I would like it. Oh well! I am ticked though because I wrecked one of my shirts while washing the bleach out. AGHHH!

Our Trip to Drumheller...

On Tuesday we made a quick decision to load up the trailer and head up to Drumheller. Tyler had mentioned before that he thought the boys would like going there, but we just didn't seem to know when we were going to fit it in this summer. Luckily Tyler's work schedule (or lack of it) made it possible for us to make a mad dash up there. We spend the 1st night camping in Carseland and a really nice campground. It was right by the river and the boys had a great time just riding their bikes around and playing at the campground. Tyler had to a do a quick job there the next day and was home by noon so we packed up and headed to Drumheller.

When we got there we went to the Tourist Info building and got maps and brochers on all the fun things we wanted to do. We found a nice campground but it came at a price, $45 a night! That is STEEP. But it did have full hookups and a heated pool...so I guess you pay for what you get right? They boys had fun swimming in the pool after it stopped raining and it was the perfect way to tire them out before bed. The night wouldn't have been complete though without a fire and marsh mellows. Tyson & Carson loved sleeping in our new trailer, Francis. Yes the trailer has a name. LOL! Tyler has a habit of naming all our vehicles. It is quite funny. I was surprised at how well they slept and even more surprised at how quickly and quietly they fell asleep. Maybe it had something to do with them being completely exhausted??

The next morning it was time for us to head out and explore Drumheller. We knew we didn't have much time before we had to head home so we chose the 2 things we wanted to do the most, the Royal Terrell Museum & Reptile World.

I must say that I was completely awe struck at the museum. It is amazing to me that they have found these creatures that roamed the earth so long ago right in our backyard. It was fun to see where all the fossils have been discovered. We saw some from Milk River, Crowsnest Pass, Dinosaur Provincial Park, China, Utah, Russia and from other parts of the world. Tyson and Carson LOVED looking at all the HUGE dinosaurs. Carson was quite frightened by the HUGE T-Rex. He wouldn't even stand near it so I could take his picture. Here are a few pictures from the museum:

Even baby Grace managed to make it into a picture. Here she is with her brothers at 2 weeks old. We will have to take her back to the museum when she is older so she can see what she missed out on.

It was near impossible to get the two boys to look at the camera at the same time and to both be smiling, so eventually I gave up! Oh well...kids, sometimes they co-operate...and sometimes they don't. This was one of those times when they WEREN'T co-operating.

Before we left the museum the kids had one more thing the needed to do. They needed to become Jr. Paleontologist. We had signed them up for a Jr. Dinosaur Adventure. They were excited about this and couldn't wait to go to their "class." In order to become Jr. Paleontologist they needed to pass a few tests. They needed to learn about different types of dinosaurs, learn about fossils and learn about what it takes to become a paleontologist. In order to be a Jr. Paleontologist they first needed to look like one. The kids were able to make a visor and they loved doing this little craft.

They did have fun making their hats even if their faces aren't showing it. LOL! After they made their hat it was time for their final test...they got to actually dig for a dinosaur! Well not a real dig, but a pretend one, the kids sure thought it was for real though. They were so enthusiastic and excited about digging up a dinosaur.

The kids really enjoyed this. Carson is still talking about his new hat & about digging together to find the dinosaur bones.

Well I have more to write about it but the baby needs feeding...so stayed tuned to part 2 of our Drumheller adventure.

Catching Up...

WOW so many things have been happening it seems I have lost track of everything I should have blogged about. So this will be a quick update of all the fun we have been having.

First of all was the Coaldale Candy Parade. The kids look forward to this every year. It was fun to have Grandma Jensen, Auntie Kimberley & Jayda join us. Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying the parade and cashing in on all the candy that was thrown out.

After the parade was over we had lunch in our backyard. We had yummy KFC Chicken and lots of good salads. I couldn't believe how much chicken the kids ate. I guess it was a BIG hit.

One fun thing that Coaldale always does on parade day is have a kids fest in the afternoon. We have gone to this for the past couple of years and the kids just love it! This year they had 3 large astro jumps which the kids LOVED! We couldn't keep them off of them. They also had places to play with bubbles, a fish pond, a sand pile, balloon maker, face painting, and a petting zoo. Tyson & Carson loved playing in the Astro jumps so they didn't participate in much else. But we did manage to get Carson to go see the animals at the petting zoo. Here he is getting up close and personal with this calf. It was SO cute!

We are HAPPY to announce that Carson is FINALLY potty trained! YIPEE! He has gone 8 days without any accidents. The incentive all along for him to become potty trained was that after he went 7 days without an accident we would buy him a BIG BOY bike. He has been riding around on this broken down tricycle for far too long and we wanted to upgrade his bike, but he had to be a big BOY first. So on Friday we went to Toys R Us and he got to pick out his bike. He was so happy and kept riding the bike around the store. I just loved seeing him so happy and he knew that he was getting his bike because he was potty trained. It is SO nice not have to have change a 3.5 year olds diapers any longer!

Also this weekend we had 2 family reunions on! It was a busy weekend. On Friday night we went to Cardston (Kimball Park) and had a Jensen reunion. This was all the relatives of my Grandpa Jensen's siblings. There were lots of people there that I didn't know. It was fun to meet family that you didn't know you had, and to reacquaint your self with people whom you haven't seen for a long time. The kids had a fun time playing at that park with their cousins.

On Saturday we headed out to Magrath for a Pilling reunion. This was a low key reunion and it was GREAT! We all just sat around and watched the kids play while the adults visited. Tyler's uncle Al is such a genius! He made a water slide for the kids that they went down and then landed in a big pool. The water from the pool then recycled itself with a pump and went through a tube and then back down the slide. It was awesome! I would have gone down it if I hadn't just had a baby.

LOL! Tyson went down it a few times and he loved it. I wish my pictures of it would have turned out better...oh well I think you will get the idea anyway.

And last but not least...some new pictures of Grace. I think she looks like a little doll. I am just lvoing this little girl to pieces & her big brother loves her a lost too!

Family of 5...

On Sunday Carson made this adorable picture of our family. I just had to share it with everyone. Here is how our conversation went:

Carson: Look at my picture mom

Mom: Carson your picture is so NICE! Who are all the people?

Carson then pointed to each picture and said:

This is Dad, this is mom, this is Tyson, this is Carson.

Then I pointed to the 3rd and smallest figure and said, "Who is this?"

Carson: This is your baby Grace.

How cute is that! I was surprised that he even remembered the baby. He doesn't seem to pay much attention to her. But occasionally will say "Your baby is crying mom, or your baby is so cute mom." He doesn't realize that she is HIS baby too. It is amazing for me to think that just 1 short week ago we were a family of 4, and then in a matter of hours we became a family of 5. It seems that Grace has always been a part of our family, she fits in so well, and everyone seems to be adjusting perfectly. I love having a girl and seeing the boys interact with her. She is such a GOOD baby. I have been taking all the time I can to cuddle her and enjoy all these special moments with her. Since this is our last baby I am kind of sad that this chapter of life is over, but am excited about the future. For now though I just enjoy each moment I have with her as a newborn and hope that the time doesn't go by too fast!

Official Story of Baby Grace's Arrival...

Okay...I finally have a minute to sit down and actually think about all that has happened over the last 5 days. So here is our story...

On the way into the hospital Tyler and I kept talking about how excited, anxious and nervous we were all at the same time. Before we left for the hops ital Tyler gave me a beautiful blessing of comfort that all would go well for the delivery and that the baby would be happy and healthy. This is something he has done with all 3 of my kids, and I can testify that it really makes a difference to know that my Heavenly Father is aware of what I am going through and that he is there to comfort me. How grateful I am that I have a husband who honors his priesthood and is able to give me a blessing when needed.

We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 and did the necessary paper work and then it was off to the delivery room. At 8:00 my awesome Dr. came and induced me. About 20 minutes later I started to feel minor contractions, nothing painful, but some cramping. I was expecting things to go very fast once I started to feel some pain, but this wasn't the case. I kept telling Tyler that I was hoping to have the baby by 12:00, and he kept telling me that I shouldn't set myself up for disappointment that things could go very differently this time around. Still in the back of my mind this was my goal. Anyway I wasn't really progressing all that fast by my contractions were coming about 2 minutes apart and I was able to handle the pain. At 11:40 Dr. Adolf came and checked me and I was 4 cm. I was DISAPPOINTED. I thought I would have been farther along than that. She broke my water after that, something that I haven't had done, but boy it make thing happen WAY faster. Immediately the contractions were stronger and closer together and by 12:29 Julia Grace entered the world. I am so thankful for a fast delivery and that I was able to do it naturally. I am thankful that my body handled the delivery well.

What a comforting feeling it was to hear her first cries and to know that she was breathing. Both of my boys came out and weren't breathing and they had to call down NICU. It was scary. I was happy I didn't have to experience that with Grace. Another relief was to not have her little feet kicking me in the ribs and feeling like I coudnl't really breath all that well. And the instant relief of having NO heartburn! Here are a few pictures of Grace right after she was born.

Here is a little history about Grace's name. Tyler and I couldn't decide what to name the baby and it wasn't until the day we left the hospital that we finally narrowed it down. I had always liked Grace and so we had decided that somewhere in the name Grace would be used. Our 2 options were Julia Grace or Gracie ReNae. On my mom's side of the family her grandmother's name is Julia May, and her mother's name is Julia Clare. My mother's name is actually Julia ReNae. My Grandma (Clare) and my mother both go by their middle name. So we decided to call her Julia Grace to carry on the family name of Julia, but we will be calling her Grace or Gracie. I think it is important to name your children after someone you admire or use a family name. I am happy that we decided to use Julia. I have to admit that when I first saw the baby she just looked like a Julia Grace to me. I love the name and am happy that is what we decided on.

The boys are totally in love with Grace! Especially Tyson. He can't get enough of her. He is going to be such a protective brother. Carson on the other hand doesn't really know what to think. He like the baby but keeps calling her "mom's baby." He doesn't exactly know what her name is yet and we have to keep reminding him what it is. He is attentive though and doesn't like it when she cries. I'm sure over time he will grow to like her more.

It is great to be a mother of 3. I think I am adjusting well, and I am thankful that Grace is such a good baby! I am thankful that I feel SO GREAT! We have been out for a walk most every night since we got home. We watched the candy parade today and in the afternoon took the kids to the Kid Fest. It is great to feel so wonderful, and to have made a FULL recovery already. Life is good and my heart is overflowing with gratefulness for all that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I am grateful for family who is so supportive and willing to help to take the boys and come and help me at home. I am thankful for great members of my ward who have brought in meals and taken the boys for play dates so I could have a rest. I am especially grateful for Tyler, he is the best husband a girl could ask for. He was great during my labour, he knew exactly what I needed and how to help me cope with the pain. I was thankful for his encouraging words and his joy when I brought our daughter into the world. He has been great since I have come home with helping around the house and taking care of Tyson and Carson. I truly am blessed and I have 3 little miracles to remind me of all of my blessing everyday.