a girl date to the park

the weather has been amazing for a few days

like, in the sixties! in february! in utah!

i figured i'd try taking the girls to the park

winter is long and despite me being huge and uncomfortable,

 we all needed the fresh air

the girls love to swing!

 hazel went exploring by herself and then ran back

i love her little run

 she also tried to master the monkey bars

i may have used the park to tire eleanor out

so she wouldn't repeat her morning stunt of climbing out of her crib for the first time

eek! of course she'd do it 4 weeks before we have a new baby

 pretty olive went up and down the slides a million times

 eleanor couldn't get past this point but she tried over and over

 olive went down the pole a bunch

but asked me every time how to do it

despite definitely knowing how

hazel didn't have school because it was a half day so when noah got home (early)

the kids played outside for hours

drawing with chalk, riding bikes, and playing with the neighbor kids

it's starting to feel a lot like spring

and we couldn't be happier

weekend update

eleanor's friday afternoon nap was extra cute

because she took both her babies down with her

usually she just takes one but she was extra happy to have both

....

saturday we got up and took hazel to a birthday party at a trampoline park place

and while she was there we took the other three to the pet store to look at the fish

and to toys r us to look at the toys

when we got home, noah couldn't get to his room fast enough

reading is his favorite lately

he's almost done with the third diary of the wimpy kid

 michael took the three big kids to the ward party

while i relaxed and eleanor napped

when she got up she wanted to watch a show

and i thought she was so cute watching from the coffee table

 while we were brushing teeth michael and i decided noah's super loose tooth needed to come out

so i pulled it 

he was mad at me at first but happy to have it out 

he put it under his pillow and somehow lost it from there

and then couldn't see the dollar we put there when he woke up

silly boy

hazel is totally jealous

noah has lost 8 teeth and she hasn't lost one yet

she does not like to be left behind by him

by the way, a few months ago noah learned to tie his shoes

and it was only a few weeks later that hazel learned, too

she really likes to keep up

they are almost at the same reading level, too

and not because noah's behind or anything

hazel is just a good self learner and loves to read

olive was throwing a fit at bedtime

and i thought michael was so funny trying to hug the grumpies out of her

it didn't work but it was still cute

michael has had a bad cold for a few days and today eleanor got it

poor girl but it was still a good day for her, playing on the trampoline

and taking a bubble bath with her sisters

i hope she doesn't get much worse
....
as far as a baby update
i had a 34 week appointment on friday
and he's measuring 39 weeks (!!!)
my hip-pelvis-back pain is off and on unbearable
i try not to do too much anymore
and luckily michael is awesome and helpful
we're excited for our baby boy to be here!!

ya know...lately

first of all, i was measuring and weighing noah 

so i could fill out a paper for him to participate in an upcoming martial arts tournament 

and noah is finally 50lb & 50 inches

crazy! i swear he's been 40 something pounds for like...years

and just out of curiosity we weighed hazel (41 lbs) and olive (35 lbs)

and here's a blurry picture of me this last sunday ready for church

later sunday we drove to payson to see where henry will be born

and check on the temple progress

so pretty

monday we went to DI and a dollar movie with my brother and his family

and then just hung out at home with our bellies hanging out

maybe that was just me....

lastly, last night michael gave eleanor her first ever ponytail after her bath

it was so funny and reminded me an awful lot of a ponytail you'd find on a old biker dude

ps. the countdown is on
we're having this baby five weeks from tomorrow!

noah is a green belt!

noah tested for a new belt in martial arts yesterday

 and he passed!

i had to leave before he finished testing to set up for the cub scout blue and gold banquet

but michael took pictures and they stopped by the church building on their way home to show me

 noah and shea

noah has come a long way with martial arts

he's only been doing it a little over a year

and this is his 4th belt advancement

he started out really timid 

but he has gained a lot of confidence this last year

thanks to martial arts

we're so proud of him!

zoo day!

we've missed going to the zoo this winter

so we took advantage of the nice weather today and headed there

 pretty peacock

 we loved seeing the gorillas and orangutans 

 apparently elephants like eating old Christmas trees

who knew?

 eleanor loved the zoo today

she is getting really interested in animals lately

here she is watching the elephants

 she's also getting old enough to do more walking

and liked holding on to the leash of the stroller

i thought michael was so cute sandwiched between the little matching girls

 giraffes are a definite favorite of olive and hazel

 and they all loved the carousel

 here i am in my 33 week glory

it was so much fun to be at the zoo

i'm hoping my pelvis/hips aren't too sore tomorrow from all the walking 

happy valentine's day

the kids woke up to balloons and conversation hearts

they were so funny reading all of them and laughing

then we had pink waffles, sausage and orange juice

eleanor woke up just in time to eat

she is so cute

happy hazel

delicious!

noah thought his waffle/sausage spaceship was hilarious

hazel is so cute in the dress i made her yesterday 

michael "left for school" and came back a little bit later with flowers

so sweet

then he really did go to school and came back in time to pick the kids up from school

and then we took them to the lego movie

 they loved it

 ps. i loved that hazel and olive both wore dresses i've made

and eleanor wore a shirt i made, too

noah wore a cute new baseball tee i just got him at target

pss. have you noticed how olive poses for every picture lately?

she is such a crack up

 then we came home in time for bed

and before the bedtime prayer

the big kids all piled on michael

now michael and i are watching psych reruns

we're romantic like that

i love all my valentines!!! 

2.13.2014

one of my favorite things to do every day

is open the door and watch the kids run home

they're almost always the first kids off the bus

and they race all the way inside

i am so grateful to be here when they get home

i wouldn't trade it for the world

olive and eleanor spent at least half an hour

playing in the laundry cart today

with the warm laundry

 cute girls

eleanor thinks henry's cradle is fun to play in

 i spent my morning making a valentine's day dress for hazel to wear tomorrow

 i have a mix of nesting and anxiety about moving

(we're having some trouble with our landlord that's stressing me)

so i've been washing slipcovers and organizing closets

i have not been at the top of my game recently

my pelvis/hips/back have been killing me

it's not super uncommon but it's like they have too much movement

and just kill most of the time

i'm trying to take it easy 

but that's easier said than done with four kids