Here you go!!

I know, I know! It has been 6 weeks Wednesday since we had our baby girl, but man, I totally forgot how much time newborns take! Mine especially thinks she needs to be held at all times, making updating my blog a little difficult. Anyway, before she wakes up here are a few pictures.
We have had a HUGE month but all the rest of the great things are going to have to wait.

Haley Nicole Felt was born on August 5th at 8:35am. She was 8 lbs 12oz and 20 1/2 inches long.

Her first cuddle with mom.

I know it's blurry, but it is still pretty cute I think!

Look at all that hair!!

Caden absolutely loves his little sister.

Time to go home!!

Sleeping baby, awww!

Not so sure about the whole bath thing.

Takin' a break in her swing.

This little girl is tightly wrapped around her daddy's finger.

Well there you have it. Stay tuned, I promise it won't take as long for me to update the rest!!

A month full of fun things!!

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but honestly this month has been CRAZY. July usually is for us but it was more so with the last few weeks of pregnancy going on and a couple other "not normal" things happening...so here is the month of July in a nut shell (and a little bit of June).

All of our family has a birthday in the summer, it starts with me on the 3rd of June. I turned 30 this year and Dave took me on a fantastic date with a yummy dinner and to see Wicked. This is a big deal for Dave, he really doesn't like plays/musicals. We both left though thinking it was fantastic (well fantastic for Dave might not be the right word, but I know he didn't hate it!)

Austin and Taylor started a summer school program that was really well run and they loved it. Taylor even got most improved for his class! It was nice for them to have something to do during the day. This was especially true for Austin as he had Botox injections in his leg to help with the muscle tone, then they put a cast on his foot to hold it in a certain position. They also casted his right arm to force him to use his left arm, his weaker one. He had both casts on for 5 weeks and we finally got them off yesterday. The Dr. was very pleased at the progress he had made, and I think he could tell a difference also. What a trooper!

Dave's birthday was on the 3rd of July and we took the day and went up to South Bend for Del Taco and some playing at the beach. It was a fun day.

Austin and Taylor turned 8 this year, that is really weird for me. They got to go see Walking with the Dinosaurs and thought it was really neat. This also means that it is time to be baptised, they are waiting until September though when their Grandpa and Grandma will be here. They did get to start Cub Scouts and they love it. They have really great leaders who help them and push them! In fact Dave and I got to spend the evening of our 11 year anniversary at the Raingutter Regatta. It was so fun to see the boys blowing on their boats that they painted and made with Dave. (they won every match they were in). It seems like Dave and I have been together forever some days, and not long enough to be having our 4th baby on others. All I know is I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to such a fantastic guy.

We got Dave's board exam results on the boys birthday and he passed. It was a relief for both of us, but obviously mostly for Dave. He didn't feel too good about this exam when he came home after taking it. It was a literal load off his back to get such good scores. He worked so hard and we are very proud of him. He has started working on "real" people and really enjoys this part of his schooling!

Caden has been in swimming lessons these last two weeks and loved it. He also had is 5th birthday on Thursday and all he wanted to do was go to Chuck E. Cheese. I know we did that last year, but it was what he really wanted. What's a mom to do? The hard thing about Caden turning 5 is that he is old enough for kindergarten. I am going to miss my little buddy while he is gone all day. In fact all the boys will be starting school on the 10th of August.

I think that just about wraps it up. Oh, as for me, well I am HUGE, swollen and ready for this little one to come. I go into the hospital on Wednesday at 6am. We are all very excited, the boys more because with the baby coming it also means that Grandma is coming!

I realize that each of these events deserve their own post, but I really haven't had the energy this month. I can only promise to try and do better in the future (give me a week or so after this Wednesday).

OH!! I also need to give a little shout out to my fantastic sister-in-law who has watched one or all the boys many, many times over the last few weeks for Dr.'s appointments and other things. I could not have made it through the last little while without her! Thanks A, I love you!!

Lake Michigan and Indiana Dunes (lots of pictures, not a lot of words)

This last week our little family went on a two day trip to Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes. The boys had such a fun time climbing and rolling down the dunes. The water is still pretty cold, but the boys really didn't seem to notice.

I can't believe how big these guys are getting, where does the time go?

They had a lot of fun jumping into nice soft sand. I was surprised they even tried let alone did it again and again! It's a pretty high jump for a little guy!

Austin's favorite way to get down:

All my boys

How cute are they?

I love that you can see his splash.

Goofy Caden. Again, when did he get so big?

As for me. 4 1/2 weeks left, that's all I have to say right now!

Lots of fun stuff!!

Ok, the last few weeks have been full of a ton of stuff. Where to start? I guess first, Dave's sister and her family moved from Virginia to Indianapolis (and brought Grandma with them). Eric graduated from Med school and is now an MD. He will spend a year here and then 3 years at the Mayo clinic to become an anesthesiologist. Cool hua? We are very excited to have them so close, even if it is just for a year.
The day after they got here was Caden's graduation from pre-school. He had great teachers and never complained about going to school, he loved it!! The program was extra fun because Grandma was able to be there! I can't believe he is going to be starting kindergarten in only a couple months. He is so excited and ready though!

The next day was an awards ceremony at Austin and Taylor's school. Unfortunately we have no pictures, it is all on video. Oops! The fun thing is that the boys got all the awards they could have received, from honor roll (all year) to perfect attendance. Pretty neat if you ask me!! After their ceremony we took them to a qualifying race for the Indy 500. They loved it and now want to be race car drivers...we'll see about that!

Taylor's favorite was the monster truck.

Caden absolutely loved seeing "the real" Bumlebee.

We had a lot of fun while Grandma was here. We played guitar hero, went to the zoo, went on a surrey ride around the canal downtown, went to Stir Crazy for dinner and Krispy Kreme for a treat, and had a BBQ with the cousins.

Please excuse my largeness, 8 more weeks to go, Wahoo!!!

The boys really enjoyed using chopsticks!

The best part of the last couple weeks for the boys I think was just being able to play with their cousins.

All the boys had such a fun time while Grandma was here, but I think Caden liked it the best. When he woke up and Grandma was gone he started to cry. He only got better when we told him she would be back in a few weeks when the baby is born. So sweet!

Ok, 3 more things:

Taylor found a great prize outside (it's a worm) he was thrilled that Dave actually let him "play" with it.

Dave finished up 2nd year! I can't believe how fast the last two years have gone! He did really well this year, and is now, as we speak, studying for the National Board exam, YIKES!! I know he will do great though.

During the last week of school the students participated in what they call "stab lab" can you guess what that entails? Basically they practice giving each other numbing shots, OUCH! I guess they have to learn somewhere! This is Dave giving a shot to his friend Adam. From what I hear, he did a great job!

Oh, and a little update on me:

That about covers it on my end!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's day has been a hard day of sorts for me for many years now. Tomorrow it will be 18 years since my own mom passed away after a good fight with cancer. As I have been thinking about her and mothers in general I realised how blessed I have been in my life. I have had four women in my life who at different times have been my mother.

The first is of course my birth mom Elizabeth. I am grateful to her for bringing me into this life. She was not in great place in her life when she had me, but through looking at all the pictures and small amounts of video, I know that she loved me. She loved me enough to make the difficult decision to let me be adopted by Anna and Bill, my wonderful mom and dad! For this I am eternally grateful to her.

The second but the one who means the most to me in this whole world is my mom, Anna. I sit here in tears thinking about what a magnificent women she was. She was older when she married my dad, and was only able to have one child, my sister. She opened her home to me when I was 4 at a time of need in my life, and never hesitated in the idea that I was meant to be in her family. She worked extremely hard for our family. She never complained. She was the most talented seamstress I have ever come across. The students she taught loved her because of her strictness and more for the love and concern she showed each of them as she taught. In the short time (8 years) that I was blessed to have her as my mom she taught me things that I still reflect on and use today. She was a beacon of strength and hope to me. Even after eighteen years without her here there are many days where I wish I could call her and get her motherly help, support, and advice. I know she was there watching over Austin and Taylor while they were in the hospital. We have special experiences that testify of that. I know that she watches over me and cries when I cry and picks me up when I fall. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of eternal families, that I will get to see her again, some day.

The next mom to me is my aunt Maria. Maria has given her whole life to serving others. During the war in Germany when given the opportunity to marry, she chose to stay and take care of her family. She served as a housekeeper to a wonderful family that adored her in Wyoming for many years. After my mom passed away she stepped in to help my dad and I in our daily lives. I did not appreciate her as much at the time as I should have, I thought she was trying to replace my mom. I know now, and have known for many years, what a selfless act of charity and love she displayed to me and my dad.

The fourth mom is my dear mother-in-law Kerrie. Kerrie has always been a huge support to me. I feel very blessed that I can honestly say I love my mother-in-law. I know there are those who can't. Kerrie has been more like a "real" mom to me than a mother-in-law. She is always there to listen, I feel I can tell her anything and she will not pass judgement. She is loving, caring and genuinely concerned when it comes to me. When Austin and Taylor were born she was at the hospital as much as Dave and I were to show her love and support of our small family. When Austin came home a month before Taylor, and I couldn't be there every day with him, she was, and was more than happy to be there. She is an inspiration of a faith promoting women of God, who I aspire to be like some day.

Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful women in my life.

Listen to this!

Do you like Taylor Swift? Well I don't. Do you like Coldplay? Well I do. Have you heard of Jon Schmidt or Steve Nielson? This is a really neat performance by Jon Schmidt and Steve Nielson. It is an instrumental performance mixing Taylor Swift's "Love Story" and Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" They both went to Highland High, Jon a couple years before Dave and Steve a couple years after. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!


http://

Well...

It's going to be a girl!!

A little from this last week

The roller coaster is open at the zoo. Austin and Taylor loved it last year and were very excited to get to ride it again, this year they are tall enough to ride it together. Click on the first picture to make it bigger, their expressions are pretty funny! Caden was to short to ride it last year, which was probably best because he really didn't want to anyway. This year I talked him into just trying it once and if he didn't like it he wouldn't have to ride it again. Needless to say it was all he talked about the rest of the day.

All the animals seem to be more responsive and active. The polar bear is swimming around, the walrus loves to play with you at the glass, the baby bears are wrestling and are so cute, the tigers and lions are up and walking around. (I don't think I had ever seen the tiger at Hogle Zoo move) If you can't tell what Caden is looking at it is a stick fish, it is his favorite fish with exception to the tiny jellyfish.

And of course Easter was yesterday. I know these aren't the best pictures, especially the last one, but I just can't get over how big the boys are getting. Where does the time go?

Oh! Stay tuned, I am hoping that on Wednesday I can get a another peek at the gender of the baby.

I want my brain back!!

There is no reason I have to be so dumb right now! Is there? I mean come on. Here is a little list of the things I have done recently that I can't explain.

-put away clean dishes... in the fridge
-folded and put away dirty clothes...right out of the hamper
-I seriously can't remember which name goes with which boy. "Caden, I mean, Austin, I mean Taylor can one of you please help me?"
-ran into the wall with my pinkie toe (a couple times)
-tripped down stairs that I normally can run down without thinking about it
-mixed the wrong ingredients at the wrong time and the wrong amount. 1 cup flour and 3 eggs, not the other way around.
-threw away papers I needed and kept the ones I meant to throw away
-drove right by a store I was going to (a couple times)

Well, that list will have to do. My brain is not working, so much so that I can't remember the others. Yes, there were others. What am I going to do?

This is neat!!

I saw this on my friend Jayne's blog this morning. She is in Utah so for those who don't have access to her blog you should check this out. It totally put a smile on my face and even made me cry a little.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY


Have a great day!!