Welcome Bridger Ray! 9lbs 15oz 21inchs long and a super cute chubby boy!

We are so excited to have this boy in our family! His sisters adore him after one visit. Ella did not like it when she was not able to keep holding a kissing him she got pretty mad that she had to share him :) Emma wanted to stay with him and help she did not want to go home with out him or me ;) Jenna and Hannah just loved holding him.

We had a rough start to his little life. I spent Wednesday finish up shampooing my carpets because that was the last housecleaning item on my list an I was going to have it done, and it made waiting for my pre-eclampsia results go faster ;) We did not have it thank heavens but my Ob was a bit worried that we may have been getting early sings of it. Any way so needless to say that when you have had a week of throwing up in the mornings and lots and lots of BraxtenHixs contractions that doing the carpets only makes them worst and you extra tired and sore, so by 9pm I was ready for bed and slightly annoyed that laying down did not make my cramping go away as fast as I thought it should, so I spent the night up and down because they did not stop coming and I sure any normal person would have realized hey I might be in labor but all I was thinking is how dumb was I to push myself so hard so now I am sore and can't sleep because of it, well by 6:30 I discovered I was bleeding a bit so then I though maybe I had better time these contractions out and they were 1-2 min apart so I called my mom to come over made the kids german pancakes and told them it looked like brother would be coming today. Emma was a little mad at first because it was my last day to help in her class and Hannah really wanted him to come Friday for her birthday ;) So Bryce and I got the kids on them bus and headed in the snow by the time we got on the freeway I knew this baby was on his way out which was not going to make my Ob happy she did not want to do an emergency C-section.

 At the hospital they told us that because we were only 37 weeks that they would just monitor me but that nothing would happen today...until she started to check me and check me some more, she could feel his feet coming and then my water broke I was dilated at a 6/7. Bryce had to run out and get another nurse who had to run for my Ob and raced us to the OR hoping we would get there before more of him decided to come. I was barley numb from the spinal tap when they started on the c-section and had them asking a few times if I would feel anything thing sharp lucky it had kicked in fast enough so I did not feel anything. It was great after being up all night I could have sleep like a baby then ;) Well to make life even better for my Ob I had had a slow leak over the past few days but did not realize it and my placenta had started to tear. They were worried about the cord being wrapped around his belly and Bridger's feet were still stuck in the birth cannel and his legs so fat they would not bend enough to get him out easily and his head was stuck in my ribs and one arm stuck behind his back with his other arm playing with his cord, so it was a process for him to be pulled out with out breaking him or me.

We got lots of oh's and awe's when it was all over and my OB had a big sigh of relief while she tied my tubes knowing this was the last of my monstrous size babies my she would ever deliver and I am right up there with her on that. Today every time someone comes in my room they all know everything about my crazy delivery and think he is a cutest biggest baby in the nursery;) all in all it was crazy good time and I am honestly glad he came this week not on our scheduled day of the 30th, my OB and nurses all agree if I would have made it that far it would not have been pretty getting him out at all!

Back on the horse again lol

I am back life is busy but I am back for the next few weeks any way to be exact and then who knows life will be crazy for a bit after that! We are 3 weeks pregnant with our last baby and our first boy we are super excited to have him join our family of girls ;) I can't imagine how happy Bryce is that he will have someone on his side no lol. The girls are way excited that Bridger is coming all they can talk about is what they will do to him when he gets here lucky kid to have so many loving sisters who just can't wait to play dress up with him, I'm not sure why it sounds more fun to them than playing dress up with each other ;)

Spring was crazy with Hannah in baseball and me doing my best to keep it together, can I say that I have had morning sickness with all of my girls at one point or another but Bridger I think wanted to kill me. Then we had Summer full of gardening (of course), trips, camps, swimming lessons, and the morning sickness finally going away in July, and then Fall has come which is busy with school class volunteering, parties canning (which as much as I love to do it I killed my garden early this year) and of course if anyone knows me still playing caught up on all the things I didn't get down like Spring clean/ gut the house which has kinda cut in to the fall cleaning but now I am happy to say I am on top of it all and I have Christmas wrapped and almost done...and now to take a big breath and paint a room plan a Christmas party decided on what yummy Christmas candy to make neighbor gifts to do, Christmas cards, dresser for the boy I can do it right? ;)

Last Friday Night..

We made Carmel corn, (grandma's recipe of course because dad has to have his mom's yummy recipe) and we played baseball, the kids loved it.  They love being able to make yummy treats and hate waiting for things to cool, so their Dad showed them how to hit a baseball and how to stand and all that good baseball stuff that the mother knows nothing about ;) They have a great Dad!

Sticky Carmel Popcorn

RaNae

1 cup brown sugar 

1 cup white sugar 

1 cube butter

1 cup Karo syrup

a pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Bring to boil in a heavy sauce pan. Add 1 tsp baking soda; it will foam up in the pan pour over popped corn. ( I do 2 batches in an air Popper and try to shake out the unpopped kernel of corn before adding the caramel.)

  

                    

                                              Emma and Jenna thought the sound of the popcorn popping was a little scary ;)



Jenna is a good little helper

Hannah is getting it down.
The right way to stand and how to swing now she just needs to hit the ball ;)

Emma would swing and do a full circle spin.

Jenna likes to swing before her dad threw the ball.

 

Spring break....long overdue ha ha

I meant to do this post forever ago but life gets busy I and hadn't downloaded my camera so here I am updating ;) We spent the day at my kids most favorite place in the world and it is not Disneyland but it is just as magical! We went to my Grandmothers house in Bern Idaho...it is by Montpelier for anyone who has never heard of it. My kids love to explore her amazing garden, play in the out buildings and visit with her it is a magical place a place for the imagination I loved going up there as a kids and love that my girls do too. 



Outbuildings are always great for a a new adventure.





Playing on the old tractor.



Photo moment with Uncle Jacob.



Family Game Nights

Friday night is a big deal at our house because it is game night, the girls know it and love it, Bryce and I try to plan our date nights on Saturday so we do not conflict with our game night, maybe that is a bit much because we already do a Monday night as a Family night as well but Mondays are always a spiritual night. We do not do an activity or treat, we stick to a short lesson /discussion and practicing primary songs with the kids.

Friday nights are the night of staying up past 8 pm, having a treat and someone getting to pick out a movie or game or whatever. We play on the Wii , card games; they absolutely love to play Clue; Twister is always funny. The summer gives us all new things to do. Some nights it is a fire other times playing capture the flag or a family walk when the sun sets.

 To be honest I am secretly hoping that by doing this now, and making it the most fun night of the week, that as they get bigger and start having a social life that it will be more fun to bring their friends here rather than roaming who knows where doing stupid teenager things like their mama did.    

This week the girls begged for a manicure/pedicure night and I thought that sounds like fun, I could use a manicure and even a pedicure. But what will we do with their Dad, Emma had the answer for me she would paint his nails for him and Hannah could put lotion on his feet. So I decided that we could have Banana splits and watch a movie while we do our nails and If their dad would like they could rub his feet with the lotion. When Bryce came home and Emma and Jenna informed him that they were going to paint his nails all he had to say was sorry girls we are going swimming tomorrow and someone will see my toes Hannah was quick to tell him it would be OK became nail polish comes off in swimming pools. So we had our selves a spa night after all and their Dad was a good sport about it, spically with no nail polish ;)

                                    
                                    

Today was Beautiful

Today was beautiful. We enjoyed listening to General Conference, I absolutely loved hearing our Prophet and Apostles speak. Sister Dalton's talk was amazing I loved it. She is great speaker and did an amazing job of expressing the divine truth of who we are and our roles as daughters, mothers and wives. She brought tears to my eyes when I though of my own four girls and how they are growing and the potential of who they will become. My girls are amazing and I hope that they know how amazing they are and will always be if they will remember who they are and to "Stand as a witness of God, at all times and in all things and in all places."  I am so grateful for general conferences they lift my soul and inspire me to be a better daughter, sister, mother and wife.

Today was beautiful. It did not rain so we were able to plant our garden with our cool crop veggies, Bryce turned up the soil, my girls pulled out the baby weeds and Ella ate the wood chips and I planted the seeds. We love working in the garden my girls love to help any way they can weed pulling or planting they love to do it I love that it is a great way to be together as a family and do something that will benefit us all.

Today was beautiful. Jenna brought me flowers. She came in with a hand full and said "Mama I pick you some flowers for you." she picked all my early daffodils and they are lovely in a cup, I love spring. I love showing my girls the new life that comes from a long sleepy winter, and the wonderful colors that paint the world again.

Today was Beautiful.

Easter

I absolutely love having my kids decorated eggs My husband says I go over board (I wanted to do a full five dozen ) So I settled with only three dozen they girls each get their own dozen ;) I know that is a lot of boiled eggs but we like them so it is all good. I love the mess that comes with it dyeing eggs, the kids always have fun dipping and dipping and re-dipping and then maybe dipping again. ;) They get to be creative and messy all at once. It is great, and an easy clean up when we are done which makes the best kind of mess!



 
           

A Happy First Birthday!

We made it through the year and now my baby is officially one. We celebrated with our family and I actually made some pretty amazing cupcakes thanks to my sisters frosting recipe.

Frosting and I have a sad history. When Hannah my oldest turned one all I wanted to do was make her the best cake a baby could have and so I tried and failed  miserably to the point when my husband came home and found me crying over the frosting he took me to Wal-Mart to buy a can of frosting, which as we are picking it out he proceeds to tell me that he doesn't understand why I tried to make frosting in the first place when it would have just been better to buy some or better yet just buy a cake. I was 5 months pregnant with number two and very emotional so here we are down the baking isle and I am still crying about the frosting and ruining two cakes already. All I wanted was the perfect homemade cake for my babies first birthday. People gave us weird looks and some gave my husband very dirty looks as they passed us. It was one of things that I remember now with each of my kids first birthdays and am glad to say that now I can make frosting and I don't ruin the birthday cakes any more. :)

Bethany's Frosting:
6TB flour
1 cup of milk

Mix in a sauce pan over med heat until thick like brownie batter.
Let cool to room temp.

1 cup real butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp flavoring (I did 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 almond)

Cream together butter and sugar add flavoring and any coloring
add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until creamy about 5-10 min.
check frosting between fingers to make sure sugar is dissolved.
Frosts about 24 cupcakes

This frosting was great not too sweet I hate it when the frosting is overly sweet and this one is super easy and yummy and it was great to pipe with I always have troubles getting my frosting to pipe well so another plus for this recipe ;)

Ella loved her cake!

St Patrick's Day




With St Patricks day on Sunday we had to make sure we all had a green dress to wear
 Then I decieded we looked picture perfect.


We love holidays and a green day is a lot of fun  This year I made a sign and it says "End of Rainbow bury Pot of Gold here" a little cheesy but every year we don't try and catch the Leprechaun we try to trick him into leaving his gold that way he can bring it every year so we make a big rainbow and hang it up in the window. the kids think it is great so I thought this sign fits in with what we do every year :)

We had green german pancakes and green OJ,
the girls thought is was pretty fun.

This year they were left "real" gold ( gold $1 coins)
with their chocolate they were super excited about it.

Dress-up closet

I finally made a dress up closet. I have been wanting to for a while, and my girls dress up box just got fuller and fuller. So Thrusday I broke down and made one.The best part of it was I had every thing on hand to make it and the girls were good enough to just play with the other toys while I painted and hammered it all together. A good project day



This shelf was left behind when we moved into our house its ugly and a bit beat up but still sturdy so why not make it pretty :)



The closet rod was another one of those Items that got left behind and I don't need a spare so in it went.



The finally touch of paint was what was left from painting the girls room when we moved in. Of course added touch of all their stuff, makes it complete.  I did discover I now have a trunk full of purses and bags that I guess I will have to come up with a good way to store them as well :) Gotta love a house full of girls and all their dress up stuff ;)



March Celebration

My baby is turning one where has the time gone! It went way to fast if you ask me but I had fun doing our March celebration table in honor of her for the month. I may need to add a few more pictures, I printed off a lot; I had too may favorites so I may have to add to it but for now I like the way it is. Happy Birthday to my Ella ;)

I just used my Silhouette software to type up both subway arts so I have one for each of the kids and the Happy Birthday one that I will put up for all of them.

Dounuts, we love them

Jenna decided today while I was making bread that she needed to help, but not with the bread but to make donuts..so I being the amazing mom that I am decided why not so I found a recipe for buttermilk donuts and the girls helped out and we had a lot of fun making spring time donuts.

Recipe: 

 Jenna mostly just loves to play in the flour



Brigham Young's Buttermilk Donuts

Mix together:

5 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg

Cream together :

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk

Gradually add dry ingredients to wet add more flour as needed until it forms a stiff dough. Roll out until it is 1/4-1/2 inch thick. cut into doughnuts. fry in hot oil drain and coat in sugar.
    

 



Hannah came home and discovered she was just in time to help eat them, that girl was a little ticked off that we do all the fun stuff when she is at kindergarten. :)