CAMPING

We went camping this month!  I'm amazed at how many people thought I was crazy.  "Camping?  You mean with a hotel, right?"  "Oh, what cabin are you going to?"  "With 4 kids?  Are you nuts?"  "Like, tent camping or RV camping?  Tent?  But, you're going somewhere with flushing toilets, right?"  My friends and family are so funny!  Silly people!  4 kids, camping, in a tent, for 4 days and 3 nights, with no cell phone reception and no electronics, no movies, no games.  Just us.

I thought I should document some of our camping experiences so that I can find it again later when I want to reference things.  Also, some of these tips and ideas might be useful to others.

First, THIS is why we enjoy camping:

Beautiful, right?!  How can you not fall in love with the mountains when it stores this kind of beauty?!  Just stepping out of the tent, you see gorgeous creation all around you.  Sitting in the tent, you hear the sounds of water and birds and silence!  It's just so peaceful!

And this was our meal plan:

FRIDAY
Breakfast - on the road (we had a gift card to Cracker Barrel, so we went there)

Lunch - 7 Layer Dip with Chips 
              You want your first meal once you get to your camp spot to be something that doesn't require cooking.  This is because you may have been driving for quite a while already, and then you set up the tent, and your kids are bombarding you with their desires for food, comments of how they are so hungry and starving, perhaps they're even whiny and crying by then because it's been HOURS since breakfast.  Just trust me.  If you have to build a fire or set up a camp stove, they're NOT going to be thrilled with you.  I made the 7 layer dip because it was easy and included chips which meant that they wouldn't complain about what they were getting to eat.

Dinner - Tin Foil Dinners
               This time, we did a beef burger patty with baby carrots, onions for Daddy, and frozen cubed hashbrown potatoes.  We usually use butter inside but didn't this time.  Usually, the veggies stick to the foil, but this time they did not.  I sprayed the foil with cooking spray and on some I used a little bacon grease, on others I didn't, but none had problems with anything being stuck to the foil.  Also, I use the frozen hashbrown potatoes because it prevents you from opening your meal to find discolored and unappetizing potatoes.  I chose cubes because they cook fast.  Next time, we want to go back to using ground beef NOT already in a patty so that it's better mixed with the other foods.

SATURDAY
Breakfast - Costco giant muffins!

Lunch - Croissant sandwiches & chips
              Nothing exciting, but I ALWAYS take enough stuff for PLENTY of sandwiches.  We went camping once where it rained on us the WHOLE time, so we sat in the tent singing songs and eating sandwiches rather than trying to build a fire in the rain and then someone having to sit out in the rain to cook our meals.  A loaf of bread is fine, but the croissants were calling to me, so we used those this time.  Make sure to bring your deli meat and cheese, plus dressings of choice.  In our family, that mostly just means Miracle Whip.

SNACK - A FISH!!
                 Keith caught his first fish, so we cooked that up and split the one fish between us.  Kiersten didn't want any, and Emmy doesn't get any yet, so 1/4 of a rainbow trout each!

Note to Self:  YouTube how to fillet a fish.

Dinner - Tin Foil Dinners
               For this one, we used dinner sausage links (not breakfast flavored with maple or whatever, just sagey sausage in small links... and we'll not be doing those in a tin-foil dinner again as they did NOT cook well), raw green beans, and diced or sliced red potatoes.  Only a couple potatotes were discolored.  For whatever reason, red potatoes don't discolor as easily as russets do.  I ended up having to get out the camp stove and cooking the sausages, but the green beans and red potatoes were delicious!  Again, don't forget to use cooking spray on the foil, and bacon grease if you want to.  And salt and pepper, of course.  I think next time, I'll slice up a kielbasa sausage.  Yum. 

SUNDAY
Breakfast - Ham Egg and Cheese Croissants
                   Decided to put these croissants to use again.  I busted out the camp stove again, pan fried the deli ham slices, fried eggs, then topped the eggs with a slice of cheese that got all yummy and melty... then layered it all onto the croissant.  At the end, I started toasting the bread on the pan while melting the cheese onto the egg.  Everyone loved this one!  If you do this, be sure to buy a plastic egg carton in the same part of the store where you would buy a fishing license or sleeping bag (sporting department, usually).  I've seen people try to use regular egg cartons and they fall apart or eggs crack/break.  It's only $1-2.  Just pay it, it's worth it.

Lunch - Chili Cheese Fritos
              This WOULD have been nice, except our camp stove stopped working.  Not sure what the deal was.  We tried a new can of propane and both burners, but nothing worked.  It just broke.  I had already dumped two cans of chili into the pan (be sure to bring a can opener), so I had to figure out what to do with it.  It'll come up later.  Instead, we ended up eating randomness from the snack bucket.  I always take summer sausage, a block of cheese, and crackers when we camp.  Again, a "meal" that doesn't require cooking.  Be sure to bring a knife and cutting board for this.

Dinner - Hot Dogs & Chips
              Since we had all that chili that needed to be used, we put it on the grill piece over the fire and heated it up for chili dogs.  The kids didn't want theirs with chili, they still had just plain ol' hot dogs, the younger ones without a bun, the older ones with a bun - be sure to pack ketchup, bbq sauce, mustard, Miracle Whip, and relish (or whatever toppings your family likes) for this.  Chili and sliced cheese was pretty yummy, too!

MONDAY
Breakfast - Costco giant Muffins!
                   Just like your first meal at camp shouldn't require heating, neither should your last.  You'll be busy taking down your tent and packing everything into your vehicle.  You won't want to have camp forks out to roast anything in a fire, or a camp stove out when it goes in the bottom box in the car, or have to wait for a pot or pan to cool off before packing it.  These muffins were a hit!

Lunch - on the road
              It's about a 2 hour drive to get home, plus we had to stop for gas and milk (I made sure our milk and produce were all used up before leaving so that nothing went bad while we were gone), so we got some drive-thru deliciousness and took it home to eat (we weren't about to go inside somewhere having not showered in days and smelling like a camp fire).  This also gave us a chance to have the kids sit at the table to eat while we unloaded everything.  Not tripping over little ones eager to "help" is a nice perk!

Dinner - leftovers or something super simple and easy
               Once we were back home, I heated up frozen burritos for dinner after we unpacked the van and got laundry started and all showered up.  I was ready to sit down and enjoy the last few hours of my vacation.  Spaghetti with canned sauce would have been pretty easy, too.  Or leftover deli meat and cheese sandwiches.  Plan to take it easy rather than getting home and realizing that you have to cook and don't have fresh ingredients since you've been gone or that you weren't home to thaw some meat from the freezer.  Just plan on easy.  Pizza Hut would also be acceptable! 

So, that helps with meal planning, now how to entertain kids for 3 nights and 4 days....

This photo shows my two middle kids coloring, and my crochet project that I brought with me, plus our snack bucket... and a cute baby girl who enjoyed napping and crawling inside the tent!

Here is a napping baby, again.  She did a lot of this.  She didn't have any issues falling asleep while we were out there.  She just slept the same as she does at home.  However, next time I'm taking the pack-n-play so she has a play space that doesn't have rocks underneath... and a crib sheet to put on top of it so that it keeps the bugs out.

The boys ran around the campsite quite a bit, collecting sticks, walking across fallen down trees, and sitting on the rocks by the river/stream.  I ONLY took coloring books and crayons.  NOTHING else.  They never told me even once that they were bored.  They enjoyed being outside and exploring their surroundings.  Their only rule was that they had to be within a distance that allowed them to hear me calling for them.

We brought lots of snacks, and kids need snacks.  Trail mix would have been a good one, though I think we had a lot of skittles, M&Ms, and summer sausage with gouda cheese and crackers.

We really just enjoyed the outdoors!  The boys enjoyed fishing while I enjoyed the babbling brook!

We enjoyed the outdoors enough that my feet were atrocious!  Granted, I wear flip flops (so that I know no bugs have crawled into my shoes) and I stayed in the tent with Emmy most of the time.

This was about it!  It was relaxing and wonderful!  We're so excited to get to go again!

Just wondering...
What do you do when you camp?  What meals do you plan?  What entertainment do you take?

Growing Stinkweeds

I love doing this every year!  It helps me keep track of where I put their growth info, and it's cute to see them growing!  I wish I could have fit Emmalyn into the picture this year, but it just wasn't going to happen.  I'll add a cutesy picture of her at the end.  So, since I have their heights and weights listed on the photo, my chart that I'm typing out now will be their height/weight PERCENTILES...

                  2011            2012            2013
Keith         7th/6th        19th/12th     28th/19th     (5yr11mo to 7yr11mo)
Mitchell    43rd/63rd    69th/78th     55th/66th     (2yr11mo to 4yr11mo)
Kiersten    6th/31st       11th/15th     15th/17th     (12mo to 3yr)

Now my analysis:  Keith is actually growing!  He was BELOW the charts for a long time, so seeing him grow like this is great!  He's turning out to be on the small side of average!  Mitchell has always been my little football player, and that just hasn't changed!  Kiersten's height is increasing quite a bit while her weight is down.  She's just such a squeaker!

As for Emmalyn, it's hard to figure out her percentages at 6 weeks because it's the graph instead of a digital output calculator.  However, as best I can figure it, her 23" puts her around the 93rd percentile for height, and 9.4 lbs puts her around the 25th percentile for weight.  I'm AMAZED that she's grown 2" in just 6 weeks!  She's a tall girl!

Anyway, so that's the yearly update.  Aren't they just adorable?!

Home Water Birth of a Rainbow

Well, it finally happened! I have a baby in my home and in my arms again!

My estimated due date (EDD) was 11/11, and for a while, I was really worried about my baby being born too early. But the 11th came and passed and I stayed pregnant. I went in for a prenatal on Tuesday, 11/19 at 8 days past EDD. My sweet midwife did a quick Non-Stress Test (NST) to make sure all was well inside, and then gave me some "rocket juice" (her own herbal tincture concoction along with some orange juice to mask the flavor). I left her office around 12:30 and then met up with some family for lunch. I picked up my oldest kiddo from school around 3pm and then went home.

The "rocket juice" was supposed to increase the cramping sensation because the goal was to help me with effacement moreso than dilation (I was 4cm and 50% at this point). I could definitely feel the increase in cramping and began to notice that it came in waves, like contractions. So I began taking note of the time between waves. 5 minutes. Hmmm...

After an hour or so, once my husband was home, I let my midwife and doula know that things seemed to be coming together and that I felt like it was the day to bake a birthday cake. No rush yet though. I began timing the duration of the contractions in addition to the time between contractions. As things started seeming more and more coordinated, my husband got nervous and said it might be time to start inviting over our birth team. While I got everyone informed and ate some dinner, he blew up the birthing tub.

First to arrive was my doula, Denise, around 8pm. My midwife, Rebecca, arrived around 8:30-9pm. It was a slow start so I didn't ask my photographer, Kendra, to come over until 10:45-11pm.

We began filling the tub around the time Kendra came over. I didn't want to allow myself too much comfort for fear of slowing things down, but I guess my face was tipping people off that I was needing a little relief and they insisted I get in. The warm water was wonderful! We noticed the time and realized that if things hurried up, I could have a baby on an all prime number date... 11-19-13! unfortunately, with 9 minutes to go, I realized that wasn't going to happen, but also noted that my kids do things in multiples of 3 (#1 was 3 days past EDD, #2 was 6 days past EDD, #3 was 3 days before EDD) and an 11/20 birthday would put her at 9 days past EDD. Yes, I'm a dork and like numbers that much.

Rebecca checking the baby's heart rate while in the tub.

 Anyway, as contractions started really picking up, I guess my face was showing it because they started trying to distract me. Eventually, I had to make a decision - don't push and keep feeling the intense pain in my lower abdomen and thighs, or push knowing it'll hurt more but then will be over. I pushed and felt the water break as her head was birthed into the tub of warm water. I reached down and felt her hair. Once Rebecca checked to make sure the cord was not around her neck, I pushed a second time and out she came. Rebecca pushed her forward while I sat back so that I could lift her out of the water.

November 20, 2013
12:56am

She was beautiful! The first thing I noticed was her adorably dimpled chin. Then her tiny ears. Her long finger and toe nails. Her button nose (just like Mitchell and Kiersten). Her full lips that she definitely got from her daddy and not me!  I held her, stared and studied her.  Ben sat behind me (not in the tub though) and stared and studied her.  We kept her mostly in the water to keep her warm, eventually wrapping a towel around her to keep the warm water on her.  It seemed like time almost paused so that Ben and I could take in the experience and focus on the fact that we finally had our little girl here where we could see her and cuddle her.  No one interrupted us, they just allowed us to "be."

Then OUCH! What the? "Ooooh, time for the placenta." How did I not remember birthing the placenta at ANY of my births? OUCH!  After waiting for the cord to stop pulsing, Ben cut the cord, and they took my baby girl just long enough for me to birth the placenta (1:20am, so it pulsed for a good 24 minutes where we stayed connected), and then they gave her back. I liked that. Once that was over, it was time to get out. I showered up and got into my bed and got back to snuggling my newest sweetheart.

While her weight (8.0 lbs) and length (21") and other measurements (head/chest 13.25-13.5") were taken and the newborn exam was completed, we talked about names. We had our name list narrowed down to 40 this time (which is good for us, there were 117 names on the list when Mitchell was born). Ainara was a birth team favorite, as it means illuminating, shining, which kind of fits her. Eve means life, which is significant after two losses. Despite meaning "beautiful lion," Arabella was taken off the list. It is also a fitting meaning as she's such a beautiful little girl, and also was a bit feisty while still in the womb. Names were tossed back and forth but we eventually narrowed it down to 5 - Ainara, Miranda, Jeslyn, Sasha, and Emmalyn.

Around 4am, Kiersten woke up. Ben let her meet her new sister, which was an adorable encounter. Finally, though, it was bedtime. Ben and I were both absolutely exhausted after being up for 23 hours or so.

Camera picture of Daddy with his two girls!

All that day, we tried the names on our new addition. I loved Ainara, but alas, it isn't HER name. We both loved Jeslyn, but it wasn't HER name. The boys, asked independently, both said Emmalyn. In fact, when Mitchell went to preschool, his teacher told him that his new baby sister looked like him, to which he replied that, "no, she looks like Emmalyn." The next day, we asked again and they still both said her name was Emmalyn. So there it was. That was HER name.

Before I miss writing it, I want to document it for next time around... after 3 days I was still having contractions in my lower abs and thighs. And it hurt. It hurt like early labor, but it hurt.  How ridiculous! How do I not remember this happening with the others?

Overall, this was such a perfect birth!  We hung out, carried on random conversations, kind of had a "girl night in" feeling to the whole night, and just happened to have a baby in there somewhere!  I loved being in the water.  I loved being the one to bring my baby up out of the water.  I loved letting birth just happen.  I loved sitting in the tub with Emmalyn while waiting for the placenta to detach.  I loved letting the cord pulse until it was done.  I love that her newborn exam wasn't until after I was showered and in my own bed and when I was ready to let someone else hold her while I watched what was going on.  I love that she was in my sight the whole time.  I love that I didn't have to labor in a car!  I loved just everything about this birth!  I absolutely ADORE my birth team!  These ladies were so wonderful to have around me as I labored, keeping my spirits high the whole time, empowering me as my body worked toward its goal.  If the time should arise again, I would choose these 3 to be there, hands down!  And Ben!!  He stays so calm, never freaks out.  Yes, this was my ideal birth.  I got a great birth experience and a great little girl, all in the same night!  Perfect ending to a perfect day!

Erythema Toxicum - no worries, she's not cold, just a normal newborn "rash" kind of thing.

One day old tiny princess!  Our rainbow baby!

9 years

Today, we celebrate 9 married years together!

A friend had posted a pretty neat breakdown of their married life together on her anniversary, and it got me thinking about what all we've accomplished, endured, and enjoyed throughout our 9 years together...

Year One (2004-2005)

Moved Ben from Utah to Missouri

 Went to Nauvoo/Carthage, IL (temple trip)

I got my bachelor's in finance

We moved together back to Utah

We got pregnant with our first sweet baby

Year Two (2005-2006) 

Moved from a one bedroom apartment to a two bedroom

Ben got a good job

I stopped working
Front row seats at my first Jazz game

Baby Keith was born

Went to MO to see my sister graduate high school

Year Three (2006-2007)

Went to MO for Christmas

Lost pregnancy #2 at around 5-7 weeks

Year Four (2007-2008)

 

Year Five (2008-2009)

Went to MO for Christmas
Baby Mitchell was born at home

Bought and moved into our first house

Ben finished his bachelor's in computer science/software engineering

Year Six (2009-2010)

I drove to MO alone with two boys while pregnant to throw a baby shower for my sister

Year Seven (2010-2011) 

Baby Kiersten was born at home

Bought our first vehicle together

Went to MO for my cousin's wedding

Year Eight (2011-2012)

Ben started a different job

Ben gone for a month for job training

Lost pregnancy #5 (Taylor) at 13-14 weeks

I took the 3 kids on a trip to Oregon

Year Nine (2012-2013)

Lost pregnancy #6 (Seth) at 16-19 weeks

Started another new job

Started yet another new job

We are now starting Year Ten expecting baby "Vash" in November!

Over the last 9 years, we've lived in 2 states, 3 cities, 4 homes (3 apartments/1 house), been a part of 3 wards, had 6 jobs, 7 pregnancies, 3 children join our home, went camping at least 5 times, visited Missouri at least 4 times, sold one car to buy a minivan, had 7 church callings (2 were shared/joint callings), painted 4 rooms, 2 ER visits, a couple dozen doctors, a few thousand pictures, 9 amazing holiday seasons, 23 mice caught in traps, traveled through 10 states, 10 LDS Temples attended, watched 14 semi-annual General Conference's together, created 1 awesome budgeting website, and still counting our blessings instead of sheep!

By the way...

I also wanted to take the time to show off some of my favorites:

The rest of my family

Kiersten in her beautiful dress

My crocheted donations to Angel Babies in late March to honor the two babies not pictured above

Growing Sprouts - Take 2

Last year, I took the kids' heights and weights to see how much they grew throughout 2012.  Here is their growth from the first of the year to the end of the year:

Keith (5 yrs 11 months)                              (6 years 11 months)
37.6 lbs - 6th percentile for weight              43.4 lbs - 12th percentile for weight
42.5" - 7th percentile for height                   46" - 19th percentile for height

Mitchell (2 years 11 months)                      (3 years 11 months)
32.6 lbs - 63rd percentile for weight            39.2 lbs - 78th percentile for weight
37" - 43rd percentile for height                    41" - 69th percentile for height

Kiersten (12 months)                                  (2 years)
20.2 lbs - 31st percentile for weight            24 lbs - 15th percentile for weight
27.5" - 6th percentile for height                   32" - 11th percentile for height (chart ages 2-20 yrs)
                                                                             - 8th percentile for height (chart birth to 36 months)


Oh, and here is our Christmas!!

I loved that we set out milk and cookies for Santa.  I love that, as we read about Christ's birth from Luke, we were able to use the nativity set to make the scene.  I love that we were able to include Taylor & Seth in our celebration through stockings, ornaments, and our Molly Bears.

I love that Kiersten enjoyed every Cinderella (tag, shirt, futon, blanket, etc) that she saw.  I love that the boys picked out gifts for each other.  I love that they could all lay down together with their new blankets to watch a movie together.  I love that we could all eat at the table together.  I love that I had most of the food prepared so I didn't have to spend half my day in the kitchen while the kids played joyfully.

Christmas was wonderful!!

More Summer Fun

In June, we bought an elliptical.  We had been after one for a while (a couple years actually) but finally got around to getting one.  I'm not posting a picture of that, though.  Who cares?  It's a typical elliptical.  What was fun was that I made Ben keep the box inside, hoping the kids would find joy in it.  It took about two days, but they finally did!!  They wanted a space ship, so Ben cut three windows in it and the kids had an absolute blast for a good three days!

Mitchell wearing Mr. Potato Head glasses upside down

Kiersten trying to make her way to the window through all the sleeping bags and pillows

Keith, raring to go!

Mitchell: Ahhhhh!  It's shaking!

Kiersten - started with her mouth on it.  Then a lip.  Then her lip scrunched up to her nose.  Finally she laid down!

Next up is the 4th of July!  I love Independence Day!  It's not just another holiday off work or day to spend with family or friends, but it's the celebration of the birth of this great nation!  Even with the crappy political climate that we're in, we're still somehow hanging on as the best country in the world.  As jacked up as our healthcare system is, and it definitely needs help, foreign doctors and upper class people still come HERE for treatment and care.  Even though we've got a crappy socialist president, he's still someone that the people elected (and will be able to replace) and he doesn't go around stoning or hanging us for speaking out against him.  Although our freedoms are being further limited, we still enjoy more than the average country does.  We are getting farther and farther away from perfection as we attempt to model ourselves after other countries, but right now, we're still better than anywhere else, we are still great.  I just hope we can reverse some damage and get back to the Constitution that made the 4th of July a day to celebrate!  Enough with politics, here's some cute kids!

Kiersten

Mitchell

Keith under the flag in our yard

Kiersten

Little Personalities

More Personalities

Wall-worthy photo

Cutie Patooties

Mitchel's got his tongue out, but it's hard to get all 3 kids looking nicely at the same time.