Parents Visit and Full Disclosure

Last week my parents came to visit. We were so happy to have them and the trip flew by so fast. My dad was sick with a cough and fever the whole time and my mom is still recovering from surgery and they still came and helped out. They will always be sacrificing for their children.

I guess it's time for some full disclosure. I mentioned before that we were pregnant with our third baby. We are super excited to have found out that he is a he and the boys are excited for another brother. I am almost 22 weeks now and this baby has popped out and is kicking like crazy. Like huge kicks even the boys can feel. It's fun. And reassuring.

At ten weeks I was starting to cramp and have contractions, but no bleeding or anything. Because Riley was almost 6 weeks early, they had planned to put me on P17 progesterone shots at 16 weeks to stop the preterm labor and try and keep this baby cooking longer. The shots have been working wonders. The contractions are so rare right now and my cervix was effacing but is now at 3 cm (not dilated, lengthwise) and staying put for now. But, I have partial placenta previa so I have been on bed rest since 17 weeks or so.

I guess that means it has only been a month or so, but it feels way longer. It is harder than you think so stay put on a couch. The boys have been fantastic and my friends and ward members are really taking care of us. And Michael has stepped up and taken on more roles than I could even have asked of him. He is going to school for his MBA full time, working full time, EQ president and taking care of me and the boys.

Thus, a trip from my parents to help out. They came and helped me organize some toys in the kitchen so I wasn't cleaning 5 rooms a day and helped with snack boxes for the kids, organizing meals etc.

The funniest thing is I feel great, I just have to sit for the baby. Still no bleeding and the doctors are baffled and happy about that. I go back on July 1st for another ultrasound to check the placenta previa. I'm also seeing the doctor once and sometimes twice a week for shots and such, so I am well taken care of.

Michael gave me a blessing and it said if I listen to the drs the baby will be full term and healthy, so I am feeling no stress at all. Just mostly guilt for watching everyone around me do everything. Especially my parents coming all the way out here for this. But I reverted to childhood and was SO happy to have my mommy and daddy around.

We didn't do much cus we were all a bunch of sickies so the pics I have are of us sitting around. My dad has a bunch more, like always, and I need to get more from them.

It was a great trip and the kids are still asking for them. It was nice to see them grow closer because they don't get to see them that often. They were all best friends.

Thanks mom and dad for coming to help and thank you everyone else who is helping every day : )

The babies love grandpas IPhone

Riley is an old pro on the thing

Grandpa and Mikey napping

We took my parents out to lunch for Fathers Day. The kids won't walk with me once they see their grandparents.

Thanks mom and dad for all your help!

Pool Party

Michael's sister Sara is getting married at the end of July and her fiance Bryce held a bbq pool party at his house. It was a lot of fun. Michael didn't bring his suit and so Riley wouldn't get in. But still wouldn't leave his side or the action in the pool.

Riley is Michaels clone

Mikey and his cousin Brad in the pool

The boys were so tired they fell asleep in the car

awwww

Fathers And Sons

This was Mikey's second year going camping with daddy. Riley is still too mischevious and too in diapers to attend. But I made sure he had fun at home with me. Mikey talked about this for weeks before they went, he really looks forward to it. He said daddy was taking him to superhero camp where they were going to be paleontologists and dig up dinosaur bones. He even brought a little shovel. Cute Kid. Cute Daddy.

Mikey Is Four!

I can't believe I have a four year old. I also can't believe that his feet are only the length of my toes smaller than mine and he's less than two feet shorter than me. My boy is growing up!

Double Birthday Party

Last Saturday we threw a combined birthday for the boys since their birthdays are a week apart. We held it at Apollo Park and we were so grateful that it was such a nice day and the kids had so much fun. Mikey wanted a dinosaur party because he is pretty much obsessed with them right now, and Riley wanted a basketball party.

My talented sister made their cakes. They were the hit of the party.

We had a bbq for the guest. Michael just likes making the flame go really high : )

Riley wanted to feed the ducks as soon as we got there

The boy buds eating

Cousins eating

We got the kids two pinatas, Spiderman and Mickey Mouse, so everyone would get a chance to hit. I promise Mikey liked the pinata better than this picture shows

Riley swinging his hardest

Riley enjoyed the fact that we said yes to hitting something with a bat

Mikey taking his swing

Kids swarming for the candy

The kids were wearing the parts of the broken pinatas as hats

Mikey thinking he's climbing a tree ; )

My friend took the blowing out the candle shots for me because I couldn't get a good spot

Classic cake face

Cake face #2

Riley has never asked me to go down a slide with him. He loves them.

Riley is fearless at the park and he scares me to death, but I love him!

Only picture Mikey let me take

Feeding the ducks/geese crackers from the bridge so they wouldn't attack : )

We were so blessed to have so many friends and family come spend the day with us and the boys were spoiled rotten like always. It was a great day!

This Little Kid Is Two!

Mikey Loves...

Babies. Especially his new cousin Olivia.

Book Signing

My sweet dad braved the crowd of over a thousand middle schoolers to get his grown up book nerd of a daughter a couple autographs. He is the best! Since there were so many people and he already had waited a couple hours just for Shannon Hale's signature, he didn't go to the other lines and I TOTALLY understand. But he took a lot of great pictures for me and I am SO SO SO grateful for a dad who would do anything for his daughter!

Brandon Mull signing books. He wrote Fablehaven...and definite MUST READ

Shannon Hale. If you haven't read her books you need to start. It doesn't matter how old you are!

Shannon Hale signing my book!

It was a little embarrassing presenting these books to an author and letting them know I didn't buy their book new, but you know me: I love getting a great book at an awesome library sale : )