Meet the teacher

The Friday before school started there was a meet the teacher night. Of coarse I didn't get a picture of the teacher, but I am sure I will sometime this year. The kids would not slow down, running from one thing to the next. The classroom was amazing, so much to do and see. (playing with things from the sea)

He is going to a Montessori school. I feel really lucky to have found a Montessori charter school so I don't have to pay for it. I actually don't know that much about Montessori, at least less than I thought. But I am really excited to learn more as the year goes on.

(scooping, pouring, and pinching)

William seemed really excited to see all the fun things he would get to do at school each day. He liked the outdoor learning areas. I think William will do really well with this style of learning and class room setting.

(He really likes puzzles and shapes)

What I really like about this school so far:

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  They sent a letter home saying that they will be teaching the kids about healthy eating and asked that parents not send sugary treats, candy, and drinks to school and if you do they would send them back home. This was a worry of mine sending William to school, because I try and have my kids eat healthy and I didn't want him coming home telling me all the other kids have fruit snacks in their lunch everyday and whining at me to do it, cause I'm not going to.


• 
  
  The only things they asked to have them bring to school was an extra set of cloths, a bag of some sort, and a lunch every day. I love that the keep it simple.

William has not had any complaints, he loves it and all the friends he has made.

I was worried about Gracie and how she would do with him being gone all the time. She has mentioned it a few times, but I think she also likes it. Her personality has really been magnified since she has been the only one home. I am really glad for this time I have with just her before baby 3 comes into the picture. For example we are sitting on the couch together watching Robin Hood and laughing at out favorite parts. Later we will run errands and that is sooo much easier with just Gracie and I. She does wear a back pack around the house every now and then, but that is just cute.

So school really is cool.

Ready to be done

and I don't mean with this pregnancy. I am ready to be done with my kidney/urinary/bladder problems. (about 30 weeks)

A day after this picture was taken I had a midwife appointment and my urine showed up with blood in it. We sent it in and found out that there was no infection (good news) but that meant it was probably a kidney stone again (bad news) Wednesday I started having pain in my bladder, but that was only when the babies head would push on the bladder. I tried to take the midwifes advice again and drink lemon juice, but it was hard to do when I didn't have a lot of pain or symptoms. I would just forget about it a lot. Over the weekend my legs started cramping up a lot and I couldn't stand in one spot for too long. I figured it was probably coming soon. Sunday night I started getting pretty intense pain in my bladder and then in my lower back started hurting a lot. We got ourselves home and I got in a hot bath and it started to help. I was getting uncomfortable so I got out, but that was a mistake because then everything just hurt worse. There was no position I could get in that would relieve the pain. The only think that helped was if Russ would rub it. I was up pretty much up all night. I started throwing up because the pain was so bad. Every hour or so I would feel like I really needed to pee so I would try and hardly anything would come out, because I was throwing it all up. In the morning I realized there was no way I was going to be able to pee this thing out if I couldn't keep any fluids down. So I went to the ER. I won't go into too much detail but they gave me an IV after a while I went pee a lot and that felt so good. And there it was, a huge kidney stone. I think it was blocking anything from getting through and I could not keep down enough fluids to build up enough pressure to get it out.

Russ went into work late so he could help get the kids taken care of and me to the hospital. Our neighbor let William come over early and get picked up for the car pool at her house. Grandpa Christensen came and got Gracie so she could stay with them all day. Russ came to the hospital for lunch and was able to talk to the doctor with me. Connie found out I there and came to visit me on her lunch break. I also called her when I was released and she came and took me home. I got home right before William came home from school and when I called my in laws about coming to get Gracie they told me they would come get William and they could stay until Russ could get them after work (7:00pm). It was nice to get some rest, because my body was really tired. I think I was clenching most my muscles all they time that I was in pain. Well, not the whole time but enough that I was very tired. I feel so blessed to have so many around me that are willing to help and it feels good because I know that those that helped were not my only options.

So hopefully that will be the end of these kinds of problems because there are just a few things I would like to get done before this baby comes sometime in mid October.

• buy a car for Russ to drive to work
• Finish the trim in the kitchen
• recover my Grandmas rocking chair
• better organize the office/craft room
• make a budget and stick to it
• make stuff for and get ready for vintage yard sale
• get old cabinets and refinish them for laundry room
• organize laundry room and food storage
• get food storage
• put a new bathtub in the bathroom
• paint dresser and toy fridge in kids room
• paint and decorate master bedroom
• hang porch swing

I think that is all. Doesn't sound like too much, does it? That doesn't even count the maintinance of our huge pool, huge yard, and house.

Man, I wish there was two of me and that one of us was not pregnant.

I do realize that it will not all get done, but I plan on sitting down with Russ today and putting them in order of most importance and making a goal to get them done. Now, no more kidney stones or any other problems to slow me down. Full speed ahead.

p.s. going to the hospital only made Russ and I more excited about the fact that we are planning on having this baby at home.

7 Years

You and me forever.

Awhile back I won a free photo session on the blog, I heart Mesa. We ended up taking the pictures on the morning of our 7th anniversary - August 7th, 2010. The photographer was Zane of Lloyd Zeffler photography. He was awesome! I love the pictures, they turned out great! It was fun to do a shoot with just Russ and myself.

And we got to use my collection of old suitcases so that was fun too.

But what I really want to say is that I love being on the arm of this man.

I love him more than anyone and that is saying a lot. I really really love my children, but as I watched William start school I have been hit more and more with the fact that my kids will grow up and leave me. They are their own person, they are not mine.

Russ is mine. He has promised to love me and be with me forever. And more. This brings me comfort and peace. I will miss my kids when they are gone and I will love them forever. But Russ and I will have forever to look back on all the fun times we have had as a family.

Fun times we have. Who doesn't have fun with Russ? He makes me so happy.

My favorite spot is on his shoulder and in his arms. And I am not just saying that, it is the most comfortable place.

It is nice to have him there to hold me up, heaven knows I need it.

So, I am not even sure if the past seven years have flown by or if it seems like we have been married forever.

I just know that I think about him all day long. I wish I could talk to him all day long.

I appreciate him so much. I love him for all that he does for me and our family. I love him for being such a great Dad to my children.

One of my favorite parts of the day is when he is in the kids room tucking them in and i just hear roars of laughter. He can't stop tickling them. And I love it because I know how much they love him.

I also love it because I know I am about to have my time alone with him.

And I don't know what I would do without him.

7 years

You and me forever.

Awhile back I won a free photo session on the blog, I heart Mesa. We ended up taking the pictures on the morning of our 7th anniversary - August 7th, 2010. The photographer was Zane of Lloyd Zeffler photography. He was awesome! I love the pictures, they turned out great! It was fun to do a shoot with just Russ and myself.

And we got to use my collection of old suitcases so that was fun too.

But what I really want to say is that I love being on the arm of this man.

I love him more than anyone and that is saying a lot. I really really love my children, but as I watched William start school I have been hit more and more with the fact that my kids will grow up and leave me. They are their own person, they are not mine.

Russ is mine. He has promised to love me and be with me forever. And more. This brings me comfort and peace. I will miss my kids when they are gone and I will love them forever. But Russ and I will have forever to look back on all the fun times we have had as a family.

Fun times we have. Who doesn't have fun with Russ? He makes me so happy.

My favorite spot is on his shoulder and in his arms. And I am not just saying that, it is the most comfortable place.

It is nice to have him there to hold me up, heaven knows I need it.

So, I am not even sure if the past seven years have flown by or if it seems like we have been married forever.

I just know that I think about him all day long. I wish I could talk to him all day long.

I appreciate him so much. I love him for all that he does for me and our family. I love him for being such a great Dad to my children.

One of my favorite parts of the day is when he is in the kids room tucking them in and i just hear roars of laughter. He can't stop tickling them. And I love it because I know how much they love him.

I also love it because I know I am about to have my time alone with him.

And I don't know what I would do without him.

The first day of the rest of his life

On this day, 8-9-10, William went to school for the first time. He had not had preschool except a joy school we did in Flagstaff, so this was a big deal for he and I. But he is ready and I am ready. This picture pretty much sums up his feelings.

I am not sure that Gracie is ready, though. She didn't cry, but after we got home from dropping him off she said, "we forgot William!". I told her that we didn't forget him and that we would get him later she furrowed her brow and said, "but I want him." Don't get me wrong, these two fight quite a bit, but they love each other. And these pictures seriously melt my heart.

They will miss each other and that has probably been the hardest part about sending him to school.

And sure, I am going to miss my boy. But every time I have started to feel sad about him going he gives me a reason to be glad. He is ready for it and needs it.

Russ stayed home for the event of taking him to school and I was really glad he was there. It was nice not to have to do it alone.

Here we are at the school and he is getting his name tag on.

We said goodbye and sent him off to the play ground. Then we hung around awhile to watch. He went and stood in line to climb the ladder for the monkey bars and I thought "what is he doing he does not know how to do monkey bars". I watched him climb the ladder, look at the monkey bars and climb back down. Funny kid.

Then he saw us again on his way to his back pack and just waved and said good bye again. Then his buddy Owen showed up so I had to take some more pictures. They showed up at the perfect time because I was about to loose it.

Gracie and Elliot. Pretty soon it is going to be them.

When I went to get William he was happy to see me and tell me about his day. He seemed to have a lot of fun and I hope it always will be fun for him. I hope he will always make friends as easily as he does now and I hope he will always love learning like he does now. He is growing up and in turn so am I. It is hard turning your child over to someone else, but I know that he is ready. I am going to miss him.