Just In Case...

...you need a good chuckle.

Yes, that is snot running down his face.

Under Construction

Ever since we've had kids I have wanted to decorate a homemade gingerbread house. Now that Taylor's 4, I finally got around to making it. Here's how it started out. I was quite proud it didn't totally collapse:Taylor was concentrating very hard on where he was placing the candy.Hooray for candy!The finished product. I'm pretty sure they ate more candy than actually went on the house. And that same night our awesome neighbors who we absolutely love brought a gingerbread house kit for the boys to put together. That one didn't hold up as well, making me feel even better about the one I made.Complete with a retractable sunroof. Any takers?And just so we don't forget about Melanie-

O Christmas Tree

We finally went and got our Christmas tree last week. Unfortunately we were dumb enough to go on what had been the coldest day of the month so far- it was in the twenties. So we found the perfect tree pretty quickly.

Here's Kent doin' all the cuttin'. Very manly.

Since I'm highly anal and want a Christmas tree that doesn't look like my children just threw ornaments at it with their eyes closed, last year we bought a fake tree to put upstairs in the loft. So we gave them ornaments to decorate it with that don't break. Some of the ornaments are from Kent's grandmother, Lois. I have to say, they're amazing. She sewed all of them herself.

And yes, I realize our tree is naked and lacking a tree skirt.

Did I mention that last week Melanie turned 1 month? I can't believe she's getting so big so quickly, but at the same time it's been a long month. I'm frantically trying to put her in as many cute little outfits that were given to me before she grows out of them.

"Please bless Mommy...

...that she won't make me do all the laundry tomorrow."

The other night right before bedtime I got frustrated with Taylor because he had run through all my neatly folded piles of laundry. So I made the empty proclamation that he'd be doing all the laundry the next day. And so when Kent told him it was his turn to say the prayer, that's what he prayed for.

And since I told him that Melanie couldn't bite anything because she didn't have teeth, last night he prayed that she could "grow some teeth."

I love his prayers.

Thanksgiving

Yeah, I haven't posted for a while. For almost a month, in fact. And Kent's stirring rendition of labor didn't count, considering he made it sound like I walked in, had a baby, and walked out without even breaking a sweat. Okay, I admit, it was the easiest. But it was still childbirth, nonetheless. And I could still wiggle my toes after getting my epidural- I personally thought the anesthesiologist was being slightly stingy with the meds.

Life has been pretty good- it's a lot more hectic with 3, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I was slightly horrified at the prospect of life without my mother-in-law here to clean and cook (did I mention I have a rockin' mother-in-law who is amazing?). I even tried to convince her to rent a house down the street. She didn't seem all that eager- probably because she knew we'd practically live at their house if they did. But it hasn't turned out as bad as I thought. We at least have clean underwear and something to eat during dinner. And the boys have been better than I thought they'd be. Taylor enjoys helping as much as a boy could be expected to help, and Erik has only tried to bite her once. Other than that he just grunts and tries to give Melanie her pacifier every now and then.

Kent's whole family came up to visit us for Thanksgiving. It was fun to have everyone here, and while everyone was together, we thought we'd get some family pictures done. A photographer in our ward took our pictures, and she did an awesome job. Thanks a ton, Blaire!The typical Saunders family photo:

Eviction confirmed!

At 0236 this morning Melanie finally decided to join her brothers in the Saunders family. We went to the hospital last night after Stephanie noticed her contractions were increasing and she was ready to get the pregnancy over with. We checked in and soon thereafter they ruputured her membranes. I then fell asleep thinking that it would be atleast a good 4hours or more until she start pushing.....but an hour later Melanie was surprisingly out. Surprising because Melanie weighed a petite (if your parents were sumo wrestlers) 8lbs 11oz, 20inches long. So much for all of those ultrasounds that were concerning for her being underweight, but I guess nightly bowls of ice cream for the past 3months played a role.




Of course if you know Stephanie the most important part was receiving her epidural as soon as she was checked in, and it worked like a gem. Once again, another painless laboring event. I don't know what the lady in the room next door was thinking going all natural as her moans pierced through the walls as if she was given birth to bigfoot himself. 9months of pregnancy is hard enough why make it any more painful.

So having a baby in the middle of the night is not the way to go. We were up all night and exhausted this morning. Taylor and Erik were both daytime/early evening babies and it was nice. Luckily Melanie is nice and quiet and likes her pacifier. Yes that's right, her pacifier, and she is breast feeding great. Take that all you nipple confusion freaks, a firm rubber pacifier versus a soft nipple....hmmm....where's the confusion, but enough talk about nipples.

Bottom line, Stephanie and Melanie are doing great. Thanks to everybody for you support. I'm sure Stephanie will make a post within the next week and give her viewpoint of the whole experience (and say how she was laboring for hours and hours). Taylor and Erik are happy to go see their sister this afternoon (well Taylor anyway).

Past Due Notice

Alas, I am still pregnant. I was going to be induced today, but not only did we change our minds, my doctor let me know that a lot of women had went into labor last night, so they might not have been able to squeeze me in anyway.

So this is the baby's first past due notice:

Dear Tenent,

This is just a reminder from your landlord that you are overdue. Please be aware that there will be a $30 per day fine for each day you are past due, beginning today. Management is aware that you will have no monetary funds upon arrival. Taking this into consideration, we have agreed to accept an easy and painless delivery as payment. We are in the process of approving hugs and kisses as well, and we will keep you informed of the status. Poopy diapers and spit-up, however, will not be acceptable forms of payment. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Please keep in mind that you have until November 10th to arrive. If you have not arrived and your account is not paid in full by the 10th, we will be forced to evict you. This is your first and final notice.

Sincerely,
Management
(Mom and Dad)

The Pumpkin Patch

Well, it took us a while, but we finally managed to make it to the pumpkin patch 3 days before Halloween. Even though it stunk like rotting pumpkin, we were able to get some cute pics of the boys in their costumes. Luckily at this age Erik doesn't care what he is for Halloween, so he gets Taylor's hand-me-downs. And yes, for those of you wondering, I am still pregnant.

WHAT?

I can't already be almost 38 weeks. I swear, just 2 weeks ago I felt like I had forever to wait. Now all of a sudden I'm threatening her to stay in or she won't have anywhere to sleep and no clothes to wear. Not that I think she'll come early. After all, I'm one of those cursed women whose babies cling for dear life to the umbilical cord and decide that it's much easier to stay inside than come out. Taylor was 2 weeks overdue and Erik was 4 days late (and I only have modern medicine to thank for Erik not being any later than that...). People started telling me over a month ago that it looks like I'll go any day now. Thanks, everyone, for those comments that remind me how pregnant I really look, as if my lower back pain and 30 trips to the bathroom didn't do the job.

So for your viewing pleasure (or comic relief, whichever you prefer), here is a pic that Kent took of me today, six-pack abs and all. I considered posting the picture that I took at the same week when I was pregnant with Taylor. And then I remembered that my belly was un-covered. And the thought almost made me cough up vomit, so I thought I'd spare everyone else. You're welcome.

Keep in mind that the camera adds about 40 pounds or so...

Busy Beaver

I've been frantically trying to get things finished before the baby comes. Last week I cleaned out and organized the entire garage (okay, so maybe I have one wall left to do...) and finally finished the crib bedding. The only problem is that Erik is still using the crib. So after I finished the bedding, I realized that I can't even use it for a while. But at least it's done.

Here's the quilt. I bought so many different fabrics to try out that I ended up just using whatever I had leftover to do it.

I've been toying with the idea of painting the crib white or dark brown. What do you think?

Things That Go Bump In The Day

1. Taylor jumping out of bed
2. The various objects Erik throws downstairs
3. Erik's head against the floor after he falls off the chair
4. Erik's head against the floor after Taylor pushes him
5. The block that Erik then threw at Taylor's head
6. The drawers of Taylor's dresser being slammed after he gets his 20th pair of underwear out
7. An unbalanced load of laundry

Correction: A broken washer. Because my washer is obviously quite spiteful and bitter that I've been lusting over other washers, it decided to quit on laundry day. Not that I necessarily have a specific laundry day. Laundry day is whichever day I realize that none of us have any more clean clothes and I start using Taylor's emergency underwear that I have stashed away in the car. The saddest part about the whole situation is that the washer is most likely repairable. Why is that sad? Because if it wasn't repairable then I wouldn't have to decide between just buying a new washer or repairing this one. Is it cheaper to repair this one? Obviously. It's not like an '84 Honda Civic hatchback that you're holding together with duct tape and you're just praying it gets you through the week. In fact, I feel like I'm almost cheating on my washer since I'm trying to think of ways to validate getting a new one.

Maybe Kent will make this easier. Maybe Kent will say, "You know what, honey? You work so hard and you're 8 months pregnant and I just wonder how you do it all. You're practically supermom, and I think we should just get you a new washer AND dryer. You deserve it. Why don't you go and pick a set out? And stop and get a pedicure on your way home. And have I mentioned how thin you look lately? Why don't you eat another helping of brownies and ice cream?"

Hmmm... was the brownies and ice cream comment too much to hope for?

Back in School

It's been a LONG summer. Don't get me wrong- I love my boy. But I'm so glad that he's going back to school, even if it is for just 3 days a week. Of course I still have Erik, so it's not like I can just prop my feet up and eat brownies and ice cream while he's gone, especially since Erik sometimes causes more trouble than Taylor does. But it's nice for both Taylor and I. He's excited about it and loves school! This was the only picture he was willing to let me take-

Great Wolf!

Every year all of the pediatric residents go on a retreat. Last year wasn't all that great- it was on the coast at a sub-par hotel with not that much to do, especially since it was chilly at the beach. This year, however, was completely awesome. We went to the Great Wolf Lodge, which was only about 40 minutes away (compared to last year's 3-hour drive where Taylor threw up half way through...). It's a hotel with an awesome indoor water park. The kids had an absolute blast. Taylor was SO excited and had been talking about it the whole week before.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Erik was totally fearless. He went down the same slide over and over and over... He would climb up the ladder, push his way past those lame 3-4 year-olds that were way too slow for him, and go head-first down the slide. People kept giving me wary looks and asking me if he needed help. Uh, no. He'd scream if we tried to help him. Thanks, though.

For some reason he was enthrawled with the life vest buckles. He probably spent a good 20 minutes buckling and un-buckling them.

On the last day our kids were pretty hammered. But Taylor keeps asking when we're gonna go to the hotel with the water park.

From the Mouths of Babes

...or young missionaries.

Elder #1: "Wow, Sister Saunders! You look like you're about ready to pop! Aren't you due soon?"

Me: "Nope, not 'til November."

Elder #2: "Can you get much bigger than that?"

Me: *chuckle* "I still have two more months. I've got plenty of time to get bigger."

Elder #1: "Hey, pretty soon you won't be able to fit sideways through the doorway."

In their defense I really am getting big. I have two friends who are splendidly honest and tell me that I really do look further along than I really am. And Kent told me about a woman he saw in the clinic that was due in October, yet quite smaller than I am. The real proof? The fact that I was looking at a picture thinking, "when did I take a picture of Kent from behind?" A few seconds later I realized that it was MY behind I was looking at. When I get motivated I'll have to post a picture of my belly with Taylor compared to my belly now at the same time. I now weigh as much as I did when I delivered Taylor. Of course the two servings of brownies and ice cream that I've eaten today haven't helped...

Life's a Beach

Kent had last week off, and let me tell you, it was about time he had a few days off. So we packed up the kids, squished all our camping gear into the car (and even some on top...) and headed over to Kalaloch by the Pacific Coast to go camping. It was the perfect campsite- close enough to the beach to walk there, but not on the beach, so you're not trying to shake sand out of your underwear as you sleep (though it still found its way back in small amounts). The weather was really nice- you only needed a light sweater during the day, and even the nights didn't get too cold (unless you're 7 months pregnant and have to waddle to the bathroom 3 times in the middle of the night- then you wish for your bathroom at home that's only 10 feet away without the fear of being ambushed by a rabbid raccoon on the way). Our campsite was awesome thanks to some recommendations from friends. There were a ton of fallen trees and roots to climb on so they had a lot more room to wander but were still close enough to see. Here's a view from up high of what was right next to our campsite- Here are a few pictures of the hikes. Kent wanted to get a picture of the two boys sitting nicely, but it was like pulling teeth to get Erik to sit still for more than 2 seconds.

The beach was lovely, though would have been nicer if not for the hundreds of jellyfish right next to the water. But they loved being able to just play in the sand. This is Erik insisting he needs to step on it to really check it out and me insisting he doesn't-

This is, by far, my favorite picture that Kent took while we were there-

Kent also turned 31 while we were camping. Although I wasn't able to make him his favorite birthday cake while we were there, he at least got peach cobbler. I love you, honey! Thanks for being such a rockin' husband and daddy!