Easter!

Easter morning was fun and full of surprises. The kids loved seeing the eggs hidden around the house. Ri made stock of every egg he saw and Loli found one that she had to eat. When Bo and I finally got up it was a mad dash for Ri. Loli just sat near her basket and enjoyed the eggs we made him share. She kept saying that Nana was the easter bunny.

After a fun morning we all started to to get ready for church. This is where the surprise comes in. We've had a nasty virus of some sorts and poor Loli ended up with the runs. She was crushed when I told her she could not go to church. She cried and kept saying "I want to wear my Easter dress!" I felt so bad, but promised her she could wear it next week. 

Instead Bo and Ri went to sacrament meeting and returned as soon as it was over. Bo told me that they had to make two potty runs for Riley while they were there. Whatever this virus is, I hope it is gone soon. It has made potty training and going places very rough.

This week has brought some funny little stories as well. 

Loli "can you please get down my squirrel house?"

Me "Not until you clean your room"

Loli "I don't want to clean my room. My room is too messy for me to clean."

I love how kids think so logically. 

While getting ready for school one morning Ri said "My tummy is stinging. I swallowed a bee outside with daddy while playing. It keeps stinging inside my tummy over and over and eating my bones."  I'm not sure if he was trying to get out of school, but it made me laugh. 

Nesting!

We are a little less than three months away from Natalie's due date. With this knowledge comes an overwhelming need to be prepared and constantly busy. Not only am I due soon, but so are three of my friends. Did we plan to all get pregnant within 5 months of each other? NO. My first friend Marty is having her baby at the beginning of May. I have always wanted a cover for my car seat. The wind here in Colorado is awful and I can't tell you how often poor moms loose blankets to the wind. So as I began to plan Natalie's I decided "why not make them for all of my friends!" Now, I am not a novice sewer. If you look close at Marty's I did not know how to make a correct inseam. Hence the crooked line. After completing hers, I did a little research and learned a sewers secret. You do not watch the needle but match the edge of your fabric to an inseam line. Genius! After fallowing that rule, my lines (though not perfect) looked so much better on Natalie's. Two down and two more to go!

For Marty's sweet boy!

My Natalie's car seat cover! I fell in love with this fabric. It's Riley Blake's red riding hood line. I am so happy I found a vendor on Etsy who still had yards of this fabric. Sadly, it is no longer in season and  has been discontinued.

In the gleeful words of wheezie from dragon tales "I LOOOOVE IT!"

Spring?

Spring is officially here! Of course it means a huge fluctuation between freezing cold and really warm, but hey we will take any day to get out of the house. 

 On a cold day, while Riley is at preschool, Lorelei and I enjoy playing with her furbanks family. I have to admit that I live vicariously through my kids. My sister and I wanted a doll house when we were young. My dad was building us an adorable colonial house for Christmas. Somehow, a toddler my mom babysat, ripped out the door frames. Sadly, we never got our doll house and to this day it has been my goal to own one.  

On Saturday we took Lolie to the hair dresser for the first time. I tried cutting her hair on my own but wasn't happy with the turn out. The lady at the salon said I did pretty good job. However, it was a lot less stressful with someone else cutting her hair. I also love how she framed her face!

After her hair and a quick shop at Costco we headed to the park. The sun was bright and the weather was perfect! Riley enjoyed playing ball with Brandon.

Lolie kept calling the play structure an ice castle. Every time she climbed the ladder she would say "I need to find my prince." or "I have to get to my prince."

Every time we pass a Baseball field, Riley's eyes light up and he always wants to explore it. He was excited to find that the field was unlocked. Brandon took the opportunity to teach him the ins and outs of the field. He even practiced running the bases. 

The fallowing pictures were taken on Sunday the next day. As I got Lorelei dressed she enthusiastically told me that daddy blow dried her hair and made her pretty. At first I did not believe her. I asked Brandon and he said he did. I was completely shocked. I remember asking him to give them baths the night before, but I did not expect him go beyond that. Miracles do happen when you attend Women's General Conference.

Our sweet Riley is now in CTR 5's! Though my calling is tough, I love watching him during sharing time. It's exciting to see how much he loves to participate and sing. Now that they have released me, a part of me is sad. I enjoyed being a part of his day at church.

All of my cuties together. Of course we had to have a goofy picture!

Riley's Pizza!

Riley's 5th Birthday was the 25th of February. My little boy is almost in Kindergarten! When I asked him where he would like to go for his Birthday dinner, he said, "Something from home." Then I asked, "What would you like me to make from home?" He replied, "Pizza!" So, I built his party around Pizza. We turned the kitchen into Riley's Pizza parlor, with homemade pizza, and a pizza Birthday cake. He thought the cake was pretty cool.

 Our Birthday party guests. When you have two kids with Birthday's in the same week, party planing seems more like a chore.

Riley had so much fun! So far, being 5 is pretty cool. He reminds me every day that he is a big boy like daddy. I was told after preschool one day, that only he could make his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In the end he needed my help, but it was fun to let him try.

Loli's Day!

Between the hustle and bustle of doctors appointments, we had a couple of Birthdays! We started off with Loli's on the 21st! I love asking my kids what they would like to do for their Birthday's. It gives them a say in their special day and reflects their fun personalities. This year Loli wanted a tea party, cupcakes and dinner at Cafe Rio. So that is what she got!

 Poor Brandon, Riley popped up right when I took this picture.

 Finally, Lorelei got what she wanted. Whenever I get out my art supplies and my easel, she will ask if she can join me. Now she can! Even Riley enjoys her present. It's crazy to think that my no longer baby girl is now 3. 

 I'm glad she got to celebrate her day and have fun. She's enjoying everything she was given. Thank you, to all of our family members!

Also, thank you opa for teaching Loli how to blow into paper roll tubes. Here are some pictures from her teaching lesson. It also shows a lot of her spunk and personality. She had us all laughing.  

Update!

Yesterday, February 28th, Brandon and I got to meet our coordinator. She is incredibly sweet, understanding and knows so much about what is going to happen. She gave us a tour of the hospital. I got to see where I'll have Natalie, the NICU, where she'll be before surgery and the PICU, where she'll stay after surgery, until she can go home. Sadly, the walk from my wing to the NICU is quite a distance. I have a feeling that will be the most dreaded part of this journey.  I'm also excited to report that Ri and Loli get to meet their sister before her operation! The coordinator told us that while she is in the NICU her siblings can come as often as they want.   

We also got to meet with the surgeon and I can honestly say this team is awesome! My nerves were rampant, but I could feel their confidence in what they do and it soothed me. I know Heavenly Father planted us here for a reason and our little girls team of doctors is turning out to be one of those. I am also thankful for the support we have been given from family and wonderful friends we have met here in Colorado. I couldn't get through these appointments without knowing my Ri and Loli are in good hands. 

Excited siblings!

 Me at 21 weeks! The day before we found out her condition.

My baby girls story!

     This story is about our sweet little Natalie Anne. The Journey started back on the 13th of February. We walked into the OB/GYN excited to see our little baby and find out her gender. In my previous post, I mentioned that the ultrasound technician thought that I might be placenta previa. I was then referred to Dr. Stettler, a specialized Obstetrician. The next Thursday, February 20th, I walked into his office with my mom. I was told that I was no where near placenta previa. Hoping the appointment would end up with a clean bill of health, it began to drag on. Natalie was a live wire and gave the doctor a hard time seeing the right side of her heart. Eventually, Dr. Stettler noticed some orange feedback in the heart. Not the normal blue (blood going to the heart) and red (blood going away from the heart). This gave him concern. He expressed the hope that he was wrong and set up a quick appointment with another doctor. The next thing I know, we are running to Dr. Bresa (Pediatric cardiologist). There I had another echocardiogram ultrasound. Though it was fun to see my sweet little girl twice in one day, the following news was very surreal. Dr. Bresa walked in and began to tell me that my daughter's condition is called "Transposition of the Great Arteries." Found here: ( http://www.mayoclinic.org/condition/transposition-of-the-great-arteries/multimedia/transposition-of-the-great-arteries/IMG-20008845 ).  He explained that as long as she is inside me, she will be fine. Our goal is to bring her to full term. No need for a C section. The doctor also explained to me that all babies' hearts have a hole called the Foramen Ovale and a small tube called the Ductus Arteriosus. In the first week of life, these two openings close up naturally. When Natalie is born, she will be injected with a medicine that will keep the Ductus Arteriosus open longer. On her first day of life, they will do an echocardiogram ultrasound on her heart. Dr. Stettler will determine if the Foramen Ovale is large enough. If not, they will go in with a small balloon to enlarge the hole. If everything goes as planned, she will be in open heart surgery on day three.

     Was this news scary? Yes! Did I cry? Yes! However the odds look great. The doctor told me that 1 in 1,000 babies are diagnosed with this condition. He also told me that the surgery procedure has 1% fatality rate leaving me hopeful with the 99% success rate. Will the road after birth be easy? No. She may need to relearn how to eat, there might be speech delay, etc. The thing that brought me most comfort was she will likely never need a heart surgery again. She will be followed the rest of her life. Every year she will have to have an echocardiogram. Overall, we are very hopeful and excited to meet this special person.

Best Valentines gift!

I will let the following pictures speak for themselves!

We are so excited! I found out today that I am placenta previa, Luckily, the placenta only covers part of the cervix. There is a good chance that as baby and I grow larger it will move away. I have another ultrasound next week at an obstetrics. Hopefully, we will get a clearer picture of the babies heart and positioning in the Uterus. She was definitely a live wire today. Brandon and I enjoyed watching her roll around as the lady tried to get all of the information she needed. This is by far, my favorite part of pregnancy!  

"Let it go"

Sometimes, we just have to let things go. Thank you "Frozen" for the reminder. On that note, enjoy Riley and Lorelei singing with Idina Menzel! 

Usually, he sings it with his friend Ava. The two of them are huge Frozen fans. I can't tell you how many times it has been viewed on Youtube. Luckily, Aunt Mindy has a huge surprise for his birthday. I'm sure she will be the favorite aunt once his soundtrack is here.

His preschool teacher told me that he sings just as much, if not more, than all of the girls in his class. I truly believe her.  Riley's constantly humming at home, in church, creating his own songs, and recites primary songs like nobody's business. Maybe voice lessons might be in his future. Only time can tell.