Our New Addition...

So after one "scare" (we thought my water broke and drove to St. George only to be sent home... it was a miserable night) we decided it would probably be best to go ahead and be induced the week before the baby was due.  We went to our scheduled appointment the 20th and I was 90% effaced and dilated to 2 1/2 cm.  Dr. Kvarfordt thought the 21st would be a good day to have a baby.  So we stayed over at Aaron's cousin, Heather's house and waited for Labor and Delivery to call us.  The way it works in St. George is they can call you anytime from midnight to midnight to tell you they're ready for you to come in.  I guess they like to leave as many beds open for the women who come in already in labor.

I didn't sleep very well due to my phone not wanting to charge.  I'd wake up every little while checking to see if it was still lit up.  At 5:30 a.m. the hospital called and asked us to come in by 6:30 a.m.

We got settled in at the hospital and the nurse had a really hard time getting my IV in.  But it wasn't as bad as with Avery... the nurses tried six times and failed, only to have Dr. Staudte numb my hand and finally get it in.  Our nurse, Pam, tried twice then had someone else come do it.  She got it the first try, thank goodness.

Before they could start the pitocin they were called to another room for a delivery.  We could hear the new baby crying down the hall and it made me anxious for our baby to arrive.  I was finally started on pitocin around 7:45 a.m.

Things went really slow most of the morning.  I started to have stronger contractions but only made it to 3 cm.  Dr. Kvarfordt came in at 2 p.m. and decided to break my water.  Things instantly picked up.  Pam checked me at 3 p.m. and I had gone from 3 cm to 6 cm within the hour.  She and Aaron both guessed I'd have him in another hour or so. 

At 4:05 p.m. we welcomed Spencer Jordan West into our family.  He weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 20 inches long.  He reminded us both of Kaitlyn as a newborn.

It was interesting because we had heard five or six babies be born before Spencer.  Apparently I was the only one to do it naturally.  Even my doctor was surprised when he came in and I didn't have an epidural. 

Aaron's mom brought the girls to see us the next morning.  They were so excited to meet their new brother.  Avery kept saying Spencer was her baby, and Kaitlyn kept wanting to hold him.  I'm so glad they like him.

I am so thankful for my healthy, beautiful baby boy.

Another Year...

July 2nd was my hubby's 33rd birthday.  I felt so bad because between working a lot, moving into our new house (yay!) and pregnancy brain I didn't really get him anything.  Plus our house is lacking a stove and Lowe's only delivers out here every other week, so I was unable to bake him a cake.  Luckily his mom did that part for me.  Of course he said that to him it's really just another day.  I just love celebrating the day he came into existence.

There are so many things that I love about Aaron.  I guess that being together for almost 9 years does that.

I love...

*his blue eyes

*his bright red facial hair and sideburns

*the way I catch him looking at me... makes me all mushy inside

*that I know he was chosen specifically for me

*the awesome father that he is

*his work ethic

*his (sometimes cheesy) sense of humor

*his respect for his parents

*that he loves being active, especially outdoors

*that he is a worthy Priesthood holder

*he leads our family, but makes sure to keep me by his side, not behind him

*the way he became a part of my family and the genuine love he has for them.

I am so thankful for my eternal companion and the family we have created together.  And I'm thankful to know that he loves me and our children. 

Independence Day...

Caliente has a fun 4th of July for families.  They did everything on Sunday, so we went to church and then went to the activities at the park.  Luckily it was Aaron's furlough, so he was able to spend the day with the girls and me.  The firemen put on kids' games, give out tons of watermelon, and then they have this water event.

Basically they divide the kids into different age groups.  They then have them gather on the street in front of the elementary school and wait.  The firemen turn on two water sprayers from their trucks and two huge hoses.  They soak everyone and they throw change into the street for the kids to gather up.  Kaitlyn did such an awesome job this year... she gathered $6.50.  Last year I tried to help the girls and I think the firemen considered me target practice.  Luckily the girls were old enough to do it themselves this time.

Laura was really brave and went out there, but she got cold and frustrated really fast, so she quit early.  She gathered $2.45.  The girls really enjoyed spending their money earlier this week.

That night we met our friends, the Bazils, at the baseball fields and watched the fireworks together.  The city shoots them from the water tower on the mountain and then does the finale from lower down.  Avery loves helping with Ryley.

This was my favorite photo of the night.  Kaitlyn and Trustin were running around with glow sticks and this is a shot of Kaitlyn running toward me.

I really like this one too.  The kids were swinging their glowsticks around.

We had a really fun 4th.  We sure have been blessed with great friends here.

Trip to California...

Last month we were able to head out to northern California for my sister, Chelsea's high school graduation.  I have to say it was the shortest graduation I'd ever been to, other than my own.

It was so fun to see all my siblings.  Ashley came out from Iowa with her boyfriend, John, so it was great to get to know him a bit better.  Cortney and Denton were there, and it was fun to spend time with Cort, especially since she's also pregnant and is about 12 weeks behind me.  Her little belly was pretty cute.

My grandma, mom and aunt threw a baby shower for me.  It was really fun and I got so many cute clothes and blankets for the baby.

Aaron and I miss living in California so much sometimes, especially now that we live in the desert.  But we feel that we've been so blessed to be where we're at.

I miss my family and love them so very much.

*I have decided that I'm really terrible at taking pictures while I'm visiting family.  I didn't get any other than at the graduation.

Snakey the Snake...

A few weeks ago Aaron and I went driving at night to find snakes.  That may not make sense, but since we live in the dessert snakes come out to warm themselves on the asphalt once the sun has gone down.  Aaron was doing a lot of hiking with the kids at work and they'd become really interested in the local snakes and lizards.  So off we went to search for snakes.

We headed down Rainbow Canyon and didn't see anything except for a dead rattlesnake.  We turned around to head home and ended up finding a small California Kingsnake.

When the girls woke up in the morning they were so excited to see the snake.  Laura and Kaitlyn thought we should keep it and started calling it "Snakey" (they like to keep things simple).

 

We explained to them, much to their disagreement, that we do not keep wild animals as pets.  Aaron and I have always felt that wild animals deserve to stay that way, wild.

Aaron took the snake to work with him and ended up letting it go on his way home that night.  I'm so glad my girlies enjoy a wide variety of wild life.  And I'm perfectly happy with snakes.  If Aaron ever brings a tarantula home, well, let me just say I don't think it'd be coming inside.