Halloween 2013

Halloween went over pretty well this year, despite the fact that I am in my 37th week of pregnancy!  I had a clear plan of how I wanted the night to go, and of course, that plan flew out the window....but it was a fun night regardless, I'll just pay for it a bit tomorrow!

I had planned to have dinner done by 5, kids in costumes by 5:30 when Jared got home, and leave by 6 after he ate.  Jared got home early at 5, and no sign of dinner started or kids in costumes.  Oh well, dinner plans were thrown out the window and Jared made a quick pot of macaroni while I got kids in costumes.  I'm so glad Jared was able to get home, he helped me feel so much more relaxed after being gone or working most of the day!

I put together a quick costume by the by.

We managed to leave by 6:15, and I planned for us to go down to my mom's house, swing around on the other side of the street, and drop me and James back off at home, since I was sure I wouldn't be able to do too much walking.  We got to my mom's house and I felt fine-so we kept going up and down the streets.  I started hurting about 50 minutes into it, at which point we were fairly far from the house-of course!  :)  We started heading home, and I encouraged Jared to take the kids down certain side streets while I just sat on the corner and waited for them with James-I didn't want the kids to feel jyped out of trick or treating time just because I"m pregnant and tired.  At some point though, the kids started complaining about being tired as well, and it was at that point that we officially headed home.  Sara's bucket got so full, she hit the last 10 houses with her hands held out and just told the people at the door her bucket was too heavy.  I think she got additional candy for it!  James trick or treated on the first street we went down and then was just content to sit in his stroller with a sucker--he became so sticky, even if I wanted to send him up to more houses, I wouldn't have because his little hands were that gross.  The boys had a difficult time following rules about not walking on people's yards, staying with us, and saying thank you....but once Jordan lost 3 houses as a result, they both shaped up and did great.  Karianna was great the whole time and loved walking James up to the houses he went to.

The kids were just so cute-so adorable in their costumes, and I just love hearing their excitement as they run up to the doors and then shout "Thank you!" as they run back to showcase their candy to Jared and I.  Halloween always feels like a lot of work-but on the actual night, it is such a blast!

We went to the Lautenschlager's house after giving the kids 10 minutes to sort their candy and pick out their top 15 for individual sacks-the rest got tossed in a communal bucket, as is our tradition.  They got ice cream at the Lautenschlagers and watched a Halloween movie while chowing down.  We ended up getting home around 9, and that's when I realized I was going to pay for all the activity of the day!  But it was worth it, and I'm glad I got to be there to witness such a fun tradition of childhood-and extra glad that Jared was there with us!

Happy Halloween!

Sara's Preschool Costume Parade

All the kids had school parties today, but Sara was the only one allowed to wear her costume and participate in a costume parade.  I remember doing that all through elementary school....so far removed from where schools are at now!

In summary, Sara had a blast.  It was fun to meet her good preschool friend Lilly, who happened to be a fairy right alongside Sara!  I convinced Sara's teacher to take a class picture by the Fall decor-her three teachers this year are Ms. Cathy, Ms. Celia, and Ms. Pam; her speech teacher Ms. Melanie was there, but not for the pictures.  The whole time the kids were walking around the parade track, the teachers kept encouraging the kids to call out, "Hi friends!"  I had to giggle, it's a good thing to teach kids, but that must get old!  James came with me and joined right in with Sara, and her buddies-he looked like he belonged.  Fun day with Sara!

A Halloween Party for the Little Ones

Sara, James and I headed to a little Halloween party at the Haven's house this week.  Sara is good buddies with Sam Haven-they are sunbeams together and she just loves him!  Sam's preschool Halloween party got canceled, so his mom threw together a little party at her home.  At the peak, we had about 12 kids running/crawling around!  We played games, made art projects, ate creepy food like hot dog worms, and the moms had a blast just talking.  I was planning to stay for about 2 hours at the most-ended up more like 3 1/2. I really enjoy being able to get to know other moms in the ward-it helps to know I'm not alone in motherhood with lots of kids!  I really appreciate those women.  Here are some quick pics:

36 Weeks

This is how I am choosing to illustrate my pregnant self right now:

I went in today for my 36 week appointment, which is the beginning of cervical checks.  I am 3-3.5 cm dilated, 50% effaced and at a -2 station.  It doesn't mean anything of course, at least not in terms of when baby will make his appearance.  What it does mean is my body is agreeing with my brain that pregnancy needs to end soon, and thus-it is preparing for that.  :)  That does my mentality a WHOLE lot of good, which is why I honestly look forward to cervical checks-they aren't comfortable, but the info I get is good for my heart.

As long as things keep progressing normally and healthily, we will continue to plan on being induced on Nov. 19th, right at 39 weeks.  My blood pressure was normal if a little low at 110/60; baby's heart rate was in the 130's and measuring right on target.  I lost 2.5 pounds on top of the two pounds I lost 2 weeks ago...I'm not exactly sure why that is happening.  It is normal for me to not gain much if any weight in the last month, but I don't usually lose any.  I have noticed an uptick in nausea the last month or so, and with increased acid reflux, it has been very difficult for me to want to eat late afternoon/evening.  Also, fruits finally started sounding good to me!  So I pretty much live on fruits, water, and meat right now, and small portions since my belly can't handle a ton of food at one time.  My energy levels have also been higher the last month.  All those factors combined, I guess it's not surprising I might have dropped a few pounds, but I don't want that to affect Jackson since this time period is all about him gaining weight to thrive outside the womb.  We'll see what next week holds and I am going to work on eating more frequent snacks during the day.

I always feel funky after physical exams like this that late in pregnancy, so the rest of the day was shot.  I spent the whole morning cleaning JUST IN CASE I ended up needing to head straight to the hospital (probably not realistic, but it's where my brain goes).  It took about 35 minutes to get to Jared's work to switch him cars, another 25 minute to get to my doctor, and longer than that to get home with traffic.  By the time I got the kids, I was spent and ready to go to bed at 4pm.  Not possible of course ;)  I managed to work 5.5 hours for WGU and am now feeling more level and ready to go to bed at a reasonable hour.  Next appointment is a week away for further updates-hoping all continues to be well.

Primary Program 2013

It's over.  I have been building up for the primary program since January, and I have been anticipating that magical sacrament meeting since.  I remember back in January outlining how I wanted each song to go; some of the ideas didn't pan out, but most of my arrangements did.  Seeing them come alive in sacrament was overwhelming...not because I did anything amazing, but because the kids just shined more than ever.  The piano was beautiful as well-my mom of course is an amazing pianist and able to just follow wherever the music needs to go.  We planned out all the introductions and things like that, but at the end of the day, she probably didn't even need that!  I appreciate her talents and skills so much as the primary chorister-having a strong pianist is such a blessing.

It was a good day.  :)  I was overwhelmed with all the positive comments after.  Several of our primary kids had invited nonmembers or family members-and I am so glad they came on a day where the spirit was so strong.  We had some funny moments, many spiritual moments, several beautiful musical moments, and tons of very proud, humble moments.  I am never going to be able to fully express how I feel about this, so let me just give some highlights below, highlights from my perspective anyway.

1. We had 13 numbers, 5 small groups, 2 duets, 3 solos, and 1 sign language number.  One of those small group numbers was 6 adults, including the Bishop and his wife.  It was a lot to arrange, and I have to admit, it was something I was nervous about in terms of making things too complicated. But my overall goal was to give each child a "musical moment", a chance to come up and sing in the mic and bear testimony through music-that's such a powerful thing to feel.  I was so pleased with how well the kids sang each and every number, including the special numbers-they knew their words, they responded well to my "Sing Louder" sign, they stood up and sat down when they were supposed to, and I didn't miss any of my cues.  For being such a complicated musical demonstration, it went more smoothly than I could have imagined.
2. Karianna Stuff:  I was perfectly fine during the whole program.  I started getting a little misty eyed during A Child's Prayer, but I was okay. Then we came to our last song-We'll Bring the World His Truth.  My mom played the introduction to the song on the piano, with strong, powerful key strokes, and you just knew something special was going to come.  And then you hear Karianna sing the first verse as a solo.  Her voice was crystal clear, ringing through the room, such a pure testimony from a child.  I could not have been prouder in that moment that she is my daughter.  I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of her and her voice, and the spirit that was rushing into the room.  I will never forget that moment
3. JD Stuff:  JD's magical moment came while giving his talk-he had the longest talk by far about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel.  He has become such a good reader, he did so well reading the whole thing.  The moment came at the end, where it said something like, "Joseph Smith knew the church was true; I KNOW the church is true...."  He completely emphasized that second "know", and it was powerful.  He said he was just reading it how it was written, but it was a strong moment of testimony and he didn't even realize.  The stake primary representative who was there specifically mentioned this moment amongst the many other that invited the spirit. JD also sang a small group number as 1 of 4 boys, singing the 2nd verse of "The Golden Plates".  I told them to pretend they were Nephi singing about this-strong and powerful.  They didn't disappoint, and I was super proud of JD for actually singing-sometimes he shies away from that because he's too cool but not today!
4. Jordan Stuff:  Jordan's small group number was singing the second verse of "I Want to Live the Gospel" with all the 4 and 5 year  olds-this was our biggest group number, and the one I was most nervous about honestly-8 kids trying to swarm around the mic!  They also had been struggling with their words, and although I had visuals for them, I was nervous it wouldn't come out and I'd just be singing a solo ;)  Wasn't necessary though-they did GREAT and though I wouldn't have predicted he would do this, Jordan literally grabbed the mic (I had told them not too....) and sang every word right in it, right on pitch. It was impressive, though he was being a bit greedy with the mic!  It got a good giggle out of the audience, and when the rest of the primary joined in for the chorus, they almost took it as a challenge to sing louder than the small group, and it was again, powerful.  I was also proud of Jordan for NOT saying "Happy Birthday" into the mic, which he did during the program practice....
5. Sara Stuff:  For me, I knew one of the highlights would be the sunbeam number.  Our three adorable sunbeams got to sing "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission", all on their own, into the big mic at the pulpit (everyone else was at a side mic except Karianna).  Seeing those three, cheek to cheek at the mic, singing those words, was so adorable and they had all those words down!  I was just tickled to see how well they did, especially Sara (who insisted on holding onto the mic).  The rest of the kids joined in for a second round of the song, and the sunbeams continued to sing in the mic-the extra volume revved them up, and the song was just reverberating in the chapel-again, such power!  Sara said her lines well when the time came, and while sitting in her chair, she couldn't stop from sharing her necklaces with Kenzie, hugging Sam, and when they would stand to sing, those three sunbeams would hold hands and rock back and forth.  End of the day, reverent or not-adorable.  
6. A Child's Prayer:  I loved this number personally.  I had asked 6 adults to sing the 2nd verse, representing parents, grandparents, and church leadership (Bishop and his wife).  The kids sang out their first verse nice and loud, and then the adults got their verse-it was beautiful.  Their harmonies were perfectly matched, and I am so glad everyone agreed to be in that small group.  The round went just as smoothly, and for me, that was the most beautifully sung number-musically speaking-in the whole program.
7. Jared mentioned his favorite musical parts were when the kids went up to a high note and held it, which they did on a few songs. I had worked the kids really hard on cut offs and fermatas, and they did great with it, especially when we held a high note in "I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me".  It was angelic-that's the word everyone kept saying. They did so good enunciating:  "He gave me my LIFE. my MIND. my HEART. "Families Can be Together Forever" and "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" had equally beautiful moments where they held out a high note until I cut them off.  It was very cool!
8. Our one sign language song was kind of my "take a breather song", as that signaled to me the small group numbers were over.  The sign language though kind of took my breath away all together-the visual imagery of that song with the signs was so beautiful.  There are some signs that even if you don't know sign language, you FEEL the kids doing it.  When they sing, "I want to be the best I can", they make the WANT sign by holding their arms out and quickly bringing them in towards their stomach-as if they are literally demonstrating how badly they want to be the best they can-and that sentiment was emphasized in their voices as a result.  The sign for best is holding your 2 fingers to your chin, and then bringing your arm up in a thumbs up sign-every time they did that, I just smiled as wide as possible without even meaning too!  I was so nervous to teach sign earlier this year, and I just loved the effect it had on the song and the presentation as a whole.  
9. After Bishop's closing remarks, the congregation sang "I Am a Child of God" as the closing song. Our normal chorister and organist were directing it of course, but I still stood up and had the kids rise on the stage to sing with the congregation.  When we had practiced this, I had challenged the kids to be louder than the organ and their moms and dads....and they were!  But that was the great part, you could hear those beautiful kids just ringing out in the chorus, singing "Lead Me! Guide Me!  Walk beside me!  Help me find the way; Teach me all that I must do-to live with Him some day."  As a parent, I had to stop singing, and just listen to these kids pleading in their exuberant way to be taught how to return to our Heavenly Father.  I mean, that is just powerful.  When they sat down for the final time, I didn't want it to end.  I wanted that spirit to linger because it was that powerful.  
10. The block ended with a very laid back singing time, during which I had the kids do ghost bowling:  I took 6 full paper towel rolls, drew a simple ghost face on them, and stuck a song in the actual roll part.  We stood them up and the kids got to take turns doing "Boo Bowling"; we'd sing a fun song after each turn, and the kids enjoyed the game while every adult in the room just enjoyed the kids.  It was a good way to end a beautiful sacrament meeting program day.

I just love my calling.  I love that when life get so busy and chaotic and confusing and flat out hard, I can go teach primary music to these kids and feel the sweet, simple spirit they invite.  It makes me think things really aren't as hard as I probably make them.  Things we doubt or question are really easy when you think about it.  These kids know that.  They sang that testimony today and I am certain every person within hearing distance felt uplifted, revitalized, determined to be a little bit better as a result.  It was all because of the kids-how beautifully they teach me about what really matters.

Jared told me afterward that he was so proud to have me as his wife.  He was crying.  Jared is a sensitive man, of course, but it's not frequent for his emotions to get the better of him in the form of tears. I just feel so blessed to have the calling, the kids, the husband, the life that I do.  The hard parts-they don't matter so much.  It's moments like we had today that matter, moments where I am sure the Lord is here and watching out for his children, both young and old.

We'll have another great opportunity to share a primary program in a year-and I am honestly already thinking about how we can replicate the spirit we felt today with next year's songs!  But mostly I am trying to soak up the spirit and let it carry me for a while-as long as I can.  I love Primary.  I love my beautiful kids.  I love my amazing husband.  I love the gospel and the peace it so easily invites into my life and the life of my family. We are truly blessed.

Haircuts

I gave 3 of the kids haircuts over the course of the last few days, and they all look so much more grown up!  Karianna wouldn't let me cut her hair....I am still trying to convince her as I love her hair shorter.  I feel like I get better with cutting boy hair every time I do it.  Sara looks like a little pixie with her haircut, I just love her hair short, and so does she!

Question #24: Jared

Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

Both were/are great. Both had are have their challenges. Both have helped shape who I am today. Both are so valuable to me. One big thing to be mindful of is where my childhood family dynamic was my past, my current family dynamic is my present and future and for that, I am excited and humbled by the significant opportunity/responsibility I have to try to make my children’s childhood even better than my own.

35 Weeks

I realize this is the end of a long haul, and it is very natural to feel this way, but I'll say it anyways:  I feel like I have finally made it.  Up until now, I felt like I had sooooooo much longer to go in pregnancy.  When I hit 35 weeks 2 days ago, I finally felt like I could breathe a little easier (mentally, NOT physically).  With my induction date scheduled at 39 weeks, it is just so nice to think I have 4 weeks to go; less than a month; 26 days.  That sounds so good right now!

I have had a burst of energy lately, but I feel like that is dissipating.  I have had a lot of intestinal issues, a resurge in frequent heartburn/acid, and a lot of round ligament pain.  It is hard to eat right now since there's very little room available and since literally anything gives me acid.  Tums don't work at all, so I started taking an acid reducer daily; I'll also drink some generic Mylanta/Maalox to stop the burn, but it tastes so disgusting to me, it's hard to swallow.  I am super glad I am not having any other, more major issues-my SPD is manageable, my blood pressure continues to be great, no swelling to speak of, just a lot of uncomfortable symptoms.  As much as I vent here, I can handle it until baby comes. I am working on staying active with the kids during the day and laying down whenever I can to keep things stable.  I actually took a nap the other day!  It's been a long time since I have done that, what with my work schedule, which has been crazily maxed out lately.

We will be purchasing Jackson's pack and play over the weekend.  Jared now has a 25% discount, so we'll take advantage of that and just get a basic one since I am not planning to use it after this baby.  All other baby stuff is ready to go, my bag is packed other than a few items I'll throw in last minute (which are written down on a paper in the bag, as I know I won't think of those things).  I do a major clean of the house every Saturday/Monday (depending on how I am feeling) just in case we have to head in to the hospital.  I just laid out linens so we can change our bedsheets before we leave...I know that sounds silly, but I like coming home to a fresh bed after having a baby.  I also just typed up a basic childcare document for anyone who comes to help with the kids.  I redid how the kids clothes are organized, and I am super pleased with how it is working-I think it will make things easy while I am recovering as well.

This will be my last week doing primary on Sundays, and it will be a busy one with the primary program. I have to solidify who will be subbing what weeks while I am out in Nov/Dec.  I have that in the works, but will need to verify before the first Sunday of  November.  I want to completely reorganize the bookshelves in the toy room so the kids have easy activities to pull out and do.  I have a small list of cleaning projects I also want to finish that really don't matter, but will keep me busy while waiting for D-day:  cleaning Jared's closet out, cleaning out the laundry room, organizing/cleaning the cabinets in the kids bathroom, organizing the tupperware and cleaning cabinet in the kitchen, cleaning the back patio, etc.  It really doesn't matter if those things get done in the next 4 weeks, but again, it will keep me busy.  We'll see what I can get done.

I have my appointment on Monday, taking care of GBS and doing the first cervical check-I would be shocked if I am not dilated at all, not that this matters.  I feel like I can read my body pretty well by now, and that's just what I tentatively expect.  I have been struggling to stay dehydrated with intestinal issues, so I am a little worried that will affect various numbers.  My goal for the next 4 days is to drown myself in water and go from there.

That's where we are at for now!

Question #23: Jared

List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

Rachel         

Camping                

Learning new and obscure things (things that really matter but most people could care less about)                Sports (watching and playing if I ever had the time)                

Making my children happy (I love their smiles)

Question #22: Jared

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

If I would have been asked that question 12 months ago I would have been able to answer this question without even thinking about it. Now I just don’t know. My life is different than I ever expected it would be. 

Happy Birthday to Jared!

Oh man, I had a 6am teaching session today, and it has been a while since I taught that early.  I must not have slept well last night, because although I set my alarm for 5:45, I did not hear its staticky wake up call until 6:01am; given that Jared took Nyquil last night he was dead to the world.  Ugh.  I must be the fastest computer whiz in town as I managed to log into my classroom while the clock still said 6:01 and thankfully my student wasn't there until 6:07.  Still--I was certainly rubbing my bleary eyes and struggling to speak normally until 35 minutes into the session, not to mention trying to ignore nature's call until 7am....not easy when 8 months pregnant.

 On to bigger and better things!  Jared turned 33 yesterday on October 21st--woohoo!  It was such a pleasure to celebrate his birthday, the kids get so excited about it, and find it so fun to make him goofy cards, sing him their goofy version of happy birthday, and take goofy pictures with him.  Jared and I got to go out and see Gravity on Saturday night for his birthday, plus eat a nice, relaxed dinner at the Cracker Barrell; we had a great time, and seriously loved the movie. It was perfect for me (not that that was the point), as the movie was not overly long and the food portions were perfect sizes.  It has been a looooooong time since we were able to go on a date together, especially one that long, and we were super grateful to Jared's mom for watching the kids.  Plus:  I beat the triangle peg game.  It was awesome!

The kids got to give Jared cards on his birthday, including a huge hamburger card!  I made sure to have a full meal prepped for him when he got home-we had spaghetti casserole, which I am pretty good at, with garlic bread, steamed corn, and a fruit salad.  The finishing touch-a double-layer chocolate cake with fudge ice cream.  It has been a while since I made a cake like that, as we end up not eating all of it!  But Jared and I had talked about making one for his birthday weeks ago, and I think he was surprised that I actually did it!  It was delicious if I do say so myself and the kids' eyes were bugging out when I showed them the final product.

My goal was to make Jared feel special and loved-and he said I over-accomplished that goal.  That's all I needed, and it was such a pleasure to do so for the man I love more than anything in the world.  Love you tons Jared-Happy Birthday!

Question #21: Jared

 If you could have one superpower, what would it be, and what would you do with it first?

I would have the superpower of being able to analyze trends and movements and have a perfect understanding of what they all meant.

With this superpower I would be the richest man in the world from a financial stand point because I would have a perfect understanding of things like foreign currency markets, and the stock market.

I would also be able to understand and predict political and government movements/shifts so I could know what the future political and social future of the country and world would be.

I would also be able to read sacred text with this super power and be able to analyze the information and know exactly what it was saying and how to apply it towards current events and trends.

It would be perhaps the greatest superpower of all time!

Question #20: Jared

Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

Running for student body president several times and winning several times. Different moments when I was a kid and got to sing for different audiences. Realizing that there are more things in this world than what can be seen with the natural eye My mom being shot when I was almost 8 years old

Brielle's Baby Blessing

Today was a super busy day, in that we went to see baby Brielle blessed in the Lautenschlager's/Nansel's ward, zipped over to a luncheon, and then zipped right over to our own ward for primary program practice!  It was exhausting honestly, and by the time I got home, both of my ears were clogged and echoing my heartbeat and blood flow; I was having contractions; I was having simultaneous hot flashes; acid was climbing up my throat; and my calves were cramping up charlie horse style.  I got a terrible headache thereafter as well. Seemed all the pregnancy symptoms I generally deal with on a daily basis came at the exact same time, and I am sure it was because of the crazy busy day.

All complaining aside, Brielle's baby blessing was beautiful, and it was fun hanging out with the Lautenschlager extended family at the luncheon!  The kids did great with the primary program practice-not that the practice went well!  It was all about timing, arranging small groups, stand up/sit down cues, etc.  I ended up with the last 20 minutes of time just to review songs as well, so it felt like a lot.  Either way, it was a good and busy day, just needed a ton of rest thereafter!

While we were taking pics with the Lautenschlagers, the kids ran around with cousins and played in the trees, the grass, and the mud (in James' case).  I shot pics of the 4 older ones while waiting, since I liked the tree they were climbing!

Question #19: Jared

 If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

The mountains near a river with no one in sight for miles.

Question #18: Jared

 What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?

Myself

Moldy Brain

Me:  JD, why did you put a question mark on this sentence?
JD:  Because it's an asking sentence.
Me:  What are you asking?
JD:  I'm telling you I went on a basketball court today.
Me:  WAIT, you are TELLING me you did that or asking?
JD:  Telling you.
Me: So does that mean you need a question mark or a period?
JD:  A question mark.
Me:  [facepalm].  But you aren't asking me anything!
JD:  Oh, yeah.  Then I need a period.
Me:  Yes!  Go ahead and change it.  [He does. As soon as he's finished...]
JD:  Hey, where did my homework go?
Me:  Uh, JD.  It's right in front of you.  You just fixed one of your homework pages.
JD:  Oh, yeah.  I forgot.
Me:  JD!!!!!  What's up with you today?  Is your brain going moldy like your pumpkin?
JD:  NO, of course not!  If my brain was going moldy, it would mean I wasn't thinking right.
Me:  Um, JD....you just asked me where your homework was when it's right in front of you and you are working on it right now.
JD:  Oh, yeah.  I guess my brain is going moldy.

I am sorry, but that is the funniest conversation I have had with a kid in a LONG time!

Question #17: Jared

What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

Helping my wife to be happy and being as much for her as she is for me.

Warm Fuzzies

Sara does "playtime" every morning while James takes a short morning nap.  I usually take this time to work online in the family room so I can monitor Sara and provide her with direction or conversation as needed.  I am getting all kinds of warm fuzzies listening to her playing.  She is deep in her own little world of imagination:  she's got all her barbies, all her magnetic dollies, all the play food, and all the dollhouses out and organized.  She is using a big Tupperware bucket as the swimming pool, but the dollies only swam for a little because it was apparently too cold.  She then wrapped them up in paper towels.  Those paper towels turned into shawls when the mother doll told the cousin dolls (Kenzie and Kelly) that they weren't dressed modestly.  All the dollies ate a huge feast of oversized food arranged on 4 big plates, and of course they had to eat their healthy food before the treats otherwise their bones wouldn't grow big and strong.  Sara's real snack-an apple-became a poison apple and as such is still sitting on the table.  At some point the dolls got new pets:  2 giraffes and a pink poodle.

All the while, I am just listening to this running dialogue Sara keeps up; many times the spoken words will turn into made up songs, explaining just as clearly what the dolls are doing and saying...one doll is currently looking for "Kenny" and in Sara's song, she went up about 3 octaves, singing "Keeeeeeeennnnyyyyy!  Oh where is my Keeeeeeeeeeennnnnyyyy?  OH, there you are, I'm your wiiiiiiiiiiiife!" Then the song broke and Kenny apparently said, "It's all right, I'm right here-just calm down!"  It is just giving me that warm, fuzzy feeling of truly enjoying my daughter.  She is so happy in this world, and I am so happy for her.  It's a lovely feeling to have.

Question #16: Jared

What are your 6 greatest accomplishments?

Karianna, Jared, Jordan, Sara, James, and Jackson

Pregnancy Update

I had my 34 week appointment today.  Appointments wear me out.  Not the appointment itself, but all the arrangements that go into them.  I got everyone ready and off to school work, then got myself ready, the 2 little kids ready, and then we left an hour before my 11:15 appointment.  We drove to Jared's work in Tempe, and switched him cars, which meant switching 2 carseats.  We then drove out to North Scottsdale, waited about half an hour, and saw the doctor...during which time I was in hyper mode keeping the 2 little ones in check, especially James with his stranger anxiety.  Doctor appointment goes well, and I get the kids back in the car to head to Jared's work again.  We switch cars and carseats again, hang out with Jared for a few minutes (during which time I was having contractions), and then headed back into Mesa.  We got home, I had just enough time to get the little kids a late lunch and then we had to head back to the car to pick up the big kids from school.  And now it is nearly 2:30 and I am completely wiped out.  See what I mean about all the arrangements?  It's the price we pay to keep an OB that I love who just happens to be located in North Scottsdale!

My doctor appointment went fine as I was expecting. BP is steady, I lost one pound from last week, and I am measuring 1 week ahead; baby's heartbeat is in the 130's.  I talked to my OB about having a lot more contractions yesterday.  I was actually timing them last night, which I normally don't do because I can tell if they are fake.  These ones though were not painless--not terribly painFUL, but definitely not completely fake either.  I had 8 in an hour-they started off 3/4 minutes apart, then went 6-7, then dissipated, then came back 3-4, then tapered off again for the night.  I had a lot of back/hip pain as well, which is not normal for me when I have the fake contractions.  I am fairly confident in my ability to know when I need to take them seriously, and these were not consistent enough to take seriously-but they were definitely not completely fake either.  I think I am dehydrated.  I've taken Immodium AD for digestive issues several times in the last few weeks, and I think that made me dehydrated, which in turn made me have some real-ish contractions.  I have to be careful about that, though I feel like I am downing so much water in a day.  We are still set to induce on Nov. 19th which I confirmed with my OB today, Jared is submitting his FMLA paperwork (he's really only taking about 2 days off FMLA, the rest is paid leave he has saved up), and I have all my appointments scheduled out from this point on.  My mom is thankfully watching the kids for 36, 37,  and 38 week appoitments, which is necessary so they can do cervical checks and the GBS test-i don't want kids there for that.  That means I don't have to deal with switching carseats-woohoo!  My next appointment is Oct 28th, so less than 2 weeks.

Overall, everything is looking great.  I will be watching my water intake, keeping my iron/sugar level as I've noticed an increase in dizzy spells, and making sure the house stays decent most of the time just in case these contractions turn into something real.

Question #15: Jared

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Perhaps an Eagle.

1st Quarter Conferences!

We are 2 days into school after Fall Break ended and we are also done with conferences for the kids-yea!  It's hard to schedule conferences as I don't want to bring extra kids; thankfully Bush has always been very good at scheduling me in the mornings so I can leave the little ones with Jared.  I never see a need to do conferences in January, otherwise, it would be even harder since Jared's schedule is changing starting tomorrow (8-5 rather than 9-6).  But again, we won't have to deal with that issue until next year.

The kids are doing great in school!  Both JD and Jordan had stellar report cards, and both of their teachers said they have perfect behavior and are so happy in the classroom.  I love hearing that about my boys.  JD and Jordan are two peas in a pod when it comes to school-neither one is overly into academics, but they are both so happy and love to learn, if that makes sense.  I had to take a step back as a parent when they were both in preschool/kindergarten to not push them before they were ready, as I was afraid that would squash their natural love for learning and school in general. Thankfully, I think it is working, and JD is excelling so quickly in all areas, especially reading...just 2 weeks ago he read 173 wpm with a retell of 95....that's pretty darn good!  His math facts are coming along equally well , as is the fantastic voice/ideas in his writing-he only needs to work on conventions, as it is not uncommon for him to have a sentence with 44 words, running the full length of a piece of paper.  ;)  Jordan has mastered all the 1st quarter concepts as I anticipated-his teacher tells me he has amazing handwriting, cutting, general fine motor skills.  I joked with her, you should see his gross motor skills.  :)  He's reading simple sentences, so I do want to work with him to branch out from there-its in that sense I feel like he's probably ready to move a little faster than just learning letter by letter in the kinder program, but he is so happy with what they are learning in his classroom, we'll just keep it low key at home, get more sight words under his belt and work on reading blends.  Speech is going great for Jordan, though I do see a few deficits in his reading/writing for the letters he doesn't say yet, ie, L, R, and blends.  It will come, it will just take a lot of modeling I think.  Overall, both boys are doing just beautifully and I love their teachers to pieces-I will take Mrs. Thede and Mrs. Davis over any other teacher any day right now, they are perfect matches for the boys, have tons of experience, and have obviously embraced common core.

Karianna has been so worried about her math grade for double-digit multiplication.  It has been confusing her, as her teacher is teaching her 4 different ways to do it, and to be perfectly frank, some of them are just not practical for real life, so I don't blame her for not preferring those.  She is so good at math facts in general, she knows how to do it perfectly-she just starts to doubt herself if she makes even the smallest mistake, and it sounds like there is a lot of joking in the classroom from the teacher's side of things about how mistake = not thinking hard enough.  We've had to work on this a bit with Karianna to help her look beyond this because you can't always control how your teacher reacts.  Anyhow, long story short, not only did Karianna get all A's in math, she got all A's everywhere-straight A's!  That's a big deal because this is the first year she is actually getting letter grades, and the report card is pretty strenuous.  She has performed beautifully, and as a result of her grades, she is on the highest level of the honor roll-only 11 4th graders are on it, and she's one of them.  We are super proud of her, and at the same time, constantly emphasize she does not have to be perfect, just do her best and be satisfied with that.  She is still loving orchestra and of course got top grades in that as well (mostly just behavior and work ethic).  We talked to her teacher about submitting her poem to the district writing contest with the hopes of having it published in "The Voices" which is MPS' yearly publication of excellent student writing.  We'll see what happens!

Overall, the kids are doing great-loving school, which is so important to me, and progressing nicely!

Question #14: Jared

    Describe 5 strengths you have.

Rachel

My thirst for knowledge and truth (it’s a strength and a weakness).

My self-confidence.

My faith in things that never change even if the world is falling apart (eternal truths beyond what any man could reveal).

My children.

Question #13: Jared

.    Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

Money

Self-reliance (no resources).

Too much drive and passion inside my soul (I feel like there is more I should be doing with my life but can’t).

Too selfless (I wish I would have focused more on myself earlier in my life because my family would be better off if I would have done that).

I am too knowledgeable and rely too much on what my heart tells me is the truth.

Sara's 4th Birthday Party