Happy Halloween!

Holidays are seriously so much more fun with kids. :)

We carved pumpkins a few days ago and Kaden and Lexi thought it was awesome.

Ari slept through the whole event, but what can you expect from a three week old? I'm sure she'll enjoy it more next year. :)

Shane's intense look of concentration. Kaden was really good at supervising.

Cutie patootie Lexi.

This look on Shane's face is saying, "Oh my heck! Why are you taking pictures of this?!" You'd think he would be used to it by this point. :)

Here is the girl's pumpkin!

And here is the boy's pumpkin. I think girls totally beat boys. :) And Kaden was holding his hands up saying, "Stop, Mom. No pictures." What is Shane teaching him... ;)

Kaden was so sad when we left the pumpkins outside on the porch. But then every time someone would come to our house, he made sure that they had seen his pumpkin on the way in.

This was originally going to be Ari's costume, until fate stepped in and everything magically worked out.

On Saturday, we went to our friend's house (Danny and Steph). We had a yummy soup dinner (beef stew and cheesy potato....YUM), then took the kids trick-or-treating! Kaden was SO excited and was mad when I told him we were going to wait a few minutes to see if the rain would stop (it did).

More from the party.

Family shot! Do you see Ari's costume?! How adorable are my kids?! We have Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and the scariest little pirate around. ;)

I love my kiddos. :)

While trick-or-treating, Lexi would run ahead, then turn around like, "Hurry!" She didn't understand why we would pass some houses (without lights on) and would run up to their doors anyway. It was so funny.

Both kids running ahead. :) CANDY!!

Waiting at a door. Lexi was so funny because every time right AFTER the person had shut the door, she would say, "Bye!" and stand there waiting for a response.

It was a fun night and the kids walked a lot farther than I thought they would. :) We were gone for about an hour. Now we get to break out the Christmas decorations!!
(Don't judge...I just don't have any Thanksgiving ones...)

Weekend movie review

I frequently make fun of Shane for being such a techy nerd, but what I don't admit is what a movie nerd I am. My favorite movies are the classics. Not "classic" in the way Shane defines classic (to him "old" means anything from the early 90's), but real classics. I am slightly obsessed with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Their movie Swing Time from 1936 is my favorite movie ever.

Shane has a really hard time watching anything in black and white. And anything where the actors sing. And anything where the actors dance. And anything that isn't James Bond or Lord of the Rings. ;)

Anyway, I'm usually game to watch any movie-no matter when it was made or what genre it is (well, except Lord of the Rings....I have tried a couple times, but never manage to stay awake past the first ten minutes...), but the trick is getting me to like it enough to watch it over and over again.

I'm pretty picky. ;)

I saw a movie this past May that I really liked. Letters to Juliet. Have you seen it?


I really want to tell you about it, but just a warning, there might be spoilers here! I'll try really hard not to give anything away, though. :)

It came out on DVD last month and I won't admit to the number of times I've watched it since. ;) Especially in the last week or two. Shane has watched it once with me, and, surprisingly, liked it more than I thought he would. Don't get me wrong, he still rolled his eyes and mocked the movie, but his main argument with the movie was (very sarcastic) "Oooo....I wonder how it will end? Let me guess, they all live happily ever after, right?"

Well, DUH!

It's a CHICK. FLICK.

Of course there are cheesy lines and you can guess the ending.

But, really, couldn't that be said about ANY genre of movie? Shane likes his action movies, but I could say to that, "Let me guess, there's a big shootout and some explosions, and then good triumphs over evil?"

See my point?

Yes, you can guess the ending to Letters to Juliet, but it's the stuff in the middle that I enjoy the most. :)

In short, this girl goes to Verona (the buildings and scenery are GOR. GEOUS. I have added Verona to my vacation list.) and spends her whole vacation helping an older woman find her long lost "Romeo." There's a whole lot more to it than that, but that's the gist of it. :) I love fast, quick-witted banter and this movie is loaded with it. Not only between the two leads:
(He looks a bit femmy here, but I assure you he's a hottie with an accent.)

But also with the older woman, played by the fabulous Vanessa Redgrave. I sincerely hope I'm exactly like her when I'm a grandma. She's hysterical and if you need one reason to see this movie, she's it. Her one-liners are delivered with perfect comedic timing and (when I saw it in the theater with my girl friend) everyone was laughing. She's my favorite.

I also love the banter between the young leads. Maybe I just have a thing for British guys (who doesn't, right?), but this guy is funny. Shane totally related to him because the character is sarcastic and not a romantic, which leads to some pretty funny lines as well, even when it's supposed to be a tender moment.

The one issue I have with this movie is the very last line in it. It is hands down the cheesiest line I've ever heard in my life, but ignore that and the rest of the movie is worth watching. :)

Let me know if you watch it! (Or if you've seen it.) I would love to hear other opinions on it (good or bad). :D

Anyone else have any good movie suggestions?

Let me get you a puke bucket...

I really haven't been trying to be a bad blogger lately.

Promise.

Here's the thing, though. I just had a baby three weeks ago and all that I have to write about are happiness and rainbows. People don't want to hear over and over how amazing my kids and husband and life are!
*GAG*
People want to hear how tired and sore you are. (Sorry ladies, I'm not.) They want someone they can relate to. No one wants to read a blog about how because Shane lost his job four days before Ari came, he's been home to help the whole time. Which means, not only do we only have to feed Ari once or twice a night, I've gotten to sleep in almost every day of the last three weeks!
Heaven.

And people don't want to hear about what an ANGEL your newborn is. Sleeping 19-20 hours a day and being the sweetest little thing alive. And since I'm not nursing, Shane gets to help with the feedings (AWESOME to not be tied to the couch 24/7!!!)!

When Ari was almost two weeks old, I showed up to the Relief Society's Super Saturday craft day with Ari. I didn't have to bring her-Shane would have been fine at home with all three kids, but I knew there would be women there who would want to see/hold her. (I was right.) I couldn't believe how many comments I got about how brave I was for coming to the craft day when I just had a baby. I was thinking, "Why?? What's the big deal? I feel great! I've gotten more sleep since she's been born than I have in the last six months!!"

I feel incredibly lucky and so, so blessed. Kaden and Lexi adore their baby sister. We found out last week that Shane got what is pretty much his dream job and he starts immediately. He is so funny-he is actually excited to go work on computers all day. ;)

I definitely know that Heavenly Father has been looking out for us. The timing of everything could not have been more perfect. Shane was home to help until I could feel sane being left alone with three children three and under. THEN he gets a job that he is going to love, with a pay raise, AND he will be working on Hill Air Force Base, which just opens all sorts of doors for him. As unexpected as Ari was, she is amazing and so loved.

Shane gets the award for the best comment in the last three weeks. He had just fed and burped Ari, then he set her down for some tummy time. He looked at me and was completely serious when he said, "Do you think we're holding her enough?"
All together now.....AWWWWWW.
My man is the best.
(see what I mean?! "My husband's awesome...blah, blah, blah...give me some drama!!")

What do babies dream about?

*Sorry for the picture quality...all I had nearby was my phone.*

After some of Ari's feedings, she starts out like this:

And within a couple of minutes, starts doing this:
And that adorable half smile is followed by a big smile, which turns into giggles. It's ADORABLE and I really need to keep my camera within arm's reach during feedings so I can record her little laugh. :)

2 weeks old!

Ari had her two week check-up today. She's healthy and growing big and strong-which we love to hear. :)

Stats:

Height: 19 1/2 inches (50%)
(So, in two weeks, she's grown an inch)
Weight: 7 lbs 10 oz. (40%)
(Her birth weight was 7 lbs 1 oz so she's doing great)
Head: 15%
(Small head-just like all my kids...and I truly appreciate a small head on a baby) ;)

We had her newborn pics done last Wednesday by Shane's talented cousin, Trisha. Here is a sample of what I've gotten back so far.

Lexi ADORES her baby sister....

I can't decide which of the next two I like better....

I LOVE how Ari is cuddling into Lexi with her eyes closed in this one....

....BUT, I am IN. LOVE. with Lexi's expression in this one.

Which one do you guys prefer?

Kaden was being his usual cooperative self.

Look how SEXY my man is in this one!! Oo la la!

Could I possibly be any whiter?

And because Lexi's a girl who doesn't mind the spotlight (and is so dang cute), Trish grabbed a couple of shots of her...

CUTE!
(There were more of her cheesing it up, but I haven't gotten those back yet.)

Trisha is awesome. I really wanted some good shots of him (both by himself and with the girls), so Trisha told him that she didn't want a picture of him, but she needed a picture of Spencer (the train in his hands) and asked him to hold Spencer for a picture. This helped SO much! Kaden just thought Spencer was getting his picture taken and didn't cry or fight it anymore! :D

Ok, that's all I have for now. I'll post more when I get them. :)

Ariana Yvette

Warning: this will be a long post with TMI and lots of pictures. Enjoy. :)

This past Monday, October 4th, I was all set to be induced at 6 AM at Ogden Regional. I just have to add that the night before, Kaden threw up ALL OVER and had a fever of 102 degrees. Awesome timing, right? So, because of that, I got three hours of sleep that night. Luckily, Shane's mom was still okay watching the kids the next day (she's had 6 kids-that woman can face anything-especially a little stomach flu). Karen (Shane's mom) showed up at 5:30 AM and we left for the hospital (after profusely apologizing for our sick son). We got there and got checked in. Right around 6:00 they took us to our room (525) and by the time everything was set up and paperwork all signed and questions all asked (they ask you a million questions), it was 7:00 AM before they actually got the antibiotic drip started. I was checked and was still at a 3, but about 70% effaced (previously 50%). However, I was starting to have pretty regular contractions and Nurse Shirley (my favorite nurse in the universe) said that I would have gone into labor on my own later that day or the next morning anyway. :) Sweet! At 9:00 AM, they started the pitocin drip on it's lowest setting since I was already contracting on my own. I asked if I could get the epidural yet.....and I was serious. I told Shirley that I prefer to not feel any pain whatsoever. :) I'm a total wuss and I don't care.
I got the epidural around 10:45ish and it was a woman named Jenny who did it. My past two epidurals have been done by men, and I LOVED Jenny. She was so much more nurturing about it and would drop in periodically to check on me (she even came back after Ari was born just so she could see her). :) SO, by 11:00, I was in heaven.

(After the epidural...)

Shane, by the way, hadn't gotten much sleep that night, either. He spent his morning sleeping on the couch and was really surprised when he would wake up and I had new tubes coming out of me. "When did that happen?!" Yeah. He sleeps like a rock.
I got a second dose of the antibiotics around 11:30 and that was what my midwife, Kathy, was waiting for before breaking my water. She came at 12:15 and broke my water (I was only at a 4 and 80%). By 1:00 I was at a 6 and 100% effaced.
I have to take a second and tell you about Shirley. She is the nicest nurse I have ever had and she knows EVERYTHING. She has been a nurse since 1977 and in L&D at Ogden Regional since 1993. I asked if her job ever got "old" and she said, "No! Why would it? Every day you get to see miracles being born." :) I love her. If you are ever in labor at Ogden Regional, request Shirley.
Back to my labor, at 1:00 Shane asked Shirley what her guess was as to when I would deliver Ari. Shirley looked at the clock, looked at me, and said, "Between 2:30 and 3:30."
Ari was born at 2:39.
Around 1:45, I was checked again and was at an 8. By 2:00 I was a 9. Calls were being made and the room prepared for delivery. Right about then, Shirley noticed that Ari's heart rate plummeted and put an oxygen mask on me immediately.

(With my oxygen mask)

They said that probably because of the two vessel cord, Ari was having a really hard time getting the oxygen she needed. NICU nurses were brought in along with the regular baby nurses. They were prepared for the worst because Ari was already struggling before she even came out. Kathy got there and everything was set up. Kathy knew I wouldn't take long to push and warned the nurses. Even with her warning, I still heard, "Oh my gosh! Look at her go!" while I was pushing. It was funny. :) Kathy actually stopped me mid-push (on my first one) and had to move the cord around because Ari was trapped in it and I wouldn't have been able to push her out without hurting her. Ari's head was already out, so Kathy said, "Ok, go ahead and finish pushing." Another push later and Ari was here! :)
(Shane says this counts as two pushes, but Kathy said one because she stopped me and I could have easily kept going....what do you think?)


Thankfully, the NICU staff wasn't even needed. Ari did beautifully once she was out and had a 7.9 on her first APGAR. None of the problems they were sure would happen (because of the two vessel cord) happened. The nurses all took a turn looking at the cord, though. Ew.
Ari was cleaned up and the only time she cried was when they were suctioning stuff out of her mouth/throat. After that, she just looked around and was SO alert. The nurses kept saying she just had this concerned and confused look on her face. "What the heck just happened?!" :)

You see the concern on her face? :) Poor thing.

This is Shirley holding Ari up so I could see her all cleaned up. Every nurse in the room said how beautiful Ari was and that she really just looked like a little doll. Kathy told me if I decided I didn't want Ari, she'll take her home. ;) I think we'll keep her for now. haha

Sad face! 7 lbs 1 oz (they rounded up) and 18 1/2 inches long.
(For those of you wondering....Kaden was 6 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches....Lexi was 6 lbs 5 oz and 19 1/2 inches)

Loving my new baby. Ari looks almost exactly like Lexi did when she was born. The only difference is that Lexi had about an inch of dark hair and Ari is a total baldy. :)

The newest member of the family. :D

Happy momma

Do you see Ari's tongue sticking out? She kept doing that-it was hilarious. :)

Shane held her for a couple of hours before he left. He made all the phone calls and texted everyone while I ate. We were worried about how his mom was doing with sick Kaden, so he didn't get to spend too much time with us before he took off. I'm just glad he got to hold Ari as long as he did. He is so adorable with her. You could see the instant love and adoration in his eyes. (and I am only allowed to write this because I know he won't see this and be embarrassed...) ;) He is such a good dad.

Anyway, I had visitors constantly the rest of the night until about 9:00. Shane called me around 9:10 and updated me on the kiddos (Kaden was fine-no more fever and he was eating normally again), then I went to bed. Since I'm not nursing this time, I got 7 straight hours of heavenly sleep. I woke up at 4:30 and just couldn't sleep anymore. My body isn't used to that much sleep all in one night. :) So, I got up and showered and did my hair and make up. A guy came in at 6:00 to draw some blood and I was sitting up in bed, hair and makeup done, and was just shocked. It was funny.
Day two was great and relaxing. More visitors and I even got to take a nap! :) We went home on Wednesday and everything has been great. My milk came in (major ouch), but we're dealing with that and it's not too bad (although that could be because I took a Percocet this morning....).

Ari is a great baby and loves all the hugs and kisses she gets from her older siblings. Lexi just wants to hold her 24/7 and gets SO mad when someone else gets to hold Ari. :D Ari fits in perfectly and (never thought I'd say this) I'm so glad I had her and that she's here, healthy and a part of our family.

Thank you to everyone for all of your love and support!! Thanks for the gifts and meals! It has helped a TON. :D

Welcoming....

Ariana Yvette Porter!!!

She's finally here! Born October 4th at 2:39 PM (after one push) and weighing in at 7 lbs 1 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. :) She has really long fingers and toes and (I think) will be taller than Lexi. :) She is totally bald (Lexi and Kaden had SO much more hair than her), but we love us some bows around here. :) She and I are both doing fantastic and going home later today (Wednesday). I'll do a longer post sometime soon that tells the "story" better, but for now I just wanted to let everyone know our little miracle baby is here. :D (And she's a total sweetheart.)


This was right after she was born. The nurse kept turning Ari's head to get her to look towards the camera, but Ari just kept trying to see her daddy. It was adorable. :)

P.S. I have already lost count of the number of times I've called her Lexi.....working on it, though. Just gotta double check my brain before I say her name out loud. ;)