Six on Saturday

1. On Monday we got to hang out with our favorite Pughs. We went to Hires Big H and enjoyed cheese fries and shakes. And because it was empty (we went in the afternoon), we could let the kids run wild for the most part. It's always so fun to see them when they come to Utah!

2. The kids have been obsessed with Hercules this week. It's one of my favorite Disney movies and it has been fun watching them enjoy it as much as I did growing up. And it has been especially fun to hear Corbyn quote my favorite line, "What's the matter with these scissors!"

3. I was on a bow-making kick this week. Using my favorite felt rosette tutorial, I made a few headbands to give as gifts to new babies, a few clips for Peyton, and added flowers to this wreath I found in the dollar bin at Target.

4. We had nothing going on Thursday afternoon and I was wanting to go to the BYU Bookstore to pick up a few things for Logan's nursery. The kids weren't all that excited about going, so I promised we would go to the pirate park after. While we were there both kids had to pee and of course there wasn't a bathroom anywhere! Corbyn isn't a problem, but I didn't know what to do with Peyton. Finally I had her squat in a corner which worked fine except she got a little on her pants. She didn't mind, but it's made me wonder - what do other moms of girls do in that situation?

5. Both of our garage door opener remotes and our keypad outside our garage suddenly stopped working this week. We finally called a guy to come out and his answer - one of our neighbors must have gotten something (like a new router or wireless device) that is causing serious interference. We asked our neighbors and it turns out they all have been having the same problem. We're still looking for the neighbor who is causing the problem and a solution. Hopefully we'll figure it out soon because it is really really annoying!

6. Last night we took our turn watching the kids for our date night swap. We've found it goes better if we have at least one activity planned, so we made these Nutter Butter Snowmen. They were easy and the kids seemed to have fun with them.

32 Weeks

The last month of this pregnancy has been incredibly stressful for me. When I went for my 28 week appointment (at 28 weeks 6 days), my blood pressure was high. That's nothing new for me - it normally is higher when I go to the doctor because I get anxious. But it was over 140 which is the magic number where they really worry about preeclampsia. 

They sent me home with a 24 hour urine collection kit (which is by far the most humiliating thing I have ever had to do) and told me to come back in a week. At that appointment (at 30 weeks) my blood pressure was high again and the protein level in my urine was higher than normal (although not in the preeclampsia range).

The next week we repeated the same thing. Rog came to my appointment (at 31 weeks) with me because we were sure they were going to diagnose me with preeclampsia and we wanted to come up with a plan of action. Surprisingly my protein level was down from the week before and my blood pressure came in right under 140. So they were significantly less concerned, but still wanting to watch me closely.

Yesterday I had an appointment (at 32 weeks) and my blood pressure was under 140 again. Everything else looked good too (measuring right at 32, good strong heartbeat), so the doctor said I could wait 2 whole weeks to come in!

I have an ultrasound next week (that they had me schedule a few weeks ago) to check Logan's growth, but since I'm measuring right on, everything should be great. I'm actually more worried they'll tell me he is measuring big than small!

We bought a blood pressure cuff and I have never had a blood pressure reading anywhere close to 140 at home, so I have a feeling all this has been just a case of doctor anxiety. But I am grateful to have doctors who are looking out for me and Logan and would so much rather have them play it safe than be sorry. I don't know how the rest of this pregnancy will play out (I could still develop preeclampsia or have some other complication arise), but I am grateful to have made it this far. I can't wait to have our Logan boy safely in my arms in 7 (or less) weeks and to finally be able to stop worrying so much about him!

Last Week

We spent our Martin Luther King Jr. Day working in the attic. Rog built some additional storage up there and we got down all the baby stuff we'll be needing in the not too distant future - baby boy clothes, toys, the swing, the car seat, and the bumbo. We also put up a big box of baby girl stuff from Peyton's nursery and a few other things we aren't using right now. 

I went through all the boy clothes and figured out what gaps I have to fill. Corbyn had very little newborn clothes and all the newborn clothes he did have are for the summer. I didn't go crazy buying newborn stuff because I have BIG babies, but I did buy a few things in hopes that Logan will be less than 10 pounds and will need to wear newborn clothes at least for a few weeks.

The kids thought it was Christmas with all the baby toys which seemed so silly to me because they are BABY toys. For a few days they were pretty entertained by them (and also fought a lot over them). I have to admit, I'm pretty relieved that they've lost interest in them now!

I posted this picture on Instagram announcing that Peyton was pretty much 100% potty trained. She filled up her sticker chart and earned all of Doc's friends and things were going so well. I should have knocked on wood because as soon as I posted it, she had a few rough days with more accidents than ever before. I think she got a little scared because a few times she had pee spray up at her, so we worked on having her lean forward a little and that solved the problem. But for a few days she was seriously testing the limits with how long she could hold it and would only go when she wanted to. Thankfully she's gotten over that and is back to her awesome potty-trained self!

On Friday night we got to go on a date to the Provo temple to do a session. It was incredibly busy and we had to park way way out in the far parking lot, but it was so nice to do a session and feel the peace that is found nowhere else.

On Saturday Rog let me go on kid-free errands for 3 whole hours. I'm in full nesting/get the nursery ready mode, so it was nice to knock out a bunch of errands in a short amount of time. After my errands we met at Olive Garden to have an early dinner with my parents. I ordered unlimited soup and salad and tried the Zuppa Toscana soup because it had the least amount of carbs of all the soups. I was very pleasantly surprised with how good it was. Especially since based on the description, I probably wouldn't have ordered that particular soup otherwise! 

When we got home we did quick baths and then had a movie night. Corbyn has been begging us to do one lately. (I can't figure out where he got the idea - we've never done one before.) We watched Despicable Me and it was a great success!

First Half of January

*Corbyn and Peyton had fun sledding and playing with Cousin Blake while the Hobbs were here for the wedding.

*We switched to 9:00 church and it has been delightful! Rog has meetings starting at 6:30 am, so after church he is actually home a lot of the afternoon. I'm nervous for after Logan comes and getting 3 kids ready all by myself, but so far we are so enjoying our Sundays.

*Rog and I both went to the dentist for our 6 month checkups/cleanings. The dental hygienist recommended we get electric toothbrushes, so one afternoon while we were at Costco, we picked a pair up. We both agree our teeth feel cleaner than when brushing with a traditional toothbrush, so I guess it was a worthwhile investment.

*We potty trained Peyton using the same method we used for Corbyn. I didn't think it was possible, but she was even easier to train than he was. After getting over her initial fear of sitting on the potty and wearing underwear, she "figured out" number 2 on the first day and after only 2 nights of wetting the bed, she has consistently woken up dry in the morning. 

*The kids got a few new play-doh sets for Christmas, so play-doh has been a frequently requested activity this month.

*Rog painted Logan's room with a little "help" from Corbyn and Peyton.

One wall is navy and the other is gray. I love how it turned out and I'm having lots of fun decorating it!

*We got our car back from being fixed just in time for Rog to go back to school. Thank goodness for car insurance because the final bill was almost $5,000!

*We enjoyed a warm afternoon at the park. It was still covered in snow, so we had it all to ourselves!

*We've had many epic Avenger battles lately. Corbyn has been so creative with the Mashers he got for Christmas. It's fun to see what he comes up with!

*I tried this recipe for Korean Beef and Rice from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (with ground turkey). It surpassed my expectations in a huge way. The kids were not fans of it (that's nothing new), but Rog and I couldn't get enough and it was very quick and easy to prepare. The kids will just have to get used to it because I'm definitely going to be making it on a regular basis.

*We went to a BYU basketball game with the Woods using the kids' tickets from the Cosmo Kids Club.

Peyton and Elsie were the cutest pair as always.

And Corbyn was a dancing fool. (I know I just posted a dancing Corbyn video, but this one was too good not to post.)

*I had two girls' nights in a row with my dinner group one night and then hosting my book club here the next. We read What Alice Forgot (so it was a reread for me). It was just as good the second time and it made for excellent discussion.

*Rog got the PAID internship at UVRMC for this summer. It will be so nice to have him only 15 minutes away and it is an excellent opportunity for him. We couldn't be more excited and are feeling so blessed! 

*We got a new mattress from Costco. Ours was 10 years old and nothing fancy to begin with, so we thought it was time for an upgrade.

It came with a box spring, so we thought we'd try it out. It was much too high for our bed frame, so we aren't using it. But the kids had a blast playing on it for a few hours. 

*Grandpa and Grandma Phillips came for a weekend visit. We tried out our new Spanish Fork Culver's for dinner with them Friday night and then went to Kneaders with them for breakfast the next morning.

The big 3-0!

Rog turned the big 3-0 on January 5th!

Corbyn was my shopping buddy the Saturday afternoon before his birthday. That night I put the finishing touches on his homemade gift and wrapped all the presents. Sundays are crazy at our house (although a little less crazy this year because we have 9:00 church), so I wanted to have everything ready before Sunday hit.

His birthday was on Monday. The U didn't start school until the following Monday (the 12th), so we got to spend the whole day celebrating! We started with presents.

He got a soccer ball (want), a pillow (need), tech gloves (wear), and Elder Hollands' new book, To My Friends (read).

He also got his marathon frame.

And keeping with tradition, Corbyn got him a bad guy to fight against his Ninja Turtles.

We had homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. For lunch we were supposed to go to Texas Roadhouse with all of the Riries, but we found out they are not open until 4:00 on weekdays. So we went to Golden Corral instead. We went to the outlets to exchange a coat he got for Christmas and when we got home, we let him play a video game for a bit. We were all still full from lunch, so we didn't actually eat dinner. 

Then we had the Woods over for a birthday treat. We had Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars instead of a cake because we were kind of sick of cake after Jared and Cailey's wedding. (We ended up taking home a lot of the leftover cake.) 

On Friday night we went with my parents to Texas Roadhouse (for our date exchange) and you better believe I told our waiter it was his birthday, so he'd have to sit on the saddle!

I gave him a hard time about already falling apart before he turned 30 (with losing his hair and having old man feet), so bring on 30!

Jared's Wedding

Jared and Cailey got married on January 2nd in the Mount Timpanogos Temple.

These two matching cousins were so so so cute. All day they kept saying, "We're matching!" (Peyton and Skyler were also matching, but we didn't get a picture of them together because Skyler is still so small.)

This trio had fun running around the temple grounds even though it was freezing!

And they continued running around all evening long at the dinner and reception.

  

They had a candy station at the reception where guests could fill up bags of candy to take home. 

It was most definitely the kids' favorite part. They carried bags around the entire night and ate way too much candy!

All the kids (especially Corbyn) danced all night long and kept us entertained! 

And the bride and groom may have done a little dancing too.

The girls.

Siblings. 

It was a fun and very tiring day. We stayed until the very end of the reception (9:00) and then helped clean up a bit before finally heading home to crash!

2015 Goals

Mine:

1. Have a healthy baby.

2. Read 12 books and do 3 puzzles.

3. Run the Speedy Spaniard 10K.

4. Finish our quiet book.

Rog's:

1. Get a paid internship for this summer.

2. Read the Book of Mormon and New Testament.

3. Do a 50 mile bike race.

4. Take more naps.

Corbyn's:

1. Learn to ride his bike without training wheels.

2. Learn to read.

3. Try out a sport.

4. Practice using scissors more.

Peyton's:

1. Learn to go to the bathroom in the toilet.

2. Start a dance class.

3. Learn the alphabet.

4. Learn to sit still and listen to books before bed.

Logan's:

1. Be a healthy baby.

2. Be a good eater.

3. Learn to roll over.

4. Learn to sit up.

And our family goals:

1. Make our wills.

2. Add clothing/supplies to our 72 hour kits and store water.

3. Adjust to having 3 children.

4. Go to the temple and go on a date once a month.  

I'm going to print this list out and put it somewhere I will see often, so I don't forget about certain goals this year!

2014 Goals

Here's a review of our 2014 goals.

Mine:

1. Read 7 books. Done and more! I read The Help, Mao's Last Dancer, My Story (twice), Little Princes, What Alice Forgot, The Rent Collector, The Wednesday Wars, The Light Between Oceans, Okay for Now, and Landline.

2. Finish projects I've started, but not finished. Done. I finally made Peyton's birth announcement, had our 2012 blog book printed, decorated our downstairs bathroom (that was huge), and made some 4th of July and autumn crafts from my stash. 

3. Run the Ragnar. Done. And it was awesome!

4. Serve outside our home at least once a month. Done. I didn't do a good job keeping track, but with babysitting kids for friends and taking dinners to families in our ward, I'm fairly certain I did something at least once a month.

Rog's:

1. Read 8 books. Not quite - he read 5. Inferno, Broken Things to Mend, Blink, The Alchemist, and Outliers.

2. Find more family names. Done.

3. Run the Ragnar and try road biking. Half done - he ran the Ragnar, but didn't try road biking. He did get a trainer and has been riding his mountain bike in the garage.

4. Be kinder to those he loves. Done. I'll vouch for him on this one.

Corbyn's:

1. Learn to ride a bike with training wheels. Done.

2. Learn how to write all the letters. Maybe. He definitely knows how to write his name, but I'm not so sure about the other letters. 

3. Learn to recognize numbers. Done.

4. Eat what we eat for dinner and try new foods without a fight. Done. Sometimes he only eats 4 bites and he occasionally does put up a bit of a fight, but he's doing much better.

Peyton's:

1. Learn to ride her tricycle. Done.

2. Learn shapes. Done.

3. Learn colors. Not quite - she usually mixes up blue and green, but she's got pink and purple down!

4. Learn to count to ten. Done. 

And our family goals:

1. Go to the temple once a month. Done.

2. Go on a date once a month. Done.

3. Make our wills. Nope. I totally forgot about this until Rog reminded me in November and I haven't had time to do anything about it since then.

4. Add clothing/supplies to our 72 hour kits and store water. Nope. Totally forgot about this too!

2014 was the year that...

Peyton learned to ride her TRICYCLE, grew hair long enough for PIGTAILS...

Stopped taking NAPS and moved into a BIG GIRL BED!

Corbyn started SUNBEAMS and PRESCHOOL...

Learned to write his NAME and was obsessed with BATMAN!

Rog rocked his INTERNSHIP with Intermountain Medical Group...

Reached the halfway point in his MBA/MHA Program, and rode a mechanical BULL!

I finally finished decorating the DOWNSTAIRS BATH, decorated the KIDS' ROOM...

And sewed an ADVENT CALENDAR!

Rog and I ran our first RAGNAR!

We visited DISNEYLAND...

Welcomed a new niece into the RIRIE FAMILY...

And found out we would be welcoming another BABY BOY into our family!

2014 was another GREAT YEAR!