2010 Year in Review

2010 Year in Review

Brian had a great year. He changed departments at work that gave him more work and great pay and better hours. He is still working nights but we are used to it now. Brian also got to go "play" a lot this summer. I think he went 4 wheeling more times this summer than he was able to the past 3 summers. I am glad he got to enjoy some time being a kid! haha

My year was all about baby. The first of the year brought us wondering why we weren't getting pregnant and having to deal with some insulin issues. Then we were blessed enough to get pregnant and have a successful pregnancy. December came around and so did our sweet little Jacob. Hopefully next year I will get my health back in line, lose lots of weight, and enjoy the kids even more.

Kimberly had a great year. She started the year off by finishing her Kindergarten year. I couldn't believe how smart she was and how she finished school. Then came summer, which was not long enough for her. Kimberly mastered her bike riding and scootering skills and learned how to roller blade. Then in the fall she started 1st grade and man she seems so old now. haha. She is excelling in school and I hope she continues this her entire schooling career.

Matthew is all boy and enjoyed his year being a boy. He played every sport imaginable with daddy this summer (including street hockey without the skates) and mastered riding his bike with training wheels. I can't believe how old he is now. This fall Matthew got to play soccer at the rec center and ended up loving the sport even more.

Jacob has only been here 2 weeks for 2010 but he sure is cute. His hair is spiky and he has the cutest smile (don't tell me it is just gas). He still hasn't mastered his nights and days but he is a keeper.

Duke has grown to be a huge dog but still has that sweet puppy attitude. He loves to be a lap dog to Brian and me (all 125 lbs of him) and he loves to play. He did get to go hunting this fall and did pretty good. It took a week or so for him to get used to the new little one in the house but now he is a good protective doggie to Jacob.

We sure have been blessed this year! Can't wait to see what 2011 brings for us.

Random Pictures

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth!

Welcome Jacob

We were blessed on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 7:59 a.m. with little Jacob Lewis Peterson. He came into the world weighing 7lbs 12oz and 19 inches long. He has a full head of hair and a great set of lungs.

Jacob was welcomed to the world by his big sister Kimberly and big brother Matthew.

Both sets of grandparents were present and gleaming with pride when they saw the new addition to the family. Jacob makes number 3 grandbaby for my parents and number 30 for my in-laws.

My experience was probably the best out of the three. I am not sure if that is because it was on my mind that this might be my last so I had better live it up or because I was in a different frame of mind spiritually or because my husband told me I had to be nice to people. I know that sounds bad but I tend to not like having to depend on some stranger for multiple things. I have been known in the past to be a little mean to and about some of the people in the hospital. So Brian warned me that I needed to be nice and let them do things for me. Totally needed to hear that to put me in my place and it worked.

Our morning started out early on the 15th. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. Luckily my parents came down the day before and stayed the night so we didn't have to worry about our kids. It had snowed that night and so we had a few inches on the ground heading to the hospital. We arrived on time and was greeted by very nice but tired people. One thing that was extremely different this time around was the fact I was in the women/newborn center for the first time. They designed this center around womens and babies needs. It was a very inviting feeling when we arrived. Nothing hurt too bad getting my IV and what nots. The only real concern I had was my nasty cold and cough I had developed a few weeks before. I was coughing extremely hard that morning and was concerned about this. So were all the nurses. When the drug doctor came in to talk to me, I expressed this concern and he was like oh well. If we need to do it again, we will. I was glad he wasn't too worried about it. We made our way to the operating room and first thing I noticed was the window that you could see the tops of the mountains. That made the room feel different from a normal operating room (and I have seen my share). Another thing that was new was Brian was allowed in there with me during the spinal. In fact, he held my hands thru the entire thing. That helped me a lot. During the spinal, I was concentrating on my Heavenly Father because I knew he was there with me. Surprising enough, it didn't hurt and drug doc had success the first time in. Oh and the best part... I didn't cough once. The surgery was pretty uneventful for me. I could feel the relief of when they removed Jacob from me... felt like I had lost a few pounds and a huge weight. The next thing new was I could watch them cleaning and doing tests on Jacob while I was being stitched up. I lost my cookies a bit during this time and had a hard time breathing but they always assure me it is normal and I am fine.

Not long before I was done being stitched up, Brian took Jacob to the NICU. When he arrived, he was greeted by a room full of grandparents snapping pictures and one Matthew with his nose pressed up against the glass. The neat thing was Brian had the video camera running on them so I could see their reaction. The grandparents were beaming and Matthew wasn't sure what to think. I am not sure if that reaction was for Jacob or seeing daddy in scrubs. Meanwhile I was all stapled up and wheeled out to a little room that was just for me. I was only there about 5 minutes when Brian and Jacob joined me. This was a new experience as well. With my last babies I wasn't allowed to see the baby for almost 2 hours after the birth. Here I was only 5 minutes out of surgery getting to have skin on skin contact with my Jacob. Talk about an amazing feeling. I also got to feed him for the first time and that was a neat feeling. No matter how many times I breastfeed a baby or for how long, the first time is always special. After that experience, Jacob had to go back to NICU for some more tests but Brian got to bring Matthew back to see me. That was also new. Matthew wasn't too sure seeing me in the hospital bed but he was cute. Brian and Matthew followed me up to my room where we were greeted by the grandparents. So far I am having a good experience. Not long after we got settled, the nurse brought Jacob in. After passing Jacob around to everyone (but Matthew... he wasn't sure yet), the nurse said it was bath time... right on my bed. This was also new! I got to watch him right in front of me get his first bath. So neat. Then right in the room, Brian washed his hair. The funny thing was my mom forgot to hit the record button on the camera during this and so we don't have it on camera but like I reminded her... I got to see it with my own eyes.

Not long after, Kimberly got to join us from school. She was so excited and right away wanted to hold Jacob. I was glad she wasn't shy or scared. Matthew followed suit with Grampie's help. It was neat to see them so excited about new little brother.

All my nurses were very nice and eager to help. I too was very nice back and it made for a good experience. I couldn't believe how quickly I felt better and was ready to go home. As nice as things were in the hospital, nothing beats being home.

Yes we are lacking a bit of sleep and the kids are trying our patiences but we are enjoying every minute having Jacob in our lives. We have been blessed with so many calls and visits. I can't believe it has been almost a week since Jacob entered this earthly life. It is almost Christmas and I feel so lucky to have received such a special Christmas gift this year. I do hope to get more cute pictures on here soon... when I have a moment HA!

Blessing to all!

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving 2010 or better known as Blizzard 2010 was a crazy week. With all warnings of this blizzard coming; schools closed early, businesses closed early, you name it. Well the weather guys were right on here in Logan. Around 3:15 the wind picked up and the snow came and wow... we couldn't even see our neighbors across the street. For 3 hours it was crazy. I was grateful we didn't have to be anywhere but in our nice warm house. After about 3 hours, Brian went out with our 4 wheeler and plow and plowed the road. He looked like a snowman when he was done. haha. The rest of the week was very snowy and I will be honest... I think this is the most snow we have had in November in a long time. The kids sure have had a ball with the snow.

Thanksgiving day was cold but pleasant. We started the day with our annual parade watching and loving every minute. We had to be quiet though cause Brian had to work that night and was sleeping late. Then we got ready and went to Brian's parents' house. It was nice cause we had 34 people there for dinner and then Brian's one sister and family came later in the day. We almost had everyone there for once. Lots of visiting and laughing and playing. Of course we were watching football but since the Cowboys were losing no one cared. haha. Many hours later and full tummies, we ventured home to love up our dog. Gotta love days like that.

Normally we head to my parents for the weekend but since we are very pregnant and I can't even sleep in my own bed, we decided to go up for one day. Since we were only coming one day, my parents decided to come down on Black Friday. This was enjoyment for my mom... not so much for my dad. But it was definitely a good visit. When we went up on Saturday, we had a great visit and saw my grandparents. I am glad we made the trip since I won't see my grandpa before Christmas.

So lots of snow and food and visiting... what a great week! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Hunting season

For those of you who don't know, my hubby loves to hunt for ducks, geese, and pheasants. When we were dating I was brave enough to go out and hunt with him. I don't shoot... I just walk, wait, and possibly call in a bird or two. I had more fun watching the dog in action. It amazes me how a loving, caring lab can turn into a good hunting dog. I know it is in their DNA and it is fun to watch them in action. I got to see our lovable Abby hunt and I was amazed when she got older and couldn't move well, how she looked like a young pup out in the tall grass sniffing up pheasants. Now our young Duke is learning how to train his nose and do what daddy says... truely amazing to watch.

I made a deal with my hubby before kids that I would take hunter's safety with them when the time came. I was sort of hoping for girls that wouldn't want to hunt but I have one little boy that can't wait to hunt with is daddy. He loves to play with his shotgun (daddy makes sure he only shoots up in the air at birds). Brian's "trophies" are few and far between and that is a standing joke between hubby and wife. Good thing we can laugh at each other and know it is still love.

This bird season has had Matthew all excited to see a duck. So everytime Brian comes home from hunting, Matthew greets him at the door asking if he got a duck. When Brian would tell him no, Matthew would be all sad and say "Oh I wanted you to get a duck so we can eat it." Well yesterday Brian went pheasant hunting and when he got home, he was greeted by the same Matthew greeting but this time daddy got to tell us of his pursuit and the chase and the catch. Yes daddy came home with a pheasant. Matthew was so happy. He was jumping on the chair saying daddy got a pheasant, we get to eat it. He continued to say this while daddy got his "trophy" to show the us. When Brian walked in the door, Matthew stopped jumping and asked daddy "What's that?" Daddy said "This is the pheasant." Matthew said "Oh gross... I'm not eating that!" hahahaha. Only from a 3 year old mouth!

Kimberly has said from day one this hunting season she is not going to eat a duck. When younger, she used to be interested in ducks and fish that daddy brought home and cleaned. I guess her 6 year old mind has decided she is too girly for that cause she constantly says how gross it is. Well when Brian came home with his pheasant, she didn't even want to get close to it. Gross she would tell me. So I decided to have a little lesson and talk to her about the pioneers and having to hunt for their food. We talked about them hunting for their dinner and that was how they survived. Kimberly's 6 year old mouth then asked me "Why didn't they just eat cereal cause that is what I would do". Silly girl.

We had many funnies come out yesterday with the hunt but one of my most favorite would have to be from Duke. Brian said he was on the hunt after this pheasant and did really well. But when it was shot and on the ground flapping, Duke picked it up but hated it flapping in his face and dropped it pretty fast. haha. But when they got home, Duke pranced around the backyard with his "trophy" in his mouth more than once. He was so cute. Hopefully now that he got a bird, he will know what to do and be better next time. He is still a puppy that is learning and it shows most days.

I know the day will come when my boys will be out with their dad and I will be proud. I will also be a worry wart cause that is who I am. Good thing I have a few more years!

Happy Halloween 2010

Our pumpkins for 2010 Halloween. The kids painted theirs (Matthew got a little wild with the paint) and when it rained/snowed one day, the paint washed away. They were a bit sad.

Duke is pretty cute in this picture. This is the closest he got to the pumpkins.

Princess Tiana and the frog.

Kimberly at her school Halloween parade.

Tooth #5

The end of soccer

So some of you may be wondering how did soccer go after my post on the first soccer game. Well we lucked out having a little boy that started enjoying soccer and realizing he was just going to have to be tough.

The remainder games went pretty well. Matthew even got into pushing kids around and if he got pushed down, he would just jump back up. He even would kick the ball quite a few times. I am sure after a couple more years of playing soccer, he will be the one making goals and being the great soccer player.

We are very proud of him!

Silly Matthew and Duke Pictures

Bullies are not cool!

It's not good when your daughter comes home from school with big bandages on both knees. As a kid I remember crashing many of times at school (trying to beat the boys to the door I am sure) so I figured Kimberly probably just crashed too. Her nickname is Grace for a reason. When she told me that a second grader pushed her, I was a little shocked. She said he was following her and her friends and then ran up and pushed her down. When asked what happened next, she said he ran off. Our first encounter at school with bullying... great. Luckily she has a great school and the principal was out on the grounds and helped Kimberly to the school nurse and she patched her up great. I asked Kimberly if she cried a lot and she said when it happened, she did. But she said she was very brave though with the nurse and didn't cry at all. I was proud of her but so sad she had to go thru that. Anyone that knows Kimberly knows she can be a bit of a drama queen. I was so glad to hear she was brave and not miss drama. But little miss drama emerged when she told her daddy what happened. All of a sudden, Kimberly couldn't bend her legs and couldn't walk. It was amazing what a queen she can be! Throughout the night, she would forget her injuries but they always came back when asked to do something. haha.

Pretty nasty huh!

This was daddy asking Kimberly to look sad. She was having a good moment right here!

This is drama queen Kimberly after we joked that we would touch her knees. This is the girl we dealt with most of the night.

We are so sad that we are having to deal with school bullies at this young age. We talked to Kimberly about how wrong that boy was and what she could do next time. In reality I wanted to tell her to beat him up next time but I know that doesn't stop the bullying. I hope everyone (esp. parents) will help stop bullies!

Matthew's first soccer year

Matthew had his first soccer game last night. This was him after we got him dressed in his soccer gear. He was so excited. So excited that he grabbed his baseball mitt and ball and started playing. Wrong sport sweety. haha.

This was after we got there and got his team color shirt. GREEN! Matthew's favorite color. How perfect is this.

The warm up run. This was about the only warmup that Matthew would do. Brian was already on the edge of his seat by this time cause he didn't really want to do any other warm up.

Listening to coach about soccer. Matthew was still in good spirits here. The kids are all 3 and 4 year olds and so Matthew looks small but he isn't too small compared to others. After this talk they got to shoot goals and Matthew loved that part. He was eager to kick the ball in the goal.

Right after the goal shooting, they started the game. Now if you have never seen indoor soccer at this age, they just let the kids kick the ball and try to get it in the goal. There is no goalie and the kids are all over the place. Well Matthew got to start the game by kicking the ball first and then he was shocked that kids started running around. We told him to run after the ball and kick it and he did. The only thing he wasn't planning on was all these kids pushing and tripping and being mean trying to get the ball. After a couple times of trying to get the ball, Matthew decided he had to go potty. Brian took him and they ran back and Matthew got back into the game... for a minute. After more pushing Matthew was back with tears in his eyes and needing to go potty again. I wasn't sure if he needed to or not or if he was just nervous but Brian took him anyway. When they came back, Matthew had tears and didn't want to go back out to play. It was heartbreaking. He kept telling us that he was tired and wanted to go home. Luckily the game was done after that and Matthew got a treat (with the help from Kimberly walking him out to get his treat).

When we got in the car to go home, I asked Matthew if he had fun and he gave a definite NO. Poor thing. We have 4 weeks of this 2 times a week and we are going to go every day. Hopefully by the time soccer is done, Matthew will be back out there to play and enjoy every minute of it. He is a great soccer player and I know he would love it if he keeps trying. What is that saying... make kids try things 10 times to get them to like it. Well hopefully that will work with soccer.

Wish us luck!

Little Grizz Cheerleader

Here is my LIttle Grizz Cheerleader! Kimberly's cousin Stephanie is a cheerleader for Logan High and got Kimberly to do the day camp and be a little grizz. Kimberly had a ball. She got to perform at halftime at the next football game and despite the cold, she had a blast. She now wants to be a cheerleader but is still a little scared of being a "flyer". Her cousin is a flyer (the person on top of stunts) and Kimberly is scared of heights. I told her she could just be a dancer and not a cheerleader (like I was) but she isn't sure.

She sure was cute though.

My Brave Girl!

I have to share this story about Kimberly. She is a sweet princess in our house and she is also a major drama queen. If she gets the tiniest bump or bruise, it is the end of the world to her. Matthew has found he can make her cry and loves it.

Knowing this about Kimberly will make you realize how brave she was yesterday. Yesterday she had to go to the dentist for her first filling. I was worried how she would be since I am a big baby in the dentist chair. We have been speaking very positive about this experience for a long time but I still wasn't sure how she would be. I let her take her favorite stuffed animal Heart for comfort.

That morning she had many questions that were funny. She thought the drill the dentist used was like daddy's big "L" shaped drill. She thought she couldn't eat for days because of the numbness. And many others like it.

Well we got there and they showed her the tools that they would use (all except the big numbing needle). I didn't really know how they numb a child but it was the same way they numb an adult. Kimmy was fine during the shot and she didn't even act scared. I asked her if she was ok and she said yup. They did use a little laughing gas on her at first but since she did so great during the numbing shot, they changed her to oxygen for the rest of the time. She felt fine and was enjoying the numbing feeling of her mouth. During the quick filling (and I mean quick), she didn't even flinch once. I was watching her hands on her stuffed animal and they never once grabbed it in pain. When they were done, they told her how great she did. I was just shocked. She was all smiles when they got done and said it didn't hurt or anything. She never once was scared or cried. I couldn't believe this was my daughter. In fact, I was so proud of her that I started crying and couldn't stop. (hormones or allergies or something... haha)

Kimberly has to have another filling next month and she was fine with that. In fact, she told me how easy it was that I didn't have to come with her. Oh she is so grown up!

First week of 1st grade

I can't believe Kimberly is a 1st grader. She seems so much older now. She was so excited for her first day and I couldn't have been prouder. She wasn't nervous... just excited. She loves school and was super eager to start and learn. I hope this continues with her for 12 + years or more.

Her first day was pretty uneventful. I decided the teachers just use the day to ease the kids back into school. Kimberly said they played at the playground like 4 times and had lunch and just read books. The second day they were on their normal schedule and had to do work. Kimmy didn't mind. She is even ready for homework but that isn't going to come for a week or so. The third day Kimberly was so excited cause she wanted to eat lunch at the cafeteria due to they were having pizza. What a big start for her to get her lunch and what she wanted. She did have to find out how fast she needs to eat... she didn't get much lunch her first day. She will learn to eat faster as she gets older. I remember the faster you eat, the longer time you had to play.

Of course a big part of school starting is getting to wear new school clothes and my little fashionista has enjoyed every minute of new clothes. If she could, she would wear them all in one day and just change every hour. haha. She loves looking cute... too bad when I pick her up, she doesn't always look the way I drop her off. Normal kid things... hair is a little messed up and she might have a little mess on her clothes. Oh well.

1st grade should be fun. She already knows kids in her class and she loves to make new ones. This should be a great year.

Matthew is learning to deal without his sister for an entire day. I think he still asks me twice a day when is it time to get Kimberly. But he is enjoying the peace and quiet and getting to play toys without sharing. We are enjoying our time together ... for a few months anyway. When the baby comes, our schedules and lives will change yet again. Hopefully we all will adjust well.

Later!

Nothing like the past

So the past couple of weeks I have been "archiving" old VHS tapes from High School. I have learned a few things by watching these videos:

1) No matter the good, bad, and ugly in High School.. it was still a good time.
2) What was a huge deal back then, doesn't mean much now.
3) Everyone looks back at themselves and laughs at the styles we had back then.
4) I was cute and skinny back then, no matter what I thought.
5) Life was simplier.
6) What an enjoyment for my children to see their mommy back then all young.
7) What an enjoyment for my children to see their grammie and grampie back then all young.
8) Friendships were great back then.
9) I am friends with a lot of those people still and it is great to reminise with them.
10) I am proud where I ended up after all these years.

Now looking back makes me think that it wasn't so many years ago but when I start counting the years, I realize that I am coming up on a big class reunion. 20 years goes by extremely fast.

I hope you all can look back on your high school days and laugh, smile, and reminise about good times.

Weekend of fun

We had a great weekend before school started. Thursday started with a family dinner party with Brian's family. The kids had a ball playing at the park with their cousins and we learned that another new baby is going to join our family in Feb. Congrats Brad and Sarah! We also filled up our new pool so we could warm it up and enjoy it the next day. The kids were super excited to go swimming on Friday.

Friday was a great day. Brian didn't have to work that night so he woke up early and we set up the tent. This was supposed to be our family campout with Brian's family but that fell thru so we decided to have a night in the tent. The kids were so excited to sleep out under the stars. Then they jumped in the pool and even though it wasn't the warmest, they enjoyed a couple hrs of pool and warm tramp. Then we got ready and caught the bus to the fair. The fair was great. The kids rode a few rides, we checked out our nieces' 4H stuff, ate lots of goodies, saw lots of fun friends, and just enjoyed the fair atmosphere. We got home a little before 8 p.m. and the kids were ready for the tent. We stalled them just to wait till dark and around 9 we went out to get them ready for bed. They were so happy, even though it was a bit chilly. It took them another 45 minutes to get to sleep. Too much to look at with all the stars and the moon and all the nighttime noises. The best part was seeing the meteor that zipped thru the sky. The kids were so impressed at how bright it was. Brian was pretty impressed too. While they were out in the tent, prego mommy thought it was best to sleep in her own bed. I could hear everything though cause they were right outside our window. They finally fell asleep but they were a couple times in the night to potty. I don't think they slept the greatest but it was still fun.

Saturday we just relaxed, visited with family, and swam for a few hours. The kids were so tired from their night in the tent that they crashed in their own beds pretty early Sat night. That was pleasant for mom and dad.

Sunday was a pretty day and a great day for church and movie watching.

Two more days and school starts for Kimberly. 1st grade this year and her first year for lunch. She is totally excited. I am ready for her to go to school too. Matthew is in need of mommy time, especially before the baby comes.

Here are some pictures of our weekend:

Morning after campout.

Silly Duke on the tramp.

Kimmy in the pool.

The boys in the family.

My little star!

Blessings to all :-)

Our new baby BOY!

We are so excited to announce our new addition arriving in December... a little boy! We just had our ultrasound and were so excited to see a little boy. Kimberly is a little sad because she was hoping for a little girl but she knows it isn't our choice. Everything with the baby looked healthy and was measuring exact. We loved every minute of our ultrasound and we honestly went in not wanting to find out. But it ended up a little obvious and still had me in shock.

Here are some pictures of our new little baby boy:

Heartbeating at 145 bpm
Little baby boy in all his glory! haha

We feel very lucky and blessed to have the news we received today.