Thanksgiving 2013

So this year's Thanksgiving was pretty low-key, mostly because of our little 5-day-old Tydon.  We usually would have been going to a big Thanksgiving Day Dinner at my Grandpa Erickson's church with our 100+ relatives on my Dad's side of the family, but I wasn't sure I was ready to bring us all out into the germs of fall & risk getting the kids sick with a newborn in the house.  I WAS slightly tempted to go & show off my new little baby to everyone, but we figured that maybe a quiet day at home with just our little family would be better for us this year.  And I have to say, when I found out the next day that my sister's little girl had come to the party, not realizing yet that she had Chicken Pox, I was extremely grateful that we stayed home!!!

I'm not quite sure if Laron agreed with me that we should have stayed home for Thanksgiving, but he went with it & made us an AMAZING Thanksgiving Feast nonetheless!  He didn't let me make anything at ALL!  He cooked up an amazing Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, scalloped potatoes, stuffing & rolls... He spent ALL morning cooking & it was simply AMAZING!  The only thing our meal was missing was PIES, but we got some leftover pies that afternoon from my Mom, so that ended the day off perfectly!  :)

We started off our dinner with Skyler reminding us that we should go around the table & say something we were thankful for.  What a good kid!  Then we ate to our heart's content, with a brief intermission taken by me to feed the baby... Why are they always hungry at meal-times?!  And then, all too quickly, the meal was over & suddenly it seemed really obvious that we were missing the most important part of the meal... Good conversation with close family & friends.  So after cleaning up the kitchen (which is quite a task after cooking up such a meal!), we headed downstairs & watched some old family-videos together, which was simple, yet fun & bonding.

Although our celebrations were simple this year, I was extremely grateful for our few family members that stopped by to visit during the day on their ways to & from Thanksgiving festivities... Laron's brother Jesse & his family & his sister Diana, stopped by that morning, and MY brother Robert & his wife Molly (who just announced today that they're expecting!) stopped by that afternoon to see our new little guy.  Their visits helped fill my desire to spend the day with FAMILY, while still enjoying the simpleness of the day with mostly just MY family.

This year, I feel the most grateful that our new baby Tydon is with us, that I'm done being pregnant, that labor is behind me & that all went well!  What a feeling of relief & joy all of those accomplishments bring a woman at a time like this!  I'm also extremely grateful for a husband that supports me & goes with my sometimes crazy ideas, mostly just because he loves me.  And I'm grateful for my other 3 kids... They really are such GREAT kids & will be such good brothers & sisters for Tydon to grow up with & learn from.  How blessed I feel right now, this time of year & always!

Announcing: "Tydon Joseph Pace"!!!

So I know I'm a couple days late in posting this, but I thought I'd officially announce that our little "Tydon Joseph Pace" finally decided to make his big entrance into the world! He was born very early last Saturday morning (at 12:27), weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. & was 21 inches long. We had him within 1 hour of getting to the hospital & were just glad that we made it there in time! If his head wouldn't have been turned the wrong way when we first got there, we actually might have even had him SOONER than that! The kids all just ADORE their new little brother & we are delighted to have his sweet little spirit in our family! Welcome home little Tydon! :)

Oh Where, Oh Where Could my Baby Be?!

Well, I had another doctor's appointment this morning... NOW I'm dilated to a 4 1/2 or a 5 & 70% effaced.  And the baby is measuring at 8 lbs 10 oz.  Yikes!  I'm not sure HOW much longer this body of mine can keep this baby IN there!  I mean, my body definitely always preps early, but it's really starting to play with my emotions!  I wish that I could make one of those count-down chains until the day he FOR SURE would come... Oh well, here's goes one of the HARDEST waiting games of the century!

But, I'm on my way out the door in a few minutes to go on a walk... So we'll see if THAT'LL help!  :)

Halloween 2013

Our Halloween festivities this year started on the Saturday BEFORE Halloween at our ward's annual "Trunk-or-Treat."  We invited our friends from Turkey (Nejla, Samil, Azra & Mert Omar) & enjoyed the remarkably WARM October weather while we ate soup & rolls, then got into the line to start getting some yummy candy!  What a fun night!

Then, on Halloween morning, Skyler's school had a Halloween Parade, so we went to go see all the kids proudly walking up & down the halls, showing off their costumes!  Skyler was glad that even Daddy was able to come see him, because he didn't have to work that day!

Kimberly was Rapunzel this year, Skyler was Batman & Bailey was a Fairy (which she insisted was actually Tinkerbell!).  Trick-or-Treating was fun this year with the kids, except for the fact that Kimberly got Strep Throat the day before & so didn't feel like actually doing much Trick-or-Treating by that night...  It was a good thing she'd at least already been able to get some candy from going to the "Trunk-or-Treat" the weekend before!  We tried taking her around about a half of a block (so she wouldn't feel like she hadn't been able to do ANY "Trick-or-Treating"!) before she decided that she'd had enough & then Laron carried her home to give her a little more one-on-one attention.

So "Happy Halloween" from our cute little munchkins, to yours!

Almost There!

Just went to my 37 week appointment yesterday... 3 weeks until my due-date!  But I usually go about a week early, so that puts me at about 2 weeks away.  And then I've just really been feeling lately like he might be coming sooner than that, so maybe just a WEEK left?!  I'm already dilated to a 3+ & 70% effaced, so things are definitely moving right along!  We'll see how much longer I make it... And I know ultrasounds are always a little off on their guesses as to how much a baby actually weighs, but as of yesterday, our baby is measuring at 7 lbs 10 oz, so he's getting plenty ready to come too!  In fact, it's his HEAD that always measures about 2 weeks AHEAD, so maybe it will be a GOOD thing to have this baby a little EARLY (for my own sake!).

After I got home from my appointment, I anxiously made a few freezer meals with my mom, which is making me feel SLIGHTLY more ready.  But this is such a bitter-sweet milestone of pregnancy to hit for me... I'm TOTALLY ready to be done being pregnant, but I also know what LABOR feels like & I'm not quite sure if I'm as mentally prepped for that this time.   The more & more physically exhausted I feel from being pregnant too, the more anxious I am about the sleepless nights ahead of me with being up with a newborn again.   It's a good thing these babies are so gosh-darn CUTE though & that we as Mother's are given an instant LOVE for them.  Last thing on my list now: To pack my bags... Maybe tomorrow :)