The Story behind Tydon's Name...

Before I was even pregnant with this last pregnancy, I was reading in the Bible one morning about Joseph who was sold into Egypt.  There's a scripture in there that then also talks about how someday, there would be another great leader with his same name (Joseph) who would be named after his father.  And after reading the "Book of Mormon," we know that this scripture is referring to Joseph Smith, who helped to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter-days.  Anyway, as soon as I read this scripture, I immediately felt like our next baby was going to be a boy & that we should name him Joseph.  I am always inspired by the story of Joseph that was sold into Egypt, because even though he has a lot of bad things happen to him, he always tries to make the BEST of the situation & is therefore able to accomplish many AMAZING things.  And Laron really loves learning all he can about JOSEPH SMITH, so I felt like the name Joseph would be a great name to pass on to our next baby boy because it was rich with meaning.

But I admit, even though both Laron & I both agreed on the name, after we found out we were pregnant (& we felt certain he was a boy!), we never actually CALLED him Joseph.  I LOVED the meaning behind the name, but I wasn't sure that "Joseph Pace" had the most amazing ring to it either...

So then... 3 days before we went to our big Ultrasound, to find out officially that he was a boy, Laron woke up with a start one morning, quickly wrote down something on a nearby notebook, then just as quickly, laid back down.  I wasn't used to Laron waking up so abruptly, so I quietly asked, "Is everything okay?"  He immediately sat up on his elbow & excitedly said, "Yeah!  I know what we're supposed to name our baby boy!"  In my head I was thinking, "Uh, yeah, we've already talked about that... We're naming him Joseph," but instead I just raised my eyebrows in wonder & said, "What?"  He immediately responded with, "Tydon."  My initial reaction to this was a very doubtful, "I don't think that's even a NAME!  At least not a name that I'VE ever heard of..."  He insisted that he'd never heard of that name before either, but had really felt like Heavenly Father had prompted him that that's what our baby's name should be.

For the first few days after that, I was a little defensive about the name Tydon, wondering why HIS name was what we should use for our baby, instead of the name that I'd felt like I'D been inspired to use months ago.  But after we went to our Ultrasound & found out that he was indeed a BOY & the more we talked about it, the more Tydon just felt right.  In fact, we shortly thereafter even started calling him Tydon & it just seemed to fit.  So in the long run, we actually ended up using BOTH of our names for his name... Tydon for his first name & Joseph for his middle name.

It's interesting sometimes how God works in our lives... I'm not really sure why it mattered so much this time around what we should NAME our little baby, but I love knowing that God cares about even the littlest details of our lives.  And now that we've met the little guy, we feel even more confident that "Tydon Joseph Pace" is the name that fits him!

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 :)

The Baby's Room!

We are FINALLY all done with the baby's room!!! As always, it took LOTS longer than I had anticipated, but at least it's all done & ready BEFORE the baby came! I've always had kind-of a gender-neutral crib set for my other 3 kids, but I decided that I REALLY wanted a BOY set this time around since he's going to have his own room. After searching for awhile, I finally found THIS whole set on KSL (that the lady had spent over $300 for originally) for $60! SO fun to have a whole matching room of accessories! Now even the KIDS are getting anxious for the baby to come! So Yay! After LOTS & LOTS of painting & new blinds & a bookcase & putting up the curtain rod, etc, I'm finally feeling a little more "ready" for the big day (only 4 more weeks! eek!).

All the little DETAILS I think really ADD to the room... I absolutely LOVE the little monkey lamp, the rug, the mobile, the curtains... It just makes the room SO much more complete, but they were certainly details that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise if I hadn't have found them all in an awesome set together for a fabulous price!  I think Heavenly Father was definitely looking out for me!  SO fun!  Now all we need is the baby to go in it!  :)

Random EXTRA Pictures of the Kids...

Officially DONE Canning for the Year!!!

 

I just have to announce to the world that I am officially done CANNING for the year!!!   And what a RELIEF that is!  I feel like I have such a bitter/sweet feeling about canning...  I oftentimes HATE the endless amount of work it takes for often DAYS on end, but I sure LOVE the end result of feeling stocked up again for another year & knowing that I'm taking care of my family with the wonderful resources that Heavenly Father has blessed us with. 

Here's what we bottled this year:

50 Quarts of Applesauce

40 Quarts of Grape Juice

14 Quarts of Salsa

14 Quarts Apple Pie Filling

9 Quarts Spaghetti Sauce

15 pints Green Tomato Relish

9 pints Grape Jelly 

I also tried my hand at dehydrating some apples & making Grape Fruit Leather, but unfortunately we've already almost eaten everything I dehydrated, so apparently my family likes those!   So anyway, YAY for getting to the end of another huge months-long project!

This is the Place Monument

The weekend before Halloween, my Grandpa Erickson invited us to go to "This is the Place Monument" for their Halloween celebrations...  Being able to go Trick-or-Treating at a few buildings was fun, but I think they definitely all thought that the train ride was the MOST fun thing we did!

The kids were able to do a fall craft with leaves & a pumpkin craft for Halloween at one building, then pound shapes into a piece of leather at another building.  Laron wasn't able to make it for the first few hours we were there because he was working that day, so it was nice to Grandma & Papa there to help the kids with the fun activities!

After that it was announced that they'd be shooting off the "Candy Cannon" on Main Street in a few minutes, so we headed over there to see what that was all about... Well, it was pretty much what it SOUNDS like it would be-- A cannon that shot out Halloween Candy!  The only problem was that the candy was pretty burnt & smelly after getting shot out of a cannon, so then they had people throwing out OTHER candy onto the road afterwards if you wanted something a little fresher.  Kind-of interesting!

Then we headed over to the Storybook Witch lady & heard a few Halloween stories & songs...

And then found the Old Schoolhouse where the kids enjoyed drawing on the individual chalkboards left at each desk... Skyler thought it looked like a pretty fun classroom, but I just can't imagine teaching ALL the different ages of kids in ONE classroom back then!  It makes me grateful for the schooling our children are provided with TODAY!

Then we went on to discover all the ANIMALS!  Surprisingly, Bailey was the only one brave enough to actually PET the animals, especially a little goat that she became rather fond of.  This was about the time that Daddy met up with us & the kids LOVED running around & showing him all the animals & exciting things!

And then, much to Kimberly's delight, the kids were all able to ride on some horses!  Skyler was nervous, but proud of himself afterward, Bailey started crying as soon as the horse started MOVING (even though I held onto her & walked right by her the whole time) & Kimberly just BEAMED from the moment she got up, to the moment she got down!  It's always so interesting as a parent to see how different all their little personalities are!

After pretending to milk a cow, exploring some old pioneer houses (they were SO tiny!), & having one last train ride back to the entrance of the park, it was time to head home for our ward's Halloween church activity.

It was a fun day, but I'm sure glad we don't walk around quite that much EVERY weekend... I was a little nervous it was going to put this very pregnant Momma into labor!