In love...

...with the newest member of our family, Caden James! What a day it has been. I still can't believe he's really here.

I could not sleep last night for fear of not waking up to the alarm clock do finally I just got out of bed at 4am. Did a last load of towels, put some diapers and baby clothes away and then we headed out to be at the hospital at 5:30am. Hooked me up to the monitor and the baby started moving around like crazy- just like this whole last half of my pregnancy. I loved it.

Then there was a lot of waiting so I started getting a little nervous for the spinal block. Luckily the anesthetist came in and he was the same one who did Bryce's spinal, and if had gone beautifully so I was able to relax. Once we got in the room however, I started panicking a little. They were very patient with me but it took longer than it should have, so Jeff was waiting and starting to get nervous himself. Then he came in and it was go time!

About 10 minutes later I heard the beautiful sound of a screaming baby and I started to cry. Taft was MY baby. The one I have been longing for and praying for. They showed him to me for a second and then took him to clean him up. Jeff went with them to the other part of the room to cut the cord and clean him up. I waited, anxious to get closer.

Not too long later we were all in my room. We still hadn't weighed him, but I wanted the skin to skin contact and to feed him. It was incredible! I felt so close to him immediately. He looks a little different from my other kids with his chubby cheeks and my webbed toes. :-) ( hope he doesn't resent me for that one!) I knew he was bigger than my others so I was anxious to have him weighed. 7 lbs 11 oz- my biggest baby by over a pound! Nice and healthy so he can be loved on by his siblings!

We have had a great day. The medicine hasn't worn off yet, so no pain or nausea for me . Baby has been sleeping a lot (which makes me nervous for tonight) and Jeff and I have been reading, posting pics on Instagram and chatting.

My mom brought the kids by this evening and they were darling with him. He is definitely the missing part of our family. I can't wait to get to know him even better. Wish me luck tonight!

Experiment blogging from iPod

Hi all. Since I can't sleep, I thought I would practice blogging from my iPod touch. I heard my hospital has wifi so I hope to get up pics right away!

The first 2 pics are of my last day volunteering in Bryce's kinder class. They did an Easter egg hunt with their big buddies.

The last pic is of Emily and her piano teacher. Emily asked her if she would teach her how to make a banana cream pie for my birthday. It's my fave! So sweet.

Any of you guys on Instagram?

Sun, glorious sun

I am definitely a happier person when the sun is shining. I would like to say I have adapted over the 12 years I have lived in Oregon, but I don't think I can ever get used to the gray. On the other hand, us Oregonians truly appreciate the sunny days and take advantage!

On Monday, I had a burst of energy and I had bought flowers for planting at Costco, so it was a perfect day for bringing color to my yard. I also cleaned out my garden boxes as well as I could. We will see how well a garden happens this year. I still dream of eating a salad made from my own grown veggies!

Tuesday and Wednesday were very gray and rainy, so I was grateful I had spent most of Monday outside. The yucky weather gave me a chance to make some freezer meals to get ready for this baby.

On Thursday the kids had the day off school for conferences and I wanted to celebrate their hard work. So, we met up with friends for pizza for lunch and then headed to the park. It was AMAZING weather!

 The frisbee was stuck in the high branches of the tree and a nice city worker used his 18 foot pole to get it down! He was the hero for the kids!

 Playing football and frisbee. Look at the blue skies!! I love it!

 The switched to baseball after a while. 

 Emily is playing in the sand. She spent most of her time on the scooter. I love how she entertains herself!

 Here are some of the moms just chatting. (As you can see though, some of the moms are cold! It was still only 55 degrees. :-)

 Here I am, doing my favorite thing to do when pregnant- sit in the sun and watch the kids have fun!

My mistake was in not bringing water to the park. I forgot that drinking fountains are turned off in the winter. Luckily some friends had water to share, but I decided to surprise the kids and take them to Sonic because it was happy hour. 6 slushies- $3.62.   You can't beat that!

And on another happy note, the kids went right to bed because they were worn out from playing in the "sun" all day. Some even had the nerve to complain it was too "hot"! Sometimes I can't believe I am raising Oregonians. :-)

Only 18 more days. Woo hoo!

Enjoying the Calm before the storm...

I will see if it will let me post some more. :-)

We took a very last minute trip to the coast this weekend with good friends. It was a much needed break for everyone. It took us 20 minutes to pack, which was awesome, but I also realized it was the last time for about 5 years that we will be able to pack so quickly. :-)

 Ocean front rooms. I didn't even have to leave the bed. I could just watch out my window and leave the windows open to listen to the waves. It was heavenly. Jeff finally realized how he could get a sand free vacation but still let me be near the ocean. :-)

 Amazing pool!! This was the reason we chose the hotel. The kids swam for hours. Bryce really became a swimmer here. It was very cool.

 Emily loved her time swimming with her dad. I am glad she got time with him.

 My 3 cute kiddos. It was nice to get a break from chores and all that jazz. :-)

 Jumping off sand dunes.

 We were lucky to have beautiful weather while we were there. We enjoyed every second!

 Don't these kids look excited to be here? We just had them hike a 1/2 mile up to a lighthouse, only to find out the lighthouse was closed. Bryce said, "We walked all this way to see the sun?!" It was a beautiful view, but apparently the kids didn't appreciate that as much.

 A rare pic of me pregnant. I am feeling my energy quickly dwindle. Not as active as I would like to be.

Here are the people I love the most. I feel so blessed. I am struggling a little bit right now as I am trying to figure out the mom I want to be. I keep changing my mind. I am being very prayerful. I want to just enjoy these kids, but I feel like I am constantly torn between letting them be kids and helping them learn responsibility. I am nervous for this baby to come because I am out of commission for a little while so I have been trying to be more diligent in teaching my kids how to help run the household. I can't seem to find the right balance. Anyone have ideas to help me? For now, I am just trying not to yell too much. :-)

Thoughts on pregnancy- After my quick 30 lb weight gain, I have only gained about 5 more. So, that is good. I seem to be leveling off. I was walking for about 8 weeks, but now I am taking a break. I am very grateful for how noneventful this pregnancy has been. I can't wait to meet the little person kicking my ribs. :-)

I feel a huge desire to get things even more organized before this baby comes. I signed up for a program called Mind Organization for Moms. It is based on David Allen's Getting Things Done program and I LOVE it. I know I overthink things, but that is how my brain works, so I am just going with it. www.powerofmoms.com  Check it out. If you have any nerdy ideas for me, let me know. I have jumped in with both feet and reogranized my office. It is still not pretty, but it is functional and I think it is going to help me. I would love to talk with other people about it.

Anyway, I am rambling now. I have more to catch up on (like Dallin's birthday and getting his Arrow of Light) but for now I wanted to get down my thoughts from last weekend. It was a much needed getaway for all of us. And the last one for a while. :-)

29 weeks- an update

Hey Everyone. Happy 2013! I am going to start a new blog, but since that hasn't happened yet, I thought it would be good to document some of this pregnancy. I had thought that I would doing a weekly picture and all that, but then I remembered I don't love how I look pregnant. :-) However, since this is my last pregnancy, I did want some record of it. So, here is something I read on the blog of a college friend of mine who I miss dearly! (Thanks Leah!)

Weight Gain? 30 lbs. Yep, I am on my way to gaining more than any other pregnancy. Awesome. Also, I have been chastised by 2 doctors. Also awesome. I am attempting to slow this down by staying away from sugar and starting to walk with a couple of friends. I think it is helping. :-) At least mentally it is.

Stretch Marks? Can't tell. I don't pay enough attention to detail. 

Sleep? When I go to bed early, I definitely feel a difference. The nice thing is, I am at a point I can take naps thanks to a 5 1/2 year old who goes to kindergarten in the morning and is willing to play video games in the afternoon. 

Best Moment So Far? Telling the kids we were pregnant again and that the baby is healthy. Bryce had prayed for a baby every night after the miscarriage. Now he prays the baby is healthy. So cute.

Movement? All the time!! I love this! The kids love watching the kicks on my belly. I will miss this part the most.

What I miss? Running. I crave a good, long distance run. I watch others in envy. I am already planning my races for the year. It is a sickness, I know. 

What I’m looking forward to? The baby. :-) Only 10 weeks to go. I can do it!

Milestones?  Shocking the doctor by getting pregnant without medical intervention. No bleeding. 

Emotions? Nervous to start all over and hoping that Jeff enjoys having a baby around again. Enjoying having older kids for this pregnancy. They are so much more involved and always ask me how I am doing. Bryce takes off my boots for me. I love it! I can't wait to meet our little man. 

Maternity Clothes? Oh yeah!! Just had to get some new ones because I am growing out of other ones. Awesome. :-)

Running out of room

Not just in my belly, but on my blog. :-) I tried to post Thanksgiving pics and it wouldn't let me. So, I need to figure this out and then I will be back. I might be private when I come back. I will let you know.

Stay tuned!

Day 8 and 9- So....

...I guess my baby will look more like this!

I was shocked to find out it was not a girl like I was guessing (hoping!). I will admit I was a little bummed. (Sorry little man.) I really wanted a sister for Emily. However, we are so thankful for a healthy baby. The ultrasound showed an active little baby who is just the right size. And I do love Marker boys. :-) So, I will be slowly finding new homes for our pinks and purples.

Day 7- Thankful for Running

Running is one of the things I am definitely missing right now. It has been such a big part of my life for the last 10 years. I have never run through pregnancy, but I forgot how much I crave it when I can't do it. :-) I know, I am weird. 

Running has taught me a lot about myself and has allowed me to make very good friends. I have also loved the opportunity I have had to run off and on with Jeff. In 2006, I convinced him to run a 5k with me so he could help me PR and run 8 minute miles. He did it! In 2008, we trained for a 10k together. In 2010, we trained for a half marathon together and crossing that finish line with him was one of my favorite memories. We had to pay for a babysitter any time we went for a run, until this year. Jeff surprised me and signed up for the St George Marathon. We were enjoying running together and then I got pregnant and it slowed me down just a little. :-) He continued to run with our running group and I was amazed at how fast he became. I was a proud coach/wife as he would relate to me all about his training. I was living vicariously through him and I was so happy (and a little jealous!) that it was going so well. After much debate, I decided to start the marathon so that I could be up at the top with him and our other friends. Sarah was kind enough to run/chat with me for 8 miles, and then I hopped in the injury van. I saw Jeff at Mile 20 and he looked so good I gave him a call. He told me that he wasn't doing so well- he had started cramping. It broke my heart. I knew how hard he had trained and 6 miles can still be a long time. I said a little prayer for him and then got to the bottom and cheered him on. He gave me the biggest hug. I hope we can train for another one together. I told him he still owes me one. :-) 

 You are awesome, Jeff!! First marathon- 4:15. Awesome job babe!

 Here is Annie, our Boston Qualifier! She is amazing!

 I am so glad I got to start the race with him...love that guy!

Sarah and I...can't wait to run our next one together. I miss her more than she can know.

Day 6- Thankful for the right to vote!

Sometimes I think we take our rights for granted. I am so grateful to live in the country that we do. I know this is the place for religious freedom so that the Gospel could be restored.

Good luck tonight!! I will be watching the TV all night! (while I am at work. :-)

Day 5- Thankful for Coach Jeff

If you haven't noticed, sports are a big part of the Marker household. I grew up with a dad who taught all 4 girls (and eventually my little brother) to enjoy sports. Softball was the main sport but we also tried soccer, basketball, cross country and track. He would watch sports on TV and taught us to love the Angels and hate the Dodgers. :-) I was not as athletically gifted as my sisters, but I sure loved the mechanics behind the sports. I enjoyed being a scorekeeper and my coach in high school let me coach the base runners, because I understood where the runners should be. I married a man who also loves sports. His first love is soccer and he has passed this on to his boys. His work schedule doesn't always allow him to be a soccer coach because the practices are usually earlier in the evening, but when Bryce's team needed a coach, he stepped in. I loved watching him with the 5-6 year old boys. He did a fantastic job, and his main goal was for every kid to score at least one goal during the season. You could tell how much he enjoyed coaching Bryce and being able to pass that passion onto him. I love watching the games!

Thankful for my Kids

My kids are at such fun stages! I love watching find things they love and participate in them.  I feel lucky to be able to be involved with them at school. 

 Emily just turned 8, so she is old enough for Activity Days. There was a Mummy and Me Halloween party. I loved seeing her shine!

 This year's Fun Run was in the rain and Bryce didn't seem to mind at all!

 Bryce with his buddies, Spencer and Meggan.

 Emily did great in the Fun Run also. She had to walk a little bit, but I enjoyed the chat time with her.

 Dallin really puts forth a strong effort and was able to tie with his classmate for the most laps. Wish I had his speed! :-)

 Dallin's class is great! 

 Bryce and his big buddy, Kyle! I enjoyed goign to his class party!

 The kids on Halloween!

 Dallin was the CEO of the Gas and Electric Co at Biztown. What a great experience!

 I was lucky enough to get to go on the field trip. I was impressed with Biztown. The kids learned a lot!

Emily and I went to see our local production of Little Mermaid last night. I enjoy these activities with Emily and I hope the tradition continues. She was bummed that you had to be in 4th grade for this one, and I will admit I was too. :-) I can't wait to see her in more plays!