Good Grief it's been a while!

Ok I'm so embarrassed that my last post was like A YEAR ago!!!!! Sorry folks, we've been a tad busy....

Here's the update:

Daniel:

still working at the hospital here in the ICU and really liking it. He works several shifts a month as "Charge Nurse" where he's the nurse in charge. It gives him good experience but keeps a slower pace than the big hospitals, which has it's pros and cons, but for the most part I think he really likes it here.

At church he stays busy working with the Boy Scouts as Scout Master and as 2nd counselor to the Young Men's President.

Since he's been out of school the last year and has all sorts of "free time" on his hands he has enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing basketball with the guys. It's fun to see him have something he enjoys (and friends to do it with so I don't have to!)

Me:

I stay very very busy these days! We are expecting baby number 4 (surprise!) in November! We recently found out that he is indeed another he. We are excited and the kids are excited too! Nate keeps saying, "i'm going to have anudder brudder!" So cute!

I enjoy going to the YMCA to walk (ever so slowly some days) on the treadmill ALL BY MYSELF and take showers ALL BY MYSELF! For me the membership is worth every penny!

I was recently called as Relief Society President at church (basically I over see the women's organization as we provide relief to those who need it.) I LOVE this calling! It's very challenging but sooooo rewarding! Heavenly Fathers pours out His love every day! Every time I go to help someone I walk away feeling like they helped me more than I helped them!

The kids and I have gotten in to going to the library and I finally have kids that listen to stories! :) It's no long just pointing at shapes and colors! And I LOVE reading to them! It's very fun for me!

Nate:

Just turned 4 in May. He is a handful but he sure loves his brother and sister! He is so kind and gentle to Sarah and helps her stay out of danger and tonight I found him reading books to her on the recliner! Soooooo cute!

He is learning to write his name and enjoys listening to stories. He still loves his movies, which unfortunately is ok with me right now. He is discovering his imagination too. Always coming up with something new.

He can also say his first 3 Articles of Faith by memory and got to say #3 in primary on Sunday all by himself!

Knowlton: (almost 3)

Is finally talking!! Actually he talks so well now! It's still hard to understand what he's saying sometimes but he's so much better! He has a hard time with his "K" and "G" sounds so for now we have "tute little titty tats" (cute little kitty cats) and he loves "tup tates" (cup cakes) and my favorite the other day he came to me and said, "Mom, Dad is sleeping be tuiiiieeettttt shhhhh (quiet)" I love to hear him talk!

He is such a HUGE helper!!! and not the bad kind! He loves to be right with you if there's ever a project and if you tell him what to do he'll do it.

He is kind and loving but sadly has a fast temper....he must be 2!

Sarah Mae: (18 months)

she is all grown up since my last post! She runs with her brothers and stays pretty much in all the action. She loves to wear her dresses and loves to choose her hair bows (even if she likes to take them out!) and squeals when mommy paints her toe nails! She is such a girly girl! (Like she had a choice coming from me!) But she's probably the prissiest tom boy you'll ever see! She loves to be rough and tough with her brothers and always finds new ways to have scrapes and bruises.

Sarah is mostly happy but you definitely know when she's not! She's a girl, what can I say?! She really loves books and animals right now! She loves every kind of animal!! Daniel's brother and his wife have a standard poodle and they brought her last time they came to visit. Sarah laughed, squealed, and down right giggled every time she saw that dog!

I hope to be able to blog some more but I make no promises so until then just follow me on Facebook!

Oh how I needed this

Motherhood:-An-Eternal-Partnership

Click on this link to watch an amazing clip about motherhood.

Recently I've been struggling with the joys of motherhood. I'm not going to deny it, having three kids ages 3 and under is HARD! It's better now that the kids have space to run and Daddy is home more but it's still very mentally, physically, and emotionally draining! I try very hard to be a good mom and most of the time it's good. But when it's hard, it's HARD. I've struggled with great anxiety since Sarah was born. It had started getting better but now with Daniel working nights again it's becoming worse. Unfortunately it's only at night, when it's quiet and I'm alone, that it gets bad. I've started doing things my doctor suggested, fixing my eating habits, relaxing, exercising, and taking St. John's wart (an herb to help with depression, moodiness, ect.). I'm hoping all of this will help but what helped me most of all tonight as I'm sitting here debating if I dare go to bed or not, was this clip on Motherhood. The greatest thing I can ever know is that I am not alone! I have the Lord by my side to help me. I know He is there! I could not do this with out Him. This is his desire for me, to be a wife and mother. He would not ask me to something without helping me through it.

My new Business Endeavor/Hobby

I've created my own unique line of hair bows! Check it out! www.bowsthatgrow.blogspot.com

These bows are unique because they all snap together so you can mix and match and make it as big or little as you'd like. They also snap to an adjustable headband (my other creation), a clippie, or a barrette so you can use them on infants or toddlers or big girls!

Sarah is my main model right now since I moved away from all of the other little girls I knew.

Check out my website soon because I'm having a drawing for some FReE stuff!!! :)

It's been a while!!!

Well, Daniel is watching an action movie and so I'm BORED! I thought it was high time I updated this thing so here goes....

Daniel graduated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited for him! I'm not sure when I last posted and I'm too lazy to look but just so everyone knows Daniel is working as a nurse in Bolivar, MO in the ICU. He got to start a week after he graduated and he loves it! He loves the people he's working with,

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it but we did it! We bought a 2000 sqft house! It has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths(Daniel and I have our own bathroom!!), a garage, two living area, AND a fenced in backyard!!! I'm sooooo happy here. Our duplex was wonderful for us and we loved living there...for the most part. The duplex was in a really creepy part of town and I just hated Springfield all together. LOVED living by family but hated the scenery. Our house is double the size of our duplex so it's HUGE to us! For the first few days we'd walk around just because we could. Nate would talk about our new house with "lots of rooms." He was always amazed when we'd come to see it. We're still unpacking and getting things organized but for the most part we're settling in pretty well. We've met our neighbors and really really like them. They're so nice and friendly. Our neighborhood is soooooo quiet. For the first week or so we'd lay in bed with all the windows open just listening to the quiet. In our other place we had a train loading station right behind our house and the homeless shelter and the hospital two blocks away. We got very used to people yelling at each other, sirens, and trains sounding like they were crashing. Another great thing about my house is that we have windows!!!! Not a creepy amount, just normal but it seems like a ton. In our duplex I had a small kitchen window that let me look out into the world. The other windows were in the bedrooms and faced the parking lot. Our only window in the living room was facing a brick wall :S So I'm sooooo happy to be able to look outside whenever I want to. I think we will be very happy here.

We have a DOG! Me? Have a dog? The kids are THRILLED to have a dog, and oddly enough so am I! I LOVE this dog. I wish I had a picture of her but I"ll have to put one up later. It was my brother and sister in laws. We dog sat for a weekend and she was sooooo good with the kids and just a joy to have around. She blended in perfectly with our family. Well, as it turns out my in laws have a small house and an unfenced backyard so this dog was getting to be too big for their house so they asked it we could keep her. YAY!! I love her. She comes and snuggles me on the couch. :)

The kids are doing great! Nate is potty trained!!!!!!!!!! And Knowly is on his way. He wants to do everything that Nate does. He goes a lot but not consistently enough yet. Sarah is a joy! She sleeps so well and is so perfect and happy. I love them all soooooo much. Being a mom has definitely been a trial for a while but now it's becoming a blessing again. I'm loving life right now. :)

And my final announcement...(no I'm NOT pregnant) I've started my own business! I have created my very own line of hair bows! But mine are different that everyone else's because mine are interchangeable and snap together. I call them "Bows that Grow." You can where one or a bunch and mix and match with every outfit! I LOVE them. Such a fun thing right now. Check out my website www.bowsthatgrow.blogspot.com I also have an etsy shop. It's an online store that allows you to sell handmade items. Check it out here

Life is great for us. Hope all is well for you too.

Shhhh

I know I'm safe to post this on here because Daniel never reads our blog....

As most of you know Daniel is graduating nursing school in two weeks!!!!! He has worked so hard and I'm so proud of him. Some of you have asked what to get him as a graduation present and here's what I've noticed he'd like....

1. gift cards to Barnes and Noble for nursing books to keep on hand

2. Painting supplies for our new house (we have nothing so a paintbrush or painters tape would be nice.)

3. Any kind of simple tools ie; saw, level, putty knife, ect...(we have hammers and screwdrivers)

4. Anything for fishing, hunting, or camping. He just got a bow and arrow set but he doesn't have any targets.

Anyways, just a few suggestions. Now......I want to do something great for him because he has worked soooo hard for our family.....any suggestions??? I thought about a party but all his nursing buddies are drinkers so a family friendly party probably isn't on their high priority list to attend. Any thoughts?

Tagged!

I was tagged by my cousin Bethany and now I'm finally getting around to filling this out....

4 Shows I watch:

We don't have any channels on our TV so I only have what's on Netflix and the ones I own on DVD

1. Reba (I have all 6 seasons except for number 4)

2. Charles in Charge (season 1, it's the best! I watch it on Netflix all the time!)

3. Full House (I'm such a dork but I love LOVE love this show! And Nate loves it with me :))

4. Gilmore Girls (I really only like the 3rd season because it's pretty much the cleanest but I think I'm over them...)

wow, those really are the only 4 shows I watch!

4 Things I'm Passionate About:

1. My amazing husband! He is my other half and he really makes me want to be a better person. Believe it or not we still write each other love notes! :) I love him!

2. Being a mother. I know it doesn't always show it by some of my posts but I love being a mother!! I am always looking for ways to be a better homemaker/mother/wife. I love making things for my family! :)

3.Cutting and Styling hair, I don't feel as passionate for coloring but I love hair and makeup.

4. I LOVE having people over. I've come to terms that my house is not always the cleanest and that my kids are sometimes loud and obnoxious but I love LOVE love having people in my home. I'm really not the best hostess but it makes me feel so great to "entertain!"

4 Phrases I say a lot:

1. Do you want to go to your room?

2. Do you need to sit in your buckle? Yes....I'm a MOTHER! :)

3. I love you

4. That's so sad! What are you going to do about it?

4 Things I've learned from the Past:

1. NEVER say NEVER!!!!!!!! It will bite you in the butt! But I must say that every time it does it turns out to be the best thing ever! (so this move is going to be AWESOME!)

2. Plan your life but be very flexible about your plan 'cause most likely it won't work out.

3. Choose your battles, and make sure it's really worth the sweat.

4. Don't judge others because it too will bite you in the butt!

4 Places I would like to visit:

1. Utah, I miss my family there!

2. Croatia, but only because Daniel wants to go and it would make him sooooo happy! :)

3. Samoa, my grandparents are temple president and matron there and I would love to spend the whole day in the temple with them!

4. Holland....the pictures are so beautiful!

4 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Daniel's graduation!!!!!!!

2. Closing on our new house!!!!

3. Moving into and fixing up our new house!

4. bed...

4 Things I love about Winter:

1. All of our family traditions!!!!!!

2. The smells

3. Baking

4. Cuddling under a TON of blankets with my sweetie!

4 Things on my Wish List:

1. peace of mind

2. to be able to teach my children good things by example

3. new pants that fit!!! :(

4. I really REALLY wish I could keep my house clean for more than 2 hours! :)

4 People I Tag:

1. Natalie

2. Heather

3. Jenny

4. Amber

Wow, sometimes that's all that can be said.

Oh boy oh boy! I haven't written anything about this because I've been waiting for it to "end" when I know what's really going on. So here's the scoop...

Back in December no wait I'll go back further....Back in June of last year we went to TN for a visit and LOVED it. We loved the trees, the beauty, and especially my family. We decided after that trip to shoot for a job in TN when Daniel was done with school. We had many possibilities when it came to our future. There is an Anesthesia school in Nashville and that's what Daniel wants to go on to do so it was perfect! Plus I loved the idea of being close to my grandparents. I lived with them for a year before Daniel and I got married, unfortunately we were engaged and my brain was in a different world so I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked to with them. So it was going to be perfect!

Then I got pregnant. We were planning to get pregnant so it wasn't a surprise or anything but this pregnancy was super hard, dont know if I mentioned that once or twice ;). But the older my kids got and the more trouble they got in the more I really wanted my mommy. Oh how I would have loved to just say, "Mom (or Dad) I need some sleep please take them for the day!" But Oklahoma wasn't even an option because they don't have an anesthesia program. Well, one day my Dad called and told us that they were opening up an anesthesia program there! I was so excited! We prayed about it and felt like that was the direction we should go now. Daniel turned in applications everywhere back in the winter when hospitals were looking to interview new grads for the following spring. We even applied to TN just to keep it in the mix just in case. All we knew was that we wanted OUT of Springfield. We hate springfield! (no offense) We love the family but hate the city in general.

So, Daniel interviewed at the hospital in OK City and they really really liked him. They told him they would hold a position for him after graduation so we relaxed and kind of coasted for a little while. Well, that was in December and then March came with a big surprise! Due to budget cuts and having to give positions to those who were on scholarship from the hospital there was no longer a position for Daniel. What a shock!! We felt so good about going there!! We were so so SO confused so we spent a lot of time on our knees trying to figure things out.

While we were still thinking about moving to OK City Daniel's brother Sam decided he was going to go with us and live with us. Well, he's still decided that it's right for him to go there and go to school so maybe he's needed there and wouldn't have thought about it otherwise....who knows!

As soon as we found out Daniel no longer had a job in OK City he started the application process again. He applied EVERYWHERE! Even Springfield....blah! interestingly enough we never heard much from TN and nothing seemed to work so we figured that was out. All doors were pretty much closed in OK City so we decided to consider Springfield. It's amazing to see what happens when he allow yourself to open your heart and humble yourself. When we did that it seemed to all fall into place! Daniel applied to the hospitals here in town but unfortunately it was too late for the one he currently works at. The other one was still hiring but we and all the other 5 million people applying there had to wait for interviews. it wasn't looking promising. Then one day on a whim Daniel said, "I'm going to call the hospital in Bolivar and see what their ICU has to offer" 10 minutes later he had a job interview set up! Hooray!!! We were thrilled for him to actually be able to talk to SOMEONE!!

*Side note. When we very first moved to Springfield area we moved to Bolivar which is about 30 minutes outside of Springfield. It's a nice small town but very very country! Pretty much middle of no where kind of place. I said, " I will NEVER move to Bolivar!"

When Daniel came home from his interview in Bolivar he seemed very excited! He loved the unit and the people he had met. There were so many good things to be said about it. The person he interviewed with seemed to really really like him but she said she needed to interview a couple more people and should have an answer for him by the end of next week.

Meanwhile, he had another interview at St. John's (the other hospital in town). He said it went really well and he liked the facility but I noticed he wasn't nearly as excited about it. So we just waited. As we waited we pretended that he got both jobs and tried to decided between the two. Which one would we rather have? It took me a while to come to my self and say it out loud but I felt so good about Bolivar it was almost scary.

Well, yesterday (a day earlier than expected) we got the news! A job offer in Bolivar!!!!! So now we're looking for a house!!! CRAZY!!!!!! We'd love to buy but only if we find the right one....so we'll see. Moving to Bolivar we'll most likely be able to get some land that Daniel's been praying for since forever! He wants like 10 acres and I want like 0.5 acres.....so we'll see. I think there's still more humbling coming our way.

Moral of the story is NEVER SAY NEVER!!!! It will bite you in the butt! It ALWAYS does for me.:) Actually now I'm starting to say, "I NEVER want to have a million dollars!" lol j/k

But really, in all of this crazy up and downs I wouldn't trade it. We learned so much and had to depend on the Lord more seriously and we became closer as a couple. So it's been good.

Beautiful Day with Beautiful Memories

We had a very rare and beautiful occasion yesterday! As I believe I've mentioned before, while I was pregnant for Sarah two of my sister in laws were prego too! It was great to be pregnant with them and live so close to them! We all needed each other so much! :) Well, Amber's baby was born in December, Crystal's in January, and mine in February. Totally CRAZY!! Well in our church we give our babies a name and a blessing a few weeks or months after they're born. Having our babies so close together it just happened to work out that we all blessed them on the same Sunday. All three babies in one day! We had family everywhere and it was wonderful!! After church we all got together for a lunch in our courtyard. The Ferguson family was all together for the first time in a while and probably the last time in a while. So here we are...

Sarah Mae Ferguson what a beautiful little girl!

My parents aka Shumaw and Shupaw, were able to come for the blessing! It was so great to have them here. My boys love them so much!

Look how big my family is getting!!! I can't believe we have 3 kids! And super great ones at that! Oh how much I love them all!

Don't be deceived by the picture....this is not Lacey, it's Ivy wearing Lacey's shirt....I don't know why. It was so great to have her here too! She took great care of the boys! Thanks Ivy! :)

For Journaling Sake...

Well, now that Sarah is 5 weeks old tomorrow I think it's time I wrote down her birth story! I tried to hand write it in my journal but it keeps getting interrupted so I'll do it here since I can type faster than I can write...

After a long and hard pregnancy the day finally came! After Nate was born at 9lbs. 5oz. with a broken shoulder bone it makes doctors nervous to let my babies get too big. So at about 37 weeks they do an ultrasound to see out big the baby is and if we need to induce. Well at 37 weeks I went in for my ultrasound and they found that I had an over abundance of amniotic fluid which is part of the reason I was so miserable! Plus at 3 weeks early the baby was measuring 6lbs 14 oz! And if she really were to grow a pound a week like the do in the end she would be HUGE!!! The doctor gave to go ahead to induce the next week. I was beyond thrilled!! I left the office happier than I'd been in months! The end was in sight and I would soon be normal again!! I couldn't wait! Oh yeah and of course I couldn't wait to see our baby girl but sadly after being in so much pain I was just excited about not being pregnant anymore!

So for the next week I got everything ready. Daniel would make fun of me because there were lists everywhere!! I made lists for everyone that would be staying with the boys and labeled everything. I organized the toys and washed all the laundry. It was a busy week. Among all of this "nesting" I went into false labor almost every night. That was nothing new since I'd been having regular contractions for about 2 months or so (a side effect from having too much fluid) but when they started getting really close together and more painful I got worried. I'd never gone into labor by myself and Daniel was usually at work and it just scared me. Luckily after a couple of hours the contractions would stop. I'd usually say, "i'm going to bed and if I can't sleep through them I'll go to the hospital." So every night I'd get nervous and call someone to distract me and see if they'd stop, sometimes it would work but most of the time it didn't. Oh yeah, one more item of GReAT news from the doctor was that at 3 week early I was dilated to a 1!! I'd never started dilating on my own before either so this was GReAT progress! I was thrilled. With Nate it took me 12 hours of being on medicine to induce labor to even get to a 3! With Knowly it moved a little faster but only with medication.

We were scheduled for induction on Friday Feb. 26 and my Dad had all ready planned to be at our house the Wednesday before on a business trip. He was planning on staying through Friday but when he found out the baby was coming that weekend he extended his stay until Sunday! My mom would drive out on Thursday night so they could both be here Friday with the boys while we were in the hospital. Dad would drive back Sunday and Mom would stay for another week or so. It was all working out so perfectly! I was loving seeing Heavenly Father's plan unfold for this little angel to bless out lives!

On Friday morning we went to the hospital at 7am. My nurses were so wonderful! They made the experience so nice. I know there are so many people out there who are all about doing it "all natural." and I say, GOOD FOR YOU!!! I've known since I was 12 that I was going to be getting an epidural no doubt about it! I was more afraid of the pain than anything but then a lady at church when I was about to deliver Nate told me something that made me think of it totally different. She said that having a baby was such a spiritual experience and you can't really enjoy it if you're in pain or trying so hard to focus on something else. I thought that was brilliant advice! So I've had three WONDERFUL epidurals and no problems! I told my nurse that I wanted to get it as soon as possible after they started to pitocin and they did! It was great! I started having a few really hard contractions and I was sooooo glad when the anesthesiologist showed up. He was very good and it worked very fast, thank goodness!

I was reading someone else's natural birthing story recently and don't get me wrong they did a wonderful job with the delivery and had a very great experience but she talked about how she just had to concentrate and some times she lost her consentration and it was hard to get it back. She spent most of the time talking herself into being ok. As I was reading it all I could think was Good for you! but that's WAY too much work! I'm all about give me the goods and let me sit back and relax. After being miserable for 9 months I had been looking forward to the epidural for a long long time!

So, after I got the epidural I took a nice nap....I think I even woke myself up snoring a couple of times. Daniel's mom and brother came to say hi. Nancy had to go to work but Sam stayed until the baby was born. It was nice to have him there to keep Daniel company. They chatted and I just slept. It was nice. Something about their voices was soothing and way less obnoxious than having the TV on.

Dr. Duff came in to break my water between noon and 1pm and said I was doing well. I think by this point I was like a 6 or 7. Daniel and Sam had stepped out so doctor could break my water. After everything was cleaned up the doctor left and then both of my nurses left the room so I was all alone. I started feeling very dizzy even though I wasn't moving. I felt very light headed and didn't know what to do. I looked for my call button but it had gotten stuck on the floor and between the epidural and me not feeling right I couldn't reach it. I started to get very nervous! I thought for sure I was going to pass out. I knew they could see my monitors out in the nurses station but I was still nervous. I said a small prayer and then the baby moved off the monitor so they couldn't read her heartbeat so a nurse came in to adjust the monitor. What a blessing! I'm sure nothing bad would have happened but the nurse came back at just the right time. I told her how I was feeling and she had me turn and gave me lots more fluids. I felt better for a bit but it happened again so they gave me MORE fluids and I started to feel normal again. At that point they checked me and said I was a definite 8. Shortly after that I said you really might want to check again and sure enough I was ready to push!!

Pushing was amazing! I couldn't feel my legs very well so it was hard to use them but I managed ok. I think I pushed like 3 times and then I felt the baby move into position and it was amazing! I started bawling and pushed harder and she was out. With the boys I was able to reach down and pull them up onto my chest after the shoulders were out. I told the doctor I wanted to do this again and she agreed but unfortunately my IV was twisted around somewhere and my arm wouldn't reach far enough. but I still got to hold her and love her and enjoy that beautiful amazing moment! What a miracle! She was perfect! It's amazing to see how much love can grow in that little tiny moment. They took her and suctioned her and checked her vitals and everything was great. They had her on a cart close enough so I could touch her. She had reached up her hand and held onto my finger as the cleaned her up and Dr. Duff finished helping me. It was such a tender moment. She cried for a minute but was perfectly content while they took care of her. She just had the sweetest spirit about her. It was amazing.

After the nurse weighed her they announced that she weighed 8lbs. 15oz 21.5 inches long!!! WOW!!! Good big girl! No broken bones, 10 fingers, 10 toes, perfect! Oh yeah, and I remember thinking that she look JUST like Knowlton when I very first pulled her up on my chest. They let me nurse her for a good 20 minutes and she latched on right away. We had a great connection and everything worked right. It's nice how much better my body has been able to handle each delivery. With Nate I had a TON of stitches and nursing didn't come as easily, it was fine after someone showed me how to do it right. With Knowly I had a few stitches and nursing came very naturally, with Sarah, NO STITCHES! and everything with nursing was GREAT! Hooray!

Well, they took Sarah to the nursery and got me ready to move into my recovery room where I'd stay for the rest of the time I was in the hospital. We got everything settled on my end and were just waiting for the nurse to bring Sarah back to us. After being in my new room for 2 hours I asked the nurse what was going on and she said she'd find out. She told me that they had to keep Sarah in the nursery for a little while because her blood sugar was one point too low so they gave her formula and would test again in an hour. They FINALLY let me have her back 5 hours after she was born! But I was told not to nurse her because they were waiting on a sugar test to see if she was OK....I as FURIOUS! I couldn't nurse my baby for like 8 hours after the initial nursing right after she was born! Not only did they give her formula, I wasn't able to nurse so my body wasn't cuing the milk to come in. I had to ask for a pump which kind of helped but I was still really mad. Daniel and I finally got to love on her for a little while and I finally did get the OK to nurse. Had they let me nurse the first time it probably would have made her sugar go up just fine but they didn't so I made sure to tell them that I didn't appreciate that. She slept great the first night and was so content still. I loved her peaceful spirit! The next day the 2 bottles formula they gave her made her tummy so gassy (I could hear it loudly) and she was so upset. she pretty much cried unless she was nursing for the rest of the stay in the hospital. It was so not fun!

On Sunday morning, the day we were to leave, the nurse's aid came in at the beginning of shift change to introduce himself. That's right HIMselft! Lol! It wasn't a big deal but I thought it was funny. He came in and gave me an embarrassed look and said, "I don't normally work on this floor but they needed extra help here today so they sent me here." I said it was fine and I didn't mind. Luckily all I really needed him for was to get me ice water when I needed it, no big deal. Well, he was such a nice guy! He came back to check on me every hour and would get me anything I needed. A few hours later Daniel came up to take me home. I could hear him walking down the hall and this is the conversation I heard, "Hey Casey! I didn't know you worked this floor." "I don't I normally work on the peds floor, oh wait! That's your wife isn't it? I've been taking care of your wife all morning!" They came in together and Daniel told me that they were in nursing school together! haha!! Small world! Now I'm REALLY glad I didn't need his help with anything embarrassing! lol

So we took Sarah home, she cried the whole way, and took her into the house and it was like as soon as she heard the boys she was happy! She LOVED sleeping in the bouncy chair in the middle of all the action. It was so cute. She must have just missed her brothers. For someone who sure had a hard time in the hospital she sure is mellow and sweet here at home! She hardly ever cries and just sits and watches. I love it! I love her! :)

SO there you go, if there's anyone still reading this WOW! You made it! Thanks :)

Random Pics to Catch up

Okay, as I was reviewing this post I realized I got it out of order so start from the bottom and work your way up if you can! :) There's a lot of cute pics of the kids so enjoy! :)

I love this picture! I always find Nate like this. He is such a good protector of Sarah Mae! If I lay her in the middle of the bed or on the floor or something for a minute I find him cuddled next to her. I love it!! I catch him talking to her sometimes too. He's so sweet. I know they are going to be such good friends!

Knowly is my little helper...most of the time a GOOD helper. For some reason he's fascinated with her eyes so I have to watch out. He loves to hold her! He always asks to hold her. I love it.

Sarah Mae 1 month and 2 days.

We took her to church for the first time on Sunday! I was very pleased! Daniel set out the kids clothes before he left for his meetings and I got them cleaned, dressed, hair combed, AND out the door WAYYYY before it was time to go! :) We even did it with no major melt downs, from me or the kids! :)

Such Sweetness!

I guess i need to write this so I don't forget but I'm afraid to because I might jinx it or something. Sarah Mae is such a good baby. I thought the boys were perfect angels and she is too! I was sooooo worried that she would be colic and a "demon child" after the rough pregnancy I had with her but so far it's been smooth sailing well a few waves but nothing major! She is so content most of the time and loves to look around. When we were in the hospital she HATED it!!! I think she had some major gas from the formula they gave her (don't get me started on that story) and I was terrified to take her home because all she did was cry! :( But as soon as we got home and she saw the boys and had her old noise back she was perfect! She cries when she needs to but never for very long.

When she was not even two weeks old I was laying in my bed with her in the morning and I'm not joking she totally full out LAUGHED!! It wasn't a giggle it was a BELLY LAUGH!! It was great! I wished I had someone else there to witness it. Well, the next night Daniel and I were sitting on the couch with her, not really doing anything just sitting and she did it AGAIN!! It was perfect and sooooo cute. she hasn't don't it since but I hope I never forget that! I believe she will be a very happy child. Her eyes seem to always be smiling. :)

This is her official ONE MONTH picture! Too bad she looks totally freaked! Oh well....Can you believe she's all ready one month?? I can't!! I knew time started to fly once you had kids I didn't know it got faster every kid you had!!

Nate and Daniel started planting seeds this week! It's so fun! IT's becoming their traditions! :)

This I LOVE!! I really wanted a Cherry Limeade from Sonic the other day but I knew that if I were drinking it the boys would want it too but I don't give them soda so that was out of the question....(they're hyper enough on their own lol) So I got a brilliant idea!! I got two cups of ice water and it did the trick! They were pleased and so was I. :)

This is so sad...Here is Sarah, 3 weeks old...first bath EVER! lol I'd wiped her down a few times but that was it...and the only reason she got a bath that night was because she barfed ALL over my shirt as you can see in the pic.

I love this picture so much! Nancy is my Mother in law. She is such a sweet woman! I love her very much. I feel so bad because since we live so close to her and Wes I hardly ever get my camera out unless it's a special occasion so I have hardly any pictures of them with the kids and tons of my parents with the kids because when them come into town it's like I have to documetn the "vacation" or something? :) But that's going to change, I'm going to start taking more out of the house pictures so Fergis' watch out the camera is coming! :)

Sarah at 3 weeks :) She's so pretty!

My Joy in Motherhood

After I posted the previous post I thought about it a lot and thought how true it is sometimes but also how much it leaves out. My Grandmother sweetly reminded me of the good things of being a parent. Here are a few things the previous post left out...

1) There is nothing quite like a sleeping child on your chest. Something about their peace is incredible! Now make that your own child and it's a million times better.

2) Little baby open mouth kisses...I love when my kids learn to give kisses! Even if they're covered in snot or food or just drooling they are still so sweet.

3) I love watching their faces when they learn something new! Knowly has learned how to match shapes and colors this week. He is fascinated and it makes me tear up because he's just so stinkin cute when he does it!

4) The love that is shared when you share responsibility. My kids love to do what I do so instead of getting frustrated and sending them away I love to give them a rag and let them help me clean walls or stand on a chair and help with the dishes. Nate is getting to the stage where he loves to help me cook. It's a blast! He gets so excited! Knowly loves to clean up. He'll get things off the floor and put them away (surprisingly where they go most of the time) and come back with his arms in the air and say, "SCORE!" I love it!!

5) I actually love grocery shopping with the kids! Well, most of the time. But I love to show them new things and get them excited about what we're buying. When we got to one particular walmart they love to go see the fish! So it's a fun time to go look at them.

6) When Nate was about a year old we taught him all sorts of "tricks," We called him our puppy because he would follow all sorts of commands. :) We're doing the same with Knowly and it's just so fun to see them learn how to make animal noises, say big words, or make funny faces. :)

7) I love LOVE love it when I tuck Nate in bed and give him a kiss and start to walk away and he says, "more kisses!"

8) In the mornings Knowly has his own routine that he wakes up and stands at his door until someone lets him out, usually that someone is Nate. He toddles into our room with sleepy eyes and crazy hair with his puppy in one arm and his drink in the other. He's so cute!! he climbs into our bed and snuggles for a little while. I love snuggles!

9) Hearing the kids laugh together, even when they're doing something naughty, is priceless. Sometimes I walk into a mess and I just can't help laugh because they are obviously having a great time in whatever they're doing and totally oblivious to the fact that it's not a good idea. ie: baby powder sprinkled EVERYWHERE! :)

10) Hearing them say "I love you." When Daniel and I were first married I would always say, and I still believe it, that "I love you" just doesn't quite say it all. I don't think there are words that quite describe my feelings for my sweet husband and wonderful children. At least I didn't until I hear Nate say "I wub you." That says it all!

Being a mother is no doubt hard but I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world. For me it completes me!! My children are my joys and I love to do things FOR them. I've had to adjust my attitude for early morning breakfasts or piles of clothes but I'm grateful for them and most of the time happy when I do them. I love when Sarah wakes up and just lets me hold her. I love when the boys come and crawl into my bed in the middle of the night, we'll snuggle for a bit and then I get claustrophobic and I have Daniel put them in their beds. I love when they hold my hand and show me something new! I guess I just love LOVE love being a mom!

I've realized that I mostly voice the hard times and rarely comment on the good so now I'm going to do the opposite because they good really come a lot more often then that bad. :) Go give your kids a squeeze and tell them you love them!

I couldn't say it any better...

I found this on someone else's blog and I love it. I've heard it before but it's still so good! :) Enjoy!

Thinking of Having Kids?
Do this 15 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already
are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5.Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast-feeding;
sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all
the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighingapproximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
2. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
3. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to
sleep.
4. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until
1AM.
5. Set the alarm for 3AM.
6. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and
watch an infomercial.
7. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
8. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
9. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
10. Get up. Make breakfast.

Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years.

Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2.Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all
summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons.

How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy a live octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang
out.

Time allowed for this - 5 minutes each morning.

Lesson 6
1. Take an egg carton.
Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper.
Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of
Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van.
And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining.
Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies.
Mash them into the back seat.
4. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
5. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8
1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again. Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10. Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11.Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every
cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect
along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors
come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.

You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9
Repeat everything you have learned at least (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10
Go to the local grocery store.

Take with you the closest thing you can find to a preschool child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice).

If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one
goat.

Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.

Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4.Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the
swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 12
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street, Barney, Disney, the
Teletubbies, and Pokemon.

Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years.
I know, you're thinking Whats 'Noggin'? Exactly the point.

Lesson 13
Find or make a compost pile.

Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.

Lesson 14
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly.

(Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required).

Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice.

Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 14 above.

You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

One Week Old

Sarah Mae is one week old today! She is such a sweet joy to have in our family! I love her so much! The boys think she's great! She LOVES her brothers. She wants to be right in the middle of everything! She sleeps better when there's noise from her brothers. They could come in a scream and laugh and it doesn't even phase her! I love it! She's so beautiful, my mom and I have had a great time taking picture of her! My sister in law Amber came over this morning and took these pictures...enjoy! :)

We Have a Baby Girl!!

Well folks, the day we've been waiting for arrived!! Sarah Mae Ferguson was born yesterday (26th) at 2:18pm. She weighs a whopping 8pounds 15ounces and is 21.5 inches long. She's beautiful! She looks like her own little person but you can definitely tell she's the sister of both of the boys. I think she has Nate's eyes and Knowly's mouth which also means she's half Daniel and half me! :)


waiting waiting waiting....

Great News on the Baby Front! :)

No, there's no baby yet but we do have great news!!! Yesterday I went to the ob/gyn and they did an ultrasound to see how big little Sarah is getting. (Nate was 9lbs 5oz. and had a broken collar bone so they don't want my babies to get that big again. Knowly was induced 2.5 weeks early and was 8lbs. 6oz.) The ultrasound said she is 7lbs. 15oz and I still have 3 weeks to go!!! They also found that I have a crazy amount of extra amniotic fluid which is why I have been sooooo uncomfortable and HUGE and have been having hard "real" contractions that become consistent at times for the last month or so. My body thinks i'm about a month ahead of schedule. It's not a problem for the baby but it is a reason to induce labor early. soooooo....

They want to induce me next Friday (26th) at 7am!!!!! When she said that I just about leaped up and down! I was sooooooooooo excited!!!!! That puts me at 38 weeks so they won't have to do an amnio to check lung development! I had that with Knowly and it was creepy and uncomfortable! (they stick a needle in your stomach and draw out amniotic fluid to run tests on it.)

I cannot wait to have this baby!!! It was so funny, in the ultrasound picture she has a really pouty face and it's like she's saying, "I don't have anymore room in here, I want out!" and I'm on the outside with the same face saying, "I'm so over this, get this baby out of me!" lol.

Anyways, the doctor also said some words I have never heard until I was started on pitocin, "you're definitely dilated to a one." I was so thrilled that I wasn't totally closed shut this time! :) It took me over night on meds and several hours after breaking my water with Nate to get to a 3!

One more thing the doctor told me was that due to all of the extra fluid that I have if my water breaks there's going to be a super flood! YIKES!! I never want to leave the house now! I know it's not as likely as people think it is for you water to break but still it makes me scared...

So anyways, I could have a baby any day now but no longer than a week! yay!! We'll keep you posted!

36 + 6 days prego with Baby Sarah Mae

again Sarah Mae

37 weeks prego with Knowlton

40 weeks +2 days prego with Nathan

Valentines Day 2010

I love LOVE love holidays! I love making crafts with the boys for the different celebrations. It's definitely something that makes me happy.

My sweet husband makes chocolate covered strawberries for me every year on Valentines Day. I love them! They not only taste good but they look beautiful! What a good man I have! :)

I love Valentines Day, not because it's a romantic day but because it's so much fun to make lots of pink heart shaped stuff! :) Here are some things we did this year.

I love making pink heart shaped pancakes. It's been a tradition in my family for years, the pink part anyways. When Daniel and I got married I started making them heart shaped. It's so fun! The boys loved them this year too!

This is my favorite tradition that I've started!! Nate and I started these last year but he didn't remember so we did it again this year. They boys had so much fun I think we'll do it every year. We call it our "Heart Family." A few days after we made them the eyes fell off of the pink one (how ironic to make "mommy" blind!) and every time we sit at the table the boys point to it and say, "what happened to the pink one's eyes?" It's so funny. We have the same conversation at every meal! lol silly boys!