A Day Out With Thomas!

My favorite part of motherhood is making memories with my family and children. Growing up, we did a lot of things together as a family and I love to sit with my siblings and reminisce. I want my children to have those same opportunities. Well, Chad LOVES Thomas the Train. When he turned 2, Dave's parents gave him a "Take Along Thomas" train set. He loved it instantly! Since then, he has added A LOT to his collection. Each Memorial Day, Thomas comes to the Heber Valley Railroad. So, after all that had happened on Thursday, we hopped in the car Friday morning and headed to Utah to ride on Thomas. I decided that no matter what had happened, Chad still needed to ride Thomas. We had been talking about this event for several months. Dave got to pose with the boys in front of Thomas. I got to ride next to Chad on the train. The fun part is that young children have such fun imaginations. It didn't matter to Chad that we just rode Thomas through town and back, he was happy just to be riding a train.

Chad did not want to meet Sir Topham Hat, but we had a lot of fun looking around and playing with Thomas train sets. There was even a Lego train set that Chad was fascinated with. Chad has developed a new found love for Legos since Dave got his out for Chad several weeks ago.

The hardest part for Chad was the gift shop. Everything Thomas! He wanted to buy a new train, which cost twice what it does anywhere else. I wanted him to get a shirt, which was also overpriced. Ultimately, Chad picked a Thomas whistle, which I'm sure I'll regret, and a few other souvenirs. It was a lot of fun to get to experience the magic of Thomas with Chad. I am sure this is a memory he will cherish for a long time.

Our little angels

On Thursday, May 21st, we went in for our first ultrasound. The truth is, 14 weeks is a little early for an ultrasound, but since we had not yet been able to detect a heart beat, my doctor wanted to check on everything and be sure my dates were correct. Our first surprise was that as soon as we saw the image, we noticed that there was not one baby, but two! I knew something had been different this time around. I have never been so tired in my life. There were times when I would sleep 12 hours at night and be ready to lay down by 9am. I could hardly eat because I was so sick and I was just beyond exhausted. Since we had not been able to hear a heart beat at the doctor's office, I asked the ultrasound tech. if he had found one. They are so helpful-not really. All he could say was "I'll have your doctor give you a call. I can't really say much." So, we left the ultrasound not sure whether to be excited or devistated. About an hour later, we got a call from my doctor. Indeed, our worst fears were confirmed, as both babies had stopped growing at about 10 weeks. There really is not words to describe that call. Even though the babies had not been born, I felt a terrible loss. I had to have another ultrasound to confirm the miscarriage and was then scheduled for same day surgery. What a whirlwind of emotions a day like that can carry. One moment, I felt alright and knew that I would be fine. The next, I just couldn't control my tears. I wish the ultrasound picture came through better. It looks like two little babies with their legs crossed at the ankles. I guess only a mother can love her unborn children. So, as we cope with the loss of two angels, we wanted you all to know that we will not be welcoming our third child until a little later down the road.

Warm Weather Fun!

We have been waiting for warm weather to come for quite a while. It seems to come in spurts and be warm for a day just to get us excited, then leave us cold for several more weeks. These last 2 weekends have been nice and we have enjoyed being outside more. We were able to get our garden planted (hope it grows) and build a new sandbox for the boys. Chad also got to take a field trip to the zoo with his preschool class. Here are some pictures of our most recent adventures.

Chad with his preschool class. He is the one with the blue shirt and hat on. They are looking at the ducks.

This is the only picture of Chad actually looking at the camera. He just wanted to look at the animals. Tyler on the other hand was excited about everything. He wanted to walk all by himself and see everything. He is a "I don't want to be left out of anything" kind of kid.

When we were about to leave, I found this beautiful tree. Chad opted out of the photo but Tyler joined me for it. It was a beautiful day.

This is our new sandbox. It is HUGE! I think most things are better big and a sandbox is no exception. It is 8 feet X 8 feet. We have yet to get more sand so what we had from our old sandbox barely covers the bottom. But, the boys love to play in it and it is a great reason to be outside.

All in all, we are loving the warmer weather. Next weekend, we are headed on our first camping trip of the season and will be taking a ride on Thomas the Train. Let's hope the weather holds.

Family Pictures!

In March, I finally decided it was time to get a new family picture. I can't tell you the number of appointments I have set and then canceled. It is just so much work to get everyone ready and keep their clothes clean. Mostly, I kept thinking I would finally loose the rest of my pregnancy weight but I gave up and we went for it. I will admit that they turned out alright, although the experience was less than pleasant. The photographer would not listen to what I said and the first pose she did was to lay each of the boys down on their backs and take a picture from above. My boys don't love professional pictures as it is but that was a bad start. They were both bawling and that continued for the rest of the photo shoot. I have learned a few things through my several photo sessions. First, I always need someone to help. I usually tell my mom that I can do it on my own, but this time I was prepared. She came with me! My favorite part of the whole experience was when I had to sit with the photographer and choose my prints. After the screaming and mayhem, and I was over the top frustrated, she had the nerve to offer me a portrait package costing $900! Are you kidding me? I wouldn't spend that even if the pictures were stellar, but screaming kids blown up to 20x24 and framed--- no. Anyway, we now have a picture with all of our children in it. At least for now, we are up to date.

P.S. You can expect us to get a new family picture in about 1 year. We will then need to update it to have a new addition in it. Yes, we are expecting our 3rd in November. (My doctor said that 3 would put us over the top, and I can only imagine how we are going to handle 3. Wish us luck!)