Water Crazies Apr 2012

Here's a little entertaining video of our Easter in the backyard. Water pad + slide + 4 crazies + uncle jeremy's encouragement = Bliss :) 

Road Warriors

The very first weekend of March 2012 my mom and i decided to take all 3 of my girls on a road trip.

We made our way to Lubbock for my cousin Jen's Baby Shower. She has a daughter named Shelby and her new addition is a little boy named Rylen. We stayed at a hotel, which was terribly excited for the girls. It was literally like you shook them up like a bottle of soda and let go to see them bounce off the walls. They actually did quite good sleeping which was such a relief to both my mom and me so we could have some much needed rest. At the shower the twins stuck around us, being a little timid, but Halle played with a few other girls and Miss Shelby. My grandma, aunt jo, aunt brenda, cousin bill, and cousin alissa (jen's sister) were all there and it was good just to get to see them. (those get togethers just seem to get spaced further apart with everyone having their own families and expanding upon them)

After Lubbock we headed over to Carlsbad (where both my parents are from, where both sets of my grandparents live, plus cousins there too) We stayed at my Nana and Grandads and it became a home away from home for the girls. We did some swimming, which the girls love. We also had visits from my Cousin Chase and his wife Tara and then my Cousin Chris, his wife Leah, and their 18 month old Nathan. 

after swimming hugs of joy

We also, went and grabbed snow-to-gos (which is a must in Carlsbad, ever since we were little enough to hold one) and took the girls to feed the ducks (which of course is a really fond memory of mine growing up). 

A hand full of little girlies hugs

Also while i was in town, i visited with my Grandma and got to go through some of her crafts and fabrics in her sewing cave :)

My little 'Road Warriors'. This trip was quite the success considering they were only 20 months and 3 and a half. The older they get the more fun adventures can be. 

Traveling Births

Here is a long awaited blog of my travels through sharing both my sisters births to their newest additions. I wanted to share in at least one of their babies births with them. It is such a different light on things when you're not the one in the spot light rather the one there to anticipate any and every need. With me NOT the one giving birth there were fantastic things to experience, no labor pains, no crazed brains, no recovery, no extreme exhaustion ... :)

Aimee, my oldest sister (4 years older to be exact) was going to give birth to her second baby. Her husband and her like to keep the gender a surprise and like the freedom and soothingness a at-home-birth brings so I was in for a ride all around! :) My sister had an amazing birth, she kept her control over contractions and was a champion of champs. She had 2 false type labors prior and the 3rd time her midwife gave her herbs to bring on contractions. As soon as we could finally get her water to break it was 2 to 3 hours and baby Noelle was here. She was born in a kiddie pool and had a shocker moment of not wanting to take her first breath of air, so after that blow to my heart, she came quickly came around and was the sweetest most giant baby ever! 11 pounds 12 ounces, she is one giant chunk of baby! i got to clean her/give her her first bath and dress her and snuggle her. Who gets to do that!? i did! :)

 About 3 hours later, she had a moment of not wanting to breath again while i was changing her diaper and her whole body started to turn blue. My brother-in-law and i bolted to the E.R. leaving distressed and exhausted Aimee. Jon dropped me where the ambulances arrive and here i am, stimulating this new baby, with my own belly looking like i just gave birth, shoeless, no jacket, banging on a E.R. door ... Not my finest moment but Noelle was admitted to the NICU and perked up the instant she had constant oxygen on her and she stayed there 4 days while a valve, which was slow to close, closed off and oxygen started flowing the way it needed to from the get go. She's perfect now and still quite the Chunk!

Noelle Sakari Joyanna Van Ommeren
December 23, 2011

Tiffany, my other sister (3 years older than me to be exact) was going to give birth to her third baby. I arrived the day before her induction in Minot, ND. I was excited just to make it up there to finally see where they'd been living and i had never really been on an airforce base so all new adventures for me. We went in at 9am and got Tiff all hooked up with an I.V. so around 10am she just went for her water being broke instead of pitocin and it worked like a charm. Her own contractions came on, her HUGE contractions (which typically last one minute) were lasting 3+ minutes. These really made her tense up so epidural it was! :) As soon as that started to kick in, her body relaxed enough to go from a 6 to a 10 in an hour. Tessa came out around 1:30 or so. She was perfect, 7 pounds 12 ounces. Tiff did great and it went so quickly but Tiff will say, she ended up feeling far too much at the end and pretty much wants an epidural refund :) but the nurses allowed me to go to the nursery with my brother-in-law and watch/help clean Tessa up and hold on to her. I got to be there every step of the way. Now i know what daddy's get to do when they travel off with their fresh new munchkins. Tiff, stayed 2 nights (so she could rest up before coming home to the older 2, and i believe i'll stay as long as they'll let me to rest up before coming home to my older 3) I had a great visit getting to see Miss Kaylee and Crazy Jack, I had missed them! But Tessa, such a sweet snuggler, i changed her diapers and gave her her first sponge bath. I'd have her on my chest sitting on top of my baby bump and my baby would kick her in the butt, it was war :) 

Tessa Anne Stephens
March 16, 2012

Such amazing moments, moments that are now ingrained in my heart and with my current pregnancy. I have always been fascinated with the idea of giving life to a new little being and my heart feels so full from being able to share such monumental moments with both my sisters and their families and their children. I have never had a regular birth that way (c-sections are the way body chooses to go) and to be a part of both of these births fills this strange void that I've developed that now i have no void because my heart was such a part of both of sisters. I can't thank them enough for putting up with me and letting me join the party. 

Hanging in the Hay Canyon

Going to the cabin! They actually did rather good traveling compared to past trips. And NO one threw up unlike our last trip in May to the coast.

We woke up and straight to the shining deck we went. All the girls were crazy excited, being up high, new toys, new people to be around, casual and lazy! perfect morning.

Ready for a walk in the rain. All time favorite thing to do, the air is sweet, puddles are fun to jump in, you get to slightly bundle up AND i get to do it with all my little girlies and my man!

Halle got to drive Grandad's remote control boat around in his trout pond. Such a fun thing for her. In the mean time, Haven and Hazel got treated hand and foot with juice boxes and snacks by the grandparents AND GREAT grandparents.

 The deck. Most of our trip was spent on the deck. 1. because it was blocked off so the twins and halle AND gala go run around like crazy and we really didn't have to worry too much. 2. BEE BUGS! There were bee's buzzing around the hummy bird feeders and Halle is an expert bee-bug hunter and killer! 3. the weather was too amazing not to be out on that deck!

The infamous Gizzy! My Papa (my nana's dad) built it. We grew up with it and now my girlies get to ride. LOVE.

 Four wheeler babies. The weirdest thing. Riding on it almost puts them to sleep. We just went on the road right in front of the cabin and i swear they could've fallen asleep if i'd kept going.

 The Apple girls. This was their first time eating on whole tiny apples. They thought they were too cool! Haven kept modeling the apple and Hazel kept ... snuggling it?!? :)

 I ADORE this picture! As long as you kept stuffing their faces with popcorn and fruit snacks everything was SO peaceful.

 Great Grandparents snugglin' on Red. I think she likes these people because they give her anything she wants ... me, as the mother, am not too fond of this, i but i guess that's what grandparents do.

Feeding the daily deer. The one with the close-up is piggers! She came down around the same time every day, BY HER SELF, expecting her food. It was pretty funny. And the girls were of course fascinated! 

 Pretties all around!

Masterson's Spring. DE-licious! and beautiful. There's this great open field u over look and all u can hear is the wind moving through the trees and the trickling spring. Its fantastic.

Playtime. The is my Cousin's daughter Shelby. They both did so well playing. It made me extra happy!

 Exhausted much from a fabulous Cabin week. I feel like the twins and even Halle matured a little over this week. New things, new people, new surroudings and they took everything so well and adapting so well. A better beginning to family trips. (however, the twins are getting all four i-teeth, so they'd go crazy ape every now and again, but who can blame them)