Grandpa AC

We've been blessed with the opportunity to have our grandparents around for a long time. My first grandparent passed away when I was in college, and now at age 31 I still have 2 left (starting at 6). Of course marrying Joe gave me additional grandparents, all of whom I have come to love as my own. While we lived in Texas, grandma Helen Benac lived in Plano. I got to spend the most time with her, as her caretaker a few times every week. While we lived in Holland, we made it our mission to visit my grandpa Valk at least every 2 months. Now that we live in Utah, we get the chance to visit with Joe's grandpa AC frequently. Grandpa AC lives in Fillmore, about a 2 hour drive from our house. Grandpa recently got remarried to a sweet lady Marge. They are really cute together, and make each other very happy.

Today we made the drive down to Fillmore, and introduced AC's 52nd great grandson to him

We spent the day chatting and making hamburgers for lunch. The kids had fun riding around on grandpa's lawn tractor and feeding the neighboring horse.
And no, I don't like to look at pictures of myself right now, but it's good to document anyways.
It's truly a blessing to be able to spend time with our grandparents!

Integrating

Slowly but surely I'm getting to know more people. Through our ward, and also at the kids' school. It's so fun to live by so many women that are similar to me. Several kids, early thirties, and active lifestyle. The people we are surrounded by really make a big difference in quality of life. It does take me coming out of my comfort zone to actually get to know new people. The little things like walking inside the school when dropping off Ginger, make a big difference.

In June there's a fun race called the "Dirty Dash". It's a run through mud, under and over obstacles. A few ladies from church are running it with me, so I'm excited to get in shape for it, and also getting to know them better.

We are also looking for houses. We get the new listings, but the pickings are slim. Most newly listed homes are either really small, don't have enough land for Joe's workshop, or are way too expensive. The more I way the options, the more I lean towards building instead. We love living in new houses, and that way we can pick exactly which floorplan works best for our family. And living in Utah, you have the advantage of unfinished basements. Plus, having a month-to-month on our basement would make it an easy option. No time restraints or hurries.

Delicate Arch

There's a reason Delicate Arch is Utah's symbol. It's grandiose and takes your breath away. Even after Saturday's hike it was worth it to make another hike to see this landmark. The trail up to the arch has no shade, and I was thankful for the temperate weather and slight breeze. Especially since I was also carrying little Miles.

On these kind of outings the kids get most excited about catching lizards

climbing on rocks

and pushing themselves to the limit

Bringing a 3-week old baby on this type of outing is really quite simple. Miles is light enough to carry, slept 95% of the time, and I don't even have to pack any food for him. (well, technically I am carrying his food) The only worry I had was the heat. My wrap isn't too hot, but with the constant sun beating down, I regularly checked to make sure he wasn't sweaty.

All the tourist took turns taking photos under the arch. Almost as if we're the only ones there...
This is Sterling's "serious" face. In front of petroglyphs.

Photography is a big hobby of mine. I've seen some photographs of Delicate Arch at nighttime, and it is my goal next time we're down there to get a similar shot.

We love Moab

We have done more fun outdoor stuff in the past 2 months, than in the last 4.5 years combined. How did we ever live in Texas?! I think the only way we survived without going stir-crazy, is by having the farm which took a lot of work. I could tell when we were living in the suburbs for a few months, that's when I was really missing the adventure and excitement.

So when some old BYU friends, Stephen and Krista Sidwell with family, posted on Facebook that they would be going to Moab for their spring break, we jumped on the chance and decided to join them. Not knowing what the weather would be like and having such short notice, we chose to stay in a hotel. This is a new experience for us. But of course the last time either Joe or I were in Moab it was without 4 kids. It made us realize that in order to make these short trips affordable, what we really need is some type of trailer. I vote for a tent trailer, which is cheaper and can easily be towed behind the minivan, thus eliminating the need to get a different car. A tent trailer is a million times better than sleeping in a tent, with real beds, stove, and even a fridge.

Joe left work a little early on Friday, we packed up and left by 5pm. Having a nursing baby makes the trip a little longer, but we were checked in by 9.30pm. Saturday morning we hiked Negro Bill Canyon up to Morning Glory arch.

What we thought to be a 4 mile hike, actually turned out to be 6 miles. With 7 little kids, a stroller, dog and out-of-shape parents, this hike took us almost all day. But it's a fun hike, with many creek crossings, some shady spots, and of course beautiful views.

The first time I ever came to Negro Bill canyon, was on my second date with Joe. After our first date, he invited me to go camping with him in Moab the next weekend. I love camping, and had only been to Moab once before, so I jumped on the chance. One night we decided to go hiking at midnight (something I might never do again at this point of my life) under a full moon. We didn't hike all the way up, but stopped a this cool spot where there's a large shallow cave up above the hiking path.

Call us nuts, but we decided to bring the stroller on the hike. It's a jogging stroller with 3 large wheels. We were confident it would go over just about anything. It did, but there were also 5-feet drop offs, boulder climbs, and creek crossings where it simply had to be carried.

On the way back we carried Miles, and strapped the stroller to Joe's backpack...... much easier!

The hike pretty much wore us out, but we wanted to check out some "little" dirt jumps in town. It made me so happy to see the kids having fun doing something their dad loves so much.

Routine

I realize the only thing I've talked about on my blog is baby-related, which only makes sense since I live, breathe, and eat baby. After 2 weeks of having little Miles at home, routine has somewhat set in. Most nights go by in a blur, and I often fall asleep during feedings and barely remember what time the last feeding was. One advantage to such sleep deprivation, is that it becomes possible to sleep any time of day for as long as I want (well actually, only for as long as Miles lets me).

Miles in the beautiful cradle that Earl made him

Days are pretty uneventful. After Winter and Sterling are off to school, I try to keep Ginger occupied with reading, baths, movies, or playing until she heads to kindergarten. I keep busy holding Miles, feeding Miles, bathing Miles, and changing Miles' diapers.

Miles loves messing his diaper as soon as I change him, and pees on me every chance he gets. I try to squeeze in a load of laundry every now and then, do some dishes here and there, and do an occasional vacuum. I live in my pajamas. Partly because there's no good reason to get dressed, but mostly because I have virtually nothing else to wear. There's no way I can fit into any of my pre-pregnancy pants, and the last week of the pregnancy I busted out of 2 of my maternity jeans. I have to come to terms with the reality of having to buy some larger-sized jeans to get me through the upcoming months until the weight comes off.

More than with any of my other kids, I feel like a hermit. The desire to get out of the house hasn't set in much yet, as it seems like such a hassle. The other difference with my other kids' baby experiences is that fact that I relish each moment. I love the stage Miles is in right now. I don't want it to end, because I know that it will be over sooner than I can blink. With the other kids I was alway looking for the next milestone.

All these great photos were taken by my good friend Tiffani Judd, who came up last week and spent all day with me, capturing sweet little Miles.

Painful

I feel so guilty for the pain I'm about to put my sweet little Miles through. I've done it to Sterling, and about 50% of the US population does it to their sons. I'm talking about circumcision. Who ever came up with this crazy idea anyways?

This is why they should perform this surgery before you come home from the hospital. At that time the baby has just been through a tough birth, and mom is still hopped on drugs to think too much about the implications. The choice is still mine, and I still choose to go through with it for several reasons. I can see medical benefits as well as social benefits. But that doesn't mean my heart doesn't ache for him.

That brings me to pain management. The use of local anesthetic is common practice, but what about the days after that wears off? If I were to undergo a similar surgery, I'd want to be on opiates for at least a week. Miles has been a perfect little baby. He rarely cries, and if he does, I can easily figure out what's wrong with him and soothe him. But what will he feel like this afternoon, or tomorrow? The best I can do, is to love and cuddle him as much as possible, and hopefully he'll know his mom still loves him despite this upcoming event.

Cloth diapers so far

I love waking up to this every morning

After the first few days of using my new homemade cloth diapers, i want to do a quick review.

At the hospital I received a package of newborn sized Huggies diapers. I decided to wait using cloth until we got home for convenience. Plus, who wants to wash meconium diapers??

Miles is such a chunky baby, that even the smallest messy diaper gave him a blowout. Plus instead of saturating the diaper when peeing, it shot right out the top and soaked his clothes. While I wanted to use up the Huggies after i got home, it only took half of the first night to condemn them and start using the soft cloth diapers.

My first impression was luxury. The materials I used are infinitely softer than disposables. The diapers are fairly large on Miles' relatively small bottom, but the onesies kind of pull it all together and keep the diaper from sagging.

When it comes to cleaning, it really is fairly easy and painless. Instead of throwing the diaper in the trash, it goes straight in the diaper pail when wet, and gets a quick hose-down when poopy. Sterling and Joe installed a homemade diaper sprayer last week for one of Sterling's cubscout requirements.

Pic of sprayer

The pails don't get stinky, because i wash the diapers every day. I currently have 21 diapers which isn't quite enough to last me 2 days, so i wash one morning, the next afternoon, and then get a day off from washing. Once Miles is a little older and we have settled into a routine I'd like to sew a few more so I can wash only every other day. You really don't want to wait any longer than that, or you will start to have stink issues.

Now to the drawbacks. My diaper design has a ton of snaps. They are not that complicated, but there is a little bit of a learning curve for putting them on. This is only an issue for when new people change any diapers, which obviously doesn't happen a lot anyways. I am also having an issue with some of my snaps not snapping well. This is an installation issue, and can be solved by using the snap pliers to tighten the snaps. It's just a matter of sitting down for a few hours and doing it, but who has time for that with a brand new baby?

The biggest problem so far happened last night. I can't remember whether I changed his diaper each feeding, but this morning his onesie was wet. I have to figure out if it's a problem with the fit of the diaper, the amount of inserts, or another cause. Whatever the cause, it needs to be eliminated quick. I will first try to insert 2 soakers at night and make sure the diaper is on tight enough.

The benefits outweigh the negatives by far. We'll get the kinks worked out of the system, and keep enjoying Miles in super cute diapers.