Flashback Friday: Back to School.

In honor of Back to School season, I thought I would dedicate this Flashback Friday to all of our past First Days of School. At least the ones I haven't blogged about.

2003Ethan 4 year old preschool at Head Start program for Speech Therapy
2004Ethan Kindergarten (Mrs. Deelstra) at Wasatch Elementary, Ally 3 year old Preschool at Wasatch Early Learning (Miss Ann)

2005
This year Ally looked so sad on her first day of 4 year old preschool. She had fallen down the concrete steps by our front door and then gotten a black eye at the zoo.

This was her and her best cousin Sawyer who she went to preschool with.
They went to preschool together at Wasatch Early Learning both years.

Shaylen (2nd) and Ethan at Wasatch Elementary in Ogden. Ethan was in 1st grade. (Mrs. Atkinson) They loved going to the same school for a second year in a row.

2006We hadn't even officially moved into our new home yet. I drove them to and from school from our Ogden home every day for about 3 weeks. It got really old.

Ethan heading to 2nd grade at Three Mile Creek. (Ms. Abbott who later became Mrs. Acuff)
Ally heading out to Kindergarten at Willard Elementary. (Mrs. Coburn)
2007
I remember Ethan combed his hair all by himself that morning. He was a big 3rd grader at Three Mile Creek and had his favorite teacher to date, Mrs. Yates.

Ally heading to full day school. First grade at Willard Elementary. (Miss Higgs)

Look at how small he looks with that massive backpack on. This was Ryland's first time going to school, Three year old Preschool at Wasatach Early Learning Center (Miss Ann)

2008Ethan and Ally going to school together for the first time at Three Mile Creek. Ethan 4th grade (Miss Thompson) and Ally 2nd grade (Mrs. Petersen)

Ryland going to Four year old Preschool at Wasatch Early Learning Center (Miss Ann) He also went to preschool with his best cousin, Ridge, both years.
So there you have it. I think they grew up this fast in real life too!

Flashback Friday: Ryland November 12th, 2003

Today is this super duper cute boys 7th Birthday! So I thought it would be perfect to dedicate this Flashback Friday to remembering the day he was born. But first let's take a look at what makes this boy tick right now, and find out what a few of his favorite things are.

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Pickles

Favorite TV Show: Star Wars the Clone Wars

Favorite Song: Called To Serve

Favorite Thing To Do: run around swinging light sabers, "disploding orange troopers"-that means explode storm troopers, play lego's, star wars, lego star wars and play math games

Favorite Movie: Star Wars Attack of the Clones

Favorite Book: Star Wars Spaceships

Do you sense a trend there? :) Okay, here is fair warning. This post is kinda long and if you don't want to hear a labor story than don't continue on. You have been warned. :)

I remember waking up on the morning of November 12th, 2003, eating a bowl of cereal and getting me, Ethan and Ally ready for the day. I had my 38 week check-up at 11:15 am and I wanted to get some errands done while I was out and about. I remember how well behaved those two were being and how much I was able to accomplish. Much more than I had originally set out to do. Which was awesome considering they were almost 4 and a half years old and 27 months old at the time. It wasn't too long into the day when my belly had long forgotten that bowl of cereal and was left wanting more. It quickly got to be time when I needed to drop Ethan and Ally at my sister-in-law LaRay's house and head to see Doc Healy.

11:15 am - I remember waiting for what seemed like forever to be called back for my turn. At this point in my pregnancies I was having weekly non-stress tests as well as the typical examination, so you could count on my appointments to run long. I finally finished my 20 minute NST and was sent to the examination room. By now I was having some serious hunger pains. I decided to call my Dad to see if he wanted to join me for lunch after my appointment. I was thinking a nice sit down lunch with a waiter and everything. It wasn't that often I found myself in Layton, starving , with the kids at the sitter. I figured I would make the most of it. So we made plans for me to call him when I finished and we would sneak in a quick lunch. Now that I had this wonderful meal to look forward to you can imagine how much worse my hunger got and of course how much slower the doctor seemed to be moving. He finally showed up and as my luck would have it he had a med student following him and he wondered if I would mind if he checked me too. Oh fun! Of course, by your third it's kind of a come one come all mentality. So of course I said yes, that would be so pleasant for me to experience. Well, Doc checked me and his little follower did as well. They declared me to be dilated 3 cm and 90% effaced. He said I was ready to rock and roll. I asked him if he thought Nate should go on his day long business trip two days from now, he told me to let him go, we didn't need him in order to get this job done. I also had my regular ultrasound, everything looked great and he measured in at 6 pounds 7 ounces. Doc Healy reminded me that I could experience some bleeding after being checked and I nodded, again, not my first time. At this point we said our goodbyes and they left the room, I stood to get dressed, thinking only of the lunch that awaited me, when all of a sudden WHOOOSH!! Blood went EVERYWHERE!! When I say everywhere, I literally mean everywhere! It was the scariest moment. It kept coming so I balled up my paper "gown" and stuffed it in between my legs and hobbled over to the door and screamed down the hall, "Dr. Healy!" In a moment he was at the door and I will never forget the look on his face upon entering the room. It had only been less than a minute since he had left the room and it was quite a different scene now. He later told me that in all of his years he had never had someone make such a mess. I told him it wasn't my big old hands up there! :) Since it was so bloody he told me he couldn't check to see if my water had broke. He had me immediately get dressed and set me back up on the NST. Once we knew that Ryland was okay I called Nate, he had been to almost every appointment with me to this point and on this particular day he had something at work that he needed to be to. We figured, "eh, what's the big deal if he misses this one". WRONG! I ended up being on the NST machine for about 2 hours. He wouldn't let me eat anything but sips of water and a few wheat thins in case he needed to rush me to the hospital and perform a C-section. He or a nurse were constantly at my side and I was only permitted to be off the monitor when it was absolutely necessary for me to change out my pads. In those two hours I continued to steadily bleed. You know how they always tell you that if you fill a pad in an hour to call your doctor? Yeah, well I did 12 in those two hours. Honestly if this had happened at my home I would have called an ambulance. The monitor wasn't picking up any contractions but I could feel them coming regularly in my back. Every labor I have ever had was in my back, so I knew where this was heading.

2:00 pm - Doc Healy called ahead to McKay Dee Hospital to let them know I was coming. By now my mother-in-law was with me and she drove me to Ogden where we met Nate at the door. We went straight up to Labor and Delivery anticipating them waiting for us. Apparently the call got lost in translation because they immediately handed me a cup and sent me to the restroom to get a sample. I remember thinking "Are you kidding me?" Despite our protests to just admit us and check on the baby they insisted on the sample. So I quickly obliged then continued to insist on being admitted and checked. I still remember a nurse begrudgingly getting my room prepped while I changed into a gown. When she saw the state of my undergarments the light finally went on. I can still hear her saying, "Does your Doctor know you are bleeding?!?" HELLO! That's why we are here! I was instantly relieved when I was hooked back up to a monitor and heard Ryland's steady heartbeat. I had opted to go natural this time around so once I was settled in I got down to business and prepared myself for what lie ahead.

3:45 pm - 4 cm and still 90% effaced.

4:54 pm - Tight 5 cm and 90% effaced

5:19 pm - I was dilated to 5 and a half cm, 90 % effaced. Ryland was starting to show signs of being distressed so they put an oxygen mask on me and had me change positions. It seemed to help for a little while.

5:30 pm - Ryland's heart rate was starting to drop and he was showing signs of distress. The last thing I wanted was for me to be knocked out for an emergency C-section. So, I agreed to the epidural they suggested might relax me and thus him. I remember them checking me, I was dilated to 6 cm, then immediately was given the epidural. It worked like a charm. As soon as I laid back his heart rate improved dramatically.

5:53 pm - 9 and a half cm, it was at this time they could actually feel my bag of water and we then knew that the bleeding wasn't associated with that. They figured that the bleeding must be because my placenta had started to tear away. It had tore just enough to cause the bleeding but not enough to endanger Ryland or I. I could then see why women hemorrhage and die when their placentas tear away. Mine had been fairly minor and I couldn't believe the amount of blood I had lost. Scary to think of. Definitely would have called an ambulance if it hadn't happened right there at the doctors office. They then went on to break my water.

6:20 pm - I was a full ten cm and Ryland was at -1 station. Of course the Lord was watching out for Ryland and I in so many ways that day, because just like the babies before Ryland I ended up waiting for Doc to show up. Well over a half an hour later, he arrived. Had I not had an epidural in place there is no way I would have made it that long waiting for him. He breezed through the door, took a peek, and we got down to business.

6:55pm - After maybe two pushes Ryland came out pink and screaming. He looked like an exact replica of Ethan years before. In fact we would slip and call him Ethan a few times those early days in the hospital. He even weighed the same as Ethan. Five pounds 13 ounces, but he was 18 and half inches long. I was exactly 38 weeks along. Another thing I remember, asking, "When can I eat?"

I know I have described Chub this way before, but it fits him so perfectly. He is full of such joyful energy. We just love having him in our family and just cherish the last seven years he has been with us!

Happy Birthday Big Boy! We Love You!!

Halloween Memories

To get into the spirit of Halloween I thought it would be fun to share some of our previous Halloween memories. Hope you enjoy!

1998

Ten months after we were married, while living at Leavitt's Mortuary. I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Tiny Man. This was the night we had our Halloween Party. Nate had a great time scaring our friends while taking them on a tour of the cemetary and mausoleum! Good Times!

2000

Tiny Man's (16 months old) second Halloween with us. Wasn't he just the cutest tiger ever!

2002

Tiny Man (3) and Ladybug (14 months) on our front porch of our Ogden house.

Nate and I at his WFG work Halloween party. We did a costume contest and did a scavenger hunt among other things. It was a lot of fun.

2003

This year we had a Peter Pan themed Halloween. Ethan Pan, Captain Daddy and Allybell. I was a very pregnant Mommy Darling....sorry no photos....Chub was born less than two weeks later.

2005

This was taken at our Ogden Stake Trunk or Treat. Tiny Man (6) was Dash, Ladybug (4) was again Tinkerbell and Chub (almost 2) was Nemo.

The weeks leading up to Halloween Tiny Man became distressed that he wasn't fast enough to be Dash. So he got the idea to write a letter to Disney to ask for some magic so that on Halloween night he could be as fast as Dash. He was SUPER excited to receive in the mail in time for Trunk or Treating a letter with a little pouch of magic dust to use for the night. After sprinkling some on him he was by far and away the fastest kid around. We sprinkled some on Ladybug but we figured since she didn't know how to actually use her wings she wouldn't be able to fly. All through Trunk or Treating he showed off his letter and his dust covered head. It was a great Halloween!

2006

Nate and Tiny Man at the Marketstar Halloween Party.

At Uncle Travis and Aunt Sarah's house post Trick or Treating. Ladybug (5) as The Twelve Dancing Princesses Princess, Chub (almost 3) as a Crocodile, Tiny Man (7) as Superman.

Grandma Hale (nine months prior to becoming Grandma Hale) as a 60's Hippie. Too Fun!

2007

Julia (almost 2) as a BYU cheerleader, Shaylen (9) as a Witch, Ladybug (6) as a the Island Princess, Garrett (almost 8) as a BYU football player, Sawyer (6) as a cowgirl, Ridge (3) as Spiderman, Chub (almost 4) as a Clone or Storm Trooper (I don't know these things!), Tyler (almost 6) as a BYU football player, Tiny Man (8) as a ninja, Cincess (4 mos) as a Flower Fairy

2008

In front of our current home, Cincess (16 months) as Tinkerbell, Chub (almost 5) as Spiderman, Ladybug (7) as Ariel the Little Mermaid, Tiny Man (9) as Luke Skywalker.

Here's to another Great Halloween!