Our Little Girl!

Little Ailey Ann Walden was born April 15, 2011 at 3:09 pm. She weighed 5lbs & 14oz. She was born via c-section. She was born perfectly healthy & beautiful, just a petite little thing!

Eli in the ER :(

Last week little Eli was in the Emergency Room, becuase his arm got pulled out of the socket! :( Poor baby. I wasn't sure if it was or not, but after an hour of him crying every time we touched it or he moved it, we decided to take him in to the ER. Sure enough, it was :( Poor baby! We were in there 2 & half hours, waiting for Xrays, & finally got sent home at 10:30 pm. It was especially hard for both Eli AND myself, becuase walking in there with him, at this same time of year as we did last year when he was only 4months old 3x with Intussesuseption, was VERY traumatizing. The min we even got to the front desk, he started crying! I was pretty sure he somehow knew where we were! I felt so terrible! I myslef being pregnant & emotional really had to not freak out a little as well! I am just sooo thankful that we made it safely through that last year, & that we have our little Eli. Also thankful he went home happy smiling with a popcicle in his mouth & feeling so much better! (oh, and that nothing was broken or sprained!) :)

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

After 3 little boys in a row, we found out Tuesday that we are finally having a little GIRL!!!! We are soo excited! It still doesn't totally feel real, I guess just because all I know is boys?! But we are all soo thrilled! (especially Austen!) I think he wanted a girl more than I did! I finally get to experience the whole "pink" thing! I have always LOVED shopping for any baby girl, (esp my darling little niece Ella) and now I actually get to do it for my own! We are very thankful for a perfectly healthy little girl who is on her way to our family! The ultrasound was very interesting! It was my 20 week US so they did all the usual scans & measurements etc, but even when the technichian was trying to get her heart & lip, she was SO stubborn! She was curled up in a tiny ball, both legs crossed, arm covering her face & her back to us! The entire ultrasound took about 40 min becuase we couldn't get her to cooperate! We almost had to go home not knowing the gender for sure becuase she would NOT uncross her legs! lol! (she was just being modest, that's a good little girl! ;))
I started to gently push on my sides, and FINALLY she gave us a good shot, & he said, "nope, there's no way that's a boy, 100% girl"! At first I didn't really believe it, even though I was looking right at the little "girl part" myself! I looked over at Austen as he was trying not to get emotional, and he was just beaming! He reached over & grabbed my hand & gave it a tight squeeze. What a day to celebrate! As we walked out I immediately called my mom & she yelled 2 times in my ear on the phone! (she was watching the little boys for us) she then gathered all 3 boys around the phone & put me on speaker so they could hear me tell them! It was so cute! Brendan yelled yeah! And she said the other bys INCLUDING little Eli just grinned from ear to ear! What a day to celebrate! After we picked up the boys, we went to Kohls & used some coupons, & we bought our first little carters one piece for her that says "Little Sister". We cannot wait to welcome her in April! :)

It's Decemeber!

Wow, I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by! In a way that's a good thing for me right now, becauase I am pregnant, but then it also  means that my babies are growing up! :(
Brendan turned 5 on the 23rd and he somehow really does seem like a 5 year old now! I love to see my children grow & progress, but it's hard to see them grow so fast at the same time, & become more independant & not need their mommy as much as they do!
I love the month of Decemeber! Obvoiusly becuase of Christmas, but there just really is something special in the air! I love decorating my house & listening to the music, & thinking of the true meaning. I get emotional more when I am pregnant this time of year if I am pregnant (part hormones, I'm sure!) but because I think of Mary, and how hard it must've been to be in her shoes during the winter & being pregnant, and all that she must've been going through. I especially think of her when I listen to the song by Amy Grant "Breathe of Heaven". I am so grateful to her. I am so thankful our Savior came to earth that night. The precious tiny baby, in such meager & humble circumstances & yet, the King of this World, our Savior.
I hope you all have fun this month & remember the true meaning, no matter how busy we get with the hustle & bustle of things! I am so thankful for this season :) Merry Christmas Everyone!

My 2nd Blog is Up!

I finally started my 2nd blog that I have been talking about doing for a while now! It is dedicated to all the "deals" I find, etc! I try to publish several posts a day, so get check it out & follow it! :)
Here is the Link:

comepinchsomepennies.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Creating another Blog!

As most of you know, I really love getting a good deal, coupons, & being thrifty etc. I told Austen even of the day came that we were millionaires, I would still love it & pursue it! I mean, why not?! Anyway, I post alot of my "deals" & coupons, etc that I find on here & mostly on Facebook, but it's so back & forth, so I've decided to start another blog dedicated specifically to the "deals". Lots of you have asked about it & mentioned that you love that I post them, so I thought I'd go for it! But I have been SO NOT creative lately, so I need some help as to what to call it?! Any suggestions?? I will prob create the blog within the next week or so, & then every week I will post! Keep watchin! I will post the link to the new blog on this blog.

Today's Inspritation :)

Today in Relief Society we had a wonderful lesson, & the spirit really touched me. It’s also Fast & Testimony Meeting this week, and I tend to feel the spirit stronger more particular on those weeks.


Because I have been soo sick pregnant these past few months, this is actually the first time in a while that I have actually made it all the way through church! It really made me realize what I have been missing. Some days when I wake up (especially with early morning church!) I honestly really don’t feel like going to church! I love the Lord & his gospel & it’s nothing against church, but it’s just a big ordeal sometimes with 3 little ones under the age of 4 right now, plus being pregnant! But every time I get to the end of RS the spirit touches me & reminds that this is where I am supposed to be right now, and that I need this. The renewing of covenants & partaking of the sacrament is so important, and so is hearing those lessons & feeling the spirit each week. I know there are other ways we can feel the spirit throughout the week, but I truly believe that there is a purpose to all of God’s plans, including 3 hours of church each week! 

Anyway, in Relief Society, the lesson was on “Gratitude”. I was smiling inside because the lesson was based on the talk given this General Conference by Pres. Mosnon, and it was actually what I based my blog theme on this month, which I created last week! The very quote I have in my banner was read & I was so happy to feel on track! Lol! Anyway, we were talking about all the things we should be thankful for of course, but then we started talking about learning how to be grateful for our trials. It does sound weird, especially while in the middle of one, but it really is true. Empathy was one of the big things we talked about. We may not understand at the time when we are going through certain trials, & maybe sometimes we never do, but one of the things we can realize is that by us going through that particular trial, has taught us to have empathy, and who know, somewhere down the road, someone you know and or love will be facing that very same trial, & that person will be feeling the same way you did, like “why”? but….we will be able to say, “you know what, I really have been where you are, and I understand”. Sometimes, for me at least, that’s all it takes to help me feel better, & to make me realize, “wow, they really DO know what I’m feeling & going through, & they got through it, so maybe I can too”. It just really made a lot of sense. I am so thankful for the wisdom our Heavenly Father has. So many times we may think that we can do it on our own & we know what is best, but He, as our Father, really does know what’s best, He knows the plan, the outcome & what we truly need. He has our best interest at heart. I am so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven, & for an incredible older brother, Jesus Christ, who suffered ALL that we have, and who he too, has empathy for us.

So, I just found out that in order to get this beautiful lattice desgin on your pie, you have to actually have a tool that makes the prints!?! I guess it IS a little too pretty to be true without one! lol! So if I don't go buy one, I am still going to try something like it for Thanksgiving! It kind of inspired & motivated me to try it out on my own! I'm excited. SO, sorry that I can't really "post directions"! I guess the directions could be, "go to a specialty cooking store & look for one!" lol!

           
This is an awesome lattice pie that I'm going to try this Thanksgiving! I will post directions here! :)

Our front porch

This is a wreath I made for Fall. One of 4 I have made this season :) Fun stuff~

Our House! Not the clearest of pics, but the only one we have at the time.

Great Fall pics of the little boys coming soon! :)

Eli

Well, Brendan is really getting fed up with Eli these days! No, he is a great big brother to both of his little brothers, but lately....all the little boys will be sitting at the table eating their food, & if Brendan gets up from the table even for a minute, little Eli will climb out of his seat, onto the top of the table, & start eating whatever is on Brendan's plate! No matter what it is or how much there is! This has happened several times now, & Brendan doesn't like it at all! Eli can eat so much! He's not really a chunky baby, but he just doesn't seem to have a "stop" button! It's soo cute to see the look on Eli's face when Brendan comes walking in saying "hey"! He just looks at him like, "what...you were gonna eat that"??! lol! Boys boys boys!

Essential oils for the laundry soap

The homemade soap has a good "soapy" smell to it already, but the clothes don't really have a scent to them after they come out of the dryer, so...if you like, you can add up to 4oz of any kind of Essential Oil to the soap! I would add it after it's all done & just mix it right in. Some good ones are Lavendar & Lemon. But you can be creative! I have found the best place to buy the essential oils (good brands for good prices) are on EBAY! The best brand I know of is Young Living, but...you can really use any brand since it's just for soap! Have fun! :)

HOMEMADE LIQUID LAUNDRY SOAP!

About 2-3 years ago at a Walden Family Reunion, Austen's older sister Angie taught us all how to make homemade liquid laundry soap! I watched intently & was fascinated that we could do this ourselves with just items purchased from the grocery store, and I LOVED that it was so budget friendly! Well, I had great intentions of taking that recipe home & getting right to making it myself, but....well yeah, like I said, that was 2-3 years ago! BUT...I finally got ahold of the recipe again, and we made it ourselves last week! It was so fun & not hard at all! It was super satisfying to know that we did it ourselves (even the little boys helped!) and that it costs less than $2.00 per 5 gallon bucket to make!!! SO, I am going to post the recipe here, and I highly recommend you try it out! There is another recipe that is for the powdered version, which I havent tried yet but plan to this week. I do however prefer this liquid version becuase of the vinegar ingredient, which is not in the powdered version.(obviously) I really like that vinegar gets rid of residue (both on clothing AND your washing machine) it's good for your pipes & for running through your machine, and it also acts as a fabric softner & gets out tough smells!
Anyway, here is the recipe!
You can find the ingredients at most local grocery stores. I did have a hard time finding them all in one store, but I hear that WINCO sells them all, & at the cheapest price :) Enjoy!

HOMEMADE LIQUID LAUNDRY SOAP

1 bar Felnaptha Soap                   ($1.03/bar -1 batch)


½ cup Borax                               ($3.67 for a 76 oz. box -18 batches)

1 cup Washing Soda                    ($2.70 for a 55 oz. box -6 batches)

2 cups white vinegar                     ($1.50 a gallon - 8 batches)

Grate (you can blend it in your blender if you prefer) soap into a sauce pan. Cover with water just to the level of the soap. Heat on low until melted. Put one gallon of hot water into a 5 gallon bucket and add borax, soda, vinegar, and melted soap. Stir well and finish filling the bucket with hot water. STIR! Mixture will thicken in a couple of hours. You can put it into old laundry soap containers or leave it in the bucket and dip from the bucket. It stays a little thick and will sometimes get a little bit of foam looking stuff on the top and I just take the cup I am dipping with and give it a quick stir before dipping or if you have put it in bottles just shake before pouring. I use ½- cup for a normal load, up to 1 cup for large soiled loads. At the prices above 5 gallons costs about $1.88.

6 months!

Holy cow, I can't believe it has actually been about 6 months since I have blogged! BUT...it HAS been a very busy & eventful last 6 months!!!
Where do I start? Well, in August of this year we found out that I am pregnant! We are expecting baby #4! We were actually quite surprised, but it's def a good surprise! I am due April 21st, 2011. (wow that seems weird to tyoe out 2011 already?!) So, that puts me at 16 weeks along this Friday! It feels like I have been pregnant forever, but prob just because I have been sooo sick! I guess I am just one of those lucky girls that gets the worst of the morning sickness. Although mine is more like 24/7 sickness! lol! There have been a couple complications, but the baby remains healthy & well! We get to find out the gender next month, Dec. 8th!!! We are super excited! Obviously we are hoping for a girl after 3 boys in a row, but if it is another boy, it'll be another geat addition to the cute 3 little Musketeers! Boys are wonderful!
Then, in the month of Auguest as well, we MOVED! Long story short, we were basically forced out of our wonderful house by campus (of which we had only lived in for 4 months!) because the Landlords didnt know that it was not "approved" for family housing, because of city zoning & whatnot. It was a very unexpected move, & hectic, but we finally found an INCREDIBLE home in Smithfield, which is only about 8min north of Logan. It was def a blessing from the Lord the way THIS house worked out. I will post pictures soon, but it's a 6 bedroom 3 bath home,3 car garage, built in 2002, 3,000 sq foot home, on the Golf Course! It is just way too huge& beautiful to be true, BUT we live here & we love it! This is also the friendliest neighborhood & ward we have EVER lived in! I honestly can't say enough about the wonderful people here! While i have been so sick, perfect strangers from the ward have brought over several meals, offered so much help, & have just been so kind! It is amazing! We are very blessed!
Austen is still a full time student at USU & is super dad by doing that & working for 2 companies full time! I don't know how he manages it all, especially while I have been so sick. With the mama down like this, his load has been doubled (if not more!) & I am soo grateful for such a loving & patient man! Being raised in the huge family of his sure pays off here at home! (thanks again to his parents Farren & Jolene!) I will always be grateful to them for the incredible son they raised :)
Brendan is getting so big! He will be 5 this month!!! AHH! How can I have a 5 year old already?! But he is so excited! He is mama's big boy helper & has been such a little hero while I have been down & sick when his daddy is gone! He is definatley the oldest :)
Liamm turned 3 in July. He is getting SO tall! I think he might be our tallest boy! I can't seem to keep in in the same jeans & shoes more than a few months! He almost looks funny in the Nursery at church because he towers over all his friends!! He has really come out of his "shy shell" these past few months! He talks like crazy & about every thing! He has also become quite a mama's boy, always making sure he gave mommy a hug & kiss b4 bed!
Eli....well, where do i start with that little character!!! He turned 1 in July as well! He is SUCH a cute little doll, but also a fiesty little guy at times as well! He REALLY knows what he wants & when! He has really become a bog boy these past few months. He loves to tag around his big brothers & act like them! It's so cute! He walks runs all over & is starting to talk now too! Waaay to cute, that kid is!
As for me, well, preganant & sick about says it all right now! lol! But I think I am nearing the "being done with morning sickness" part, so I will start getting more energy in this 2nd trimester & be "Mommy" again! Austen has said several times he cant wait til I'm well again, cuz he can't take much more of my job! :) Its really good for us to see what we each do & appreciate each other more! It's funny. I sure love my men, all 4 of them!

Our three sweet little boys. I love them so much! :)

Brendan reading to his little brothers! I LOOVED this one!

Family Pictures 2010

So, here goes my first "Thankful Post"! (I am not very clever early in the morning, so bear with the title! lol!)
Today I am thankful for good health!
Our whole little family has colds & sore throats, and this is the 3rd day it's been going on?! I could NOT hardly sleep last night! I tossed & turned and got up several times, and on top of that, Eli didn't want to nurse all but once becuase he was so congested?! Poor little guy! I don't mind wiping snotty noses, but I do hate it when my babies have to suffer at all. Austen doesn't usually get sick, but....he had to have those kisses from me....so....he has it now too! Anyway, it just really makes me appreciate a day when I can wake up with NO sore throat, kids & hubby healthy & happy, and to just feel good!!! Hopefully this yucky virus will be out of our home soon! Chicken noodle soup, Lysol & Kleenex's here we come.