Pregnant post for new baby sister

I wanted to do a pregnancy post for the new baby because most of these pictures I posted in 2013 but since she is born in 2014 that is when I will start getting her her own blog book. This pregnancy has been fairly similar to my others. Some of the things I have been craving a lot are Pastrami and Swiss sandwiches with mustard and extra tomatoes from corner deli, Chocolate, Vanilla milk, and Black licorice (aka good and plenties). I haven't retained a bunch of water like I did with Alyssa (I was so swollen everywhere especially my legs and ankles.) So me weight gain has been more "normal." I have had to do the P17 injections this time, just like last time. I'm currently 36 weeks as of tomorrow. (Yeah!) I've been on bed rest for 2.5 week but I will probably start doing a little more now. I am dialated to 3 cm and 80% effaced and have been for 2 weeks. I have received steroid injections for her lungs at 33 weeks and the next week was hospitalized overnight for too many contractions along with another cm dialated and a blood clot in my leg but it turned out to be superficial. (Which is not worrisome just painful!) Thank heavens! One of my bigger trials this time around is very painful and unsightly spider veins. I feel very grateful to have made it to this point and we are hoping for 1 more week at least. Can't wait to meet this new little person, and all the kids can't wait to see her and play with her. Hailey thinks we should name her Cristle, Troy likes the name_____(can't remember right now), and Alyssa likes Rockabye. Although the girls also agree the Elsa is a good name as well!

                                                       15  weeks?

                                                                 20 weeks- Its' a girl!!

                                                                        27 weeks

                                                                    30 weeks

                                                                      32 weeks?

                                                                    35 weeks

Update on Hailey

I'm going to do a more thorough post on Hailey with a birthday post but these are some of Hailey's cute notes/ pictures she has been working lately. We think it is so sweet the things she comes up with to write or draw. We love you too sweet Hailey!!  (She wants to name the new baby Cristle)

Update on Troy

Troy is very passionate. The last couple months of last year he got into a phase where he didn't want to really go anywhere or do anything. I had to start begging/bribing (sometimes sticker charts and treats) to get him to go to Swim lessons, Gymnastics, school, and church. We agree that he is very very much a home body. We since then have taken him out of all extra activities and we still of course do school and church and his attitude has improved. He very passionate about many things like he has been really wanting his birthday to come and will kick and scream pretty angrily, "why cant it come?" And there's obviously not much we can do to help him out with his problem. Troy loves to collect and tape together recyclables and is often stashing it down in his room. He also loves to have projects to work on, whether he is cutting, gluing, coloring, taping or all of the above, he will work on his things for a really long time! Troy also Loves to wrestle with Daddy and will ask him almost every night when he gets home if they can wrestle. Just the other day we had some unusually warm weather, like 80 degrees, and he said, "I love this time of year." Another time Hailey was talking about a bully at school and Troy told her, "Next time Hailey, just say Stop!" And he put his hand up to show her how to put up her hand, signaling to stop. He is full of cute things and I love hearing his ideas! He is pretty good about getting his own snacks, sometimes not in a good way climbing up to the top of the pantry or finding someone's candy stash and sneaking it off! We love our Troy boy!!

Update on Alyssa

I wanted to do an update on all my kiddos individually. So this is about my cute little sissy! She still feels like my baby, but she is getting so big! She is talking a lot, She will tell us things like, "Hailey not sharing candy." or "Troy not sharing." She likes to ask where everyone is, "Where's Daddy?" "Where's Troy boy?" "Where's Hailey?" She also still says Thank you, with and F (Fank you) and sometimes it sounds like a bad word. We get a laugh out of it! Alyssa loves frozen and the frozen songs and she is always ALWAYS singing!! Usually the frozen songs. She wakes up singing, goes to bed singing, she will break out in song almost at any given time. She always has a song in her heart. She is pretty tender-hearted. Sometimes if Josh or I am raise our voice to her lately she will get pretty upset. Sometimes she will stick out her tongue, fold her arms, stomp off and sometimes yell. She seems to be pretty sensitive and we think it is so cute! Alyssa loves to play and do whatever the big kids are doing. The the first two pictures they are playing puppy. We love our little Sissy!!

Playing with our new Toys Dec. 2013

So I think that outside toys are my favorite for Christmas or anytime! We live on a little cold-de-sac and it is so perfect for riding bikes and other toys. It was very cute that Troy rode Alyssa around a lot of the time. It was pretty cold outside but we still loved it!

We also celebrated our 9 year anniversary this year. We took 1 picture on my phone, it turned out okay. We went to outback Steak house this year. (I think I'm realizing a pattern, I think without even realizing it we switch between Josh's favorite, Outback, and my favorite, Olive Garden, every year.) My mom and dad came along and it was really fun! We saw the secret life of Walter Mitty. Meese and Collin were there at the theater, randomly so we sad by them as well!

Christmas Day

Here are my big kids on Christmas Day!! We thought this day would never come!! Troy asked everyday, "When is Christmas gonna get here?" Hailey got Razor scooter, Troy got a Razor 360, and Alyssa got a little pink tricycle. (But she has been loving on Hailey's old 3 wheeled scooter that is in kinda sad shape.) We recently saw the movie Frozen and have loved the songs ever since. Hailey got a microphone for Christmas and loved singing the songs on it. Alyssa also wanted to get in on the action and sings her little heart too! After the songs, as to copy Hailey, Alyssa would say Thank you, Thank you but it sounds somethimes like Fank you and sometimes like F*ck you. We have been getting a really good laugh out of that!

Christmas fun with the Kohlers

On Christmas Eve we went over to the Merrells/Sowards and had so yummy food. Did a short and sweet little musical presentation, The kids who had learned something on the piano played, like Hailey. And Josh read the scripture story in Luke 2 about Jesus being born. We also squeezed in a cousin picture.  My family came over on Christmas day so that we could open the presents we got from them and they could open the gift we got them also.  It was lots of fun!  We are so lucky to have so much family in town!

Christmas time with the Hakes

The whole Hakes group came to town for the weekend before Christmas. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed playing with all of there cousins. We also tried to get a picture of the kids in there p.j.s but we didn't get a very good picture of them. Maybe next time... But hey look at the bright side we did get a great picture of the (big) Girls in their jammies! We had a lot of fun!

Hailey's piano recital Dec. 2013

Hailey had her second piano recital for the year. She says she feels pretty nervous but she always does great. She has practiced the song(s) a ton. This time she played jingle bells. She is really coming along on her piano skills! We are very impressed with her! Good job Hailey! We love you!