Cousins

Hehe, the vain efforts to get all the cousins/grandkids sitting and looking in one direction during the reception. Thanks to GG for the cute outfits!

GNO

The night before Katie got married all 5 sisters decided to do a girls night out. We left the kids with grandparents while we went to dinner at Maddox. It was a blast. We made Katie wear a bright pink banner that said "Bride to Be" and wear a crown with toole coming out. She was a great sport. We laughed all through dinner and had fun being sisters again. It is pretty rare that we are all together anymore. After dinner we helped set up the reception and then we spent the night at Katie's new apartment. We had big hopes of staying up late, playing games, eating too much, etc., but in reality we were tired so we didnt stay up too late and then called it a night. It was still great fun and we got to spend the next morning getting ready for the big day together. Great memories!

Halloween

This Halloween Addie dressed up as a puppy. We took her to the ward party a couple nights ago and did some trunk-or-treating, so when we told her she gets to go again tonight, she was excited. She practiced her "bark" all day. She was really great at begging for candy :). This is the only time her food allergies dont seem so bad (sorry kid, no chocolate for you... I guess I will have to eat it, hehe). The last picture is of Addie and Claire (our next door neighbor).

Wheeler Farms

My neighbors and I took our kids down to Wheeler Farms for a day. There are only a few animals but we had a good time. Addie loved the tractor.

Zoo

In September we were able to go to the zoo. We had a good time and Addie loves the animals. Here are a few pictures.

We especially loved the "daddy time", which is rare these days.

Baby Update

Sorry it has been so long. For those who haven't heard... we are having a girl! I am really excited to have two girls. This pregnancy has been awful, but is getting better. Apparently, my hormone levels are significantly elevated (more than average), causing hyperemesis (the excessive sickness and vomiting) and hyperthyroidism. Luckily for me, my specialist does not think I have Graves disease, so I am hoping it is just gestational. Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is not that uncommon, but can usually be treated with a beta blocker (to bring down the heart rate... my heart would race (140 bpm) just relaxing. I thought I was going to have a heart attack), but my condition requires me to take a beta blocker and an iodine to control the thyroid. Thyroid conditions are pretty common, although hyperthyroidism (versus hypothyroidism) is a bit more complex and harder to control in pregnancy. I have been on medications for almost 3 months and it is still not completely regulated. My fear is that it will be finally regulated by the time I give birth, and then the thyroid levels will change (or go away) and I will have to do this all over again. The elevated HCG levels in pregnancy (that typically peak at 10 weeks or so) stay relatively elevated for me, so I am still on Zofran otherwise I would still be throwing up. Urggg. I was finally able to drop the other two anti-nasuea meds. The doctors claim that having the hyperthyroidism does not lower my immune system, but I keep getting hit with other sicknesses. I had a sinus infection for two months, that only went away with two rounds of antibiotics, and then I got the stomach flu. This past week has been much better, but I am avoiding large crowds and germy places (like nursery... although Addie doesn't seem to mind, she has not adjusted well). So we are all hoping that I will gain some more strength if I can just stay healthy for a couple of weeks. Wish me luck. I feel like I have been on a boat load of medications, which I know has to affect the baby. At my ultrasound they said everything looks great, but I have to go back in 6 weeks. Being on thyroid meds they are concerned about the baby getting Goiter. So between blood tests every couple weeks, ultrasounds, doctor appointments, and prescriptions, I have been pretty stressed about this pregnancy (which I am sure doesn't help). I just keep telling myself that most high risk pregnancies have normal, healthy babies. I will too.

MIA

So it has been pretty obvious that I have been MIA. A lot has happened in the last couple months. I wanted to write all about it, but in reality, I don't have the energy. So here is the scoop for those who don't know yet. I'm pregnant! And oh sooo sick. If its not one thing, its another. Nausea, vomiting, hyperthyroidism, heart throbbing, sinus infection, side effects from meds, etc. I think this baby might kill me. I am due in March (which seriously cant come fast enough). My mom was able to come stay with me for a month, which was the biggest blessing. Now she is gone and I am relying on my neighbors and in-laws. Thanks guys! Moving past my complaining, I wanted to make a quick note of all the things that have happened lately:

August:
-Moved Addie to a "big girl bed". It has been great.
-Scott started the Professional MBA program at the University of Utah. I will see him again in 2 years :)
-My sister Katie got engaged! Lucky for me, her fiance lives in Brigham City, Utah. They are getting married in November. It will be fun to have her (kinda) close by.
-Addie turned 2. We had a fun family birthday party for her... I need to get the pics from my mom.
-We had our 7 year anniversary. Wow, time flies.

September:
-My sister-in-law (Christine) got engaged! She is getting married in December. Congrats!
-Finally got a camera.... so pictures will start showing up on the blog. Yea!
-Got some canning done (a couple batches of peaches, and frozen corn). I had to rest for days afterwards :)

So that is just a quick summary. One of these days I will get enough energy to start blogging again.