The baby story...

For those of you who care about how baby Grant entered the world... continue, those that don't feel free to skip this post.

Tyler's mom flew in town Tuesday the 15th and helped us get soooo much done for the week before Baby Grant decided to grace us with his presence. Monday the 21st, Tyler, Karen and I were sitting around playing card games when we started timing contractions, I had been having contractions for weeks, but they hadn't been doing any good. About 11pm they were getting closer together and more painful so we started to head to the hospital and arrived a little after midnight. I was at a 3... boo! So I forced myself to walk for an hour hoping that they would admit me. Good news I was at at 4-5 so they admitted me. too bad I was exhausted by then so I sat down for an hour and didn't progress any, so I was up walking again after that. NO progress again. About 5am, I was at a 5 and completely exhausted and vomiting from pain so I went ahead and got an epidural, I think that I got it about 6-6:30am. Did you know that you could birth a baby while laying completely flat! I had no idea!... Me and Tyler napped on and off for a few hours, I was mainly thirsty (ice chips!) and itchy... turns out that the epidural is a narcotic and can make you itch! (my doctor later said it was morphine and that I should ask for something different in the future if I had that reaction.) the nurse gave me some benedryl to help with the itching but it didn't really help. I was so exhausted already that I didn't notice if it made me sleep any more or not. sometime later she checked and I was at 8-9 and she said the baby was coming and that she would call my doc. He walked in no time later (surprising cause we thought he had to come from Jerome, he really just stayed in the hospital knowing I would go fast They kept saying you really can't feel anything?.... nothing! Weird! anyways, three contractions with three pushes each (7 minutes) and my beautiful third boy was out! He was very purple and covered in more guck than any of my other kids, but he was so cute! We mentioned how short he was, turns out we were just comparing him to Lorelei,(who is now huge to us) cause he tied for our longest baby. His legs are really short and he has a long torso, so that could be it too! He was not my heaviest baby, only 2nd. He came at 39 weeks and 3 days. Kevin came at 39 weeks 2 days, Lorelei came at 39 weeks 5 days, and Cameron came on his due date, 40 weeks. Grant has the most hair at birth and has the Powers nose. But we think he is a mutt (said with love) just like Lorelei, he doesn't  look all Wardle like Kevin or all Powers like Cameron. So far he is a pretty good baby, only the last few days has he cried for any unknown reason.

He is named after our Fathers and it is so much fun to have a baby around again. He did have some blood sugar issues and trouble keeping his body temperature up so he spent some time in the NICU, about 6 hours later, we were back in my room but they wanted to keep up for 48 hours just in case. It was the longest we have ever stayed in the hospital with any of our kids! They took his blood sugar a lot, poor kid, but all is well now.
Grandma Wardle stayed with the older three and we came home Thursday afternoon. She flew out about 5 that evening and my parents came into town Thursday too. It worked out. Ken came up on Friday. and they all left early Sunday Morning. It was so fast, that Monday at his first doctor apt I hadn't realized that he was 6 days old and that his first week was almost over!

The older kids are handling it great! Lorelei asks where he is at every turn. Must kiss him before going to bed and asks first thing about him every morning. She must kiss him on the lips, and gets made if his hands are in the way. Cameron and Kevin fight over who gets to hold him first and to me, he just belongs.

Grant Allen
Jan 22, 2013
11:28am
9lbs 9oz
22 inch long

Changes

Well, we did it. We changed Kevin to the Charter school in town. HE seems to like it more and more each day. HE came home yesterday raving about how his teacher was reading one the books from his favorite series. The magic tree house book. In this one "they go to Asia!" HE was very Excited. It is that series that he wants to name the baby Jack... the main Character. He went from a classroom of 24 to a classroom with 16, which I like and it seems like a much calmer environment. I had the opportunity to pick from two classrooms to put him in and I asked for a teacher who would be the more consistent one  I think he is in the right classroom. We really loved his Teacher at the old school but just felt the need for the Change. His old teacher spent the whole after noon of his last day on sharks... Kevin's very favorite topic. There were tears from him her and Us, through this whole thing and we are hoping it all works out in the end.
     We took him to the Eye Specialist last week and found out that his brain and eye are speaking to each other so much better! Last time with his left eye, he couldn't even read the E at the top of the chart, now he is reading two lines down! Great news! So we need to continue patching him for 4 hours a day (3 to 3.5 on school days) and check back in 4 more months.
    Cameron is doing great in Preschool and wants to talk talk talk. but his teacher says when it is time she can get him to hold on to it til later. Which is great news!
     Lorelei is growing fast, keeping me busy and talking in three word sentences! She had no problem getting her point across and I love watching her learn every day. Wednesday are our "Girl mornings" and She just wants to read books the whole time the boys are both gone. So cute!
    Little baby is large and in charge and making me very uncomfortable for only being 26 weeks along, but I guess i should just be happy we are both doing so well. The boys keep reminding me that the baby is coming after Christmas and that is so close but so far away!
    I have taken about a week off of canning but need to get back to it. these Apples arent going anywhere and are staring me in the face! :)

Life has been busy...

So Kevin is now if 1st grade, thats right, school, all day long... He seems to enjoy it. He gets off the bus and we walk home together and sit down to about 30 min of homework every night, he then puts the patch on and wears it until shower time at 7pm. We then read scriptures say prayers and send the boys off to bed. I know, seems early but to be honest, Kevin cant seem to get enough sleep. He has come home at least once a week and passed out on the couch for a few hours... 1st grade is hard! I myself am having a hard time not having control over 7 hours of his day. he came home and told me he had a girlfriend... what?!? Her name is Olivia and they play by the tree. After a while he asked me why all the other boys laughed when he told them he had a girlfriend. I told him it was probly because he was a little young to have a girlfriend, he then asked how old he had to be to have a girl friend and I answered that the Prophet tells us that you should wait to be of marriage age, so for him that would be 21 years old. He said "oh, well maybe I will just call her my friend then" that made me smile and I told him I thought that would be a good idea.
         On anther day, he came home and told me he wanted to get a tattoo, I told him that the Lord gave us bodies that are temples and that we shouldn't color on them. Just like the Temple that we go get married in, we would never color on that so we shouldn't color on our bodies..he said ok. :)
       Cameron is in preschool and is enjoying it, he missed out on Kindergarten by 26 days and it shows, he is already reading and loves to work on school work and puzzles and write people letters. He is fun except for his moments of throwing fits for not getting his way. The biggest one, is dinner time every night that I don't make pancakes, or hot dogs... you would think I was trying to torture the kids with any food other than that. But generally he is a pretty easy going kid. Cameron is the same height as 5 that Kevin was at 6!
      Lorelei is so much fun! you cant take your eyes off her for a minute! She climbs into everything and gets into everything! At one point it was the computer and lately it has been the fridge to break the eggs all over the floor, and it seems that the child locks we keep putting on things don't last very long! She is pure entertainment and the sweetest thing to happen to us in a long time. She loves kisses and cuddles and loves to point out eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and belly. She loves to drink milk and seems to eat more than the boys can. She also seems to be getting better naps in since Kevin is in school. She continues to grow like a weed!
      The baby is my belly is supposedly a boy, although I am not convinced. He keeps me sick and tired most days and makes me feel so much farther along that i really am at 23 weeks. I one the other hand am fighting back and canning like crazy. I just canned over 40 quarts of pears, that we went and picked as a family for $30. Lorelei has been eating them fresh like they are candy.(along with any other produce the girl can get her hands on... Cherry tomatoes too!) I am now starting on apples and applesauce. We will see how that goes. I bought a whole bunch of apples for .25 a lb.... hope I can get them done! I sure do like having something to show for what I have done at the end of the day! :)
     Tyler is in the middle of his PhD and has two classes. He seems to like one but the other is Statistics and seems to be making him work a little harder. Although I LOVE HIS NEW JOB. He got a new contract where he is contracted until 5:00 every night... it is wonderful! To have him home every night between 5 and 5:30 is so nice, I can schedule primary stuff after 5 and I can plan dinners for when he gets home, no more dinners for me and the kids and him eating Grilled cheese later that night! SO WONDERFUL!
   Both boys are in soccer which keeps us busy two night during the week and Saturday mornings, although we seem to be more productive when we get home from games so it is kinda nice.
So what I guess I am saying is Life is BUSY!
         

July Pictures 2012

1st are the 4th of July Pictures that Jen took!

 Then the swim lesson pictures! I love the one of the boys jumping off the diving board!

And then our anniversary family pictures! LOVE THEM!

Tooth number4!

Top tooth on the right today!

Catherine

Peek a boo video

We have a toddler!

Building a snow fort

A day in the LIFE..

I sure hope I never forget these years, I sure am enjoying life these days, Monday through Friday Kevin has kindergarten every morning, It sure is fun to watch him learn and enjoy, Cameron has preschool on Mondays and Wednesdays so I go work in Kevin's classroom while he is gone, I share babysitting for Lorelei with two ladies in the wards, so I have their kids on Thursday and Friday mornings. Tuesdays I don't have to go anywhere for carpools, or anything so I get to cuddle with Cameron and Lorelei all day. After Kevin gets home, we eat lunch and play all afternoon, Lorelei crawls around the house amusing herself with her brothers and toys until she is ready for a nap, We recently took away technology on Monday through Thursday and there is never technology before school, so the boys only get to play with it Friday nights and the weekends, sure has helped in the behavior department. We pretty much have packed all the boys toys away and they color, play puzzles, and build things. (the things they can make out of popcicle sticks and pipe cleaners are amazing) The house stays cleaner and they are more imaginative these days. I enjoy the busyness in the morning and the down times in the afternoons. The evenings are beginning to be busy. Usually Daddy comes home from practice and we eat dinner and start the bed time routine of showers, patching, reading, and prayers about 7, but Kevin is now in a basketball clinic, we just signed him up for wrestling which will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus the boys are doing spring soccer together this year, and after that, T ball will start... I keep telling my self this is just beginning! I am counting my blessings to be able to stay home with them, and watch them grow and learn. I have come to realize that life is going to continue weather I want it to or not, so I better engage and enjoy it while I can. Makes life much more enjoyable. I hope I never forget the joys that the little cuddles, talks in the car on the way home from something, and hide and go seek games bring me!

Valentines day!

my new toy!

I got a new toy! So there was a "gold party" at one of the ladies house from the ward. I was sick but sent some old jewelry from middle school, and guess what I got $85 for two tiny chains! Wahoo! So I took my money and got myself a new toy! (see pic) its a baby carrier, I got it, cause Lorelei out grew my snugli and needed to get her used to wearing her on my back before Disneyland this summer, I will not be wearing Cameron in it! But I got it at once upon a child and it is like brand new! Score! I love a good deal! Smile!

9 month pictures

Lorelei 9 month apt

Today was Lorelei's 9 month apt. She is20lbs 14.5 oz, about 80 percentile and 29 inches long, about 90th percentile for height. She is ahead of the game development wise, already pulling herself up, walking along things, walking with walker, and standing up on her own... She is so proud of herself. She copy cats pretty well, playing peekaboo and clapping and blowing raspberries... One adorable kid! Love ya baby girl, I will upload her pics later!

Teeth

Kevin lost his 3rd tooth today! The dog knocked it out! It was loose but when I told Kevin to let the dogs out this morning,Oso got excited and jumped up, knocking it out! We didn't find it til this afternoon after we got back from the primary activity... I thought he swallowed it, nope, it was just sitting there on the floor... I have to say it was a better way of getting it out than the last two... No pain! Thanks Oso!
On Other tooth news, Lorelei's 2nd tooth came in today!-bottom right!

Catherine

Christmas letter 2011

December 2011-

We send you love and warmth this season!

It's been a great year for our family. Our baby girl, Lorelei, came bounding into our lives April 27th weighing in at 10 lbs and 22in! She is beautiful, strong and growing fast. Already crawling, pulling herself up and enjoying her brothers. She is such a happy baby and keeps the smiles on all of our faces.

Cameron is 4, in his first year of preschool, and doing really well! He enjoys trains and cars and never stops moving or talking. He loves to sing to "baby sister" and loves to cuddle! He had a blast in swim lessons this year and also got his first pair of glasses... Blue... It's his favorite!

Kevin is 6 and is doing quite well in kindergarten. He is enjoying learning how to read and comes home singing new songs all the time. He still loves dinosaurs and dragons and is beginning to be his own little man. He played soccer in the spring, went straight into t-ball, went to swim lessons, and did well in all of them. Everything is in his favorite color...red!

Tyler is keeping himself busy. Between IDLA, his PhD and coaching wrestling, on top of teaching technology and doing tech at the high school, the man doesn't get to sleep. He had fun this summer running the tech squad for the district and we are proud he is our Daddy!

Catherine is adjusting well to the land of three kids and is enjoying having the boys in school. She gets to work in Kevin's kindergarten classroom every Monday and Wednesday and is busy with carpooling, her primary calling at church and keeping up with all three children. Life is full and fun! She is 2 1/2 years cancer free!

Our 2011 was great and we look forward to a wonderful 2012. We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Idaho Wardles,

Tyler, Catherine, Kevin, Cameron & Lorelei

Christmas Break

Christmas break sure has been fun, and we are only a few days in. Grandma and Grandpa Powers showed up thursday and Uncle Ken showed up later that night. and we have been relaxing and eating unhealthy food ever since! Christmas came a day early for us ( good thing Santa is so flexible) and Tyler's birthday came today. I think we all went a little overboard on the gifts but it was fun! and the kids have been entertaining themselves all day! I will have to upload pics of the tree and everybody.... Lorelei sure had a great first Christmas.... she is mobile enough to have lots of fun but not mobile enough to get into trouble... such a fun age! Such a cutie... and she has Grandpa tied around her finger ( along with the rest of us!) Uncle Ken had to leave last night and Grandpa and Grandma left just after noon today, (something about have to get back to real life) but it sure was fun to have them! Now one more week of enjoying our Brown Christmas... no snow yet! where is it!?! This was the year of dinosaurs for KEvin, the year of Thomas the Train for Cameron, and the year of noise makers for Lorelei....Pics to come!

Santa pic 2011

Nativity

Kevin was a camel, Cameron was a donkey!

Growing up!

Lorelei is crawling everywhere now! She went from crawling two feet to across the room in about an hour... She caught on quite quick! She has a little hitch in her giddy up, just like Kevin did. Instead of crawling on two knees she likes to use her right foot and her left knee. Kevin did the same thing!(they remind me a lot of each other as infants!)Last night about 1 am, I went in to check on her and she was standing up holding on to the side of her crib! Only took her the weekend to figure out how to pull herself up! She is just growing up too fast! She only turned 7 months yesterday! Still no teeth but likes a fruit and vegetable everyday thickened with a little cereal and she is a happy girl! Her smile is contagious and I am so grateful for her in our family. She just fits, our little Miracle baby! Love ya baby girl!

Catherine

Cameron speech update

So sad. Today was Cameron's last day of speech with Miss Lisa. He no longer is behind enough to need it. What r we gonna do with him now? Tuesday's and Thursday's are just gonna seem empty. Sure hope we can stick with it here at home so he doesn't back slide to much!