22 Weeks

This is what I looked like the day that we found out that I was pregnant.
This is 22 weeks later! OH MY! I can't believe how much bigger I have gotten in such a short amount of time. It's really starting to get so much fun! He is moving around SO much and I love it! I don't think I'm going to be able to wear this shirt for very much longer... what do you think?! hehe

Three Peaks Camping Trip

Lily the next morning... she was a mess! :)
All the super cute kids!
Lily and Mommy!
Lily and Daddy
The happy couple! :)


Yesterday morning a good friend of ours texted me saying that they were planning on going camping at three peaks (which is literally 15 min away from our door step) that night and we were invited to join their family. We had really only gone camping once this whole summer so we decided it would be a good end of summer activity. We got up there about 7 that night put up our tent ate some left overs, s'mores, and some goodies. Then we just kicked back and relaxed while the kids played and picked off all of the berries off the trees and played in the sand. It was such a fun night to have with our good friends and it was good to be outside for a while. We thought that the sand would be a good place to sleep, because we assumed it would be soft... not so much. But I've had much worse! All in all it was a quick trip but a whole lot of fun! Lily got dirty and we didn't care! hehe

Sunday Evening Thoughts

Sorry... no pictures again, maybe sometime soon! heheh. It's kind of a long post... but if you don't want to read the first part please at least read the story at the end.

Lately I have just felt so so blessed with the life that I live. I have an amazing husband who loves me and does so much for our little family! He sacrifices so much, and I feel blessed just to have him in my life. He's amazing! The conversations we have are so funny sometimes. We were talking last night about how much I laugh when I'm with him and really... it's non-stop.

I have a BEAUTIFUL daughter! Yesterday afternoon, I took a nap and about an hour into it, I was woken up by Lily slamming our dresser drawers. Todd came up a few minutes later and we all decided to play on our bed. Todd was being a "steam-roller" and Lily was diving over him. Then she would go "OH DADDY!" We were cracking up! We played ring-a-round-the-rosies and all sorts of fun games with her. She was jumping all around and by the end of the play session she was sweaty... it was so funny. She really is getting such a fun personality. Todd taught her to talk to the baby last night. It was so cute. I was laying on the bed and Todd leaned into my belly and said, "Hi baby!" Lily proceeded to lean in and say, "HI BOOTS!" She repeated everything Todd said. It was stinking adorable! I wish we would have caught it on tape... maybe another time. She seems to be really excited to have a baby brother. I asked her if she wanted a baby brother or sister and she said brother... so let's hope she stays that way for a while.

Speaking of the baby... we are getting SO excited for him to come! I love all the little kicks I'm starting to feel and how much more frequent they are getting. I love talking to him and just appreciating everything that is happening in this pregnancy. I was introduced to a support group in Cedar for women who have all lost babies. It's amazing sitting there with these amazing women. They are all so strong and every story is different, but it's so good to hear how they all commemorate their babies. I think many times when someone loses a baby, the world looks as it as they don't have that baby anymore.... That is COMPLETELY wrong. I am a mother of two beautiful children with one on the way. But going to this group makes me realize that I do need to get excited about every thing that happens with this pregnancy, because you never know when it will be taken away from you. Which brings me to a story that I was introduced to this past week, It makes me cry every time I read it!

The white rose

All the earth's mother were gathered together at God's garden of flowers. Those beautiful budding spirits who would someday come to earth, were nurtured and tended in the garden. A loving father spoke to the mothers. "See the works of my hands, someday you will be mothers to these radiant spirits". The garden glowed with the mixture of all kinds and colors. "choose ye", he said. Now in the east corner of the garden, pure white roses stood as sentinels. They were not so colorful as the rest, but glowed with a kind of purity which set them apart. One by one, the mothers stepped forward. "I want the blue eyed, curly haired one who will grow to maturity and be a mother in zion". Yet another chose a brown eyes, brown haired boy, full of life and love who would someday be a prince in a grand country. The garden buzzed with excitement as the others chose their own special spirits, they whom they would soon welcome into the warmth and love of an earthly home. Once again the father spoke "But who will take the white roses, the ones in the east corner of the garden? These will return to me in purity and goodness; they will not stay long in your home, for i must bring them back to my garden for they belong with me, but they will gain bodies as was planned. You will miss them and long for them, but i will personally care for them." "No, not I," many said in unison. "I could not bear to give one back so soon." "Nor I," said others. "We will take those who will remain and grow to maturity and live long lives." The loving father looked out across the multitudes of mothers with a longing in his eyes for someone to step forward. But there was only silence. Then he said "See the most pure and perfect of all the white ones? I chose him. He will go down and be a sacrifice for all mankind. He will be scorned, mocked, and crucified. He is mine own. Will not anyone choose like unto him?" A few mothers stepped forward. "Yes, lord, i will." Then another, and, "I as well," "Yes, we will lord." Soon all the white roses were taken, and they rejoiced in the choices of their mothers. The father spoke again, "Oh, blessed are you who chose the white roses, for your pain will be a heavy cross to bear, but your joy will be exceeding beyond anything you can understand at this time." The white ones embraced their mothers, and so full was their purity and love that it filled their souls with such endearment. Each mother knew they could endure the task. The greatest of all the white ones, gathered them as a hen gathers her chicks, and the outpouring of love surrounded each mother and child, consuming all the white ones as he prepared them for their task. And each mother who bore the weight of the white rose, would feel the overwhelming love of God, as they all shouted "Thy will be done."

Oh to have a successful night of sleep again...

So, I think I may have been spoiled for the past two years because Lily has always been an amazing sleeper! We have never really had a consistent struggle of her sleeping through the night or even going to sleep when she is supposed to. It's been wonderful so far until the past month or so. She'll go to sleep, but STAYING asleep is the issue.
Our AC in our upstairs (where we sleep) isn't exactly in working order right now. So we've been just sleeping with our windows open and fans. It hasn't been too bad, but yes I will agree there have been a few nights where we as a family have come downstairs and slept on couches. So for the first little while, she would wake up because it was hot. She would ask for a drink and we would get one for her and would take her downstairs to cool down. Well it has been starting to cool significantly at night, and isn't NEARLY as hot as it used to be. She is still waking up every night expecting to get a drink and to sleep in our bed with us.
Ok, I have NEVER been a fan of her sleeping in the same bed as us. I still am not a fan. We only brought her in a few times when she was scared but it has apparently stuck. So now I have decided what we need to do is help her in HER room and take care of the problem in there and then once there are no more obvious problems we'll leave. Well, she obviously doesn't like this idea. Last night she woke up just before midnight and after we left her alone at about 12:30-12:45 she was still crying until almost 2. She's getting much more stubborn every day so it's just a power struggle at that point. It's hard because Todd has to work in the morning so when this happens he usually moves downstairs anyway so he can get some sleep. So anyway... I guess what I'm saying is does anyone have any ideas of what we can do to get her to sleep in her own bed? We have a nightlight that we turn on, we have a fan blowing right on her, even though it's already cool. Any other suggestions?!

July 24th Weekend

Robbie and Lily Playing at Grammie's in her wading pool.
Fisher Family Reunion adult dinner!
Robbie and Lily playing in the car... they seriously are so cute together!
Lily taking a pony ride! She wasn't sure at first, but then was mad when we took her off!

We had a fun weekend for the most part. We went to Milford because it was the Fisher Family Reunion on Saturday. It wasn't a huge turn out but it was still fun to be around family. Towards the end of Saturday I started to get really queasy. The night ended in me having some kind of stomach issues. I don't know what hit me but for the rest of the weekend and the beginning of this week I have been pretty sick... not so much fun. Good thing we got to spend some happy time together before that all happened!

I'm so happy I've made this choice!

So, we're having a baby here in about 5 months, and before I ever got pregnant I had been doing some research about having a midwife vs. OB/GYN. There were a lot of back and forth decisions about what we were going to choose. I loved my OB. He was always so fun and really was such an awesome guy. But we don't have any insurance, so that came into play as well. I talked with women who had had home births and hospital births and asked what their opinion was on both experiences. I read some medical journals on if there were any serious risks on having a baby at home. I honestly did a lot of research on this topic. I watched a lot of videos, read a lot on the topic and talked to actual people who believed each side.

Before we were even pregnant Todd and I decided that we wanted to try a home birth if it was possible with the problems we've had in the past. We talked to a couple of midwives here in Cedar City to see what they do when there is an emergency and what their beliefs are. They both felt that I was completely safe to try and do a home delivery. We decided to go with a lady here who is a midwife mostly because she just loves to deliver babies. She's been doing it since the 70s and obviously has seen about all there is to see when it comes to birth. She is hardly making any money off us, so it's good to know that she really just cares about how the baby and I are doing. Each appointment we have is an hour long where she actually sits with us and talks to us about any of our concerns or questions. She is so sweet! Lily has come with me to almost every appointment and actually got to lay next to me while they check the heart rate of the baby and was lifting up her shirt as to say, "I'm next!" :)

Another thing that helped me make my decision is when we met with the midwife she said that she wouldn't take us on unless we prayed about it, she prayed about it and we both felt good about that decision. How amazing is that?! I walk into her birth room and she has pictures up of Jesus with newborns. You can't find that in a doctor's office. There are many different reasons why we have made this choice. I know how many people may think that we're crazy for this choice, but it is our choice to make. We feel very good about it and who knows, after this experience we may change our minds, but we'll see how it goes!

4th of July Weekend!

Excited to start the festivities!
Tasha, Emma, Todd making some interesting milk shakes... lol
Lily and Todd getting some candy at the parade!
Lily and Trex waiting for the fireworks! (Trex is Todd's cousin's son! He's adorable!)
The Cousins! These are Todd's cousins the Judys and the Livingstons. They are all so fun and awesome! It was good to spend Saturday with them!
Me and Lily hanging out!

We got a double dip of independence day! Saturday we went to Milford and hung out with Todd's family. After we watched the fireworks there we drove home. Then Monday morning we woke up and went to the Cedar City parade. Lily loved it! We also had a BBQ with some good old friends! It was such a good time to see all of them and to laugh and laugh and laugh! Monday night we ended it off by going out our back door and watching the Enoch fireworks, I was impressed considering that Enoch usually just piggybacks off of Cedar City. It was a fun weekend full of traveling and enjoying our first Cedar City fourth...yeah I know we've lived here for almost 5 years, we had to start sometime! :)

And so it begins....

yes this is me at FIFTEEN weeks!!!!!!!!! I feel like I've gotten much bigger much faster with this pregnancy. I was trying to find my picture of my belly from the day we found out I was pregnant... let's just say, my stomach was NOT this big! hehe

Relay for Life and Family Reunion

We had a great weekend last weekend. We started it off being part of a relay for life team with Todd's cousins. They are amazing and we love their family! This is Kiana and Nish, two beautiful sisters! They are a very strong family who have shown me how to be so strong! I hope one day I'm half as strong as they are!
Todd doing his laps! We were there for about three hours friday night and we each walked about 4.5 miles! By the end of the night, the team walked WAY over 300 miles! Isn't that CRAZY?!
Saturday morning we drove to Wayne County for the Fordham Family reunion. It was such a fun and relaxing day for us! This was the very intense game of volleyball that was going on! hehe
Lily with some of her favorite cousins! They love her too!
Lily spent most of the day in the swing... and all of her cousins kept pushing her so she was in heaven! It really was a lot of fun!
Lily with her grandma! She just loves her grandma, and I'm pretty sure that her grandma loves her back! They are really good friends! It's fun to watch them together! :) Overall, it was a lot of fun! I wish we had weekends like this every weekend!

The Past Two Weeks!

Lily seeing the ocean for the first time! The warf in Monterey!
Lily's first amusement ride! :) She screamed when we took her out of the boat!
Lily and I touching starfish and sea urchins.
The family sitting in a life-size clam :)
Lily saying hello to the turtle!
Eating some delicious mexican food, we gotta represent!
Lily playing with our friend Barb... they are life long buds now! :)
Camping at Yankee Meadows!
Lily gone camping! Does she look dirty to you too? hehe
We were so happy to be up in the hills!

The past two weeks have been crazy busy! It started out on the 5th when we left for Salinas, CA for a whole week! While we were there we went to MANY beaches, had a bonfire with old friends, visited old ward members for Todd, went to the Aquarium which is always fun, helped his sister move her classroom, enjoyed a week with each other! It was a busy week full of lots of laughs and good times! Todd and I also got to go on a date and watched the sunset over the WINDY beach! The waves were CRAZY though!

We came home on the 12th and brought with us Todd's sister, April, and her daughter, Taylor. When we got home, his other sister, Rachel, as also here with her family. We went camping up above Cedar City, did some scrapbooking, made lots of delicious and healthy food, plus watched some really good movies! It was so fun to see everyone while they were here. They will all be definitely missed! Now our lives are back to their mundane day to day things, but that's fine too. It'll be nice to actually clean my house instead of pile everything around....

In case you haven't heard yet...

I haven't exactly been keeping this a secret, but we're expecting again! I'm due Christmas Eve... haha! That's my least favorite part of this pregnancy so far! I've been pretty sick but I'm making due! Lily still doesn't get that she's going to be a big sister, but that's fine! I'm just about 13 weeks! Officially over the first trimester!

What Makes a Mother

I found this on a friend's blog and it just really touched me! I have been thinking of my Gibson a lot lately and I miss him so much! I read this and I knew that it is so true! I am in tears as I type this and I know that I will have Gibson again one day, but between now and then is not always easy. ..

What makes a Mother
.
I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today.
I asked what makes a Mother...
And I know I heard him say.
A Mother has a baby
This we know is true.
But God can you be a Mother
When your baby's not with you?
Yes, you can He replied
With confidence in His voice
I give many women babies
When they leave is not their choice.
Some I send for a lifetime
And others for a day.
And some I send to feel your womb
But there's no need to stay.
I just don't understand this, God
I want my baby here
He took a breath and cleared His throat
And then I saw a tear.
I wish I could show you
What your child is doing today.
If you could see your child smile
With other children and say
"We go to earth and learn our lessons
Of love and life and fear.
My Mommy loved me oh so much
I got to come straight here.
I feel so lucky to have a Mom
Who had so much love for me
I learned my lesson very quickly
My Mommy set me free.
I miss my Mommy oh so much
But I visit her each day.
When she goes to sleep
On her pillow's where I lay.
I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek
And whisper in her ear
"Mommy don't be sad today
I'm your baby and I'm here."
So you see my dear sweet one
Your children are OK
Your babies are here in My home
And this is where they'll stay.
They'll wait for you with me
Until your lesson is through
And on the day that you come home
They'll be at the gates for you.
So now you see what makes a Mother
It's the feeling in your heart.
It's the love you had so much of
Right from the very start.
(Jennifer Wasik)

Lily's First Hair Cut

What's that?! Oh yeah! I got a hair cut!
Before the cut... very straggly and lots of different lengths. If you notice, she had the mullet thing going on.
Side view right after the cut! You can already tell there's no mullet to be seen!
What it looks like now. The angles aren't that great and we barely even took like an inch off, but I personally think it looks SO much better! Plus it's more curly now and super cute!
Plus, I took about 6 inches off of my hair too... I love it! Great way to start off the summer!

Lily's First Horsey Ride

Today Todd took Lily on her first Horsey Ride. She thought it was hilarious! She was laughing so hard it was adorable! We would ask her what a horse says and she would say "neigh!" and then Todd would go back up on his legs and she kept almost falling off and it was so cute! It was a classic moment at the Fisher house! hehe

Mother's Day

This year, my mother's day was extended! I loved it! Saturday Todd and I went on a date, but before we left for our date, Lily gave me "her" present for mother's day. It was three beautiful pink roses and a card where she "signed" her name. She was so excited to give it to me, it was so adorable! Todd and I went and saw Iron Man 2... guess who picked the movie... hehe. Our awesome neighbors watched Lily for us, it was nice to be alone for a couple of hours.

Sunday, Todd let me sleep in before church, which is always a battle of who gets to sleep in on sundays... hehe. I then walked downstairs to get something to eat, and on the table was the pink roses that Lily gave me plus a dozen red ones! So cute! Then, next to that was a card on top of The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook! Can I just tell you how excited I am about that! I have been looking for healthy recipes for a long time and am never really quite sure how healthy something truly is. I'm excited to KNOW that what I'm making for dinner is healthy. Plus the recipes look delicious and not too weird! hehe. It was one of the best presents Todd has given for a while so I'm pretty excited about it! I only had to change one diaper yesterday and Todd did all the dishes! I love him!
I hope you all had a great mother's day! I know it was a great day for me!

My New Life

One of my beautiful friends shared this video on their blog, I couldn't go without sharing it as well! It is such a powerful story, but it is something we all need to remember. As I listen to this story I can't help by think about the darkest times in my life and when I felt my Heavenly Father there on my right hand and on my left. I am overwhelmed with the love of my Father in Heaven. I feel like I've been complaining too much lately and I feel that this has kind of brought me back the right perspective. I know that I am loved! I know that He is there when I most need him. I have experienced this and there is no peace like that given from the spirit of the gospel. If you are struggling with anything, I encourage you to get on your knees and express your feelings to your Heavenly Father, you will never regret it!

The Piano

This is our new piano! Guess how much we paid for it, $0 yeah that's right... it was FREE! My sister got it from a past relationship but she was moving to a smaller place and needed to get rid of it. I offered to buy it but my sister is awesome and decided to just GIVE it to us! I LOVE it! It is not perfect, there are a few chips a bruises but who cares, we got it for FREE! Two of the three pedals are broken off so we need to get those fixed but that's really all we need to do. It's AWESOME! It's Lily's new favorite toy!

Cricut

So I've never really been huge on crafts but I've always enjoyed doing scrapbooking! After we got our tax return I was able to talk Todd into letting me get a Cricut! I am so excited about it! I'm also part of a card group and I figure I'll make all my money back by how many cards I'm gonna make with this thing! I don't have to buy stickers anymore either! Woo Hoo! I really want to find some vinyl you can cut out and put on your walls so I can do some decorating... Anyone know where I can find any of that around here?

What has been happening in our yard

This is what it looked like when we moved in, we did some work by hand and put a lot of it in piles. You can see that picture on Facebook.
Backyard before we got the machinery.
After! Frontyard
Backyard after! It took a good solid 7 hours on the bobcat to make it look like this. Doesn't it look so much better?!

How our week has turned out so far!

We're definitely going to be getting that bed rail going here soon!