Lessons Learned

This was such a fun night...and one that soon will not be forgotten. It was a little before school was out for the summer and I had just got done shopping with the kids. I had fought them the whole time in the store and was ready to just get them home, bathed and in bed. As I was driving I had a very strong impression that I needed to take this time and make memories with my little ones. I'm sure this isn't exactly what Heavenly Father had in mind, but there has to be some adventure when I'm involved! I turned around and the girls instantly asked where we were going. I said to the dollar store. I had Kelbee run in and get some toilet paper. Of course she ran into our neighbors and couldn't wait to tell them of my plan. Rudy and Jared were at the movies - so I had to take advantage of their lonesome car. I showed them how to wrap the toilet paper around the mirrors, throw it under and over the car and to put the empty rolls on the windshield wipers. We got back in the car all of us giggling, with the exception of Wyatt who was screaming the entire time. On our way home I told the girls if they thought that that was fun, we should go toilet papering someones house sometime. They asked what that was and so I told them all about it and that you have to get dressed in dark clothes. It quiet for a couple of seconds and Raimee said "Mom, if I get out my dark clothes can we go tonight?"

Sink or Swim

Time is going by far to quickly. There are so many times that I feel like it's either sink or swim. So...it's time for me to swim. I need to remember all the reasons I love being a mom. I don't want to forget all the little things like...The late night feedings where it is only me and Wyatt. When he's done nursing and he has milk drool running down his face and is punch drunk. Where I am the only one that can comfort him. (Sometimes that is so overwhelming but at the same time so reassuring. At least one of my kids still needs me!) The smell of him after he just had a bath. The way he looks at me like I'm his whole world and flashes his beautiful smile. The sound of Brylee's voice when she first wakes up and demands chocat mik! How she'll grab my face and turn it to where she is just to tell me she loves me. When I'm leaving the girls room at night and as I'm closing the door I hear Raimee tell me "Thanks for being the best mommy in da ho wold." Watching Kelbee get out of the car every morning to go to school and knowing that she is making good choices. To say the least-this has been quite the adjustment, having four kids. But every day I'm blessed to see the hand of Heavenly Father in my life. Last Wednesday was Todd's first day back to work. I was so overwhelmed doing the whole nightly routine by myself and without them even knowing that - I had three wonderful women in my ward stop by my house. One to give me a warm loaf of banana bread and to see how I was. Another to give me a present for Wyatt and to see how I was. And the the other to bring me cupcakes and to see how I was. After the kids were all in bed that night I sat there thinking about all of Heavenly Father's tender mercies. I have been given such wonderful friends and family. Thank you everyone for all your help in keeping me afloat!!

1st Photo Shoot

We had these pictures done when he was nine days old. He peed and pooped all over Todd-I was so glad it wasn't me! That night I went to look on the blog to see if Gail had happened to post any pictures and I was blown away. Kelbee was standing right next to me and I started to laugh and I said "I look hot!" She got this disgusted tone in her voice and said, "That's you? That doesn't even look like you!" It's amazing what photoshop can do!

http://piccadillyphoto.blogspot.com/2010/02/baby-wyatt.html

Hospital Visitors

Nammi with three of the four of our little munchkins

Rudy Toot and Wyatt

While I was in the hospital Kelbee got student of the week and got a free Cafe Rio dinner

Kelbee and Wyatt

Raimee, Taylor and Brylee enjoying the mechanics of a hospital bed

Gramma K, Brylee and Wyatt

Krista, Brad and Wyatt

Nammi and Wyatt

Mitch and his little UTE! He thought he could never love someone that cheers for the Utes...Things change!!

I've Got A BRAND NEW Boyfriend!!

My Favorite "Valentines" Present I've ever received!

Little Chubbers-He Weighed In @ 8 lbs 4 oz-More Than A Pound Bigger Than Any Of My Girls

Being Checked By The Nurse In The Nursery

It Took More Than 20 Minutes For Me To Be Able To Hold Him...

When he came out he wouldn't cry. I could see the time on the incubator ticking and I thought he wasn't breathing. I looked at Todd and asked him what the heck was going on. He said he's fine and that his lungs are clear but that he just won't cry. They spanked him and gave him a Vitamin K shot but he still wouldn't make a peep. They looked at me and told me not to worry but that they were going to call the respiratory therapist. She came down and tried everything and they came to the conclusion that he's just like his dad...content with whatever!!

Todd Finally Has His Little Boy!!!!

I'm so in love with this boy! It all started on Tuesday the 9th when I went to my Dr.'s appointment. He said I was at a 4 and had a bulging bag (couldn't he come up with a better way to put it?) He said that if I didn't have the baby on my own that night that he wanted me at the hospital in the morning so he could break my water on the way to the office. We brought the girls up to Cindy's to sleepover and then went to my parents so Todd and my dad could give me a blessing. After the blessing my mom looked at me and said "You look really uncomfortable, are you in labor?" I was just like of course I am that's why I look like I'm about to have the biggest turd ever! She said that I should just go to the hospital, but I didn't have any of my bags. My dad mentioned something about malts and Todd wanted to just stick around. My mom looked at him and said "Why don't you go home and get everything, Krysta can rest and when you get back the malts will be done." He booked it out the door. So I sat down on the recliner in the living room and talked to Mitch about his night. (It was about 11:15). I closed my eyes and held my breath because I was having a wicked contraction. He looked at me like I was totally crazy and asked what the heck was wrong with me. I looked at him and said I'm in labor. He freaked out and I couldn't help but laugh. Until that moment he thought you could only be in labor at the hospital. We got to the hospital at about 12:30 and admitted me right away. At about 3:45 I was at a 6 and Dr. Holmes came and broke my water. Ten minutes later the nurse came in and said that she had to put monitors inside me because the baby was in distress. Turns out it was because I was already at a 9. Right before Dr. Holmes broke my water I started to throw up. I couldn't sit up because of my epidural and I had my hand covering my mouth. He looked at me and asked if I was coughing or throwing up. My eyes got huge and he jumped up trying to find something for me. He was yelling at Todd to wake up and get me a bag. As always he came to my rescue! They waited for about an hour and then five pushes later my handsome little angel was born! Wyatt Todd Knudsen weighed in @ 8 lbs 4 oz and was 20 1/2 in long. His cheeks are the best. They droop just a little from the excess of chubs on them. He smells so wonderful and I honestly can't get enough of him! Todd couldn't be more proud. I love watching him with Wyatt. There is a certain look in his eyes that he gets every time he holds him. We're trying to soak in every last bit of it...since we're praying that he is the caboose!

The 24th of July

Our 24th of July started two days before with Brylee waking up at 6 in the morning crying saying "my tummy huwt". I thought she was constipated and gave her an enema. They're so fun I gave her another one a few hours later because she still hadn't pooped and she kept crying about her tummy. I knew something wasn't right...but honestly I'm just a mom and have never been to medical school so I know nothing. I took her to the pediatrician and they did an x-ray and said that there was no blockage. She said it could be an appendicitis but there was no way because she was too little. That night she ran a fever of 103.7 and I was freaking out. I called Todd at work and he said that if it didn't come down in the next half hour with Tylenol that he would be home so we could take her to the ER. Well, it did come down and she slept. She woke up totally normal and happy as could be. She was fine that whole day. When she woke up the next morning (Pioneer Day) she was acting like she was two days before. I called my mom but she didn't answer and then I called Cindy and she said that she would be right over and that she would get Clare to come help Todd give Brylee a blessing. Her stomach was rock hard and would just cry if she wasn't snuggled up tight to your body. After the blessing I took her up to insta care where there was the best Dr. He checked her out and then looked at me and grabbed my hand and said "Oh sweetheart, I don't want to alarm you but you have a very long day ahead of you." He told me I needed to get her to the ER and that they would call and make sure that she could get right in. He said that he had been an ER Dr. for years and that she had an appendicitis. When I got to the hospital the nurses and everyone were so nice...except the Dr. that is. What a jerk! He kept insisting that the other Dr. was wrong and that there was no way that she could have it. It had to be a bladder infection...a caucasion girl in diapers - he was positive. So they cathidered her and ran tests and they came back fine. He was positive that it was something else so they drew blood and odd enough it came back fine too! By now we had been in the ER for a good three hours. Todd had to go to work, but thankfully I had Cindy by my side. The Dr. then sent her down for an ultrasound to see if she had an appendicitis. Before we went to go have it done he said that they wouldn't find anything, but because I was insisting they would do it. I wrestled with Brylee for a half hour while the tech prodded her little body. By this time I was done. I have never experienced something like this before. My girls have always been so healthy. The worst part of it all was while they cathedered her. They didn't want me to be apart of it, so they told me to stand back. Todd and Cindy held her down while she just laid there screaming. Same with the drawing of the blood. Her poor little hand was so small and they kept hitting valves and finally they just let it drip from her body into the tube. Well, we got back to her ER room and about 15 minutes later the Dr. came in, sat down and said..."I'll be darned. The radiologist said that she has an appendicitis and it's the size of an adults." They took her right into surgery and she was done about an hour later. My mom, Missy and Brie all brought Burger King to the Hospital. Isn't that funny that instead of saying that they came to visit, I focus on the food. Jamie and her friend Cass came over later that night. She had to have oxygen but as she was starting to come to she would swat at it and get really mad. I knew then that my Brylee Bear was back! Needless to say... A mother's intuition is always better than a Dr. of 30+ years!

Boating with Friends

Brylee

Raimee

Where in the heck is one of Kelbee? Todd took the girls boating one night with some of our friends while I had a really fun Relief Society meeting that went on and on. They had so much fun jumping out of the boat and eating otter pops. A perfect summer night!

Brylee's 2nd Birthday

Enjoying the FABULOUS Pizza at Chuck-e-Cheeses

I love this face! It's her happy but trying so hard not to smile

This picture is so Brylee! She'll take on anyone in anything

We went to Chuck-e-Cheeses to celebrate Brylee's actual birthday (since I was having her party on a different day) I decided that's my favorite way to do it. That way their day is really their day and not me freaking out because their party isn't going exactly how I envisioned it.

Bridal Veil Falls

Kelbee and Raimee at the bottom of the falls

Brylee sleeping through it all

Kelbee and Buzz

Kelbee wanted to head up the face of the falls and I told her that I would watch! That water is so stinkin' cold. Buzz of course was all over it and they had a lot of fun. It's so interesting to me that we don't take advantage of the beauty that we have right here in our own backyard. It took my Aunt and Uncle from Minnesota to get us up the canyon. After Bridal Veil we went and ate Subway at the park down a few miles. Ummmm...Subway!

Neighborhood 4th of July Party

Kelbee thoroughly enjoying the sparklers-barefoot no less

Me and Sheri on the wiggle cars. We stole them from the kids so we could race down the hill. I won all the time until my neighbor insisted that it was because I had the inside track. So I called him on it and when we raced I ate some serious crow!!

SOME of the kids in our neighborhood. I absolutely love where we live. The kids have so much fun and I have made some of the best friends that I could ever ask for here!

Our 4th of July (Night)

My Cute Little Family-gosh I'm excited to be there!

The 4 Amigos-well let's be honest, really Branson and Kelbee are the very best of friends and Lizzy and Raimee run after them trying to be just like them and it always ends up that the younger two are in tears!

I want some of the drugs that he's on!

The Little Terrors-could you ask for a cuter picture

4th of July night we spent at my parents. Tonya and her family were in town, so we got to celebrate it with them. They were here a good portion of the summer and wish they would just decide to live here. It's never the same celebrating without them. We had a BBQ and watched a lot of those stupid screaming fireworks. Branson, Kelbee, Lizzy and Raimee all took turns this year starting the fireworks. By the end they all insisted that they could go in the middle of the road with a torch and start it by themselves. Durh! How dumb do they honestly think all of us are?

Our 4th of July (Day)

Hadley, Hudson, Jaxon, and Kelbee

Hadley and Raimee

Brylee - what is it about kids and goggles? I can't get enough of it!

Carston and Brylee

Wouldn't they have the cutest kids? I already told Aimee that he's taken. We went to Warner's for a 4th of July BBQ. It was so relaxing to sit and eat and know that the kids were having the time of their lives. The Warner's know how to throw a party-even if it's a simple BBQ!

My Parade Beauty Queen

Kelbee-when all is said and done!

Nice Photo Work-Half her face is cut off!!

Kelbee started gymnastics in May. She has loved every minute of it. When she found out that she could be in the parade she really wanted to do it...but the selling point was that she got her very own Jump Up Gymnastics T-shirt for doing it. Who cares how much we pay monthly...you have to walk a mile in 100* weather to earn it. We'll do anything for FREE!! A girl after my own heart.

It's A Miracle!!

I finally have a computer that works! We'll see how long it lasts. I can't wait to start writing about my girls again and the fun that we had over the summer. I haven't been feeling that great either...but I got this on my e-mail and it made me laugh (it's how I feel) If you find yourself leaking a small amount of urine when you cough, laugh or sneeze, don't worry. Temporary incontinence is common in pregnancy. That's just great, you think. You knew you had to get diapers, but you thought they'd be for the baby, not for you. To head off that problem at the pass, try working out your hoo-hoo

Our Luau

Asha, Jaxon, and Kelbee

Raimee had her first "wiggle" car accident

She went crazy when she found out that there was blood!

Aimee, Me, Becca, Heather, and Katie

Why we didn't get a picture of the boys I'll never know. Especially since we were celebrating Todd FIANALLY passing the test! Our friends put together a Luau in honor of Todd. There was going to be a roasted pig...something that Todd has always wanted to do. But Becca was smart enough not to do it. It involves so much gross work. We'll wait til we go to Hawaii for him to experience that.