Thursday, December 4, 2008

Happy Holidays!

Hello all,
Sorry that it's been so long, I've discovered facebook and have been spending all my time there, quite literally! Things are great, not much going on but I'm sure that I can think of something funny the kids have been doing.
Adam great, he is so close to being done w/school he can taste it. I can't believe it's almost over. He is working hard and we're just hoping that his job continues to work for him too. This recession is leaving a lot of people out of work. Keep your fingers crossed.
I am trying to fit back into my normal clothes, but the holidays make that hard, especially when I have no will power to refuse yummy food! I'm managing the kids better every day, I just have to keep to my schedule. I'm finding that cleaning the house is less and less important to me though, I'm just trying to survive the day. I love the little monsters though so I guess I'll have to keep them around a little while longer.
Ty is really into sports, he is playing bball right now and is doing great. He is a little to aggressive and doesn't pass the ball but we're working on that. He wants to play football next year and I have to admit that I think he'd be great. Like I said, he is pretty aggressive and would love to have an excuse to tackle someone. It's a big commitment though so we're a little hesitant, not to mention the fact that he could reallly get hurt. We'll just have to see what happens. He is becoming very sarcastic which is our fault, since we're just too serious! Ha, ya right.
Logan is good, he loves preschool and also love to torture his little sister. He keeps asking me what foods he can eat that will make him as big as Ty but the results aren't fast enough for him. He wants to play sports but is way too small and is a bit of a poor sport.
Ava is Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, she is an angel one minute, singing and dancing and giving everyone kisses. The next thing you know she is screaming so loud that the dog has to leave the room. But she's screaming "i'll be nice." Ya, she'll be nice, if you give her what she wants!
Ian is a great baby, he likes to have me in his line of sight at ALL times and gets quite upset when i'm not. He only wakes up once at night and goes right back to sleep after he eats. He is lactose intolerant which is strange for me, I've never had any of the kids affected by how I eat.
Well all of us are great and hope you all have a great Christmas.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The House

Okay, I have finally taken pictures of the inside of the house, it's cold out and I don't want to go outside right now, so I'll get the outside later. I'll get them eventually. We still love this house; the doorknobs, the paint, the baseboards! Everything! We still have some pictures to hang and some nail holes to fill and a few more homey touches and we'll be done. Are you ever really done though? There is always something, isn't there?
Whoever said that once you've had three kids it's easy was lying!! I have three babies, Logan and Ava are still so whiney. And they all lose it at the same time! I think I'm finally getting a handle on things though, I actually went out in public today. Ava's hair wasn't done and I hadn't showered yet, but we were out there getting things done, that's the important thing.
Adam is great, he is starting a new business having to do w/financial management, he is still doing construction but is also doing this now. He is very ambitious and has to be continually moving forward, I can't complain though becasue he is such a hard worker and wants the best for his family. He is almost done w/school, just three more classes and should graduate in the spring. We are so excited, it's a little surreal though because he has always been going to school, what's he going to do w/himself? I know he'll find something to keep him going.
I am just trying to survive four children! That's a joke, I love all of the kids I just find myself looking at all of them and going "Holy Crap! I have a lot of kids!" It's amazing that just having one more made it seem like so many. My in-laws are my saving grace, they help out a ton. It's nice to have the extra hands since I'm usually doing it alone! If everyone thought I was sxheduled before I'm a down right nazi now! Schedules save my sanity. So it's almost nice that Adam is rarely here during the week because he always throws off the system.
Ty just finished his soccer season, it was a rough one. They never won a game, his team got an "A" for effort and that's all I can say about them. He is starting basketball in November, he has never played before so I think we're going to need our family expert (Anth that's you) to give him some pointers. He is very competitive so I'm hoping he catches on fast. We are trying to keep him fairly busy, he is so much nicer when he has activities to do. Ty has been pretty good w/all the kids. He is a fantastic helper when he wants to be but has developed some major attitude. I'm not looking forward to his teens. I have finally let him start picking up Ian w/o my help and have discovered that he is a very calming influence on Ian. He stops crying and just stares at Ty, it's really cute and Ty loves it. Being the big brother suits him well, Ava and Ian seem to adore him. We won't mention how Logan feels!!
Logan is loving preschool and loves to sing the songs he learned, he has really grown up in the last two months, but is still a big whiner! He loves Baby Ian and helps me a lot by rocking Ian's chair when he cries. Logan is my neurotic child, the older he is getting the more OCD he is. He has to wear his pants as tight as possible which is difficult when he's a 4T in length and about a 12 month in waist (that is no exaggeration), he also doesn't like his sleeves to touch his wrists and needs his shoes so tight that the laces break! The benefit to his OCD is that he is a stickler for the rules, I don't need to worry about him or anyone else breaking rules when he is around. I don't like shoes in my house so he will tell anyone who comes in to take off their shoes, so I don't have too! He never misses the dirty clothes hamper either (unlike Ty). So there are some pluses to his neuroses.
Ava is a pill, she is absolutely adorable one minute and one of Satan's minions the next! She has taken to growling out commands to everyone lately, especially to Logan. If I correct him, she copies what I said in a growl, example; I tell Logan he can't have anymore candy and then Satan's minion repeats "NO LO AN CANNY!" in a growl. She is also very stern about rules and always sits on the step leading into the house from the garage to take off her shoes, effectively causing a pile up of people waiting to get in! She still loves shoes and clothes and is becoming picky about her hair, if we get around to doing something w/it. She insists on two "ponies" (pigtails) in her hair and while through a hissy fit if there is only one. I love seeing the differences in boys and girls, she copies so many things that I do, I always put hair ties in my teeth when I'm doing her hair and now she has to put one in her teeth. It is so cute. I'm so glad that I have a little girl, the fits and the drama aside she is adorable and talks in a little sing-song voice, when she is happy. Whenever she said please or thank you it's always "pease, Mom" or "tank ou, Mom" I love it! She is also really cute w/Ian, she calls him "Baby Een" and is concerned whenever he cries.
Ian doesn't have a whole lot to say yet! He is a good baby but doesn't really like to go anywhere, he dislikes his car seat and screams whenever he is put in it. And wakes up about every three hours at night. He is adorable and looks just like Logan, so much so that we are constantly calling him Logan or Mikey (Logan's nickname).
Things are great guys, we are incredibly happy w/our huge family!!! Hope every one is doing great.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

He's here!!!!!

Ian James Archer was born on Sept. 20, 2008 at 8:53 pm. He weighed 8lbs even and was 21" long. It was a fairly tramatic day for all of us and things kept going wrong but all is well w/all of us and he is beautiful.
I was having sharp pains and random but hard contraction for two days and two long night, I finally woke up Saturday morning and said enough is enough, we are going to the hospital despite what they're telling me. My doctor was doing rounds that morning, so thankfully he was there. They checked my cervic and he was breech, the little booger. So the sharp pains were him kicking me in the cervic! They gave me several options, they could manually turn him, I could have a c-section or they could manually turn him and I could possibly have an emergency c-section if it put him under to much stress. This scared Adam and I both, we have never had any trouble or talk of a c-section before. We opted for what we hoped was option number 1. It went well though horribly painfully, and my doctor broke my water, and put me on potocin. Ian didn't want anything but to sleep in there, they didn't like that and had to keep shocking him to wake him up, so more talk of a c-section. When I decided that it was time for a catheter the nurse put one in w/o checking my chart for allergies (which I didn't think to tell her about) and we found out the hard way that I am definetely allergic to iodine (major swelling)! And after all of that, he wouldn't drop and just wanted to face my leg, so the doctor kept positioning him correctly but he kept moving back up. So he eventually had to hold the baby's head in place while I pushed and between contractions until he finally came out!
After our tramatic day things have settled well, the swelling has made recovery a little harder than usual but still not too bad. The boys are in love w/him and are constantly wanting to hold him, kiss him, touch him and just generally be close to him. Ava doesn't really care about him, she will just randomly point at him and say "baby."
Grandma and Grandpa had a long weekend w/the other kids. Logan got mad at Ty on Sunday becasue he drew a picture of himself, Logan and Uncle Austin. Logan didn't think that he was drawn proportionately and kept telling Ty "I'm not that teeny, Ty!" and insisted that the picture be redrawn. Ty drew him another picture w/Logan about the size of Godzilla and himself and buildings the size of ants!! Ava is still yelling all of her words, she yells nicely but has not learned volume control. "MILK, PLEASE!!"
Adam was a HUGE help at the hospital, I'm so glad that he was able to be there. He had just started a new project at work and it would be really hard for him to get away, depending on what they were doing, but he didn't have to work on Saturday and Monday it rained so he couldn't have gotten a lot done. So all things considered everything worked out perfectly.
Well, I have to go feed Ian. We love you all.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Moved

Well we went to look at houses on the 2nd of August and put an offer on one that day, we found out that we got it on the 5th and we moved in on the 26th! Not to shabby! We went to a family party on Sunday and no one even knew that we had moved! I can't believe how fast it all went. Our old house is under contract and should close between the 19th and the 30th, keep your fingers crossed. Everything has just really fallen into place, it was almost to easy. I had some awesome friends help me unpack boxes and put things away. Normally I want to do those things on my own but I'm like 9 months pregnant, I just want it done! We were all moved in and unpacked w/in three days, I think that's pretty good. We love our new house, it is adorable. The lady that lived here did so many cute things, the kids bathroom has a big tree painted in the corner and the toy room is insane! I'll add pictures when we hang ours. There are massive amounts of shelves in the closets, Ava doesn't even need a dresser. Adam and I can both fit in the master bathroom now at the same time! It's awesome! And we're in Sandy, which is perfect for us, we thought that we'd have to move out to West Jordan but our realtor was fantastic and found us a house right were we wanted it. We are just 15 minutes away from Mom and Dad and about 10 from Adam's little brother. And only about 3 from his best friend. We are thrilled w/the way it has all worked out.
I am doing great, I didn't overdue too much w/the move. I am sooo ready to have this baby, I am scheduled to be induced on the 24th of this month but I probably won't get to go in then because the new hospital is way overcrowded and they are constantly turning people away. We'll just have to wait and see, maybe he'll come on his own (not likely!)
Adam is very excited about his new commute, 15 minutes, you can't beat that! He is taking a class at the U of U and is really enjoying it. He has been working really hard getiing all of our stuff down here and then putting stuff away that I can't, he knows I'll do it if he doesn't remove the temptation!
Ty likes his new school and has made a few friends, there is another 8 year old boy just two doors down, which rocks. He has been helpful w/the little kids but is a little miffed that he has to share a room again. We told him that he will get his own room when he starts junior high. He counting down the days. He also started soccer this week and is doing really well w/it. He told me yesterday that he wants to play football now so that he can get big muscles. I haven' t decided how to handle that one yet. I don't really want him to play but I don't want to discourage him in something that he wants to do. we'll just have to see.
Logan did get to go to preschool after all, I have a neighbor two doors down that has a preschool in her basement and she had an opening so we slid him right in there two days before it started. He is loving it and is so adorable because his backpack is bigger that he is. He doesn't like me to walk him to school though, he wants to do it by himself. Luckily it's pretty close so that I can just walk him out the front door and watch go. It's nice having that quiet time w/Ava, though all I've managed to do w/that time so far is sleep. I don't sleep well at night and I am having such bad pain in my hips that I can't walk in the morning so I end up falling asleep. I'm a terrible mother!
Ava is hitting the terrible two and throws the biggest fits I've ever seen! She loves to scream "No, I don't want to." She is going to be such a pain. She is still too cute for words though and gets extremely spoiled. Maybe that's were the bratiness comes from??
We are enjoying all of kids and it's really fun seeing they're different personalities develop.
Logan is running around the house naked, I should probably do something about that! Laters all, we love you

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Moving

Hi everyone! I don't have too much to say, nothing much is really going on. Adam finished the toy room, I'll try to get a picture of it posted, it's really cute. And in celebration of finishing the toyroom we're moving!! Adam is tired of sitting in traffic for hours just to get into or out of the valley, so we moving! He has been going crazy doing little projects that we've meant to do since moving in. He is building a new deck, finishing baseboards, touch up paint, etc. It wouldn't be a pregnancy if we weren't moving! This should be it for us though. We are so tired of the stress it puts on everyone, this move was inevitable though. It was either now or in the next 3 yrs, so why not now! We love our house and neighborhood, but I want to see my husband at night!
Adam got into a university in the east somewhere and the university of utah so he'll be able to finish his classes online. Weber isn't offering anything that he needs this coming semester so he got permission to go to another university. He is working hard, as usual, and is always going faster than the speed of light (I think he might be Superman!) until he drops into bed and passes out instantly! Me on the other hand, I toss and turn and can't turn my brain off until about 5 am! I think about the dumbest, most insignifigant things too! Where would I put the couches if we got this house? I wonder how fast the house will sell? What should I eat for breakfast? I mean come on now! Sleep!!
We can't wait to school to start (Ty and I) the kids are getting restless and bratty. I think turning 8 translates to 8titude! Ty has been snotty and such a back talker ever since he turned 8! I keep threatening to put a backpack on him backwards and put at least ten lbs in it and make him wear it all day! He is always giving me a hard time when I sit down, or ask him to get something for me! I keep trying to explain that this thing under my shirt isn't a beach ball! It's heavy! And Logan thinks that the baby needs stairs to come out! I don't know what he is picturing! Every time I go to the doctor he asks me if they are going to take the baby out, if it were only that simple! He has been quite the little whiner lately! I feel bad that he won't get to attend preschool this year, he is so ready to get out there. I've been doing some computer programs w/him but it's just not the same as going off to school, we can't enroll him though because we just don't know when we'll move and preschool isn't free! I've just got to pin myself down to a schedule and get some crafts going for him to do.
Ava is doing great, she is so much fun. If I had known how much fun a girl would be I would have had more!! She is so girlie too, I just hope that lasts. She has to have about 10 different toys sleep w/her everynight before she will even get in bed! And she already has a shoe fetish that rivals mine! We have to avoid going anywhere near shoes at the store or it will be a major melt down! And she has this horrible high pitched scream that pierces your ears, but I think that it's adorable because it's so girlie! Not that I go out of my way to HEAR the scream but I can't help but laugh wnen I hear it! She loves to dance and sing and everything is either "tute" (cute) or "eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww" which needs no translation!
We are all doing great, hopefully things move smoothly and quickly for us, I'm not very patient and waiting when there is so much to do is just torturous for me! Hope you are all doing great.
Us

Sunday, July 13, 2008

New Bloggers

We thought that we should get w/the times and start our own blog. I am not entirely computer literate so this will take me awhile to get started! I guess I'll start w/what is new w/everyone.

Adam is still going to school at Weber State but is closing in on the end! Just 5 classes left. He is still working as a Superintendent w/KBR Construction and still loves it. He has done tons of work on the house and is always looking for new projects to start. He recently built a playroom for the kids, complete w/little door and windows. He has been doing tons w/the kids this summer which thrills me, the kids are all turning into Daddy's kids! I love it.

I have been trying to keep busy, hoping that this pregnancy will go by faster if I do. I babysit two days a week and am trying to keep up w/the housework. I take the kids swimming a lot and as a result we are all getting really tan! Adam got me a new beach cruiser bike and I love it! We take the kids on lots of bike rides. I'm sure I look ridiculous w/my big tummy on my little bike, but whatever, I don't care! I'm about 28 weeks along now w/our third little boy (fourth baby). This one has been much harder than any of the others, I'm older and well, my abs just aren't supporting this one, so he just rests on my pelvis. OUCH! Things are going well w/the pregnancy though, so I shouldn't complain.

Tyler is a soccer freak, he loves to play. We decorated his room in all soccer stuff and I made him a duvet cover that has soccer balls all over it. He has had such a great summer, he has tons of friends and plays all day long. He got baptized this June and has been really cute about trying to be a better big brother. Even though he is already a great one.

Logan is great, he loves anything to do w/cars. He loves to line them all up along the fireplace and talks to them, it's really cute. He also loves soccer but doesn't understand why everyone is trying to steal the ball! He is always asking Ty if he is his best friend, Ty always says, "well, you're my best brother!" Logan still loves to beat up on Ava, she is learning now that it is really fun to hit him w/her toys! Logan is also our animal fan, he is always falling asleep on our giant Lab and loves to kiss and cuddle him. Luckily Jake is very patient and just lays there trying to ignore him!

Ava is finally developing a personality! She loves shoes and dresses. She loves stuffed animal and calls all of her toys, her babies! She loves her big brother Ty and gives him hugs and kisses all day long. She also loves her one and only Barbie, they dance around the living room together and Ava sings. I love having a girl, they are so different then boys.

Well that's about all that's going on here. I can't think of anything big to report. We love and miss you all.

Archer's