Rilie loves ski masks lately.

27 weeks

Hello blogging world!

I am 27 weeks now! Although, I think I'm somewhere between 27 - 29 weeks. My lil'guy is measuring really big and developed for his "age". The glucose test came out negative. I go back for an ultrasound next week. I think my due date is just off. We found out I am low on iron, so they've added that (and vit. C) to my list of supplements. I am enjoying my chiropractor visits. I bought some comfy slippers for around the house and ballet style pair for church. My feet thank me everyday! Nick and I are signed up for our hypnobirthing class. We are very excited.

The boys are doing wonderful!

Alvin received a 96% on his unit test in math. I assumed we'd spend two years on the higher math, but he is cruising through. He's also started seeing the chiropractor. We did x-rays and found his hips, neck, and skull were out of alignment. His spine is also twisting to the right, due to his muscle weakness on the left side. His sacrum (tail bone) was completely out. He's been complaining about knee pain off and on for two years. No one could figure out why. After 5 adjustments, the pain is gone. Now, he can do somersaults, skip, steadily stand on one foot, and hop around the room on one foot. He's done these before, but it takes about 2 months of physical therapy and the abilities fade 2 - 3 months after we stop. We are so happy for him!

Paul is doing really well too. The school isn't sending home notes anymore and tell me things are going much better. His penmanship is amazing! Writing and reading are coming along incredibly. At bedtime, we leave the light on for reading, but if we hear anything the light goes off. Now, we are always hearing their voices, but it's because they are reading out loud. Paul is also seeing the chiropractor. He is in good shape, for the most part. His spine curves to the right toward his neck, but that usually self-corrects. If it doesn't, then he would be more prone to injury in his teens/young adult. Most commonly seen in high school sports injuries. Our insurance covers it, so we thought what-the-who and he gets adjusted with Alvin. He is responding quickly to it, so he'll probably be done in a couple adjustments.

Rilie is a typical two year old, bipolar. Our days range from super cranky to laughing with delight. He isn't talking much still, but slowly getting there. He enjoys wrestling, hide-and-seek, playing with cars, and all time favorite: watching movies. Alvin and Paul are learning how to set good examples. Rilie likes to copy them, but isn't as gentle. Right now, he is chasing Alvin with a foam bat and hitting him. He's being gentle and Alvin says he likes it... I just remind him that it's our job to teach him how to be soft, because he won't figure it out on his own. He still loves taking showers and baths. It's the best way to get him out of a grumpy mood.

Nick is enjoying karate and his sensei wants him to advance. We aren't sure if it's something we want to stick with. He really enjoys it, but it is late at night 2x week. As he advances, he'd go 3x week. I want to be supportive... but I won't be broken-hearted if he decides to stop at the end of the school year. His studying is going well. He a little more than two more chapters to go. He took a day off this month to study. That was very helpful. I'm really hoping he can take the test in May. He is at a point where he is learning a lot of new stuff and applying it at work.

Last Saturday, we went to my parents cabin. There is a GIANT snow hill.... around 10 - 15 feet tall. My dad dug tunnels in one side that end with sledding hills on the other. Uncle Josh began building a snow castle on top.  The kids loved it! They were out there for hours. Rilie lasts for about 20 - 45 minutes at a time, only because he takes his gloves to better eat the snow. When I got him ready and was walking him outside, he saw some snow on the floor. He couldn't pick it up, so he laid down and began biting it off the floor. I had to carry him outside, screaming, to show him where there was better snow. He face planted himself into a berm and began eating away.

April is full of doctor's appointments for me. I will also go to the curriculum fair, which I am very excited about. I am still planning on homeschooling both boys next year.

I have a camera!

I have a camera again!

I went to check on a sleeping Rilie, to find him inside his car drawer.

Paul making snowballs. 

Goofy goof balls! 

Alvin's sweet smile. 

I'm watching a movie, I'm not going to smile.

Family of six...

Life is good. I feel like I already have 4 kids, in a good way... exhausting, but in a good way. I know it will be very different when little Kael, Jackson, or Andrew comes along (I can't decide for sure what name we're going to use).

I am still really enjoying homeschooling. I'm switching to Well-Trained Mind schedule/philosophy. It will be different, but I am excited. It's a lot more intense, but I feel like we could be doing more... although Alvin is enjoying his independent learning. We'll see if I can continue to give him that independence with more direction. Paul is excited to switch to homeschool next year. The biggest challenge I see to continuing homeschooling is getting out and about. I want them to have the benefit of going out, meeting new people, working with other adults. I think that is important. With a 2 year old and pregnant, it's nearly impossible.

Pregnancy is going well. I'm feeling a lot more movement, which is wonderful. Time feels like it's going faster, now that I'm over half way (24 weeks on Sunday). I started seeing the chiropractor, which I love! I'm not in any pain. I've had friends that used a chiropractor during their pregnancy to stay off alignment issues, discomfort, and help them with an easier birth. Dr. Jessica specializes in pregnancy, infants, and children. She works with a lot of special needs kiddos and uses manipulation to take pressure off the spine and nervous system. I'm interested to see what she can do for my boys.

Things continue to go well, one day... one dinner... one lesson... one errand... at a time. I'm enjoying this new phase. Hopefully, I can keep up this perspective. The last few years have been tough. 

Inner peace...

I've really enjoyed learning about hypnobirthing. The relaxation exercises have helped me in so many ways and areas. I've been listening to my CD while doing chores, etc. and it's helping me apply its techniques during busy situations. When I start to get overwhelmed (which leads to yelling, crying, etc.), I can just pause, do my breathing, find emotional balance, and move on with the day. I'm really grateful for this.

Another thing that is helping is finding gratitude. It's something I've been trying to work on the past couple years, but kept evading me. I would get caught up in drama & stresses and just feel that bogged down feeling that trials can bring. Reading the Book of Mormon again with my primary class has really helped give me the step up I needed, but couldn't find. It's easier to feel grateful for what you have, when you read about the family trials Nephi had. It's helping me to keep perspective and find joy to focus on.

I'm really grateful for these two things, because I am a crazy pregnant lady! I had begun to develop that filter one has over their mouth... but when people are being rude, it is such a struggle to keep it there. At Costco, it was very clogged at the entrance. I had all three of my boys with me, so we took up more space. We were waiting for an opening, when I spotted a BIG gap in the ATM line. Plenty of room for a cart without bumping into people. I said excuse me, reminded my boys to stay close and not bump into people (they look everywhere, but where they are walking), after I passed the man shouts, "Really!" I turned around and said, "Yes! Really!" A guy standing by looked at me with total disgust. As we're walking down the main isle, the random guy walks past us staring at us while talking to his girlfriend. I figure he's looking at something in my direction, but his stare was pretty intense. Eventually I hear him from 10 - 15 feet away talking loudly about how rude I was and he couldn't believe how I spoke to the other man. We continued walking down the isle, because it's where we needed to go... while this man and his girlfriend continued to talk very loudly about how rude we were for the next 5 minutes. I was about to "invite" myself into the conversation (since it was about me and my crimes), but knew it would make a much bigger scene and just waited for them to head a different direction. I did begin staring intensely back, so he stopped that at least. They were easily in their early 30s, so I don't know why they were acting like 13 year old girls (talking loudly about someone near by for 5 - 8 minutes). Ugh!

Life in the fast lane, even if you're moving at a crawl. This week, I've been more tired than lately. I am also trying to balance eating enough, but not overdoing it. "Hungry as an ox" was the title of my pregnancy newsletter and that is an UNDERSTATEMENT! Focusing on breakfast shakes and combining my proteins  & fiber so it will hold me over more than 1 hour. Luckily, I still crave fruits & veggies... so overall, I think I'm doing pretty good. 

Homeschooling Alvin is going much better. It's interesting that the answer for him was giving him more space to learn on his own. I think he's having a harder time processing outside language and it is becoming increasingly frustrating for him (and others). I'm trying to find my patients, talk slower, and be more visual with what I am saying. If I leave him on his own though, he figures it out and comes away with incredible grades. He's a grade level ahead in math with 93%. A few weeks ago, we started karate. It was a rough start teaching him to challenge his energy, but it is coming along now. We've turned it into a boys' night with dad and Paul. 

Paul is doing fantastic. He is eager to help at home and asking for homework at school. He doesn't like the boy names we're looking at for his new brother. He would like us to name him John the Baptist. We are considering homeschooling him next year. I think Paul can do a lot more work than he's given and I think I could do more teaching two than one. Although this thought changes from week to week. Paul is also improving his paper airplanes. We've had a book which teaches you different styles and how to build airplanes that make loops, etc. During church, he was able to make one from memory. I was very impressed. 

Rilie is a busy two year old. He's come down with a cough this week, which we are watching closely. Two friends, children came down with a cough that turned into pneumonia in two days. So far, he hasn't had any fevers... so I think we're okay. We have found a new favorite movie this week, Cars. He loves his plush Lightening McQueen from Aunt Sam & Uncle John-David. We are excited that he is beginning to talk. We're still in the phase where he only does one syllable out of the word, usually the first one... sometimes the middle or last one. Last night, he was trying to sing the theme music from Psych, which was hilarious. 

Nick is coming along with his certifications. We bought the book and he's on chapter 2 out of 10. We're hoping to have this one done by June (possibly April). The goal is to be at professional level by the end of the year. It will take two tests to get there. Work is going well. This is our third week working long hours and it doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. We're doing our best to make the most of the time we have. He's been really good at spending time with the boys when he gets home, they miss having their dad home more. He is enjoying karate with Alvin & Paul. They usually get an ice cream cone afterwards.

Overall, things are going well. Staying busy, but not so busy I've lost my sanity.

17 weeks and counting...

Things are looking up for the Anderson household. My first trimester fog of exhaustion and mood-swings has lifted. I am beginning to feel a filter on my mouth, so I feel more confident hanging out with friends. Although, my vocabulary is greatly declining, it's better than speaking before thinking. The baby is growing healthy and well. I'm definitely showing. We're excited to find out what we're having next week! We already have a narrow list of names, but don't feel sold on anything just yet.

Nick's work is going well. He's been enjoying the federal holidays. We have one more next month and then were on a dry spell for awhile. We miss having a job that gives more vacation time, but we are grateful he has such a great job. Nick is beyond excited we're having  baby. He has enjoyed the different visits and sneak peaks at the baby.

The boys are doing well. The new baby has served as great motivation for reading. They want the baby to know their voices, so they enjoy reading & singing to my tummy. It's really cute. Alvin's home school is coming a long much better. We still plan on enrolling him back in public school next year, but it's nice to find a flow that keeps everyone sane. Paul's been a great helper around the house. Whenever he notices me napping in my room, he comes in and asked me if I want a lamp on or my music playing. He is so sweet. Rilie is coming out of terrible twos. He still isn't talking much, but we're giving it another 3 - 6 months. The pediatrician recommended PIC come out, they did and agreed we'd wait and see. It's nice having that confirmation.

Overall, things are going well.Nick and I are teaching the Valiant 9 class. We love it. There are only 4 of them, but we have fun making the lessons as interactive as possible. Each of them want to read the Book of Mormon this year, so we're encouraging them. One of our kiddos has already finished, he started 6 months ago. It was his own goal he accomplished by himself. We are really proud of him.