Tayden (&) Scott

Since Scott has started working, he and Tayden have sort of hit a rough patch. It was full of the two of them arguing, fighting, crying, tantrums...etc. It was bad. It was ugly. And it was causing major heartache for everyone. It was hard watching their relationship deteriorate and I had to figure out what was going on. I had an idea what happening and after talking to my mom, she confirmed my notions. He missed Scott horribly and was just begging for attention. As my mom put it, bad attention is better than no attention. So, he was acting out. Tayden needed more Dad time.

And he got just that.

Scott and Tayden spent most of Monday together. They went to Dads store, aka- Home Depot, then out to lunch. See how happy the boy is to be with Dad.

The fun didn't stop there. We went on a family walk to feed the ducks and stopped at the neighbors house to water his plants. (Our new responsibility since we moved in.) Scott was watering and Tayden was running around getting the last few of his wiggles out. I told Tayden to run under the hose thinking he'd get a drop or two water on him. Nope. Scott sprayed him straight in the face. Turned into an all out water war. Tayden got drenched. And he loved it.

I love seeing this boy so happy.

It's been a night and day difference. This little boy loves his dad more than anything in the world and to see them back on the same page warms my heart. They really are best friends.

Saturday Night BBQ

We had some friends over last night for a BBQ. We are so lucky, and I mean SO lucky, to have the amazing friends down here that we do. All the husbands, wives and kids (for the most part) get along. The men have guy nights, wives have Bachelorette night and the kids have play dates. These are the people that make living in Las Vegas not just bearable, but actually enjoyable. 

Last night we had everyone over. Well, almost everyone. Some of the besties are out of town. It was a great night full of laughing, good conversation, yummy food and wild kids. Couldn't ask for anything better, really. Well, maybe except for a less wild 3 year old boy. 

Thanks for the pictures Melissa!! 

The boys enjoying some patio conversation.

Melissa was trying to get the boys together for a pose. Apparently Tayden volunteered. 

The husbands. From left to right: Craig, Adam, Scott, Shawn and Matt.

The lovely ladies. Left to Right. Chelsea, Melissa, Me (proof of pregnancy), Sheena and Cori.

Sheena and Cori are 2 of my 4 other friends that are pregnant. The others were out of town this weekend. There are 5 of us due to have babies within 6 weeks of each other! No, Melissa- you did not miss an awesome winter party. Haha! Seriously though, I am so excited to be having babies with these fabulous ladies!  

I adore these ladies. 

Minus the fact that nobody seemed to care that I was enduring stage one of chip choking. 

I love my Las Vegas Family. 

You Make Me Happy

Day 5 of 30: List 5 That Make You Happy Now.

(I know, I know. It's going to take a year to get through this list if I keep going at the rate. But mark my words, I will complete the list.)

1. My children. Specifically watching them grow and learn new skills. Today Beckett went poo on the potty for the first time. It was so exciting. Tayden and I cheered and clapped and made a huge deal of it-- all the while Beckett sat beaming in pride. Tayden is developing quite the sense of humor. He has always been silly, but is now doing it on purpose. As we drove home from the store I asked him what he wanted to eat for lunch. He started naming all the things he saw outside and made them into a sandwich. Example: A mountain sandwich. Or, much to my dismay, uses "poopy diaper" in many of his jokes. What should we name the baby? Poopy Diaper Shark Boy. What do you want to eat? Poopy Diaper Sandwich.  Whats in your hand? Poopy Diaper money. Drives me nuts, but he thinks he is hilarious. I love watching them grow and develop through each stage. They are getting so big. 

2. Feeling Baby Boy 3 move. With all the stress of this pregnancy, it is so great to feel this little miracle. I love to sit still on the couch or lay in bed, put my hand on my belly and just breath in this little boy. It reminds me that there is a plan and purpose in all things. 

3. My sense of accomplishment as of late. Scott has started working long, long hours. He leaves about 15 minutes before the boys wake up and gets home about an hour after they go to bed. So I literally have them by myself the whole day for the whole work week. We knew this day of lots of work was coming, so I have been preparing for it for a while. Dreading also, but preparing. Now that it is here and I find myself actually being able to handle it, I have a great sense of pride in myself. In a single day I find myself feeding them, changing diapers, playing on the floor, cleaning the house, doing laundry, breaking up fights, cooking dinner, doing our extracurricular activities, running and chasing with them, and so on and so forth. Then bedtime rolls around and we do prayers and scriptures and off to bed. I am exhausted at the end of the day, but am happy with myself. This has been the hardest I have ever worked in my life and while I would trade it for my husband any day--I still feel pride.

4. My husband. Just having him sit on the couch across from me makes me happy. His presence in the house is unmatched. I love listening to him play with my kids and laugh. I love watching him make a sandwich for lunch. After having him gone so much--its a pure pleasure having him near me.

5. My sparkling toes. My mom and I got a pedicure when she was here. I love having freshly painted toes and I can't help but smile when they shine in the sun. 

Fathers Day

We had a great time celebrating Fathers Day this year. Scott told me on Saturday he wanted to go out and look for shorts and a new shirt. Well since I had already bought him some for Fathers Day he received his gift a day early. Tayden thought it was so fun to watch Scott open gifts, that he want to give him more. He got the gift bag I had given Scott, ran to his toy room and filled it up with toys. A few minutes later he came down and yelled, "Happy Fathers Day!". Scott opened his first bag of toys and Tayden refilled it about 17 more times. 

On Sunday I tried to give Scott the best day that I could. Even though it was full of crying and cranky kids--I cooked dinner and tried to let him relax as much I could. I even baked him a golf cake. He snapped a picture of it with his phone. But since he's not home right now (or ever since he started working) I don't have access to it. I'll show my inspiration.

I am so grateful for Scott and the great man that he is. He has the best work ethic of anyone I know. He puts in four 14 hour days a week and still manages to take care of his pregnant wife and play with his children. I love him for everything he is and am so blessed to be a part of his life. We love you Scott. Always, forever and no matter what.

Mennears to the Rescue

As I mentioned before, my parents came down for a few days this past week. They came strictly to help with the kids while we were dealing with the doctor and to give me moral support over the past few days of chaos. Even though the whole reason they came was to help, I feel bad that we weren't very entertaining. We went out to dinner one night and went to take the kids to the Bellagio fountains. My mom and dad got a little shopping in as well, but other than that--we mostly stayed home. 

Between the 3 camera phones, we documented a little of their trip.

Beckett loves his chocolate ice cream. Funny story. He was screaming in his chair he was done until he saw my mom busting out the camera. He immediately stopped and smiled. What a ham.

Mom and Dad at the big B.

I love this picture. It totally sums up my mom and I's relationship.

 She is my best friend. She is always by my side talking me through things and offering support. She (and my dad) seriously picked everything up and drove 10+ hours just to be there for me. The trip was quick, but they will never know how much it meant to me. Just to know how much they love me and my family brings tears to my eyes. I love them so much. 

Yep, here he is again. Master of disaster. Enjoying some dinner at one of my favorite spots, Bucca di Bepos. He insisted on using the big serving spoon as his utensil. His shirt was such a mess when he was done eating, I had to turn it inside out for the rest of the evening.

Thanks again Mom and Dad. You guys are truly amazing and we appreciate your kindness so much. You lifted a huge weight off our shoulders this weekend and we can never thank you enough. 

Love you!

The Story

As most of you know--baby boy #3 had an echogenic bowel on his 20 week anatomy ultrasound. We had additional blood work and testing to do to rule out any chromosomal issues such as downs syndrome. And this where the story begins...

It was Thursday morning. The boys and I were running some errands when a good friend of mine text me saying daughter Hannah was "dying for Tayden" and asked if we wanted to come over and play for a bit. Tayden loves Hannah, so he didn't hesitate one bit when I asked if he wanted to go play before lunch. As Melissa and I were chatting my phone rang. Sure enough, it was the doctor. I know as soon as I heard his voice he did not have good news. His exact words were, "So the plot thickens". He gave me heart wrenching news and I went into shock.

Dr. S told me that my chances for downs were 1/2500. Great results. However, there was a result on my blood work that we simply could not ignore. My alpha-feta protein, or AFP, levels were extremely high. Normal results are 2-2.5%. Mine came back at 3.6%. This meant my chances for having a baby with spina bifida were 1/22. Not a number I wanted to hear, or a number I will soon forget. He told me I needed to go see a specialist at a high risk pregnancy center for additional testing and a level 2 ultrasound. 

As I got off the phone, Melissa asked me what the doctor said and the only thing I could say was I can't think right now. My mind clouded over and my mind was paralyzed. Bless her heart, she gathered everyone together for a prayer. Tayden asked Heavenly Father that our baby would be healthy and I hugged Melissa and cried. It was so strange in that moment. My world had just been turned upside down, but the world around us kept going. I still needed to take my kids home, feed them and put them down for a nap. They still needed me. I could not fall apart. 

We got loaded up in the car and I immediately called my mother. Scott is working now and is practically impossible to get ahold of. As soon as I heard my moms voice I broke down. I sobbed and sobbed and all I could think of were those awful words-- 1/22 for spina bifida. 

The rest of the afternoon was filled with heartache and crying. Bless the people around me though. I have the best friends on the face of the planet. I received countless texts and phone calls and dinner was brought into me that night. It was a good thing to, because the only thing my kids had to eat were cookies. So thank you Haley, for providing my children with some real food and nourishment. 

As the news spread, my sister organized a family fast. My grandma put our names in every temple in Utah. Again, more phone calls and texts. I can not get over the amount of people that care for us. We are so blessed. Seriously, so extremely blessed. I have never been on the receiving end of prayers and fasts of this magnitude. I have to say, it was the most uplifting experience I have ever had. I know it was because of everyones faith that I felt such peace amidst all the chaos. I can not thank everyone enough for your love and support. It means the world to me. I could not have gotten through it without you. Thank you. 

I spent the weekend immersed in research and worry. And then today finally rolled around and it was time to see the doctor. Oh, and one other HUGE thing I need to mention. My parents drove all the way down to be with us and offer us extra support. It was very calming having them here. But most of all, they took care of our children. I was able to go to our 3 hour doctor appointment and concentrate 100% on it and not have to worry about my boys... at all. It was a gigantic relief and more appreciated then I think they will ever comprehend. I love them so much. I am so grateful to be their daughter. I am so grateful for their presence.

Okay, back to the doctor. First we had to meet with a genetic counselor to discuss family history, our rights and options and to make sure we understood everything that was happening. Next, we met with an ultrasound tech for a level 2 ultrasound. They way they explained the level 2 was like an HDTV opposed to a traditional ultrasound, which would be equivalent to using rabbit ears. Just a much clearer picture and more accurate readings. After the ultrasound and cervical check we finally met with the actual doctor who did a short ultrasound to double check everything the tech had done and discuss the results and our next steps.

The results. No sign of spina bifida! His head, spine, feet, hands, heart...everything looked great! This scan picks up 90% of all neural tube defects, so there is still a small chance they could have missed it-- but very slim, considering how great everything looked. The doctor was confident he is free of spina bifida. And still, if they missed it, chances of it severe are extremely low. However, his bowel is still pretty echogenic and causing some concern. We have (mostly) ruled out downs, so now we are looking into other causes for the abnormality. Other causes are cystic fibrosis, infections, placenta problems, low birth weight or signs of problems in the third trimester. My placenta looked fine, the measurements for preterm labor were fine, and Scott and I don't have family history for cystic fibrosis. I did more blood work to determine if baby has an infection and we will go from there. We are hoping its nothing and will clear itself up and not cause any issues down the road.

So what this all means for me. I am still high risk. Between my high AFP levels and the echogenic bowel, I have to be monitored the rest of the pregnancy. I'll continue seeing my regular doctor every 4 weeks. But now, I also have to see the specialist every 4 weeks for an ultrasound to measure the baby and check on his bowel. At 32 weeks I'll have to go in weekly for fetal monitoring and non stress tests. With any luck, the rest of the pregnancy will go smoothly and I'll be able to have a normal delivery.

One thing is for sure, I will never NEVER never take my children's health for granted again. Ever. I learned what it was like to ache for my babies health. I felt the pain of a possible illness. It is heartbreaking. The sense of relief is indescribable. I feel like with the good news I can finally breath again. 

I would just like to take a minute to thank everyone for your love and support. We didn't want to make a huge announcement about this before we knew what was really happening, but we appreciate everyone putting us in their thoughts, prayers and fasts. It is amazing to know just how loved we are. I wish I could put into words my appreciation. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Now that everything is cleared up for now, it is time to enjoy the last few days with my parents!

Man, we are blessed. And we know it.

Tired Tayden

One EARLY EARLY morning...

A long day at church...

And zero nap.

Equals one exhausted 3 year old...

Too tired to put on PJ's.

Good thing for Dad and his awesome Spider-Man songs!

Packards come to Play

As I previously mentioned, Packards came to visit for a whole week. Bless their hearts, they cleaned our old rental for the first two days! We anticipated having it completely done, but things didn't run as smoothly as we had hoped. So, they came to our rescue and helped get it done. 

Although, the first few days were spent cleaning, we managed to have a little fun! We went to Phantom of the Opera, spent a day at Red Rock, enjoyed some Buffalo Wild Wings, checked out a little bit of the strip, went swimming and just loved having Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Matt with us.

Since our camera was still packed away from the move -- we stole a few from Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you!

A few shots from the beautiful Bellagio.

This little boy LOVES the water fountains.

We also stole a few from Saturday swimming.

I had to share this picture. It cracks me up. The swimming pool offers life jackets for the kids if you need. We only have one for Tayden, so we thought we would borrow one for Beckett. It was so bulky! Between the huge jacket and my ever growing belly I could hardly hold on to him! 

Finally out of the water for a quick picture. Tayden LOVES to swim!

Scott had a better handle on him. 

Beckett is so handsome.

Thank you for coming Grandma, Grandpa and Matt for coming. We loved having you here and feel so spoiled to have you guys in our lives. 

Red Rock Canyon

Just 15 minutes from our house, we have a little Nevada gem. The Red Rock Canyon. It is a beautiful scenic drive with all sorts of awesome nature stuff. We enjoy checking out the donkeys and looking for long horned sheep (although we have yet to find any). Its fun to be able to take visitors to do something else besides the strip and normal Vegas stuff. 

We packed a picnic and enjoyed a few minutes of the hot Nevada weather. It was actually really nice. We sat in the shade, ate some sandwiches and cheetos and watched the blue jays and butterflies. It was awesome. 

We decided to stop by the visitors center this go around. It was kind of neat. Not a whole bunch to look at for the little kids, but good for them to get out and stretch their legs.

Its fun to have pure Nevada nature right around the corner.