Dexter's Birth Story

Here we are almost three weeks from delivery and I am now getting around to writing Dexter's birth story. 

If you have missed out on the past year, I did a side blog for our daughter, Eva. You can click on the link to read from where we left off (February 2017) https://evaeverafter.blogspot.com/

Life with three kids has been very....time consuming! Dexter struggles with nursing so I am pumping and bottle feeding. It seems when I am attached to the pump my rambunctious 3 year old decides to reek havoc! 

But anyways, lets start with this birth story!

It started on Monday the 26th, I had a doctors appointment and was very emotional. I wanted to be done being pregnant. I had so much anxiety on the daily basis it was pushing me over my mental ability to even function. TJ was off that week and took me in because he was so worried. My doctor checked me and I was at a one and then sent us on our merry way. That night I took some sleep aid and got some rest, I really needed it.

Tuesday rolls around and TJ is working nights so he is sleeping while I take Marley to school. I felt so much better today! I am able to breath and a tad bit more comfortable. I call TJ on my way home and while I am driving I have some back 'spasms' that come and go. TJ says its probably early early labor while I chalk it up as braxton hicks. He heads off to work and I took the kids on a walk when we got home. (it was even 40+ outside so I switched into some shorts that I had been wanting to wear at least once before I was no longer pregnant ;) )

Later that evening I was on the phone with my mom and I told her I kept having some contractions but it was most likely braxton hicks, I could have been dehydrated since I hadn't had much to drink that day. I put the kids to bed and decided to clean up a bit.  I was really tired but I just had to get some cleaning done. 

Around 10, I texted my friend Teri and told her what was going on. She told me to get some rest but have some bags packed for the kids just in case. I took a shower and decided to go lay down. No sense of timing these 'contractions' because I knew they were just braxton hicks. 

I woke up at 2 with a leg cramp and then noticed that these braxton hicks were starting to really become intense. At this point I started to 'think' I was in early labor. I hopped into the bath and called TJ. We discussed that this was just early labor and he would be home around 9, we would drive the 2 hours to the hospital and have our baby that day. I called the Labor and Delivery wing, I told the nurse(who will remain nameless) that I was having contractions 4 minutes apart lasting for a minute each. I had a two hour drive, felt pressure in my rectum and needed to know if I should head in. She told me to lay on my left side and take some Tylenol and if I were in *real* labor I wouldn't be able to talk. 

I decided to try and relax. I knew this was just super early labor and didn't want to wear myself out with counting the contractions. But they kept getting stronger and I was no longer comfortable in the tub. I hopped out and called my mom and we talked for a few. I told her that I was in early stages of labor and she might miss her photo op with her Jazz player. ;) While on the phone the contractions kept getting more intense and it came to the point of I could not talk during them. They became closer together and didn't seem to have much of a break in between. We hung up so she could get heading out.

My next call was to Teri. "I don't think I am making it to Dickinson." Teri, the EMT went into emergency mode and I am not sure what all our conversation entailed but these contractions were really coming and on top of each other! I tried walking around, laying on my bed, leaning, but I only felt comfortable on the toilet. They were so intense I started pushing but couldn't stop! She immediately told me "You hang up right now and call 911" I tried declining but she was persistent that I call 911 right now and she was on her way. 

I had a mental debate on if I should actually call 911 (my stubborn side was telling me I could just drive over and save a few bucks from calling 911). It was so hard to dial! The operator answered and I just said "I think I am in labor". Not hey, I am having these intense contractions back to back, I am pushing, or anything. Just "I think I am in labor" I knew I was in labor! haha!

Not even a minute in I started grunting and doing the low growl and I just couldn't stop pushing! I caught a break to give her some information since I was unable to talk during the contractions. Then another wave hit me. This time I couldn't stop pushing and then POP! My water broke. Not only broke but exploded (TMI I know but come on, its a birth story)! I told the operator that my water broke and looked in the toilet to make sure there was no baby plopped in (I've seen too many "I didn't know I was pregnant" episodes that ended up with a baby in the toilet ;) ) but instead there was lots of blood. The operator informed me that an ambulance was on the way and the police had been reaching my husband. 

-Okay, lets break for a minute. I might add that TJ was on a location that was 2 HOURS away and he had NO way of getting off location until 7 am. So he was pretty much stuck there.--

After my water broke I felt SO much better. The contractions stopped and I felt no more 'pain' but just pressure every few minutes. No joke, I almost told the operator "never-mind, I feel better now, I will just drive myself" But I knew Teri would beat me if I 'canceled' that ambulance ;) Plus, I am unsure if they can even do that....cancel your emergency. (I know how ridiculous I sound--haha!)

I didn't want to get blood all over my carpets so I threw on a pair of Depends I had stashed away for afterbirth care and got my kids up. This was around 4 am so it was a bit of a challenge to get them to wake up and figure out what I was to do. The operator stayed on the phone with me (protocol, I guess ;) ) and I realized when they were almost to my door that I had nothing on! I was glad to have a nightgown near by because I had no idea if I could put pants on, that pressure was surreal!

Ambulance came, I did the walk to the stretcher and we all hopped into the rig and headed towards the hospital. 

By the time we got there and got into a room, moved into another room, Teri had walked in. The nurse was trying to get the monitors on.

She couldn't find a heartbeat. My heart sank. No, I could not do this again. She went to grab a portable ultrasound  but wasn't finding much. I just wanted to hear that sweet sound of a heartbeat but she wasn't saying much when I kept asking. I looked to Teri for any sign of it being okay but I was already in panic mode. "How was I going to tell TJ?" "My kids are sitting right here, this cant be happening"

After what seemed like forever, we heard the sweetest sound and a huge sigh of relief!

Then, again, after some more time, the nurse checked me (we had to make sure my placenta wasn't down, and was hesitant since I was bleeding). I was waiting for her to say how dilated I was but instead left the room again.

Ugh! So frustrating not knowing ANYTHING really about what was going on. I asked Teri what she thought was up and she said that her guess was the nurse was going to come back in and, worse case, they would prep me for a c-section. 

Boy was she right! They came back in and started prepping me for an emergency c-section. 

All while, my kids are just sitting on the couch and as I am preparing to go into a c-section, I had no clue what to do with my kids. The nurses couldn't sit with them since there was another delivery right next door, and I didn't want to go into this c-section alone. 

We started calling people (at 6am) to see if anybody could come sit with them--this was a crazy story within itself! But we finally got someone to come pick them up and take them for the day. And we were getting ready to go back into surgery. 

I was sad TJ was going to miss the birth of our son but at the same time I wanted him to be safe. This was not the plan, but whatever got him here safely I just didn't care anymore. I wanted a happy ending to this story.

Okay, operating room; they cut me open but something is taking longer than anticipated. They just kept reminding me to not breath moving my belly (which is really hard to not do when you are told to not do it...so it took lots of focusing for me to not do that, haha! 

7:38 am Dexter Daniel Carney came out weighing 8 pounds 6 ounces and 20 and a quarter inches long. And three weeks early! It was so wonderful to have him out and hearing him cry. Oh, how I have waited so long to have this.

Now, here is the crazy part of the story and it will get into some details (again, its a birth story--if you don't want details you probably just want to skip this). 

When the nurse checked me: What she DIDN'T say was "Hey, you are dilated at a 6 and by the way, your baby's leg is out." He was footling breach. He had flipped and they couldn't try to flip him back because A. my water had already broke, and B. His foot was out.

In the OR: What they didn't say was "We are having to push his leg back into your body so we can pull him out." I just remember them saying "hey, you can never attempt to have a VBAC if you have any more children, it can kill you and the baby. Reason being? They couldn't get him out doing a regular cut but had to cut up into my uterus to pull him out foot first. They told me they called it a flamingo because of how they are positioned. 

So, there you have it. Our crazy, ridiculous, emotional birth story. I guess Dexter needed a super dramatic entrance into this world. He has been so worth it though and I am so glad to be his mom and have this crazy, dramatic story to retell! :)

<3 Our little Flamingo :) <3

This is our little Eva Lamb, we wanted to add her into Dexter's newborns. She sure is loved and missed dearly. I know she played a big part into bringing Dexter here safely into my our arms. 

We love you forever Eva Carolyn and look forward to holding you again someday. Thank you for sending us a little piece of you through Dexter. <3

A New Year!

I feel like I am the absolute worst person on keeping up with our blog. But I feel it is justified from what we have been going through the past two months, haha! So I guess I can start with that whole New Year letter a ton of people send out. I have time anyways since my early bird is up and the rest of the house is sleeping (also an excuse to not be doing chores ;) )

Lets start with youngest to oldest, shall we?

Corbett Rhyder- This little boy....he sure is something. He loves adventure and if that means falling from stairs then that is what he will do. (He has done this SO many times and landed on his head- good thing I have insurance for this kid because he needs it) He recently had his second birthday, and he seemed to really get into the spirit this year- mostly due to Marley- but it was still great! Christmas was all about trucks and cars and trains. He loves them all! He was super content with all the cars he got and the extra's such as Star Wars and Batman. Did I mention my kids are both obsessed with Star Wars and LOVE Batman? Yeah we know we are raising them right. ;) He loves the movie- you guessed it- Cars and goes crazy when he sees cars and trucks on the roads. Our new home we see TONS of trucks and semi's so this kid is in pure heaven! His best friend is Marley and they have the best of times playing and torturing each other. You know, just regular brother things. His speech is getting better but he also has a bigger sister to interpret everything he says so he doesn't like to say too much at times ;)

Marley Marie- She sure has blossomed into such a spunky, sassy, loving little girl! At the age of 3 I never knew someone could have so much....person in them. She sure has her moments of being the sassy girl whom we struggle with disciplining but then she has the sweet moments with being kind and funny- oh ever so funny she is! This also makes it hard to discipline because she gets her humor from her dad, and I have a hard time keeping a straight face majority of the day. She is also so independent and loves to do things by herself, so we are trying to keep up with her and her willing to do things all by herself- this includes cutting food with knives and cooking over the stove....she is sure a girl of daring abilities. She loves to dress up as Elsa and Rapunzel ALL the time but also loves to play outside and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty :)

Sadee- Well, I feel kind of silly and awkward talking about myself but....I feel like I am doing pretty good? This year has been a learning curve for me and I have tried really hard to improve myself. New year of 2016 I felt really down with myself and I wanted to be more confident so I decided to be dedicated to working out. And I felt so good I started loosing weight! Then I got real brave and cut all my hair off and I gained something so much more than the lost weight- I had confidence in myself. For the first time in my entire life I didn't care what people thought about me, and what a freeing feeling that has been! So this was the year of change for me and I am so glad I had TJ standing next to me to support me during the entire process. During this year I found a love for Body Pump and enjoyed doing that- unfortunately we no longer have access to that with where we live. But someday I think it would be cool to be a Body Pump Fitness Coach- someday!

TJ- This has been a good learning year for him. With some changes in his employment he has learned more about himself and what he wants out of life. He tried out doing Insurance and did really well with it (a lot of people do not know how hard that test is, and many people do not pass but he passed with flying colors- but this also was difficult for him because he actually had to study really hard instead of just winging it like he normally does ;) ) He then decided to go back to school so he can get his business degree. He applied to Stevens-Henegar College and really loved it! His Dean had only great things to say about him and his teachers loved him as well. This was a great learning time for TJ as he was thriving but it was also a big thing for me to see him going to school and working a full time, underpaying job to provide for our family. I could tell it was taking a toll on him. We just celebrated his 28th birthday (don't worry- I had to grab a calculator to remember how old he is ;) )!
We were able to spend the day with him since he was off his hitch, so that was super nice! (All those confused with the hitch term, hold on- I am getting to that!)

Alright, now that I have gone through each person I guess I can explain our fast paced move! It was during the time TJ was going to school and working full time that I was talking with my cousin who had mentioned that her best friends husband worked up in North Dakota and needed guys to go up and work. There was something about this that I couldn't shake away- something persistent kept telling me I should mention this to TJ. Now, knowing TJ and the basic job description it sounded NOTHING TJ would be interested in. But I figured I would find out more info about this job.

I asked this friend about what her husband does and what the whole deal was. She gave me all the information she could and I said I would relay the information to TJ. I was SO hesitant about it because it was so....different from what we were looking for! But I was determined to give the information to TJ and let him decide- in my heart I knew he would not like it but I kept an open mind. (It's almost like cringing if you say something to someone you know wont like it- that is how I felt, I was so nervous!)

After his shift TJ got home around 2am and we discussed the job together, and he was actually really excited and thought it was a great opportunity! So we decided to talk about it and get a hold of the husband to discuss the further details and what it would take to do. Still on the fence but we knew we needed a change for our family. We decided to go to the Temple to get some peace and pray (the reg LDS stuff...) and we had such an overwhelming feeling that we went home that night and applied for the job. Everything felt right, like this is what we were meant to be doing. Now, never being to North Dakota we were blind on our move. We found a house that we liked the pictures of and decided to call. Someone was going to be renting it out but they would leave us on the list for next. Great. back to the drawing board. I actually prayed that we could get this house and be able to be together as a family- and surprise, surprise the very next day we got a call saying the house was ours if we wanted it! We still had to apply but they would hold it for us! The application normally takes about a week to get an answer, but from the miracles above we heard back in TWO days! WE GOT THE HOUSE!!! And this was such a huge relief because TJ applied to the job on Sunday, We got approved for the house by Wednesday, got TJ ready to go on Thursday and Friday and he left on Saturday. So like I said, this was a VERY fast and sudden move! We were so blessed to have this opportunity ahead of us!

I was left with the kids to do the rest of the packing and we decided I would move out right after Christmas so we could be together. As fun as it was packing and taking care of the kids solo I was so grateful for my mom and all her help- we spent every weekend at her house so I could catch a breather and not do church by myself (those who know Corbi, he doesn't like to sit still and church is an....adventure every week). We had some bumps along the way but it was just more confirmation that we were on the right path. (We had some flooding happen with all the rain and I was storing all our moving boxes in the kitchen. A few of the boxes got wet....long story short I was grateful my dad lived upstairs to be my rescue so so many times!)

I can skip all the details now, but we made it out safe and sound! We pulled into our new home and the driveway was filled with knee deep snow, and our u-haul got stuck at the bottom of the driveway (they had a HUGE storm and they were not prepared for all the snow and the roads weren't even plowed so thank goodness for an SUV!) This was just so funny to me really that all I could do was laugh. The kids were tired and cranky and trying to unload all our belongings was not easy but I was just SO HAPPY!!!!! MY spirits were so high because I knew I was going to see TJ that night and our family was going to be together again. Nothing was stopping my smile or happy attitude! We were even blessed by a member from the ward coming to plow our driveway so we could park my car before they came to plow the roads! I felt so much of God's love and was ever so grateful for following the path we needed to be on! :)

So here we are, a month has already gone since we have left our home and family in Utah. Sure it has been hard and challenging but it has also been SO worth every second to see TJ when he comes home and have this wonderful home we live in! The kids have been enjoying the room to roam and the snow to play in. Marley does complain it being cold outside even on the warmer days (silly girl, she says its cold when its 20+ outside ;) And I think it feels amazing in comparison to the -30+ weather). So far, (knock on wood) Corbi has been accident free but we have been battling some colds so it is good he is a bit more mellow until our insurance kicks in on the 1st ;)

We are so happy TJ is also off hitch! (Told you I would get to it) So up here, when they work it is considered a hitch- so he works for 6 weeks straight and gets 2 off. Those 6 weeks are considered one hitch. So no matter how short or long you are working straight through that is considered one hitch) We have done so much since he has been off and we have been so grateful he is here to spend time with! He actually just got another new job that is more of what he wants to do; yes, another new job! He will be having shorter hitches and working more with math skills so he is very excited for this opportunity- I tell you, we are just feeling SO blessed!(This new job will have a 2 week hitch and one week off so this will work better for our family and our needs.)

The kids have been so good with this move, Marley has been the hardest because she has been old enough to understand- but I feel we are in an adjustment stage now, so we are very excited to be getting into a new groove. Corbi is just a care-free little boy who goes with the flow!

I know this is getting SO long and there aren't even pictures involved with it! But we have felt so blessed by all this and know we are doing what is best for our family- we are excited to see where this path takes us and excited to continue moving forward as a family :)

 This was the first night TJ was home from hitch and Corbi was so excited to try on dads boots and work gear, he hopped in without help!

 With it being cold outside we have spent many days indoors and this was one of the days before TJ was off hitch so we spend a lot of time indoors and trying to entertain ourselves

 We ventured out to our local grocery store and what kid doesn't love these annoying carts!?! Moms, you know which ones I am talking about- the ones where it takes all your will power to push and not run into people and things on the shelves. Its a good day when you don't knock anything over!

 I had to take two pictures because my kids wont both look up at me at the same time and smile. ha!

 Marley is so happy and proud to tell anybody and everybody that she has her own bathtub and toilet in her room! Its one of  the first things she mentions about her house, even to strangers. So that is cool. They have no clue where we live but they know that a little girl has her very own bathroom to hold her hair ties. ;)

 This kid is just happy and smiling all the time!

 This is my front door view, lots and lots of snow! At one point it was taller than me but it has since melted a bit and is now almost strong enough for me to stand on the very top!

 I saw this on a local Facebook page and thought it was really funny and cute

 Seeing dad for the first time in almost a month! They could not contain their happy selves! They were beyond excited to see their dad!!!!

 Welcome to our new home! Well, at least the stairs which was what they were excited about :)

 My wonderful ward member who was so willing to come out and plow our driveway- it was so think and tall. I am so grateful for his willingness to come out and help!

 Back on Christmas Eve, Marley was so excited to make Santa cookies- it was all she would talk about for the week prior to Christmas! So she was super excited when it was actually time to make them!

 Corbi just lounging around after Christmas in his new Batman outfit and hillbilly hat his Grampy got him

 This was the start of the moving. I was measuring for the u-haul and trying to get it all together, and just my luck we had the flooding happen. Not to mention our power kept going out, so this was a rough week for us. Luckily I only had to replace a few boxes and they were the lighter easier boxes!

These two kids LOVE each other so much. And they are getting so so big that they think its funny and enjoy holding hands while we drive ( do not worry, if you can't tell I am in a parking lot-not driving)

 Here are some pictures I got from our Christmas with my mom. I only got a few but mainly these were so TJ could see the happiness of Christmas. It was all Marley has been talking about still- She LOVES Christmas!

Well, that is all folks! Thanks for reading all the way through our new year blog and hopefully I can be more diligent on blogging (who am I kidding- probably not, but its a nice goal) so that its not so overwhelming and lots to read all at once. Thanks for being apart of our lives and for your support!

Love,
TJ, Sadee, Marley and Corbett :)

Make room for.....

So, with TJ going back to school we have decided that our tiny apartment will have to do for a bit. And we have come to terms with it. While we came to terms we decided we wanted to make things feel more adult like, right? Well, what about our kids room? That room was tinier than ever and I knew that if we wanted to de-clutter and try to save space we HAD to do something about their room.

So, we got the idea to do bunk beds. We told Marley, if she slept in her bed for a few weeks without crying or needing us to come in than she would get a 'tower bed' (she is into the Rapunzel phase and she also WOULD NOT sleep in her bed. Like at all. It was always on the couch or in our bed and it was terrible-she went to bed super late and woke up grouchy). She agreed to those terms and we set a good sleeping habit again.

I started to look into bunk beds online. Not just browsing occasionally anymore but looking for the best deal. Truth of the matter is- Bunk beds are not cheap! the cheapest ones I could find were about 400 for the frame alone and not the beds or the sheets. I knew this wasn't going to be cheap but we would need them soon to keep the promise and save space.

I first started looking at prices on mattresses, I wanted to find the best deal I could before I wanted to commit to this bunk bed idea. Twin beds are expensive too! I kept seeing beds that started at 150-300. All for a twin bed! Well, as I was almost to my ends on giving up I looked at RC Wiley again and a bed had just gone on clearance. 59.99 for a firm spring bed-and it felt really nice like it would last many years to come. I had to tell TJ about this and he had a great idea!

TJ's dad was in town helping family with projects and TJ had one day off. He talked to his dad about the possibility of building the bunk beds and what the cost would be. And this way I could get what I wanted. He was all on 'board' about it (sorry, couldn't help myself there) and with wood and all the tools to put into it the total cost would be under 150! We HAD to jump on it!

We went down on a Monday after TJ got out of class, we went to pick out the wood and built a bunk bed! This part was so confusing to me, they talked measurements and how they 'wood' do it (see, there I go again!) and they had lost me. All I said was to point me to the wood they needed and I would pick it out based on the color and splints. I feel like we collected a pretty solid group of wood!

Next was picking a stain. I headed to walmart to find a stain I wanted. This Walmart....had nothing! I was there seriously an hour looking for ANY stain. We had ONE night to get this project done and I knew that the stain was the important part to get done so the oils wouldn't ruin the wood. I called TJ with the news and he told me they were already half way done! They had cut all the pieces and were starting to assemble-crazy fast timing for just barely an hour!

Marley had decided she wanted to play at Grandma Carney's house so I went to pick her up and get headed back to the bunk bed madness. It was getting late (after 7 by this time) and I had to go pick up the mattresses at the will call by the airport. They closed at 9. I knew the guys wouldn't be done yet to make it down there to pick up the beds so I had a little adventure.

I had promised TJ's dad to get him some pizza for all the help and they closed at 9. So did the will call. I was going to go to our pizza place down the street but by the time I got to RC Wiley it was past 8:30. So I found one that was 15 minutes away and had it ordered and ready-I just hoped to be there at or before 9! Having two mattresses topped on your car and not knowing if they would fly away is terrifying. Especially when you have a deadline on where you need to be, driving on a busy freeway with wind. I just prayed those mattresses would stay put and that my car could handle it (haha, I say that like I have a wimpy car- I don't....I am just wimpy and freak out ;) )

Long story short, I made it to the pizza place, grabbed the pizza, made it home without loosing any mattresses, AND made it before the guys got there! So I brought the mattresses in (with help from my dad) and took the kids to pick out sheets for the beds. Mind you this is now 9:30ish and my kids go to bed at 7- so they were NOT too happy about this idea.

We get to Walmart and they had absolutely nothing. Nothing super cute and Marley like. They did have Batman which Corbi loved but the set would have been way more than I wanted to spend. So we came home empty handed. Started the pizza and turned on a show while we waited.

The guys showed up around 11 and we got back to work. Now the bed was not stained or sanded or set yet. We knew we would have to do this but not right at the moment (haha). We put them together and my oh my, they were beautiful! My Dad-in-law is so seriously talented! instead of building a separate ladder he build it in with the head and base boards- so creative! And this way we can still make shelving units on a later day. The kids LOVED them (this word is an understatement). They got to play with Papa for a few minutes and we put them to bed, they were out before we got to the end of the hallway!

This was such an amazing project that we did. I am so glad that TJ and his dad got this cool bonding time to help make the kids their new beds. They love them so so much and play on them all the time. Corbi can't climb down so he just normally sits on the top bunk and yells for me to come get him ;) He loves climbing up bright and early in the morning to wake up our threenager, who in return tries to push him off the bed because she doesn't want to get up.

TJ had to work 10 straight days and we had already planned on the weekend off we would get the beds sanded, stained and set. So to skip all the boring processes, we sanded forever, stained one bed and then went to bed. Saturday we sanded the second bed, then TJ decided it was a great time to get sick. So I was left to staining the second bed and setting them both. This wasn't so bad, it was just repetitious, haha! But hey, the beds are done and back together now!!!

We let the kids pick out their own bedding on what they wanted. Like I mentioned Corbi is in LOVE with Batman. The Batman set was too expensive so I was trying to find an alternative. Both the kids LOVE Star Wars, so I knew we would probably end up getting one set of those.

WE went to Burlington and had a few selections to choose from. Marley picked out Elsa -which was not a huge surprise and she was even happier the blanket was purple (her favorite color). Corbi had a tough pick, it was between star wars and batman and he wanted star wars (we kind of convinced him of that-its nice when you can still do that). But when he got to picking it out he saw a superhero set with iron man and Spider man. (He has a few spider man Jammie's and books that he thinks are pretty cool) So we were there for a few minutes trying to decide which one he wanted. He finally landed back on Star wars and we were on our merry way!

The kids truly are so happy with their new beds and so am I. I love that it is something special we can look at and know that Papa and dad built those, and I helped too. We put so much heart into them and I know they will be with us for a long long time! We ended up putting their dresser in their closet to make a little more space in their tiny room and they just are in heaven!

I am so glad that we did this project instead of buying a set. It gave us some good bonding and special memories but by golly I am so glad it is done and I cannot wait for the poly smell to go away!

 Corbi was SO excited he wanted Papa to help him climb up on the tower bed. Also, the ladder is on both ends!

 Marley and her Elsa bedding she picked out. the blanket is reversible with Elsa on it- she was happy with the purple!

 Corbi has now tried to sleep with Marley a few times because he loves being up on the top. But I am not new to this mom gig, I know they would never sleep!

 Corbi's cool Star Wars bedding

 Once again, Corbi LOVEs being up on top and will just snuggle into the covers and wait for Marley

This is the whole thing. Not completed with the stain job yet but it still looks SO good!

 I know it is hard to see and tell but this is the 'before' stain

And this is the after sanding and the stain.

I should take a final photo with this all done and completed...my kids are asleep and I don't want to risk waking them for a picture of the done done project. (Yeah, I know I am lazy too ;) )

Anyways, I think we are good and done with this 'project bug' for a bit. Though we still have our dresser to do so I hope I can catch it again before I get another 'bug' that will prevent me from doing the dresser project. (huge run-on sentence but, whateve.)

Any who, that's all! Goodnight!

Patience

So it has been some time since I have even thought about blogging, so I figured I would catch up on it. So where did I leave off? Oh that is right, Corbett's birth story. So.....he is almost 2! Hahaha! Crazy it has been that long and he is getting that big!

The kids are doing great, learning and growing and driving each other bonkers each day. They love to play outside and run around like crazy kidlets. they also enjoy seeing who can make the biggest mess in the house; to me its all a tie ;) Marley is 3 turning 13 (we call her our threenager because its all drama queen and tantrums-haha) She does say funny things on the daily and I try to remember all the funny things. The hardest part is disciplining her while she says something funny-keeping a straight face is a new game for me and I still cant win! Corbi is our little short guy. He looks like he is the size of a 12 month old but is so crazy adventurous! He loves to jump and fall off things (we are so lucky he has no broken bones!!!-*knock on wood*) He is starting to talk so much now, he is learning new words every minute. My favorite is when he calls for Marley. He really loves his big sister :)

 Our Sunday walks on our nature walk way by our house. The kids love the go play in the water and throw rocks. They have such an amazing dad who loves to play with them!

 Playing in our Utah down-pour. Splashing in puddles that were bigger than them. They loved it!

 Enjoying outside in the sun. But seriously, this kid gets herself dressed and the things she puts together.

 This girl LOVES Darth Vader. She had a Vader birthday party and got this outfit. Its great because she pairs it with high heels and a purse.

 Overalls are so stinking cute and without shirts...how could I resist!

 Handsome boy crashed after church. Thanks 9AM!

 I love this kid. He is getting better at letting me take pictures of him. McKenzies mom was able to get this one and he was such a ham!

They love going on "neighborhood" walks and their babies. They are obsessed with babies right now. Thanks Daniel Tiger. 

I took this past year to work on me. I started a weight loss journey to feel better about myself. I was focused this time on being more confident in myself. I was in a pretty low place and not happy. PPD hit and I just wanted to feel better about me. I put on so much weight after having two babies back-to-back and nursing that I wanted at least a year that was dedicated to me. So that is what I did. I started working out daily and eating better and watching my portions. It took some time but I finally got to a point that I was happy weight wise. I lost over 40 pounds! But even better is I gained so much confidence in myself. I cut off weight and majority of my hair. I went for the spunky fun mom that I wanted to be. I also got to the point of wearing pants all the time and I hardly ever stay in yoga pants. I just feel so good about myself right now, so its a really good feeling! I have since felt good enough to stop taking meds for PPD and sometimes its still a struggle but I just remember to work on myself and it seems to help. I always try to find time in the day for me. And I look forward to it when I am having a rough spot. It also rocks because my kids love to work out with me- it is super cute watching them participate and just want to spend time with me!

 Like I said, I cut my hair. And I am wearing PURPLE lipstick. I got real spunk. 

This was me in January, March(?), April (?),  And August

TJ has had a life change! haha, his story is way cooler than any of us. He has started going to school again and decided to do a job change as well that would work better for going to school. So he goes to school Monday-Thursday and works those days as well. He is going to school and work full time and still be a dad as well. We are just starting this journey but I am so proud of him and his hard work and dedication to our family!!!

Okay, so here is the main part of this blog post. With the news of school and work out of the way, we have decided we are going to be staying in our tiny two bedroom apartment for awhile (probably the duration of school). So we decided since we cant move and get more space, we would make the most of it! We did a 'grown-up' remodel of our place so we felt more at home and not like our place was taken over by toddlers!

We got new shelvings that have cubbies to hide all the toys and extra stuff that was laying around. Our living room actually looks more open and such. Next step is to take new family pictures for the fall and put them up on our wall.

Next was our room. We wanted to change things up so we could have more room for a computer desk so TJ could do his homework in a quiet space that wasn't taken over by children. So we did a little remodel but that is for another day. THat project is still not complete. (Sorry El, more patience)

Okay, so now what the moment I have been waiting for. I have been wanting a new table SO badly!!!! If you know me, you know I HATE the table we have right now. I hated the chairs, I hated the added drawings on the table. I just HATE the table and have wanted a new one since forever. Well, I was trying to think of ways we could get one with our budget. Nothing I liked was in our range! (go figure) So I did the next best thing. I took matters in to my own hands and I decided to redo our chairs.
Yup, you heard right. I decided to suck it up and use what I had. SO now I am going to walk through the how-to process. This took about two days and it was not all that hard, but our hands sure hurt from all the hard work!

I hated the covers we had. They were hard to clean and just looked awful! (the colors blended in with the floor so it was just gross). I was thinking of what I could use that would be easy to clean and still look nice. Then I remembered my wonderful mom LOVES to buy lots of fabric. LOTS. So I went scrimmaging in the forest of bins of fabric! I found 6 pieces I thought would look nice and brought them home for TJ to see. He aprroved so we got to work. So far I have spent 0$ on our project. Winning!

Now the next step. I knew that the thin fabric would not approve of a chair, we needed something to be strong and durable, easy to clean with having two little ones that make messes easily. I looked up clear vinyl. As silly as it looks, I was looking more for practicality. Like I said, two young messy toddlers and I like clean.
I googled prices for vinyl and the cheapest I could find was at Jo-Anns for 4.99 a yard. I had NO idea how much that would cover, and I needed to cover 6 chairs. So I did some thinking while at home Depot picking up staples. What about a shower curtian? It is clear and vinyl, and its big enough to cover at least 4 chairs! So we tested it out, and by golly it worked!!!!! Guys, I spent less than 9 bucks on vinyl going the shower curtian route than picking some out at Jo-Anns. (I am guessing I would have needed about 3-4 yards. that could have easily been 20$)

Anyways, we got to work removing staples from the chairs from the previous remodel job (this was tough work and our hands are still sore). Then we put the fabric over the chair and the vinyl on top of that. Then for the bottom we added a different color to give it more fun!

We ended up hair-drying the chair to shrink the extra vinyl down, so that was a......fun.....process. I felt my dryer was going to quit on me!

But in all the days work I find this a success story and really like how they turned out. Our next project is to stain the table and possibly the chairs but again, a project for another day. I do have a few more projects for the Fall season so be on the watch out!

Pictures of our project!

 *shudder* hideous chair cover. You can kind of see the floor matching the chairs.

 My kids know how to make a mess of anything! markers, food, I think blood too, maybe? Its a gamble. 

 This was the 'fun' process of removing a gazillion staples from each chair. Seriously, the people before us used so many staples to make sure they didn't budge.

 Tada!!!!! one chair down (purple is Marleys fav color so she gets the purple chair. The long process of drying the vinyl to shrink. *LOOOONNNNNGGGG*

 Hidden pop of color on the bottom to cover the bottom piece of wood

 And the final product!! I used all matching designs just in different shades (Thanks to my mom for her quilting days and getting matching fabrics in all sorts of colors)



Okay guys, that is it! All in all I spent 9 bucks on  shower curtian vinyl and 3 bucks on staples. The next step is to stain so if anyone has helpful tips on staining a table.....I am dreading that already because I have little patience to get little details and have it not show.  Help a sista out!!!