Dearest Rachael

*while 2 of 3 kids are napping, I decide to write a bit about Rachael*

My sweet Rachael can sure be a handful for me at times but is ever so adorable. I shouldn't be too surprised though as she is surrounded by boys. She is the only girl (grandchild) on both sides of the family and just yesterday a few moms and their kids came over for lunch and once again she was the only girl. 14 boys and 1 girl. Crazy thing is that all 14 boys are between the ages of 1 month and 6 years. Wowzers!

She sure can make a huge mess within a matter of a few minutes. She never destroys anything and is actually very careful with whatever she is doing but she likes to collect things in her little purses and while doing so will dump out buckets of toys.

Today I went upstairs to switch a load of laundry around and when I came back down (only a few minutes later) there were things scattered all over the floor. Shoes, markers, paper, toys, dvds... 

She had decided to color a picture (after she had already been putting puzzles together), pulled out her little drawing table, markers, crayons and paper. Somewhere during that she decided she would like to watch a movie while doing so. I'm working on getting her to clean up after herself, it's a bit difficult.

Rachael is very creative and very smart. Sometimes I cannot believe the sentences that will roll out of her mouth, she's only 2. 

She is very much a little girl!

Very helpful with little Joseph and gets concerned when he cries and is always the first to try and help him out.

Rachael LOVES (and I mean LOVES) to change her clothes. No joke, she will change outfits at least 3 to 4 times a day. This drives me crazy as her closet and bedroom are constantly scattered with clothes. I am glad that she will get dressed on her own in the mornings without me asking (I still have to constantly remind Josh to get dressed).

I do find one thing from this that is very cute.

When she gets tired and 'feels she is ready for a nap' she will go upstairs and change into her pj's. She will then get her favorite blanket and lie down somewhere for a nap.

Just now while I was cleaning up the kitchen from lunch, Joseph was already napping and it got fairly quiet. Josh was playing the Wii and I asked if he knew where Rachael went. He told me she was asleep next to him on the couch. This is how I found her.

She had gone upstairs changed into her pjs brought down her blankets and fell fast asleep on the couch by Josh. ADORABLE!

Other things I have to mention:

She calls her blanket 'kii' or 'key' (no idea why)

She loves to have her toe nails painted and wishes she could do it herself so I have to hide the nail polish. Just last week once again it got quiet (not always a good sign). Rach had gotten into daddy's highlighters and decided it would be fun to paint her toes. Somewhere along the way she decided it would be fun to color on her legs. Yikes. Thankfully it all came off fairly easy.

You ask her what her favorite color is and she will tell you Pink or Orange. Ask her what number and she will say 9.

Favorite food: Chocolate, no question about that.

Lagoon

We joined my dad for his annual Lagoon Day work party.

It was an overcast day but quite hot and humid still.

There seemed to be a lot more people than usual and all the lines were super long. Josh still had a ton of fun riding all the rides with Aaron.

Rachael was still recovering from a sleepless night of asthma attacks and 3 nebulizing treatments but she still went on a couple rides.

Joseph did exceptionally well, especially while we were waiting to have our 'western' pictures taken. Getting into the costumes and waiting in line was horrible as it was so stinking hot but the kids were adorable. Luckily for Joseph he got to chill in a diaper and scarf. The whole time he was wide awake taking in all the excitement.

Rachael would not smile in the pictures, she is so stubborn, and just scowled at the nice ladies. She played the part really well :)

Just before leaving the park the kids had an enjoyable time playing in the water fountains. It was hilarious watching Josh and it wasn't long before Rachael joined in on the fun. 

I just love them!

These three sure do crack me up. They are great at pulling faces.

Josh has really taken to drawing lately. He is always asking me for a pencil and some paper. Today he surprised me when he gave me this and told me it was the Presbury Robot Family!  I am very impressed with the detail but not sure how I feel about being the largest robot on the page :) Josh did make sure to let me know that I was the only one with both my arms in the air. Haha

Tonight Aaron took Josh to see the local production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We thought about all going as a family but as the evening drew closer Rachael was better off having a night in. She has developed what seems like a cold but i'm unsure if it's a new tooth coming in, allergies or a sinus cold. She hasn't wanted to eat like she usually does and has had her hands in her mouth more often but i'm not sure. Hopefully she'll feel better in the morning.

Josh loved the show, it was his first musical and Aaron said he really got into it swaying and clapping with the music.

At home I enjoyed time with our two youngest. Bath time was the highlight of our evening. Joseph loved being in the bath with Rachael and would not take his eyes off her. The cooing and smiling was all so adorable. I just love this little guy so much!

Gorgeous Ray Ray before her hair and face had been washed.

Say Cheese!!!

Running

Running is something that does not come easily for me but when I do get out and run it always feels so good. Not necessarily during the run but following it I always feel so good. Now this doesn't mean I am not tired it just means that I have a different start to my day and I always seem to enjoy it and endure it better.

Since having Joseph , I started running again just 2 weeks ago. I'm starting out slow and it is not easy getting up so stinking early to do it but it's been well worth it. 

In particular, last Friday morning felt so great. I was in no rush to get home so that Aaron could leave for work (he had the day off) so I enjoyed it more. After arriving home everyone was still fast asleep so I stretched outside and did an hour of weed pulling. While enjoying the nice crisp morning air I couldn't help but capture the beauty on the plants surrounding me.

Regular exercise offers our minds and bodies a welcome release from the pressures of everyday life.

-Larry A. Tucker-

(Move More, Stress Less! Aug 2004 Ensign)

That is exactly what it did for me that day!

This is a great article to read if you haven't already.

Bedtime Thoughts - My sweet Joshua

Most evenings I begin my own free time between 7:00 and 8:00 once the kids are in bed. Tonight was a little different and it only just began. It is now 10:30 pm. I couldn't help but to type my thoughts, it would take me much longer to write this in my journal and I only have 2 pages left (I'm off to get another one tomorrow)... Bear with me.

It was a tiring day for me today. Nothing in particular was necessarily wrong it just didn't flow Joseph had a diarrhea blow out all over everything, I did 4 loads of laundry that I am soon to go finish folding, made dinner at lunch time so that we could go to Aaron's soccer game at 6:00, melt downs, temper tantrums...I could go on and on about all the random things but it was tonight that topped it all off.

The kids usually go down really well for bed. Once the bedtime routine is over they very rarely ( and I mean hardly ever) come out of their room. If they do, I know that something isn't right, especially with Josh. Well tonight was that night. He continually came out of his room, over and over again. He would complain that he was cold, then complain that he was scared of noises (fireworks), mostly just excuses.. Both Aaron and I would take turns taking him back into his room. It was now around 9:15 and he came downstairs, I got a bit upset and told him off a little more sternly.  I felt bad for getting upset and did go up and apologize hoping he would calm down and fall asleep.


I went into my room to begin folding mounds of laundry and about 15 minutes later I hear sobbing. I didn't recognize it before because I had never heard it like this. Josh was sobbing uncontrollably into his pillow and it took me a good 15 minutes to calm him down enough to understand what he was trying to say. He told me this:


"My mind keeps thinking that you are gone or that you leave and no one is here to give food to me, daddy, joseph and rachael so we die"


Then he starts sobbing hysterically again.  Oh dear!


This begins a whole whirlwind of discussions. Hearing him say that sends me in all sorts of whirlwinds. Josh is so smart and sometimes I feel like he outsmarts me, at 5 1/2 years old. Today in particular he had his moments of talking back, shouting and making me feel terrible but hearing him say this had me in tears. I also had to laugh (not in front of him though - he is extremely sensitive) It's funny that he is most worried about being fed but touches me to hear that he still does recognize that he needs me. He wants me...


I hated hearing him cry like this, he was truly upset. I asked him why he was thinking about these things and he said that his mind did it and he couldn't stop it. Ha.
I tried to calm him down and change the subject as we watched a brilliant firework display right out his bedroom window. Unfortunately that didn't work. He began to ask me about death. Why we have to die etc.


This began topics about the pre-mortal life, this life, death, resurrection, satan, good choices vs. bad choices, baptism, the holy ghost, celestial kindom, outer darkness.... ( I could write pages about how these topics came about). He asked question after question but still struggled to really calm down. He is so worried about leaving or dying.


Josh has always been sensitive (he gets this from me I am afraid to say). Even when he was a young baby if you laughed at him while pooping he would get upset and cry. He is also a deep thinker, something can be said one day and a few days later he will bring it back up as he has been thinking about it. (I too think to deeply about things sometimes). He outsmarts me so often it can be frustrating and he is constantly asking me questions that I find myself struggling to answer.


He is genuinely concerned about those he loves. After some deep conversations we had tonight I asked him if he would enjoy some 'mommy joshy' time where we go out, just the two of us, and do anything he chooses. I asked him what he would like to do and he couldn't give me an answer, he was more concerned about Rachael  being upset because she will feel left out and Joseph not being fed. He would continue to say "well mom you would need to bring Joseph so that you could feed him and Rachael will just cry at home and keep asking 'where is mommy'". Josh does so well to take care of his younger siblings. Even though both Josh and Rach can really fight sometimes he is usually very sweet and very protective of her. He is so loving with Joseph and is always wanting to help.


When Aaron tucks josh into bed he always asks him what was his favorite part of the day ( I don't usually hear what he says other than tonight). Josh told him tonight that his favorite part was helping me out. He helped me mop the kitchen floor and vacuum. He then told Aaron that I didn't let him hold Joseph when he asked, this made me feel sad. He had asked me a few times today if he could hold Joseph and I declined at those moments because I was 'busy' for whatever reason. This broke my heart as I realized what was really going on. He loves loves loves to hold Joseph and I declined it because I was flustered or too busy cleaning up a diarrhea mess etc but he was just trying to help. I feel so pathetic and terrible.


Tonight we talked about perfection and how none of us are perfect. I feel more imperfect than ever and have so much to learn, he is surely helping me.


It was getting real late and we were both getting tired, he was still struggling a bit so I knew I needed to change things around quickly. We talked about what to do whenever he gets upset or scared. He said about praying and I was so proud of him for doing that. We said a prayer together and then I asked him to think about things that make him most happy. I asked him to tell me one thing that he really enjoys. He said trains.


I began a story "I want you to imagine you are on the most incredible train ever... Where will it take you and what will it look like?" He began to explain and said it would go into space, so we went into space. I had him close his eyes while I painted the picture for him.  "Then the conductor called over the train 'Would Joshua Presbury please come to the drivers quarters'" Joshua's eyes opened and he got excited "Once Joshua got there the conductor explained that he was the special one chosen today and he gets to choose one place he would like to go." I asked Josh where he wanted to go and he chose the moon.
So we headed to the moon. By now Josh is explaining to me how a train works, the sounds it makes, how it moves. We even change tracks as we drive to the moon.


I end the story on the moon. I ask him to think about what things he would want to take with him to the moon. He immediately wants to start telling me but I tell him to keep them a secret and really think about what would be most important to him, then to tell me in the morning.  As I tuck him in and kiss him goodnight he whispers "Mom I will tell you one thing I do want to take and it's our house, I would get the biggest strongest chain and pull it behind the space train" Oh my heart melted.  As I walk out I say "Josh I love you" he says softly "Mom I love you more" I whisper back "I love you most" He then says "I love you more than most"


My mind and heart are full tonight and I am so exhausted. I have so much to learn...

4th of July Weekend

 We had an enjoyable Independence Day weekend. Saturday after we did a good amount of yard work and after prepping for Joseph's blessing we joined my parents for a delicious BBQ. Aaron would be proud to say that he cooked the meat :)  It was a very warm day and Joseph loved being outside in nothing accept his diaper. He was exactly one month old that day so I made sure to snap some pictures of him.

Later that evening around 8:30 we drove to a nearby park to get a spot to watch the firework show. We had a few hours to wait until the fireworks started so the guys enjoyed throwing a football, playing on the park with the kids and Steph helped make the kids some cute friendship bracelets.

My grandma was also there with us and enjoyed cuddles with Joseph.

The firework show was incredible, Riverton City did a great job!

A funny note: For a couple weeks every time I would meet up with my mom we were wearing the exact same colors. It started to get a little strange as it was not planned at all. Kinda funny really, I guess great minds think alike ;)

 

Monday - the 4th - we had a relaxing morning eating a yummy breakfast and playing the wii with the kids. That afternoon we joined my parents on the boat. It was Joseph's first time on the boat and it couldn't have gone any better. It was overcast most the day and not too hot. There was food, swimming, tubing, laughter and fishing.

We left the lake around 5:00 with Scott and Shaylee and all came back to our house. The boys played a bit of pool and then had a tennis match outside. After my parents got the boat off the lake they also joined us at home and we had a nice evening together eating pizza, watching Star Wars and enjoying the nice evening weather outside.

Zoo - Liberty Park

July 1st my mom and sister went with us to the zoo. We got there quite early before it got too hot.

I usually only make this trip once a year and this year was by far the best. Joshua and Rachael had so much fun. The dinosaurs scared Rachael a little bit and the large T-rex was a bit too loud for Josh, he constantly had his ears covered. 

During the bird show the owl ( top right) took flight right over our heads and touched the top of Rachael's head. She couldn't believe it and her reaction was hilarious as she was so worried what it had done to her. We couldn't stop laughing.

The train ride was the last thing we did that day, at that point it was starting to really get hot and a bit too uncomfortable for the kids. So we left the zoo and had a delightful lunch at liberty park. It was beautiful there. 

I could not believe how friendly all the birds and ducks were, a little too friendly if you ask me. They were getting a bit too close for comfort but the kids had fun feeding them and then chasing them away. We had a lot of fun relaxing there while eating and watching the kids play.

June - Part 2 of 2

It is getting harder and harder to take decent pictures of my kids but I did manage to get a couple good ones at least. It didn't work out so great when I tried to get in the picture with them.

We went to watch one of Aaron's soccer games one evening. They played the Xango team on the field that RSL used to practice on. The kids loved running around and kicking their own soccer balls. At one point I turned around to see that Josh had handfuls of trash and carried them to the trash can. I was a bit grossed out and quickly cleaned his hands but was so impressed that he had done that all on his own.  He has no idea that I took these pictures of him but I did tell him how proud I was of his community service :)

That same evening my parents made a surprise visit once we got home. They brought some pizza which was so perfect as Aaron had headed out to another soccer game and I was trying to figure out what to do quickly for dinner.

We had a nice relaxing time outside on the swing watching the kids play together on the slide. Joseph was really loving it outside and was so alert.

The next day was as busy as ever. We did lots of yard work.

Here Josh and Rachael are picking strawberries from our enormous strawberry bushes. They completely took over and I ended up pulling up half of the bushes. Those things are so hard to clear out. This year we didn't end up with enough for me to make jam like last year because the kids had eaten nearly all of them.

That evening after Aaron headed off to a scout camp I braved up and took the kids to a Lehi Parade (Joseph was only 3 weeks old). I met up with some great friends who helped make the experience a good one. Josh and Rach ended up coming home with way too much candy and had a really good time. It was so fun watching them dance to the music and wave to everyone. Even more fun watching them frantically pick up as much candy as possible.
The video below just cracks me up, they danced like this nearly the whole time.

The day after the parade my parents were kind enough to take Josh and Rach out fishing with them. Rachael caught and reeled in her first fish. They had a great time! Thanks grandma and grandpa! (pictures courtesy of my mom and dad)

One day I was clearing out a bunch of card board boxes and before I could break them down into our recycling bin it turned into a house that they played in all day. It ended up inside for a couple days before it made it's way to the recycling truck but it got some great use. :)

 Story time with Daddy

This is probably the kids most favorite thing before bed. Aaron always makes the stories so exciting and fun. Here in these pictures Aaron was reading from the Book of Mormon Stories. He was reading them chapter 28: The Zoramites and the Rameumptom. The best was when Aaron went to read to them the next night Rachael requested the Rameumptom story. It was hilarious hearing her try to say that word.

 Joseph at 4 weeks old

June - Part 1 of 2

Besides the arrival of our beautiful new baby boy June was as busy as ever.

These pictures were taken when Joseph was simply 5 days old. So precious and amazing how alert he was even then.

One Week Old
I did a quick photo shoot to celebrate Joseph at one week. 
Josh and Rachael are so great with him. They are both so gentle and kind. I hear them speaking sweetly to him all throughout the day and ask me over and over if they can hold him.

We finally had a warm enough day (5 days after coming home from the hospital) that I turned on the sprinklers and let the kids run through them. They were loving it!

A few days later we packed a lunch (Josh had been begging to have a picnic) and drove out to the lake. Unfortunately when we got there it became very windy and Rachael and Joseph were both fast asleep. So I set up a picnic lunch for Josh in the back of the car and we sat there together chatting away. It was some good one on one time we had.

 The next day Aaron had taken a half day off work and we took the kids swimming up at Mama and Pop's clubhouse pool. They had so much fun and I enjoyed my cuddles with Joseph while watching.

Just some other random pictures of the kids playing in their little pool in the back and wearing their new goggles.

The New Playset

Aaron spent many many hours putting this thing together but the kids absolutely LOVE it. It is so nice to have a playground in our own backyard :) Every day at least once or twice i'll catch Josh and Rachael outside together playing on this. The swings are their favorite!

These are some random pictures I have taken of Joseph in June. 
I can always tell when he is comfortable because he will have both hands up near his face. Even if I wrap him up tightly in a blanket he will wriggle his way around to get those arms free and up near his face. It's so adorable.
The bottom right is a picture I took in the hospital, he was even doing it then.

Joseph's Blessing

Isn't he just squeezable? I searched high and low for his little outfit and ended up ordering from a shop in England. The same shop that Joshua's blessing outfit was bought.

Three of the other items we had with us for that special even were made by three of Joseph's Great Grandmothers. 

One happy family, sadly this was one of the best we could get.

I just love the picture of Aaron and Joseph below.

 Aaron gave such a beautiful blessing that set the stage for a perfect day!

 We were surrounded by wonderful family and missed those that couldn't be with us.

Loads of yummy food was served, it was quite hot outside, and the kids had a great time together. Most of all everyone got to enjoy the time together oohing and ahhing over this little bundle of joy!

Bloopers!

Sadly many pictures were taken of our new family of 5 on this special occasion and the best was seen above. Even that shot isn't great but it sure does tell a story... Josh had been running around and was sweating from head to toe with a beat red face. Rachael too had a red face and was screaming uncontrollably, she had already been changed out of her cute Sunday dress and her hair was now a mess. (the night before we had stayed up late to see fireworks, she was clearly overtired.)

These three shots below really do crack me up - 

NONE of them were intentional. Imagine that there are speech bubbles above our heads and insert your own text. Can be quite entertaining.

Joseph Keefe

The Birth Story:   *It's a long one*

After a couple of very long weeks hoping I would go into labor on my own ( I was induced with the first two and desperately wanted to go on my own this time) I was induced on June 2nd. The weeks following I did find myself in L&D twice with excruciating pain. Ended up being a kidney infection that I was put on antibiotics for - thankfully that was taken care of.

The kids stayed with their Mama and Pops that night and I actually got a good nights sleep. We were told we could get a call as early as 6:30 am so I was all ready to leave at that time the next morning. Waiting around for a simple phone call can seem like forever so I went outside with Aaron to work on a sprinkler head. Finally around 7:15 we got a call to be at the hospital for 7:45. Yes, finally :)

A few days before induction

Aaron made a time stamp of the events on our ipad as the next few hours unfolded, this is exactly how it went:

7.44 Arrive at hospital
8.15 baby monitor hooked up
8.22 Iv connected to Kim - well poking for it
8.35 Iv finally connected
8.37 wristbands given to mum and dad
8.46 dilated to 4
8.48 dr broke water
8.56 started on highest dose of pitocin
9.02 cran raspberry drink
9.08 epidural man enters
9.20 epidural complete - nice guy told funny stories
9.52 catheter in
9.56 dilated to 5
11.09 fully dilated
11.13 waiting for doc - Kim wants to push and only me here...
11.23 really wanting to push no doc yet
11.28 born

All that and our beautiful Joseph Keefe was born weighing 7 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches long. My smallest baby. The experience was a little more intense than the simple list described above but overall a pleasant one.

I was more nervous this time, not sure why. The nurse wasn't all that great and really really hurt me trying to get an iv hooked up. I've had quite a few ivs and many blood draws in my lifetime and nothing ever hurt like this. Seriously I was nearly in tears and my whole arm was later bruised and very sore. She ended up having to get another nurse in to do it and she ended up squirting blood all over the place.

I couldn't believe they were actually letting me drink juices and water as the times before I was only allowed stupid ice chips. I was so excited and drank the cran raspberry juice I love so much. 

I was also encouraged to get the epidural asap as the anesthesiologist was going into 3 c-sections. I didn't want to get stuck without an epidural so I had him come in. It was strange to have it now as I was in no pain at all and quite comfortable (other than my throbbing arm). In the times past the epidural never hurt (probably because the contractions were worse) but this time ooya, it really hurt. He was a really nice guy and did exactly what I asked for, he was experienced for sure (explained later). 

Time continued to pass and I would have a random contraction here and there but nothing else. I started to feel really lightheaded and sick to my stomach at one point and nearly passed out. They continued to pump fluids into me because they said I was severely dehydrated.  I remember looking up at the clock when the first big contraction hit and it was 10:45am. It wasn't real painful but there was a lot of pressure. The epidural was doing just as I had hoped. It took the edge off but I could still feel quite a bit of what was going on. Right after that first one they continued to come less than 3 minutes apart, I contemplated pushing the epidural button...

15 minutes later I feel severe pressure and look at Aaron - he knew something was up. I told him that I needed to push. He wanted to go out and find a nurse but I insisted he wait. A few minutes later he ran out to find one (we hadn't seen one in awhile). A nurse came in and didn't seem to believe me when I told her that I needed to push and the feeling kept getting worse and worse. She decided to check me and sure enough, there was his head.

She ran out to get my regular nurse and once again it was just me and Aaron in the room. It seemed like time passed so slowly as we waited for a nurse to come back in and I was trying so hard not to push at this point. I looked over at Aaron and told him I couldn't hold back anymore and he looked a little freaked out. 10 minutes later the nurse arrived and started to prep, 10 minutes after that the doctor arrived. Literally 5 minutes after the doctor arrived our beautiful son was born. First push and he was out, incredible!

I couldn't believe that this was my third time and it was so similar to my last. Rachael and Joseph were born one minute different. I have to just say how much I love my doctor, he is absolutely incredible and makes the experience so relaxing and memorable.

Joseph had swallowed a lot of blood and wasn't breathing at one point. I watched as they continued to suck blood from him and filled a good size bottle. Eventually he began crying and turned from purple to a normal color and I was holding him close. Unlike my first two I got to hold him in my arms and feed him in the L&D room before they took him to the nursery. He had no oxygen complications and no major jaundice problems. He was so healthy and strong and perfect.

I ended up leaving the hospital the next day. At first I thought I was crazy for leaving early but it felt so good to come home (definitely wouldn't have left if it was my first). I was lucky I even got to be induced that day, all the L&D rooms were full and all 26 recovery rooms on mother baby were full. They ended up cancelling all other inductions the next day. I got put down on the Pediatrics floor for recovery, it was ok but so different being taken care of by the Pediatric doctors. They were sweet but I felt so forgotten and the bed was so uncomfortable.

Overall a great experience and we have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy whom we love and cherish so much!