Hershey, PA

Well, Craig went & bought a dirt bike....... without permission! He found it on ebay, so we took a trip to Pennsylvania to pick it up. I planned a vacation out of it. I figured, we're NOT just going to drive 5 hrs to pick up a bike. We're gonna have fun too. So, we got a hotel near Hershey, PA & stayed 2 nights. The hotel was nice. The service, another story! We had some guy walk into our room at 11:30 at night. The hotel had checked him into our room-that was already taken! We were ticked! Then, the guy ended up getting the room next to us & was banging on the walls until about 1 am, then again at 5am. So, we complained! They gave us our first night free. The next day we headed to church in Harrisburg. Craig ended up seeing some people there that used to be in our ward in NY a long time ago. It was neat! Then, back to the hotel to take a nap, since we didn't sleep well the night before. So, we're taking a nap & the housekeeper walks in! I thought, "Man, these people really want to see us in our underwear, don't they" LOL

The kids had fun swimming in the pool. We went every day, sometimes twice. I kept forgetting to take my camera with me when we went, so, no pics. Sorry. We were going to go take a dip in the pool before we left the next day. We got down to the pool & it looked like 'manly fluids' were floating on top of the water!!!!!Gross! We went back to the room to pack up & leave.

Next, we headed to the Hershey Chocolate Factory. It was fun! They take you on a tour to see how chocolate is made. It was pretty interesting. The best part was the tasting though. We got pulled aside by one of the workers & she asked us if we would be willing to do a taste test. So, we went to this secluded room with little cubbies & each got to sit with our little cup of water & test chocolate. It was neat. The boys thought that was great! They got to test something that nobody has ever tested before. They think it's 'top secret' & they aren't supposed to tell anyone. I don't know where they got that from, but they had fun.

Taste testing


The kids also got to package their own hershey kisses. They got to push the button & fill a container. They liked that.

Then, on to the Hershey store. How can you go to Hershey, PA & not go to the factory & buy chocolate? So, we did.

Eric at the store

We had a great time. The car ride was long, but the kids were content watching the DVD player & playing PSP. It went pretty well. Emily was surprisingly good! She got sick of being in her car seat & wanted me to hold her, but she did well.

Can you tell, they aren't even looking at the camera? Except Emily. They all have there eyes on the movie instead. Stinkers!

Oh, the bike.... yeah, we picked it up. I guess it's just like the bike that Craig had when he was younger. It doesn't run, so I'm not too worried about him crashing anytime soon. He's excited about it. We still aren't talking about it though........

Heartbeat!

I went to my 2nd OB appointment last week. Dr. says everything is going great. I actually got to hear the heartbeat for the first time too. It was so exciting! I love to hear it. I always get teary eyed when I hear it, especially for the first time. It's amazing to me! It makes it seem so REAL! There really is a tiny baby inside me! I'm not just getting fat! Yeah!
I also heard that after you hear the heartbeat there's only a 5% chance of miscarriage, so that's reassurring! I am so excited to have this baby. You'd think that after the first few babies it would all be the same, but it's not. I am so excited to meet this little baby that WE made! It's so precious to us. I know it will probably be the last, so I'm really trying to enjoy it ( here I am, crying). Definately pregnant! LOL
It's so much easier to enjoy when you don't feel like throwing up all day long! I have felt SO good this past week. I am so glad to be over the sick part! Crossing fingers! I have only been feeling yucky around 10pm, right before I go to bed, which I can't complain about! So much better than all afternoon! Now, I feel like I need to get back to my work-out routine a little bit more now that I know I can handle it without getting sick. Yeah! I told the Dr. I was worried about gaining too much weight. I've gained 8 lbs. Yikes! I've only ever gained 25 lbs. with each one though. So, I'm not too worried about it. She looked at my charts from Matthew & Emily. I am the same exact weight as I was with them, from month to month! I couldn't believe it. She said I looked great & my body must just like this same weight at pregnancy.
Now, if the weather would just warm up a bit I could actually stay outside for more than 2 minutes & go for a walk!

Cravings!

Ok, I know pregnant women have cravings, but my goodness, how many english muffins should one person have in one day? So, my main craving is english muffins. Plain with butter (real butter), or peanut butter & grape jelly (I make homemade strawberry & raspberry jam every year, so no explaination for craving that purple goopy stuff... I know, weird) I could eat 3 a day, but I know that isn't healthy or very balanced, so I settle for one in the morning & maybe one before bed if I'm REALLY still hungry. One of Craig's customers is a bread wholesaler, so he gets bread from them everytime he goes there. I knew I had a problem when he came home from the bread store with 4- 12 packs of english muffins. What a guy! They do freeze well!

Yogurt & granola is my next craving. I love yogurt, especially strawberry. I make homemade granola & they go perfect with each other. I actually just ran out of granola, so I'll be making that tonight. I have made 3 batches in the last 2 weeks. When I have cravings, I REALLY have cravings, I told you.

Milkshakes is my next craving. Yes it's winter & freezing outside, but they sound so yummy, especially chocolate. So, this afternooon when I was driving by myself, I stopped to buy a milkshake, Chocolate. I drank/ate the whole thing in the car. The best part is when I got to the bottom of the cup, I slurped it as loud as I wanted to to get every last drop. Hey, I was in the car by myself, nobody heard it. The things pregnant women will do. I also love smoothies & make those at home. They are much healthier. Don't get me wrong, I don't go buying milkshakes everyday. I am a little worried though, I'm not even in my second trimester yet! Yikes

Baby #5

Well, its true, we're having a baby. Yes, #5! We are very excited! At first I was hesitant to tell anyone. I was worried about what they would think- If I was a good mom, If I could handle it, etc.... But, I had to get over that real fast. I know what we want & what we feel is right. So, here we are expecting #5! I think the kids are excited. Matt said he doesn't want a sister, they're annoying, or a brother they're annoying too. So, this will be a long few months! It doesn't seem very 'real' right now, maybe further down he'll feel more excited. I hope so. The older boys are excited though & Emily is already telling me what we're going to do with our baby- rock her, put her in bed, change her diapers, dress her, etc. Yes, she thinks it's a sister. We'll see. She actually keeps telling me that there are 2 babies. Heaven help me!

I had my first appt. today. I am 10 weeks. I didn't get to hear the heartbeat, so it still doesn't feel 'real' to me. A little disappointing, oh well. I have always heard it this early with the others, so I don't get it. Now I have to wait another month to hear it. UGH! At least there weren't 2 heartbeats! LOL

My due date is August 19th. I have already told Craig we are NOT planting anything in our garden this year that I would have to 'can'. I will NOT do that with a newborn! I can't even imagine. For some reason I am dreading this summer.........already. I am going to be 8-9 months pregnant during the hottest & most humid part of the summer. It will most likely be around 85-95 degrees with 95% humidity! Yuck! Thank heavens for A/C. I will be inside most of the summer or at the pool at grandmas house! I am happy however that the kids won't be in school, so no having to get up too early to get them off to school. We can sleep in! Grandma doesn't work during the summer either, so hopefully she'll be around to help, hint, hint grandma. The kids love going over to grandma & papas house. Especially Emily! She does grandmas makeup, lotions her all up & eats everything in sight when she's there. We have lots of good help.

I really need to post some pics, but we haven't really been doing anything picture worthy lately! I have felt so sick in the afternoon (when everyone gets home from school) that I don't feel like doing anything. I hope that part ends soon. I'm crossing my fingers! Any suggestions for what helps the sickness part? I've tried B6, didn't do much. HELP!

Happy New Year!

I have really enjoyed the time that my kids had off school this year! There are some times that I dread it, knowing that I won't get the things done that I want to, but this year It was a much needed break for everyone. Craig even took a few days off during the week so we could go shopping or just go to lunch as a family. It was so nice!

Christmas was great! It was so relaxing! I hear some people say how hectic it was & I am so glad ours wasn't like that. We had a more simple Christmas this year & I loved it. I didn't feel like we opened presents all day long. Our breakfast was ready by the time we finished with gifts, then I fell asleep in the recliner around 11am while the kids played around me. We went to my In-laws for dinner, so I didn't have to cook much or do much clean-up. We got home around 8pm which wasn't too late either.

I really enjoyed the day. Craig & I decided to not do too much for each other. We are purchasing a large Greg Olsen picture to go above our fireplace, so we wanted to keep it simple for each other. I have a few 'Willow Tree' figures & he bought me the one of the couple dancing. I have always wanted that one, but never said anything about it. We met at a dance, so It has always meant a lot to me, but he didn't know that. It must have meant something to him too. I cried when I opened it. He also picked out some jewelry for the kids to get for me. It was nice.

My mom & dad also sent us a sketch of a mother holding a baby. I have always loved that picture. It has been hanging in their bedroom for as long as I can remember. I have asked her where she got it before to see if I could get one. So, I cried when I opened that too. I don't know what my problem is........It seems like it was a very thoughtful Christmas for me.

Well, our 'Secret Santa' didn't work as planned.....There was a foot of snow out & we had heavy things to take to the porch, so we pulled up to the house instead of hiding the car. We were going to sneak everything up onto their porch & the kids came running out of the house! They were so excited! No surprise this year, just a good feeling of helping someone in need. It was still great to do, just not as planned.

I'm still thinking of a New Years' resolution......Every year it seems to be the same-to lose weight! Sad, I know. This year, I just want to be healthier. There will be a lot going on, so I thought if I just stayed healthy that would be a good goal. More veggies, less sitting around, you know?

Well, we got a new camera for Christmas from the in-laws! It is so nice. Craig isn't so impressed with the pink color, but it works great! I love it! I'll post pics later. I don't feel like it right now. Besides, the kids go back to school on Monday, & I think we're going to play 'Candyland' right now! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I fugured I better write before Friday hits & the kids are home for 16 days. I am so excited for the break! I have all of my Christmas shopping done, so I can enjoy the time with my family. I think we will make cookies & play in the snow.Then, we will come in & drink hot cocoa & cuddle on the couch to read books. Sounds so relaxing......
I love this time of year. I love the snow (but if you know me, I hate driving in it). I love the peaceful spirit that warms our hearts & homes especially. This year I want my kids to truly understand the meaning of Christmas. It's so hard when they're little to teach them that it isn't only about the toys & Santa. So much is centered around that. We were watching a Christmas show the other day & the teacher was asking what Christmas meant to the students. Their answers were like: Giving, Santa, toys, trees & the Christmas spirit. Those are all nice, but not one mention of Jesus Christs' birth. The 'real' & only reason for the season. It's like we're getting ready for a big party, but we've forgotten who the party is for. Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Do we have a gift for Jesus this Christmas? We don't buy gifts for Him. We give Him gifts in other ways. We give to others to show our love for Him. Have you done something to better the lives of those around you? Have you been of service to those in need? I try every year to answer 'yes' to those questions, especially at Christmastime.
Every year we play "Secret Santa" to a family that we know who needs extra help of some kind. I love to secretly find out what the family is in need of, then deliver it to their door & hide so they can't see us. It's the best feeling. It's so nice to see our kids coming up with ideas to do for the family, picking out toys for the children of the family, making cookies for them or helping to wrap these things. They still remember families that we helped 4 or 5 years ago. One year, the family wasn't coming to the door so Craig opened the door a little & said "hello" The mother came to the door & my husband said ' we just came by to bring you these cookies, & all of this stuff was on your doorstop' She looked so confused! She said 'But I just got home & there was nothing on the doorstop. Brother Record, Did you do this!? I thought for sure we were found out, but he insisted it wasn't us. I still think to this day she knows it was us, but that will be our little secret. I know our kids are still little, but it's a lasting memory for them. They will always remember this & hopefully when they have their own little families they will do the same for others. I hope that this will teach them that receiving gifts is fun, but giving to those who otherwise might not receive anything is even better. Giving to others is the best gift the Savior could receive from us. Charity-The pure love of Christ. Merry Christmas!

Happy 12th Birthday Adam!

Ok, this is the last birthday, for a while. Are we crazy...or what? Tonight we celebrated Adam's birthday. It was actually on Wednesday, but this week was one of those weeks where every single night is taken by some activity. Crazy! So, tonight we had the family over for dinner & cake. He wanted Creamy chicken & rice and oreo cake. Click the link & it will take you to the recipes on my recipe blog.

He got a lot of nice things for his birthday. My kids are so hard to shop for for Christmas. They usually get so many fun things on their birthdays a few weeks before Christmas. Oh well.

Uncle Chad got him a PSP! He is very excited about it! He won't put it down! We'll have to set limits on that. Grandma & grandpa Hansen got him the same remote control car that Matt got. Grandma & Grandpa Record got him a magnifying wand that plugs into the TV & magnifies what ever you want & displays it on the TV. It's really cool to see what the hairs on your arm look like.

Dad decided now that he's 12 he should have his first real gun. So, he got a .22 from us. I'm not sure how I feel about this just yet, but he's proven to be very responsible & knows & follows the rules. So, he's ready to go kill some squirrels or something with dad. We also got him a Lego set.

Adam is very special to me. He is our firstborn child & he has a sense about him that makes him shine. He has the biggest smile ever! Everyone is surprised to know that he is so sensitive & such a loveable kid. Not that he's bad, he just comes across as a 'tough guy' most of the time, but he really is a very thoughtful & caring young man. (I can say that now that he will be getting the priesthood tomorrow! Wow, that is crazy! I feel old now.) He is so good with Emily. He will even sit & play with her & he really looks after her. He is such a good big brother. We love you Adam. Hapy Birthday!