Mother's Day!

Well, I'm behind on my posting but I really wanted to write a Mother's Day post.  First off, I'm soooooo grateful to be a mommy!  Whenever they would ask me what I wanted to be growing up, it would ultimately be a mother.  And what a job it's turned out to be!!  I'm so grateful for Peyton and his sweet spirit.  And I'm soooo grateful for baby Sadie who should "pop out" any time now. 

For Mother's Day I gave a talk in sacrament meeting and boy, was I glad they asked me to do it.  What a great Mother's Day gift....... Eric had to stay awake the WHOLE sacrament meeting and watch Peyton while I relaxed up on the stand soaking in everything around me while I waited to speak.  I love peyton soooo darn much but it was a welcome relief to have a break for once and get to listen!  After sacrament meeting we took off to my mother in laws where we met them at a restaurant where we treated Jean and Grandma Caufman to lunch.  That was fun and my steak was DELISH! 

Eric gave me a beautiful rose bush to put in our flower beds and did the dishes that evening. (that's a big deal folks).  Oh, he also made me breakfast in bed!  It was a really nice day!
I missed not being with my mom for mother's day for sure!  Can't wait till she comes to visit!  I'm sooo grateful for my mom though.  She's seriously the best!  I'm lucky to have such a wonderful example of what type of mother I need to be to my own children.

keepin it real!

So I'm literally FREAKING out!!!!  We went to the doc yesterday and finaaalllyyyy a plan was set in motion.  We go in next Monday to have my membranes stripped, so hopefully that will set labor in motion but if not, sometime next week (still waiting for a call to hear exactly when) I will be induced.  HALLELUJAH!!  I've been waiting for this day soooo anxiously but now that's it's finally here, I'm freaking out!
I have soooooo much to do still.  Eric went to set up the crib finally today during his breakfast break and come to find out, we picked the wrong color.  It's cherry wood and we wanted BLACK!!! 
We have NO food in the whole house, so I need to do some serious shopping.
Still haven't dropped off Eric's church clothes off at dry cleaner (for the 3rd week in a row)..... the clothes he was forced to wear on Sunday were entirely too tight...poor guy. (like I said, for a 3rd week in a row)
Can't keep up with cleaning around this place.
Went to go to the restroom yesterday and realized Peyton had stuck the trash bag from teh bathroom down the toilot..... half full of garbage. 
Peyton and I aren't feeling too well..... so even though I really want to clean the whole house and do the grocery shopping, uuuggghhhh, the thought of getting up off this couch is not too appealing.  And Peyton has a never ending stream of diarhea diapers to take care of.
Don't know what I was thinking...... ok, I wasn't thinking.  But we're having a yard sale on Saturday.  Today I'm supposed to take a few loads of all our stuff over to my friend's house. (We're having the yard sale at her house since their neighborhood is having a huge community yard sale and we'll get more business there)  At this point in my life, even though we have some good stuff to sell and we really could use the extra few bucks, I just want to bag the whole idea and drop everything off at Goodwill and call it good. 
I've got a to-do list that is entirely toooooo long!!!!
I was up till 4 last night/this morning because my reflux was horrible and everytime I dozed off I would start to throw up all the acid stuff and burn my throat. 
You know what, I'm just not going to think about that to-do list, or the house in need of a desperate cleaning, or even the completely empty fridge.  Today I will lay on this couch, watching "We bought a zoo" that we got from Netflix, and embrace resting and relaxation!! Even though, this baby comes in 4 days.... I will just relax for today and hit it hard tomorrow. 

 

Happy happy birthday!

Happy birthday to my daddy/Podge!!!  He's the greatest!  So grateful to have such a wonderful father.  He's funny, handsome, good singer, good chef, good listener, great grandpa, great advice giver, flower king, spiritual, devoted, loyal, understanding, and caring!!!  Wish i could be there in Utah to give him a big squeeze but it'll have to wait a couple weeks.  So if you live in Utah and you see my daddy anytime within the next couple weeks..... give him some love from me and squeeze him all up! 

 I also missed being in Utah for my lil niece's birthday, Lydia Beth.  Ummmmmm, can you get any cuter?  Seriously?  She just turned one whole year and I can hardly believe how fast time flew.  Everytime I visit Utah, my niece and nephew have grown by leaps and bounds.  I just visited in March and Lydia was moving all over the place... took a couple steps while I was there, was tons more vocal, etc.  It makes me a little sad to be sooo far away to not be able to watch her grow up.... but I hope she knows I love her and I love ANY time I can get with her (and her parents) ha.  So happy birthday little Lydia!!!!!!!!

So a quick little update from huge ol' me.  We went to the doctor yesterday in hopes that they would set an inducement date... but no luck.  They can't set the date until 10 days before. So, fingers crossed that next week is the week that we can get stuff set in stone. 
Ya know, a part of me really wants to just practice patience and go into labor naturally and let nature take it's course.  But the bigger part of me wants a date to count on so that it can coincide with my family's arrival here (they only have two weeks or soemthing with us and we want to take full advantage of their help while they are here, ha), so Eric can plan on a date so they can scrounge up milker replacements, AND the final reason is that Sadie's projected weight at week 40 is 8lbs and 10oz and that's TOO BIG!! That stresses me a lot! 
I had a really hard recovery with Peyton and he was only 8lbs 4oz and I just want it to go easier, dang it!  I'm practicing my "positive thinking" though and everything will go great!! ......hopefully...... I'm praying too. 
I have zilch energy these days.... hate that feeling.  I'm a puffy mess, reflux like crazy, stupid pregnancy carpal tunnel still and fat as could be but I'm sooo excited and grateful to be having a second little baby!  And a GIRL!!!!  I'm not gonna lie, I'm anxious that I don't have enough bows and cute hair things for her yet.  I don't have a tutu, or those darn cute crochet hats for all those newborn photo shoots but hey, I'm trying to think "simple" these days.  I would love to get all those things but money just doesn't grow on trees at the Hess home so we'll let her cuteness do all the talking! 

Week: 37wks and 2 days
Weight: too fat
Date that I estimate her to arrive: May 25th
Estimated time of arrival: 6:03 p.m.
Color of hair: dark blonde
Length of Labor: 9 hours
Sadie's weight at delivery: 8 lbs even

We can't WAIT!!!!!!!!

Entertainment around here

So we may not have the biggest house to entertain lots of guests or an awesome pool in our backyard.  For heaven's sake, we don't even have a bathroom that people can get to easily..... BUT, we do have cows.  Lots of lots of cows....  So we have some friends that had requested we contact them whenever a cow is calving so they could experience that.  So lo and behold, Sunday evening at 6 one of our cows start calving... So we called our friends!!! 

They were enthralled and a little grossed out when Eric "checked" the cow to see how far she was along.  So they were all watching in rapture as Eric was seeing how things were progressing when he started cussing.  Oh brother, in front of church people?  For crying out loud dear!  But I just kindly asked him to not cuss in front of children and dropped it at that.  Well, turns out the whole uterus and calf were twisted...... ok, that is something to cuss about, I'll give him that.  Just kidding... I know we should never cuss and Eric doesn't cuss on a regular basis.  Usually just when something is wrong with a cow that needs some huge intervention, or when he gets kicked by a cow.  That's pretty good. 

We had fun while we waited and watched though.  Eric called a neighboring farmer over so they could have 3 strong men to turn the whole cow over to flip the uterus.  Then they helped pull that calf on out.

Birth is a beautiful thing... I don't care what species you are!  The kids were sooo dang excited when that calf came out and were even more fascinated when they started pumping the calve's chest to breathe, and stuck straw in it's nose so it could sneeze out the fluid.  Then they proceeded to drape the calf, head down, over the cow's back so gravity could drain it's lungs and airways of fluid.

I think that the name they decided on in the end was, "Love."  How darn adorable is that?  Thanks for coming over Lasters!  We enjoyed your company and hope Petra can come next go round!

Peyton

This kid cracks me up!!  I can't believe that he is almost two years old (june 16th)!  I know that after baby Sadie gets here things are going to get nuts and I'll be a bit sidetracked with trying to get sleeping schedules, eating schedules, and everything else all on the right track that Peyton will get overlooked sometimes.  He's the only one now and gets all of our attention from sun up to sun down most of the times.  The last few days I've just been basking in having him all to myself.  We're soo excited to add another one to the mix but I am going to miss having all the time in the world for Peyton! 


He's getting to be quite a little chatterbox which means I play "translator" most of the time.

Ga-Ga: Grandma
cah-cah: chocolate
mee-bee: baby
bee-bee: Barry
Bah: Barb
Chin-chin: Uncle Christian
Wee-nee: Aunt Whitney
Bam-bam: Uncle Brandon
These are just a few of them.... and he can say lots of words correctly.  He amazes us everyday with how fast he's catching on to everything and learning!  He truly does brighten our lives and I thank God everyday for him!

A day in the Life

So we start our day every morning by Peyton wanting to call daddy or Pampa.  Due to the two hour time difference and the possibility that Pampa wouldn't be that excited to speak to a little guy AFTER waking him up from his slumber, we call daddy.  Eric joins us for breakfast a few minutes later and makes breakfast for us every morning.  I know, we're spoiled! Eric freaking rocks at anything breakfast..... scrambled eggs, pancakes, french toast, homemade syrup... everything!  

Peyton is always asking to see daddy and the Moo's and the Brrrrrrrrrr (tractors) all day long.  I'm not gonna lie, lots of times lately I pray that Peyton won't want to go outside.  Man, it's a verrrryyyyyy energy sucking activity.  I have to stick right on his heels..... don't want the little man run over by a tractor, touching al teh electric fences, getting kicked by any cow, and the list goes on and on and on and on.....   But Eric will help when he's not too busy so we can hang outside.

Working on all the machinery to prepare for the brunt of crop season!  This picture above doesn't do this job justice.... there were sparks flying everywhere.  It looked a little like the 4th of July!!

Eric joins us for lunch........ and makes messes everywhere he goes.  Tracks in dirt and who knows what else over every floor, spills a bottle of applesauce when opening the fridge (and yes, left teh mess for me... punk), a pile of dishes..... but we enjoy his company anyway.  Really grateful that even though he stays super busy outside he can see us at all mealtimes.

Then he dashes outside so he can back the tractors out of the shed to unload the huge load of fertilizer someone is delivering for corn planting.

We join him awhile later for milking..... Peyton wants to be just like his daddy and puts on his knee pads.

Eric teaches Peyton how to milk a cow by hand.  Peyton wasn't that excited but just happy that daddy was holding him so close to a cow. 

Between puddle splashing, taking baths, and outfit changing.... Peyton climbs up on the tractors all by himself. 

Daddy shows some love and takes Peyton around on the tractor while he works.

Staring at Eric's bum..... tobacco rings around here? NOPE, cell phone rings!  Now THAT's a cute bum.

But what I really meant to say about the next couple pics is this is Barry and Eric giving an IV to a sick cow. 

Staring at these babies allllllllllllllll day long.

Peyton's face most of the time when he's around his daddy..... just watching in wonder and taking it all in so he can be just like him.
We really do feel sooo blessed to be here on the farm!  We're grateful for answered prayers and the reassurance we felt from teh Lord that we should be here in Hershey, Pennsylvania surrounded by loads and loads of cow manure and flies.  Ha, no but really.... we are soooo dang blessed.  There are days that I get down about farm life and wish more than anything that Eric had chosen to be a lawyer or something but Eric is a farmer through and through.  Farm life just courss through this guy's veins and I know our kids will get some really awesome opportunites being raised here.  I've always dreamed and hoped that I'd raise my family on the farm someday and my dreams are a reality now.  It's humbling.... i just need to remember this when I get those moments when Eric stays out in teh barns till 9:30 p.m. helping a cow calf, or those moments that I get frustrated that Eric falls asleep after sitting down for two minutes when I'm mid-sentence, etc....
Life is good!!!!

Derby Bridal Party!

I had soooo much fun at the Kentucky Derby Bridal Party that I went to on Saturday.  It was for Gina and Teno.  Love them both!  Gina and her family have meant SOOOO much to us since we moved here.  They pulled us right under their wings and have helped us feel part of everything.  From bonfires, to conversations, to text messages, to parties, and delicious food they've really made us feel like we've got family nearby!  Teno is Eric's home teaching companion so that's how we know him..... he's a great dude and Eric really enjoys being with him. 

The deliciousness itself!!!  Holy toledo, that Michelle can cook!  Hot dang!  My favs were the spinach filling on pumpernickel sandwiches, chocolate covered strawberries, red velvet cake balls, deviled eggs, and the derby pie.  Yeah, pretty much everything. 

We all wore our "derby hats" and check us out!  We totally rocked them!!!

Cheers to Gina!!  The bride is the one in the pink hat....... and two things:  everyone brought food storage items for the gifts (BRILLIANT), and those pretty green drinks were virgin mint juleps..... DELISH!!!!  Never tried them till saturday and I'm a FAN with a capital F! 

Yup, rocking those hats!

And the belly!  They did have a pretty brilliant idea while I was there to just stick me on the horse out in the pasture and gallop around for awhile to shake that baby right out of there. 

Isn't this fun?  Seriously, everyone looked sooooo good! 

And Peyton totally broke in my hat before the party itself....... what would I do without him?

Naptime with daddy

This is what happens when your husband was supposed to take him for a nap..........

An hour after heading off to their nap on Sunday afternoon, I heard a few noises.  I didn't hear anything else so I just passed it off as the neighbors next door. (We have a duplex that is def not soundproof)  15 minutes later, I heard a crash....... a couple seconds later, Eric yells down the stairs........" BREEEE???? You better come quick."  Well, the hubs falls asleep seconds after lying down.... unfortunately, our son falls asleep a couple minutes after lying down.  So Eric had been asleep for the whole hour while Peyton had been rummaging through the craft bins.  awesome...... Peyton was pleased as punch with himself though!!  How in the heck could you be mad at a face like that????

Mud puddles?

Do you all know what "mud puddles" are on dairy farms?  Uh, yeah.... lots of water mixed with just regular dirt AND manure.  So it's all good if Peyton just wants to stand at the edge of those puddles and throw rocks in to see how many ripples he can make.  That didn't last long...... so I threw him in teh tub and got a change of clothes.



I should've just waited..... 2nd outfit.... 2nd time in same mud/manure puddle.



3rd bath of the day..... will I EVER learn????



So thankful......

Soooo thankful for a little guy who makes everything we do (gardening/weeding this day) a little more fun.... and messy!

So thankful for the laughs Peyton gave me when he decided he really likes to kiss his calves.

Thankful for a very good helper when I do the dishes!

Thankful for Peyton's ability and willingness to help with any chore done at that moment...... like helping daddy feed hay.

Thankful for wonderful grandparents on both sides that spoil little Peyton

Grateful for the chance to travel down to Eric's family's place to be there for Mandy's bridal shower.  Especially grateful that Peyton was pretty good in the car..... not perfect, but could've been worse.  Also SUPER grateful that Peyton was silent as Mandy came down the stairs (it was a surprise party)!!

Grateful that Peyton's "picky stage" is gone!

Grateful for "the hottness" spoiling us on an afternoon out with the family after we got an ultrasound done!

Grateful for Pizza Hut's sale.... yyyuuuummmm!

Grateful......

Grateful for coloring books, and coloring pencils, and a daddy that shows Peyton very carefully how to color in the lines.

And Peyton is grateful for pepper shakers to "shake" things up at restaurants........ and I'm grateful for the nice waitress who just ignored it, even though Peyton did shake out HALF of that thing. 

Grateful for this cute face..... just walking down aisles and he yanked these off the shelf...... grateful it didn't tip the whole thing over.

Soooo grateful for our temple trip last weekend!!!!  Much needed and it's seemed to ground our family a little better since!!

Grateful for modern technology..... ultrasound visit!  Baby was 6 lbs 10 oz at appt.  Projected weight at due date is 8lbs 10oz

Did I mention I'm grateful he's grown out of this "picky stage"!!  And super grateful he makes this face everytime he eats a strawberry...... but keeps eating them!!

Grateful for spray paint, flowers and having a girl so I have lots of excuses to get crafty!!

Grateful that 98% of the time I can take a picture right side up........