Mother-in-law.... and first bath

We were lucky enough to have Weston's Mom come and stay with us last week! It was so fun having her here! Most people I know would totally dread having their Mother-in-law come and stay for a week but honestly we were all looking forward to it! Kooper was in Heaven the whole week, he loves playing with Grandma...she spoils him rotten! Grandma and her 3 boys:)

She helped with baths.....Changed lots of bums.....Got up early with Kooper....

And this was her reward....a new hair due! I have a nice little salon set up in our basement but the down side...no shampoo bowl, but really who needs a shampoo bowl when you have a nice long counter and a big kitchen sink???

Slowly but surely...

Today I feel like we have reached a milestone! Kooper asked to hold "baby brother" with out us saying a word!! It may have only lasted about 30 seconds but hey, better than nothing! I feel like Kooper is finally getting used to having Karver around. He still does his fair share of naughty things to get our attention but I really feel like its getting better...for example the other day when Karver was crying in the car instead of saying throw him out the window(like he usually does)...he said" throw ME out the window!" Ha Ha

Army of Helaman...

I never got around to doing a Mothers Day post because I was really preoccupied about being induced the next day. So I realize this is very late but I had to post this picture Kooper brought home from church. Of course when he gave it to me in a cute little frame I instantly started bawling...hormones?? Maybe....
I feel so incredibly blessed to be a Mother to two healthy precious boys. The love that I have for them is so overwhelming and I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father for trusting me enough to raise two of his precious boys.Kooper's sunbeam teacher is so cute, I love that she took the time to do this for her little class!Love these boys!!! Kooper is getting more and more used to having "baby brother" around.
I'm also so grateful for an amazing Mother. She has always been such an amazing example to me and everyone around her. She has taught me so much through out my life and I will forever be grateful for all that she has done for me and for teaching me to be the best Mother that I can be through her amazing example.I'm also lucky enough to have an amazing Mother in law. She is always so willing to help us out whenever we need anything at all. I feel so blessed to be so close to her and have the relationship that we do. Our kids are so lucky to have such an amazing Grandma!

And then there were two.....

Well this last week has been kind of a world wind, I can't believe that our newest addition is already a week old!
I was induced a week ago today, everything went really well...not what I expected but really well. We got to the hospital about 4am, and to get things started my nurse gave me something to thin out my cervix (I forgot the name of it) then around 8am they started the pitocin. It was fine at first but then after about a few hours of upping the dose every 30 min the contractions were getting pretty bad, but at this point I was at 5cm and the baby wasn't in the birth canal yet and my OB doesn't like you to get an epidural until the baby is in the birth canal.(I was so bugged) So about 10am my OB came and broke my water, that's when the contractions got even worse. The nurse gave me some pain medication then she said she would call my doc to see if I could get the epidural, at this point my nurse had said that because the baby was still up so high I wouldn't be having him until sometime in the evening!!! Finally about 12pm she said that I could have it, I was so relieved...I'm so not a natural type of person, I'm all about the epidural and besides that, I kinda have to be to represent my hubby...right??:)
Anyway, while they were getting me ready for the epidural which seemed like it took forever, the contractions got worse and worse, by the time I layed back down so they could dose the epidural, I think the nurse could tell I was in so much pain so she said I better check her, she checked and sure enough I was at 10cm and the baby was right there, then it was total chaos for about 5 minutes the nurse was telling me not to push, and just breath calmly... are you kidding me, you want me to breath calm when I have never felt so much pain and pressure in my life!!! Luckily my OB was right there, she ran in and 2 pushes later little Karver Ron Swindlehurst was born. He weighed 7lbs 13 oz and was 21 inches long.
We named him after my Grandpa Ron. Him and I have such a special relationship, I look up to him so much and he has done so much for me in my life. Karver is so lucky to be named after such a respectable man, and if Karver can have even half of the qualities and attributes as my Grandpa does he will be one amazing boy!
We feel so incredibly blessed to have another healthy baby boy in our home. He is such a good baby and the love that we have for him is so overwhelming. We have a picture of Kooper that looks identical to this one. In some pictures they look so much a like!I'm still a little shocked at just what actually happened....it all happened so fast I was still trying to take it all in!Karver and one proud Daddy. Weston is so sweet during delivery and after wards, he gets so emotional and can't stop telling me how proud he is of me, its so sweet. (I'm sure I'm going to be in trouble for saying that on our blog, but I want our kids to know how sweet their Daddy is)This Is Kooper's first time holding Karver, as you can see he isnt too sure about him, look at his hand... ha ha it makes me laugh. Now he is warming up a little....I'm so blessed to have these boys in my life, they mean so much to me and I honestly don't know what I would do without them.Getting his tan on:) He only had to be under the lights for a night...but even one night is way too long! I love his shades though! (look at Karvers poor skin, that is from the lights, its gone now but it made me feel so bad)Day number #2 holding the baby, he warmed up a lot. I love that Kooper just looks at him and smiles, he is going to be such a good big brother! And how can I forget my sweet Mom, she was here for 9 days and it was amazing! She was so much help and spoiled Kooper rotten. I honestly don't know what I would have done with out her. I hated to see her go, but poor Kooper took it the hardest, he just sobbed and sobbed...it was so sad, it just broke my heart. Thanks again Mom for everything, I'm so lucky to have a Mom like you!Getting ready to go home. Some of the nurses gave Karver that blue blanket and his little yellow beanie, we definitely got VIP treatment at the hospital! Of course all the Labor and Delivery nurses love Weston and so they did everything they could to make out stay the best. We got the biggest room and it had 2 beds, so Wes got his own bed which was nice. We stayed 2 nights and on the last night the labor and delivery floor got so busy (like 26 babies) they had to start doubling up, but they assured us that the nurse manager said our room would not be doubling up...so nice, can you imagine??On our way home, we are so excited to start this new adventure with 2 kids!!!!!

Im all about bribes!

Ever since we got rid of Kooper's binky and put him in a big boy bed he has had the hardest time sleeping...and yes its been like 8 months but for the past 3 months or so he wants Wes or I to sleep with him or he wants to sleep on our floor...but this happens about 2 or 3am and and that point we are just so tired we give in. BAD HABIT! It already takes him forever to get to sleep because he wants one of us to lay with him and then if we get up he throws the biggest fit. Anyway long story short we wanted to break all these bad sleep habits before the baby comes so we resorted to a bribe, and I dont regret it one bit! In fact Im all about bribes these days, another bad habit??..maybe...do I care??...not really!
We found a perfect size trampoline at Sams club and he wanted it so bad so we told him if he would sleep in his bed all night then he could get it. We had actually been looking for one anyway but why not kill 2 birds with 1 stone?? It took 2 nights of taking him back to his room 47 times and letting him cry for about 2 hours the first night and 45min the second and then WALA....he has been sleeping in his bed all night for a week or so now!
Since we have gotten the trampoline he is down stairs constantly jumping, he loves loves loves it! It fits in our basement which I love but here in a few weeks we will take it out side for the summer.

Happy Anniversary!

I honestly cant believe that it has been 8 years since I married my best friend. Part of me feels like we have always been married but then the other part of me feels like it was just yesterday that we were driving to St. George together to be married for time and all eternity. So much happens when you are married for awhile, I feel like for one it just gets better and better. You learn to pick your battles and realize that most of those battles aren't really even worth it in the first place. After 8 years there are so many things that I love so much, but of course a few things that I hate so much....You gotta take the good with the bad right??:)
Weston is so good about not letting me "pout" when I'm mad, he either makes me talk about it..which I hate...but Im getting better, or he just makes me laugh till I forget why I was mad in the first place. I love that Weston is always the first to say sorry, I hate that Im so stubborn but luckily he is sooo not so it evens out. I hate that he thinks he wants to do a new hobby every other day, but I love that he is so outgoing and willing to try and do anything. I love that he gets so excited to watch our shows and gets mad if Im not paying attention but he also knows exactly when to look over because he knows Ill be crying at the sad parts(well I think they are sad), then he has a little chuckle then just holds me closer. I love that he always cleans up after I make dinner, even if he always lets one or two of the pans "soak" because they are too dirty (SOOOO BUGGY)! I love that even after a long day of work he comes home and totally takes over with Kooper, they play and play and I can never get enough of just watching them! I love that he is the romantic one in our relationship, he is all about candles, notes, roses, and the "little things"(don't tell his buddies). I love that he always fills up my car with gas. I hate that after telling him 3 thousand times he still doesnt hang his towel back up. I love that he will do anything to make me happy and I know its not an easy job but somehow he knows just what to say and do to keep me smiling and feel like the luckiest girl in the world!
Happy Anniversary Westy, cant wait to see what the next 8 years bring!

Way too honest!!

I had to post this because I have been laughing all night about it!
So first of all Weston and I aren't the most musically inclined people in the world, I think Im the only girl in the world that can play the piano but cant carry a tune to save my life...and then Weston is one of those that thinks he can sing but really he cant!!! Our poor kids have no hope!! If you're thinking "oh....it cant be that bad".....think again, its really really bad!!
So now that you're caught up and know about our beautiful singing voices last night when we were having family home evening we told Kooper that we were going to sing I Am A Child Of God...so Weston and I start singing and a few seconds into it Kooper puts both hands over his ears and starts saying, "I don't like that noise, I don't like that noise....You guys are killing me, you're killing me, stop!!!"
REALLY??? Even a 3 year old knows how bad we are...that's sad!!

Easter, Easter, and More Easter!

I feel like Easter lasted all week at our house this year, which is ok because its one of my favorites! Anyway on Tuesday we started out with an Easter Egg hunt with the Mom's group that we go to. It was really fun, Kooper wasn't too sure about it at first, well I take that back he was super excited until they said go and he realized some of the older kids could run faster than him so he kinda stared to throw a fit saying" I cant do this, I cant get anything" ha ha what is up with him, he is so competitive these days! Anyway once he realized there were more than enough eggs he was a happy little camper!
That night we colored Easter Eggs, we had so much fun. Kooper was so into it this year which was so fun because usually he is so not into "crafty projects."
Daddy thinks he is so cool, can you tell??
We decided to have a little barb-q/ Easter egg hunt with a few of our friends on Friday night. Weston and I love to have people over, although this time it wasn't as easy having a party being 37 weeks prego! It turned out really good, the kids loved it and that's what matters...right??
After a few minutes of collecting eggs I couldn't find Kooper, so I went inside and found him cracking all of his eggs open to see what he got...the hunt wasn't even over yet but apparently he had gotten enough!
Kooper and one of his best little friends Karissa having dinner together:)
I sent Weston to the store to grab a few last minute things and he came home with a big egg pinata and a bunch of candy! He is such a kid at heart:)
Then of course Sunday morning topped it all off. Kooper was so excited to find his Easter basket, the Easter Buuny made a little trail and he had to follow it to find his basket. When he was about through the trail he sat down and said that he needed a break, he wanted to eat pancakes and then he would find his basket! ha ha
We had such a good week, of course we miss family like crazy and Holidays like this makes me so homesick, but Im so thankful for the friends that we have made and the memories we are making with our own little family!

Butter....Seriously??

When I walk into the kitchen and see this.......(this is leaving him alone for 1 minute)I know its never a good sign....
I look to his room, his door is shut...I know this is going to be interesting so I grab my camera and find this...
For some odd reason my sweet little Kooper is OBSESSED with butter...yes I said butter!!! He loves it, for instance the other day I said to him,"Koop come and eat, we are having your favorite, spinach ravioli (which he really does love)," and he immediately says, "no mom, butter is my favorite."
So this is the thing we don't even eat butter, we have always used spray butter, I keep some butter in the freezer for baking and that's why when I see the chair by the freezer I know what Kooper is after! We can get this kid to eat anything if we tell him that we will put butter on it...is this a good thing or a bad thing? Just posting these pictures I'm gagging, I hate butter and to eat a whole stick...are you kidding me? Well he obviously didn't eat the whole stick but even one bite would send me over the edge! So really Koop, you're going to pick butter as your favorite food??? Can we even call it a food? SICK!!

Soccer Mom!

Have you ever imagined something in your mind and then it turns out so incredibly different?? Well that seems to happen to me quite often! And this whole soccer mom thing being one of those things that was imagined so different! So Weston and Kooper have been practicing all these sweet moves, scoring goals, and passing the balls for a few weeks now so I was thinking by his first game he was going to be semi-pro.... ha ha boy was I wrong!! Although in these first few pictures he looks pretty convincing......
So this was the problem....he did really good until the other team would come and kick the ball from him, how dare they...right??? We have been taught not to take toys (balls) from other kids while they are playing with them, so why on earth would these kids just come up and kick the ball right away from him...he was playing with it first!!!
Oh boy...so there you have it, I forgot to explain that it's okay when playing sports to take the ball, which if I would have it would have avoided several on the field melt downs! I wish I would have gotten some pictures of him pouting and stomping around after the ball was stolen, but I was too busy trying to figure out why the heck he was so mad...."DUH Mom its because we don't take other kid's toys (balls)"
So after so many times of getting the ball taken from you I guess playing in the goal is a lot more fun!
I love this picture, he is just so content taking a break drinking his juice box.
All in all it was a fun day, it was so cute to see our little boy attempting to play a sport, he is growing up way too fast! He may not be semi-pro like I was thinking but we are so proud of our little soccer player and Im by far the proudest soccer Mom around! Love you Koop:)

A well needed visit home!

After being away from your family and friends for awhile there is honestly nothing in this world that I love doing more than going home to spend quality time with everybody. This time was so different because I wasnt working 90 hours in a week so I just got to enjoy having time to do whatever I wanted, it was just what I needed. I have been feeling so homesick lately, and its amazing what being around the people that mean the world to you can do for you in one short week!
While we were there my mother in law watched Kooper while Weston and I and our besties went on an over nighter. The day was perfect, it started out by my amazing friend Julie and her cute mom(my other mother) took me to get a pedicure and then out to lunch at my all time favorite "PF." Julie of course went overboard and spoiled the new baby with a whole storage bin of clothes, diapers, wipes, toys... you name it, it was in there! I honestly don't know what I would do with out this girl, she is one of those best friends that you can tell anything too, her shoulder is always there for you no matter what, she is such a good example, and I know that she would do anything for me! Anyway back to the perfect day... after being spoiled with pedicures and lunch, Weston and I headed down to St George to meet Julie and Craig. Weston and I did a little shopping, got our truck detailed and enjoyed some of that amazing St. George sunshine! When Craig and Julie got down there we went to the temple....
Went to Samurai 21 and enjoyed some sushi....
The girls had lots of "pillow talk" time, and lots of laughs...you know the laugh when you laugh so hard it hurts....
The boys had lots of...um... I guess showing each other their "apps" on their I phones??? Is that what boys do? What ever it is, they are totally into it!The next day the boys went golfing and the girls went shopping. We had such a good time, it was well needed especially because we will be very busy here in about 4 weeks...
We had so much fun at home, Im so thankful that we both have such amazing families that love Kooper so much, he is so lucky to have them, and yes we are too! Thank you so much Grandma Pam for watching Koop so that we could have a little over nighter!