A Baptism and Blessing

Lizette was baptized on Saturday, November 1st. Since we had so much family coming into town for this event we decided to have Luke blessed on the same day. It was a wonderful day and very special occasion for our family.

Lizette looked forward to this day for a long time and was very excited for this moment in her life. We had lots of discussions about the importance about baptism and the covenants we make when we are baptized. As parents, we wanted her to understand the importance of this, but I think she really did understand so much already. However, it was great for all of us to review the importance of our baptismal covenants. I think by the time the day came she was ready. And she was thrilled that so many family members and friends were there to support her.

It was a great day with lots of family in town to share the day with us.

And look at this little cutie! This was the picture we took for the announcement we sent out. Such a little snuggle bug!

All dressed up in his blessing outfit and laying on the beautiful afghan that Aunt Abby crocheted for him. It's stunning!

Halloween 2014

This Halloween we did something we never do...we had a party! With so many coming into town for the baptism and blessing for Lizette and Luke the next day we thought it would be fun to have a Halloween party. It was a little crazy with lots of kids and trick or treaters, but it was fun! We played a few games, ate some soup and went trick or treating.

I felt that night and sort of all weekend that I wasn't really on top of my party organizing game. With just having had Luke I was still a little overwhelmed, tired...the whole newborn bit. But all who came were very helpful and understanding and it all worked out. It's just one of those things...when you host, you like to feel like you cover everything and this time it just wasn't in the works. :-) Thank goodness for good friends and family!

Girls Birthdays

We love October at our house. Lizette's birthday is October 10th. Lexi's is October 9th. And now Luke on October 2nd. However, with Luke's birth this year the girls' birthdays sort of had to be a low key affair. They were okay with that. They did just get the best present ever after all. 

Lexi turned five this year! At five she is full of spunk. She loves to read. Loves her gymnastics class. LOVES her little brother and is a very sweet, caring little girl. She is so helpful to me and such a reliable little girl. I love that quality about her. No matter what, I can always count on her to do what I ask without much complaint. She is so easy going. She is also the one in the family who is always making us laugh. She comes up with so many funny one liners and witty remarks all the time. I'm constantly posting them on Facebook so I don't forget them. The other day I asked her if she was finished with her dinner. She just gave me a big smile and said, "I don't know. Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not." It's always stuff like that that just make me laugh. Love this girl!

Lizette turned the big eight this year! I can't believe she is getting to be so grown up! She is a strong willed, independent young lady. Smart, thoughtful and so helpful. She loves her dance class and is so talented in it. She works hard at it and has a natural grace about her that is fun to watch. I've noticed one quality about her since she has started into dance and since we've begun homeschooling. She is competitive and wants to excel at everything she does. It's not necessarily that she loves the work or loves school or anything. She just wants to know that she is at the top of her game in whatever she is doing.  :-) She is beginning to get out of the little girl stage a bit which I'm not so crazy about. She doesn't love the dolls as much anymore and wants a phone now. Jeff gave her one of our old phones that she can text on and she loves it. She texts her family only at this point but it's a little crazy to see my girl texting! This was the big year of her baptism which I will post about later. She was very excited for this birthday for that reason. Love our Lizette!

Luke Jeffrey Rigby

This post is LONG overdue and just plain LONG! 

Luke was born October 2, 2014. Our lives have been turned upside down since! So much happiness, emotion, lack of sleep. :-) It's been overwhelming but in a very good way. There is a whole new element of joy in our home. Of course, there is nothing like snuggling a newborn to help you remember what's important in life. But beyond that, it's been so good for our family to feel so much love all at once together. It's wonderful. 

Yes, the sleepless nights and trying to keep up with the endless amounts of laundry and housework have been a challenge. I've had days when I've wondered if I'm really cut out for this or not. It's so hard sometimes! But, the good far outweighs the difficulties. It's been good for me to have to chill out about my house a little bit. So the laundry doesn't get done today. Big deal! And the dust is getting thicker and thicker as we speak. No problem. Breathe...I will have a clean house again someday. Right now, these little kiddos need their mom more than a clean house. (Even though, by all accounts my house is still pretty clean. I can't let it go all together people!) :-) 

Luke was 6 pounds 3.8 ounces, 18 inches long. He was born with a bit of a breathing issue which caused him to have to go into the NICU for a day. It scared me terribly. I cried for at least three hours after the birth. I couldn't stop. I was so scared for him. But it turned out that his lungs were just a little weak and needed a little bit of a kickstart. They put him on a CPAP machine, cleaned out his lungs and he was good to go after that. Not being able to hold him at first was so difficult. Knowing what that experience is like and then not being able to have it was heart wrenching. I can only imagine what it is like for mothers who have babies in the NICU for weeks or months. Let alone those who suffer the loss of a child. My heart just ached for them during this time. A healthy baby is truly a miracle. 

The delivery went great. I didn't feel any of the labor pains up until I started to push and then I felt it quite a bit! Oh yes. But it was short lived and worth every pain. Thank goodness he was small. I had even slept through many of the contractions through the night after I got my epidural. It was great! Jeff and the girls were with me the whole time. Jeff was probably the most exhausted of all of us by the time the delivery came because he got absolutely no sleep. We arrived at the hospital at about 1:00 a.m. and he hadn't slept all night. I and the girls however, slept just great. :-) The girls were so excited and fascinated by the whole experience.  I was a little worried about how they would respond but wanted them to have the experience. In the end I'm really glad we had them there. To see a baby delivered is just amazing and not something you get to see many times in a lifetime. I'm glad they got to be there for this. 

Our Doctor is also amazing. Dr. Hodges. He's a little bit famous actually. His photo went viral on Facebook and other internet outlets recently as another family he delivered for had a photographer there for their second birth which was a miraculous story. She caught a great shot of Dr. Hodges and the dad hugging and crying and it went viral, made the local news, Today show website and the whole bit. He's a great guy and wonderful doctor. I love that he lets the dads help with the actual delivery and bring the baby out. What an experience. 

I think all of these pictures speak for themselves. 

We feel truly blessed with our little guy. I call him Lukey Lou and I've made up a song for him. I've made up songs for all my kids. :-) Here is his:

Lukey Lou, I love you

You're my little Pookie Poo

You poop and spit and toot all day

But that's O-Kay!

We love you Lukey!

Busy Girls!

With school beginning we are off and running with other activities as well. Dance and Piano for Lizette and Gymnastics for Lexi. This week is our first full week with all of their lessons having begun and it has been fun! 

I'll start with Lexi. She is taking gymnastics at Wings and she absolutely loves it. Her first class was last week and I couldn't have been more proud of our girl. She got right out there and tried everything without hesitation. She listened to directions, spoke to her teacher, and kept on trying even when she fell down or didn't get something the first time. I'm not so sure this would have happened a year ago. With her shyness has come quite a lot of hesitation in trying new things, especially in front of new people. In the past, if she felt like she did something wrong, she would often get embarrassed and cry. This class was a huge moment for her. I was so happy for her. 

And this week she had even improved a lot over last week! This is going to be so great for her confidence. Love it! 

Look at her go! 

Lizette is taking dance and piano and loving both. Her first piano lesson was yesterday and she was literally dancing when we got to her teacher's house. She was so excited! She had a couple of songs ready that she wanted to play for her teacher so that she could display her skills. :) As soon as we got home she was ready to practice.

Her first dance class was today. When I originally asked her about taking dance she said that sounded good. Then I said, "You get to be in parades." She said, "Yes! I want to take dance mom!" I never knew she was such a performer. After signing her up, we found out her first parade is going to be the BSU homecoming parade this month and she is over the moon excited. She also gets to perform at the Festival of Trees and at some other fundraising performances in between. She is taking this very seriously and is very excited to perform in front of people. This is just about all she can talk about. I think a star has been born in our house. :) I never knew she was such a little diva.

Again, I think this is wonderful! She is also blossoming into her personality and I am so happy to see her gaining confidence. This is going to be a great thing for her.

On her way to her first dance class. So excited! 

The Rigby Academy

This past month has been busy for us just as it has been for many families with school beginning. New schedules, activities and all that comes with the transition from summer to the school year. However, this year it is a little different for us as we have decided to homeschool our kids! I've mentioned this before and haven't gone into too much detail yet, so I thought I would dedicate at least one post to this topic. 

The decision to homeschool wasn't easy for me. I was hesitant about the time commitment it would involve. I was worried that I didn't have what it takes to teach my kids. (I'm not exactly a scholar!) I was worried about them not having an opportunity to be socialized properly. I didn't want them to ever feel left out because they are the "homeschooled" kids. 

The main reason I wanted to homeschool began with my two girls. Anyone who has been around them for any length of time knows that they are relatively shy and quiet girls. They are both blossoming into their own personalities and have gained a lot of confidence in themselves which I think is wonderful. But watching them learn in their school environments concerned me quite a bit. Although they were both coming along socially, I didn't feel like they were actually learning much otherwise. Their shy personalities held them back from participating in class and asking questions. I remember being this way and probably not learning as much as I could have just because I was too shy to participate. I wanted more for my girls. I know how it is to be the shy kid, and no matter how much socializing is done in the school environment, it doesn't change the fact that you are still shy. Still afraid to ask questions. Still hesitant to fully participate in all of the activities. I wanted them to be able to have an environment to learn in where they could do and ask anything without hesitation. 

Secondly, (be warned this is slightly political) there were concerns we had about the whole direction of the education system and primarily the public school system. We don't like common core. We feel like education has become such a bureaucracy.  It doesn't seem to be about the kids and teachers anymore. It's more about politics and money. And I will leave it at that.  :) 

When it comes down to it, I don't think there is a black and white choice that is right for every family. Each family has to evaluate the schools in their area, the needs of their children, and go from there. There are some wonderful schools out there and I am definitely not "anti-school" by any means. I am just thankful that we live in a place where each family is free to make the choice that is right for their family. And I am especially thankful that since we do have the desire to homeschool that I am able to stay home and do that. I know that isn't the case for many families and I am grateful for the options that we have. 

So, on to more details about The Rigby Academy. :)  This is our little center of learning: 

Please excuse the poor photos (Sorry Jeff!)  

Each day we begin school between 8:00 and 8:30. Depending on how long breakfast takes. :)  We end at about 12:30 or so. It takes about 4-4-12 hours to get finished. I am using a curriculum based off the book by Susan Wise Bauer called The Well Trained Mind. It's all about learning to learn. There is a lot of reading and writing involved in most all subjects which I really like. We study history, language, writing, reading, math, science and mix in some art when it works. This curriculum is mostly geared to Lizette. Lexi is spending most of her time learning to read and working on Kindergarten curriculum.

So far, the girls are enjoying it a lot. They love participating and coming up with ideas for field trips and activities that we are going to do in class. They do participate in extra curricular activities as well which helps with the social aspect. Lexi does gymnastics. Lizette is doing dance and piano. And I am also part of a local home school organization that hosts activities that we can participate in.

And I am actually loving it much more than I expected! I thought the time commitment would be much more stressful than it has been. It hasn't been that bad. And the time with my kids each day is priceless. We have so much fun and I feel like we are bonding on an entirely different level. It's really fun! Maybe six months from now I'll feel differently, but for now I love it! :)

A Baby Boy

We are thrilled to be adding one more to our family. As I mentioned in my earlier post, it came as quite a shock to be pregnant but it was a very welcomed surprise. In May we found out that our little surprise is a boy! We were all so excited! The girls really wanted a brother. That actually surprised me. I thought they would wish for another little sister to dress up and play with, but they both really wanted a brother.

I can tell you that this pregnancy has felt different than with the girls. For one, this little guy is a kicker! He is constantly moving. I remember when the girls would move or kick, it seemed to be more of an event. With him, it's all the time! Makes me a little nervous! Also, I feel like I'm carrying him slightly higher. I feel like my belly is rounder or something this time too. All I know is I cannot wait to meet him and hold him.

Since finding out we are having a boy, it's been fun to begin preparations! I've started to decorate his room. Here is a sneak peek. :) I'm not quite done, so I'm only showing you one piece of it. Not that the end result will be all that exciting, but I still want it to be all complete before I post pics!

We've also been gathering all the baby gear that we can. Oh goodness! So much seems to be required to care for a baby. You gotta have a crib and car seat of course, but then there are the Boppy pillows and the Bumbos and this and that and the other thing! Thankfully, I have had some great friends that have been giving me their baby gear. And I have also found some fantastic yard sale and thrift store finds. With all of that, we have not had to mortgage our house to gear up for this little guy! Here are a couple of my favorite finds:

$30.00 at a garage sale!

and $15.00 at a garage sale

I've also found a front carrier, Boppy pillow, diaper pail and changing table pad at garage sales. Friends have given me a stroller, Bumbo, car seat, swing, johnny jump up, exersaucer, baby bathtubs, play mat, bottles, food, and TONS of clothes! It's been so great. I've heard people say that it's just not as much fun to shop for little boy clothes. I totally disagree. I think they are so cute! I can't wait to dress my little guy. 

We have decided to name him Luke. This is not a family name or anything. We didn't really name him after anyone we know. It obviously has biblical references, which we like. But we just like the name Luke. The only other Luke I know is the Luke I used to work with. There is Luke Skywalker. Luke Duke. Of course, Luke from the Bible. It seems like most Luke's are pretty good guys. I like that it's a name that fits when he is young and older as well. It's short. Not trendy. Traditional. Yep, Luke it is.

And here are a couple of ultrasound pics of him:

This was the first ultrasound in April. Couldn't believe they got such a nice profile so early on! 

Here he is at 19 weeks when we found out it was a "he"!

Here I am at 30 weeks. Had Lizette take a "belly shot" for me. This was about the best we could get. :) 

I was telling the girls the other day that I've had different cravings with all of them. With Lizette it was bacon. Lexi it was homemade vanilla pudding. With Luke it has been Milk Duds. Hey, I've never claimed to be a healthy pregnant lady. :) I was worried that I wouldn't pass the glucose test because of all the Milk Duds. Dr. Hodges said that was actually probably a good thing because my pancreas was used to processing some sugar. Ha! :) I passed it alright. Guess my pancreas must be in great working order. Those people who eat Kale and such...they think they know so much. It's Milk Duds that will keep you healthy, people! I knew it. And I always knew I liked Dr. Hodges. :) 

Only 10 weeks to go! Maybe less if he comes early like the other two. We are so excited!