When the 3rd gets forgotton...

Okay, so does this happen to anyone else? My third child gets forgotten in his highchair quite often. I usually sit at the computer while they eat breakfast or lunch, mostly because I do not eat what they eat. Anyway, so I just sit and carouse the Internet and get up and help them if they need anything. Well, most of my kids rock in the highchairs while eating. Don't ask me why, I always try to stop them for fear of choking. They do it on the couch too, when listening to catchy music or during an intense part of a movie. We never taught them, but all three have ended up doing it on their own. Or, at least Braxton did, maybe Gabe learned it from him, and Tristan from Gabe. Back to the subject...I only find that he is asleep when I finally notice that the rocking has stopped and it's too quiet. Well, today I caught him in action. He was too tired to even finish his first chicken nugget.

Christmas '08

The kids actually let us sleep in until 8:30am. It was amazing, and wonderful! They are usually up the latest 7am. I was so excited for them to get up, I woke up about every 1/2 hour after 6am, listening for them to wake without success. Finally Braxton came out to use the bathroom at 8:30, and I told him to go wake the others so we could get started. We usually put up the child gate at the top of the stairs so there is no sneaking downstairs throughout the night/morning without us knowing. So I ran down to get the video camera setup, while Colby stay upstairs with them waiting for the okay. I got them coming down together and finding what Santa brought them, in fact I think we taped our whole morning in that room. However, I was so busy enjoying watching my kids open gifts, that I forgot to take pictures until the end. Oh well, at least we have it on video. We (Santa) get them a 50's Diner. You have to understand that my boys gravitate to "kitchen" type playthings where ever they go. So, I knew they would get a lot of play time with this. It took a LOT of convincing Colby and my mother-in-law that this very gender neutral kitchen would not turn our boys to the "softer" side of life. They played with that diner for 15 minutes before they even noticed that they had other things waiting for them. Score! Great idea. Tristan received an Elmo Live, to Colby's delight, which we all love to play with. Gabe got a Color Wonder Magic Light Brush, for all of his artistic abilities to be put to better and cleaner use. Braxton was excited for yet another Lego set from his dad and a Nintendo DS accessory kit from me. He lost all of his stylus' (plural?) this past August and has been using the tip of a pen lid as a stylus. I thought ahead on this gift, it came with 3 replacements, a Star Wars stick-on cover, car charger, and headphones all wrapped up in a "Sweet" Star Wars lunch box. He loved it. They all received a nice new Christmas sweater and movies, along with a new tooth tunes tooth brush and their very own cereal that they do not have to share. Colby got two Blu-Rays: The Dark Knight and Prince Caspian, the game Spore for his PC and the hilarious Shamwow! which he has been raving about after watching late night TV. (Gabe and I used it today, since I came home from the gym to 3 different cleaning soaps all over my kitchen. He says, "Dad you got a Shamwow? Oh, its great!" as we are cleaning up his mess and Colby is changing T's diaper.) Colby and the boys got me a purple Ipod Nano, I have been using Colby's old big Ipod, and wanted my own. I also got an arm band to go with it, and the book "Eat This, Not That" which I have been searching for. It's a great diet book to compare your favorite restaurant foods to make smarter eating out choices. Some have you might have seen it on "The Biggest Loser", "The Rachael Ray Show", and "Ellen". That's where I saw it, but I have heard that it has been talked about on other TV shows as well. For breakfast I made Pumpkin pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup, bacon and juice. Either I'm a terrible cook (this is extremely likely) or they are just not anyone in this house's favorite thing to eat. But, I tried to make a hot Christmas breakfast, and that's all that counts. It doesn't happen any other time of the year.

At 11:30 we headed over to Colby's parents' home for more gifts and food. Finally Gabe got his Nintendo DS, he won't have to steal Braxton's any longer. And then we could give him a final gift from us, his own DS accessory kit. Braxton received Lego Batman for the Wii, and another game for his DS. We unwrapped some new Sunday clothes for Tristan while he was napping. Colby received a new weed eater/lawn edger, he has been begging to go buy a new one. Unfortunately we cannot test it out until the late spring. I received a new Sunday coat that I helped pick out. After munching on snacks and working on the puzzle some more while the kids played we headed out for our next stop. I forgot to take pictures at both places, sheesh!

At 3pm we were expected at my parents' home for a family dinner and more gifts. Who can say no to food and gifts? Not us. Colby and I received gift cards and cash, sweet! Tristan got a movie and a toddler toy. Gabe got a coveted Nerf gun and a movie. Braxton got a movie and alien action figure. Did I mention that Braxton received 2 Nerf guns for his birthday, and both Gabe and Braxton got Nerf guns at parties before Christmas. It has been the year of Nerf guns, and a bit crazy with soft bullets flying throughout my home. But with a house full of boys, I can't complain, better that than wrestling in my book. We ate a wonderful turkey dinner, and enjoyed some fun family games that Heidi created. The kids all played with cousins for hours. We tried to soak up all of the parent time we could get, since they would be gone on a Book of Mormon tour to Mexico for 17 days starting the next day.

After a long day, we finally got home and played with the new toys and gadgets for a couple of hours before putting the kids to bed. They needed some quiet down time alone after all of the relative-ness. We were fortunate again to have friends stop by and visit for a bit before we called it a night. Unfortunately the kids did not sleep in the next day, but they did on Saturday. The busyness finally caught up to them.

Thank you so much to our family and friends for all the wonderful treats, cards and gifts given throughout the season. We are more blessed to have you in our lives, than to receive something from you, but we thank you none the less. Sorry for the list of gifts in this post, but I need to keep a record for our thank you list. We hope you all have a safe end of year, and we will talk to you again in 2009.

Christmas Eve.

We had a nice Christmas Eve. We did our traditional "open one present" at our home. It always new new pajamas and sometime new slippers for the next year. Next we usually head over to my parents home, but they were on their way home from Salt Lake, so we headed over to Colby's parents' home for the remainder of the evening. We always have finger food, a puzzle to put together and one gift for everyone to open there as well. But, this year the boys got to open 6 small presents, and Tristan 3. They played Polar Express with Geo Trax. Grumpa made a track with 4 different train stations to stop at. When it was your turn, you chose a station to drive to, and stopped for the train to pick up coal, wood, or a package. And each item had one of the boys' names on it. Then that person got to pick a small "stocking stuffer" sized present to open. Braxton and Xavier didn't have the attention span to last the entire game. But Gabe loved it. And Tristan almost always took his turn with Colby's help. We got home around 9pm, and had friends waiting for us in our basement. We got the kids in bed, then we relaxed while Santa went to work. We played games, watched basketball and snacked. What a great evening it was.

Happy Birthday Braxton!

Braxton Ty Koch became the first child of our family on December 21st, 2001 at 8:01 pm at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, CA after 24 hours of labor. Length at 21 inches and weighing 8 lbs. 1 oz. (Funny how it worked out that way, huh?) He was originally due the 18th, but there was no way I was waiting for him to come naturally and risk being in the hospital over Christmas. His birthday is close enough to the holiday as is. We had a scheduled induction at 8pm on the 20th, if he hadn't come before then. Well, Colby, my mom and I went to the hospital and I got checked in and all hooked up to things, and we waited. I was having very mild contractions all night long. Enough to not get any sleep, whilst my mom and Colby slept on the hardwood floor because the reclining chair was way too uncomfortable. By 7am I had not even dilated to 2cm. My doctor came into the room exclaiming that it looked like a bunch of dead bodies were in there, and then proceeded to break my water. If you have ever seen how they do that, you might be able to understand why Colby almost passed out when waking up to a guy jamming a hook into his wife, while she gasped in pain. He stepped out of the room, while the nurses told him to sit on the floor and put his head between his legs. Anyway back to the birth. I had gone all night and morning without any pain medication, but by noon I was exhausted. They gave me a half dose of something to take the edge off, and I pass into a nice nap right away. Finally by about 6pm there was still no progress with dilation or any of that other good stuff, so they talked me into an epidural and emergency C-section since it had been almost 12 hours since they broke my water. Colby held my hand while the epidural was put in, that was the most scary part of the entire day. They then prepped me and wheeled my into the OR. More prep work while Colby and my mom were getting dressed and ready to come in. Finally, everyone is ready and waiting, Colby by my head, and my mom with the camera to record the event for me. A slice with the laser, and lots of tugging. Colby later told me that the doctor put my guts and stuff up on my belly, while he knelt on me tugging on Braxton, because he was lodged in my pelvis. And again he had to turn away, because he almost passed out again. It was painful even with the epidural, although the anesthesiologist was assuring me that it didn't hurt, it was just a lot of pressure. How would he know? Has he ever had a child? No! Braxton came out pretty messy and peed all over my doctor (Braxton loves telling everyone that part of the story). My blood pressure had gone crazy, so I wasn't allowed to hold him for most of the night until it stabilized. I had trouble feeding him, we didn't get the hang of it until he had been home for about a week. (That's probably why he still doesn't like to eat, and is my skinny little stick boy.) I should have stayed in the hospital another day, but I asked to be released on Christmas eve, I did NOT want to be in the hospital during my first Christmas as a mom. Besides, I did have the baby blues, I hadn't made that many friends yet, so not many visitors came in. And, Colby hates hospitals, so he and my mom went to a movie and dinner without me. Yeah, that didn't help the postpartum depression. I also shared a room almost the entire recovery with a woman who had a normal birth, and tons of visitors. She was also always in the bathroom. And when you really have had a C-section it's not the most fun thing to get up and walk over to the bathroom, you put it off as long as possible. (It may sound weird, but thank goodness for catheters.) So, picture this, you've held your bladder as long as you can to avoid the pain, then when you finally manage to painfully get out of bed, there is someone in your bathroom. You figured they would be out by the time you got out of bed. Nope, then she starts the shower up.....let's just say that was not a fun night. I am so grateful for my mom, she helped Colby and I so much with that first week of transition. Because she had 6 C-sections, she understood the pain of recovery and coached Colby and I with diaper changes and bathing the baby. She also took some night shifts to help us out, since she was sleeping on the couch and awake because of the crying anyway. We finally got to week 3, and my mom was back in Utah, we new parents were getting the hang of things, and I was moving around a lot better. From then on, Braxton was such a good baby. We could take him everywhere, and we did. He went to San Diego at 3 weeks old to see my brother Seth graduate from Marine training. We then flew to Utah and had him blessed in my old ward. He and I flew to Utah again in February to meet Colby's family. We took him to movies, and dinner, to friends houses and other functions. We took our first family vacation when he was 3 months old, to San Fransisco. He went to the beach (Warning: Very unflattering picture of me coming up.)and to Disneyland. Then we drove to the family ranch in Utah for the Fourth of July. He was just a great traveler. He has become a normal, not always easy and happy child, now. We love him so much! He was so excited to become a big brother with Gabe and Tristan, and he is such a huge help to me. He loves video games and basketball like his dad. He loves movies and music like me. Last Wednesday, we had a birthday party for him. Thanks to all his friends who came, we had so much fun. And he got some great loot! Sunday, his actual birthday, we celebrated with grandparents, one uncle, one cousin, one aunt and a partridge in a pear tree. Who doesn't love ice cream cake?! We love you Braxton, and I can't believe you will already be 8 years old next year. Time flies when you have kids, whether you are having fun or not. But we love each and every one.

More snow.

Yesterday we received more snow, so it was back to shoveling the driveway, sidewalks and mailbox for Colby and I. The kids got all dressed in their snow clothes and played with the kids in the neighborhood while all of the parents were clearing off snow. It was quite a sight to see, our entire side of the street out shoveling/snow blowing at the same time. When we were through with our home, we would help our neighbors, and vice versa. I fashioned a double sled pulling system that you could attach to yourself like a horse or sled dog. Gabe and Tristan had a blast! Braxton and the neighbor kids tried it out with each other as well, they used their friend Colten as the horse. These are good times, I'm glad I had Colby run in to grab the camera. We didn't hardly play in the snow last year because we weren't very prepared with the warmest of winter wear for each child. Also, we were sick a LOT. This year, I have been making it a point to get the kids playing out in the snow at least once a day. That way there is less fighting, wrestling and annoying mom, and more physical exercise. Looks like we will be shoveling again this afternoon before our Koch Family Christmas Party. Would someone please convince Colby that it IS worth buying a snow blower now that we live here.

This past January. Right now as I type.

Forts and fun.

Last week, I took time out of house work to sit down and play with Gabe and Tristan. I admit that I am not the most fun mom, because this rarely happens. Usually I do housework, fiddle on the computer or read, while they just play alone or together. They were bouncing off the walls and begging for my attention. So, we put the couch cushions on the floor, and played some music, and they had to jump from cushion to cushion like lily pads. Gabe had a blast, and Tristan was copying him and laughing. Next, we built a fun fort with the love seat, a blanket, some cushions, and a couple of glow stick swords. The boys' loved it, and Skitterz kept climbing in their with them, to their delight. I must have worn them out, because we had lunch and Tristan went down for a nap. I got on the computer, and then wondered where Gabe had gone to. Here I found Skitterz resting in front of a heater vent........and HERE I found Gabe asleep on top of a bathroom heater vent.

Lunch nap.

I think the taquito won the battle.

Letters to Santa.

Last week for Family Home Evening, we played in the snow for the first time of the year, then had hot chocolate and popcorn. We also wrote emails to Santa. I printed them off so the kids could put them in the North Pole mailbox, that way Santa would be sure to get one set of them (wink, wink). We dropped them off and each child got to visit with Santa very quickly, since he was visiting our town that week. None of them said much. Braxton stated in the car that he was NOT sitting on Santa's lap, or talking to him. But in the end he jumped right up on his lap, and was the most agreeable of all the boys. Gabe got on his lap hesitantly, and then continued to talk to him without moving his lips while staring at his feet. Tristan was terrified from the get go. Santa gave them each a candy cane, which they ate while we walked around the small duck pond and looked at the lights. Next, we packed the crew back in the truck for a short visit to Grandma and Paka (that's what my boys call Grandpa) Miller's house. Back at home they had cookies and milk, and a Christmas story before going to bed that night. This is not our usual routine, our kids do NOT need any sugar before bed, so it was a special treat.

Santa emailed them back that night, and by the end of the week had sent a more detailed letter to each child. I saved copies of all of these for them to treasure later on in life. This was the first time we had done the letters, Braxton was really excited, he kept reading his over and over. Gabe and Tristan could have cared less.

Snow much fun

We finally got some snow last Monday, and then a bit more this past weekend and today. So, I dug out all of the winter wear and shuffled ownership around on each article of clothing before we found some things that worked for each child. In the end, with three boys in my home, I only had to purchase 1 coat and 1 pair of gloves this season. That's amazing! We have received snow boots, hats, gloves and snow pants as hand-me-downs throughout the few years living/visiting Utah. And we thank those people for their contributions to our stock of snow clothes. The next step was to bundle everyone up and get them out the back door one by one. They had so much fun learning to make snow balls and push each other on our toddler sled. They even learned to slide down the deck stairs with it. Of course poor Tristan could barely walk all bundled up like the younger brother in "A Christmas Story". But, he still threw a tantrum when his brothers were out before he was ready, and when everyone had to come in. He wanted to keep playing even though he kept toppling over and crying because it was cold and he couldn't stand up on his own. With kids there will always be drama and arguments. Gabe screamed his head off when Braxton white washed him. Braxton threw a fit when snow got down his boot and I couldn't get it off fast enough for him. All in all, our grand snow adventures always end with hot chocolate and fond memories.

I'm a member.

I did it! Thursday afternoon I made the commitment for 24 months, no money down, and about $37 per month to be a member of Gold's Gym. I tried it out for about 3 weeks, and as long as my good neighborhood friends keep dragging me along, I think I can get my money's worth. Although, I am NOT a morning person, somehow we all get to our class Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 5:30am. That can mean I have to be ready to go/pick up anywhere between 5 and 5:15, depending on which location we head to that morning. We have been attending classes at the 12th street location and down town at The Junction, both located in Ogden. I prefer the one down town, even if it means we have to be ready earlier in the morning, it's brand new and oh so snazzy! We shall see if I can get this baby fat x 3 off of me, since I wasn't smart enough to do it between each child. And hopefully, the holidays won't ruin my routine too much. Between Weight Watchers this summer and working out recently, I am already down 2 sizes in 2008. Woot! Wish me luck!

Gabe. Enough said.

Preschool has been good for Gabe. It has opened him to a whole new world of artistic expression. Instead of hitting or throwing things when he is bored, angry or frustrated in general, he has now decided to teach Tristan some art projects. Yesterday, while I was soaking in the tub, he wanted to finger paint. But, why wait for mom, when you can just handle things on your own? He moved a chair and climbed up to the shelf that we keep our diaper bin on. This holds diapers, wipes, lotion for Tristan's eczema, and diaper cream. That way we can tote it room to room. Back to the story, the mediums chosen to paint with were diaper cream and lotion, the work surface (no, not the easy to clean tile) the carpet. The art project was on. How much cream and lotion can we get onto the carpet before mom gets out of the tub and starts down the stairs? As soon as Gabe heard me drain the tub, I imagine this is when he knew they needed to attempt a cleanup. A newly opened tub of wipes will be an easy way to clean. I came downstairs to an ENTIRE tube of diaper cream and an ENTIRE bottle of lotion and an ENTIRE new tub of wipes all over my carpet. There was a smidgen of painting done to Tristan as well (Gabe needs to put his signature on the disasters). After a ton of screaming and carpet cleaning. I salvaged what I could of the supplies. An ounce here and there of cream and lotion left over, but no wipes survived. Let me tell you....both Colby and I scrubbed and scrubbed the carpet, but it still appears white from Desitin.

Are you up for another art project? Well, here it comes. This morning I got up to go to the gym at 4:30am. I arrived home about 10 after 7. I got the kids up and ready, and Braxton off to school. Then, after checking that all downstairs was childproof and the diaper bin was hidden, I went upstairs to take a nap while Gabe and Tristan were playing with toys and watching The Polar Express. They each had a drink and snacks, and I was napping with the door open, so as to here all. Several times I yelled downstairs for Gabe to come talk to me, since it sounded as though he was beating on his younger brother again. Usually he jumps at the chance to come in our room, but not once did he venture up as asked. So, I grudgingly got out of bed and trotted downstairs, mumbling under my breath that it was way too quiet. I find Tristan crying and wandering around with marker all over his clothes and face. Crayons and markers, pencils and a glue stick scattered through tout the family room. Where is Gabe? He is in the bathroom trying to wash the evidence off himself as here hears me coming down the stairs. They had colored with marker on their shirts, on Tristan's face, and on my microfiber couch. There was glue stick rubbed between all their fingers and used as hair gel on Tristan's head. Stickers were used throughout the room and kids. Tips of markers were bitten off, and pencil sharpenings were scattered on the floor. After more yelling, and sending Gabe to his room, I had to take a couple pictures before starting the cleanup process, again. I knew we would find it funny sometime in the future and wish we had pictures. Colby cleaned up the couch while I ran Tristan up to the tub. I think all is back to normal now, though I am missing a pair of scissors that Gabe says Tristan had. That makes me more than a bit nervous. By the way, I'm sure now, that the reason he was screaming like he was being beat up, was because Gabe was holding him down and sticking him in the face with a marker. Or pulling his hair while applying a liberal amount of glue stick to his noggin.

Facebook

Okay, so I just discovered Facebook, and I'm hooked. I have wasted so much time on blogs since April. Now I feel the need to waste more of my precious hours of the day checking Facebook all the time. Help me! Sometimes the virtual world is so much more enticing then real life. Really, I would much rather hang out with people in person, and do physical activites instead of just typing to people online all the time. But alas, people rarely call me, and getting a babysitter is such a pain, not to mention expensive if I caved and found one everytime I wanted to go out. Colby's work hours, new and old, just don't fit my daily or social schedule. Though it is nice to have him work at home, that way I can run lots of errands during naptime. Alright, for all you Facebook people out there, watch out! I'm now a member.

Christmas Tag

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper when I have the time, gift bags for procrastination only.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the 1st of December, but now that I have 3 kids, I'm lucky to get it up the second week of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? First week of January sometime.

5. Do you like eggnog? Bleh, yuck!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Cabbage Patch Kid, and a large mermaid doll that could go in the bathtub.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Colby, he always says he wants cash from others and money in savings from me. Boring!

8. Easiest person to buy for? Myself, and usually my kids.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, 4 of different kinds/sizes.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail mostly, but if I forget people, then email.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Two years ago Colby only gave me 2 karaoke cds, and the kids didn't get me anything. It was a depressing year, but then I got a deep freezer the next month for my birthday, so it evened out in the end.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Polar Express, ELF, The Grinch, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and Santa Claus the Movie.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? October 1st, and I like to be done by the day before Thanksgiving, though it's usually soon after.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Way too many things to list.

16. Lights on the tree? Colored.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary did you know?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? When we lived in CA, we traveled every year, now we just stay where we are.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, Comit, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We open one on Christmas eve, usually new PJs and/or slippers, then the rest in the morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Stupid people out shopping, rude people, and stupid drivers. Oh, and begging and begging Colby to put up the lights on the house. I do all of the tree by myself, so that's his job.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Burgandy and silver, snowmen, and we get a new special family ornament each year.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? My mom's homemade Thanksgiving/Christmas meal. My father-in-law's homemade egg rolls. YUM!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? An Ipod Nano, some movies and/or movie gift certificates, a dressy Sunday coat. And definitely healthy family members.

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? No idea.

27. Who is least likely to respond to this? Me.

28. Favorite thing about Christmas? The Christmas spirit, music, lights, and family/friends all gathered around us.

My First Baby!

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about you and your first baby.

1. Were you married at the time? Yes.

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? We were in complete shock, it was an accident, we weren't ready for that yet. We hadn't even been married a year yet.

3. How old were you? 21

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? EPT home pregnancy test, it turned the second I peed on it.

5. Who did you tell first? We called our families right after, and then a couple of friends. This helped get us a little excited and out of the horror shock.

6. Did you deliver early or late? Three days late; finally I was induced, I didn't want to be in the hospital over Christmas.

7. Did you have morning sickness? No, but I did throw up once. Don't eat Cheetos and drink fruit punch Gatorade while pregnant, not a good combo.

8. What did you crave? Ice cream, and boy have I been paying for it for 7 years now.

9. Who irritated you the most? The two guys I lived with, my hubby and our friend Ben who was staying with us for the time.

10. What was your first child's Sex? Boy.

11. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? I gained 67 pounds, stupid ice cream!

12. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Yes, I couldn't dilate to even 2 cm, and yet he was a bit lodged in my pelvis.

13. Where did you give birth? Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, CA.

14. How many hours were you in labor? 24 hours

15. Who drove you to the hospital? Colby, my hubby.

16. Who watched? Colby and my mom, she took pictures of the operation.

17. Was it natural or c-section? Emergency c-section.

18. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Of course, your are crazy if you don't! I don't know what they put in my IV before the surgery, but during I had an epidural.

19. How much did your child weigh? 8 lbs. 1 oz., though you wouldn't know he was a big baby to look at him now (stick boy).

20. What did you name your child? Braxton Ty Koch

21. How old is your first born today? 7 years old on Dec 21st.

Okay ladies, re-post this on your blog as 'My first baby'.