I love Autumn!

Lucy 4 months!

My little girl is so much fun.

At 4 months she is;

- smiling, cooing and laughing
- rolling over some
- enjoys time on her tummy
- sleeping from 9 pm - 6 or 7am
- weighs 11lbs. and 2 ounces (3 weeks ago)
- eating every 3-4 hours about 4 ounces at a time
- enjoys playing in her play gym
- Enjoys her brothers loving on her all the time ;)

 

 

 

The boys in their element..

Pre-k already!!??

This past week Jack finished his first week of pre-school in the PM class at Echo Park Elementary. He was a little scared about the bus -  and so were we! But this week went better than I thought and he's starting to get the hang of it. We are so excited that district 196 decided to implement a preschool program. My little boy is growing up so fast :/ but I know it's going to be great for him. Here are some pictures from his first day.

A tough time -

About 7 weeks ago Ben's Dad recieved very grave news after a few weeks of tests and being very tired, a bone marrow biopsy confirmed abnormalities in his blood and Ron was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). 

Acute myeloid leukemia is one of the most common types of leukemia among adults. This is a type of cancer and is rare under age 40. Persons with this type of cancer have abnormal cells inside their bone marrow. The cells grow very quickly, and replace healthy blood cells. The bone marrow, which helps the body fight infections, eventually stops working correctly. Persons with AML are more likely to have infections and have an increased risk for bleeding as the numbers of healthy blood cells decrease. - wikipedia.

He immediately was admitted to United Hospital where he would undergo extremely aggressive chemotherapy for two weeks, 24 hours a day- in the hospital. After the two weeks ended, the blood tests showed only a 20% decrease in cancer cells.

Ron decided that he would go home and enjoy the time he had left in the company of family and friends. That time was filled with visits from many family and friends, with lots of laughter, tears, togetherness and prayer. Ron was also able to be at his son, Michael's wedding on August 4th - which also happened to mark 50 years exactly to the day of Karen and Ron's first date. :) (Ben's Mom and Dad)

 The chemotherapy really did a number on his body and as the weeks passed he started to get more and more tired, weak, and unable to do the normal things for himself. Karen (Ben's Mom) is such a strong lady and an example to us all. I admire her for what she had to go through these last few weeks - and what the whole family has gone through.

After only a few weeks after diagnosis and a tough, quick fight, Ron Christensen, a husband, father, grandpa, brother, and friend passed away on August 26th at about 1:10 p.m. in the afternoon in the company of his family all around him. It was such a blessing to have been there. We cried and thanked God for taking him home.

It's only been a week since his passing, it doesn't quite seem real yet. The family is taking it day by day-and are so thankful that's his pain is over and he didn't suffer. We will always remember what a great grandpa he was to our children and we will truly miss him, especially his big strong bear hugs.

Lucy-2 months old!

On July 8th Lucy turned 2 months old already! This summer is flying by and our little pumpkin is getting chubby and smiling up a storm now.

Just had to post of Henry.. :)

Jack at the cabin on the rope swing with uncle Blake :)

Lucy - 6 weeks!

Jack's riding a bike all by himself!

Henry's 2!

Last week, (June 8th) we celebrated Henry's 2nd birthday! My Mom was in town from Florida, so we had Henry's birthday party at a hotel so the kids could go to the waterpark. The boys had so much fun and enjoyed swimming and staying up late :).
Henry is so much fun now. He's Mr. animated to everyone he meets, loves to mimic and play with his big Brother, Jack and dances anytime he hears music.
Next item on the list...Potty training! We do not need two kids in diapers!

Memorial Weekend 2012

This past weekend we went to visit my grandparents at their cabin in Pequot Lakes, MN. It was so nice to see them and the kids had a blast playing outside and enjoying time with grandma and grandpa and their cousins. Grandma Jean got to spend lots of cuddle time with little Lucy.

Grammy Jean with Lucy

Getting ready for pontoon ride!

Jack is 4!

What a busy couple of weeks we've had! Jack turned 4 years old last week on May 11th. Just a day after I got out of the hospital after having Lucy. We were glad to be home with him however, I couldn't really do do much but care for the baby. Ben was officially on "boys duty" since he was home helping out while I healed and while we were all adjusting to having a 3rd. We wanted to make sure that Jack knew that his birthday was special even though we had just brought home his sister the day before so Ben took Jack and Henry to: http://www.pumpitupparty.com/ - it's basically a place with multiple "bounce houses" for kids to jump in! Jack and Henry absolutely loved it! After that, he brought Jack to a movie, The Pirates - Band of Misfits, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14MtmqOZwQA. What's funny is half way through it Jack fell asleep and was snoring the whole time. :) All the jumping in the morning tuckered him right out!

 I cannot believe my first born is 4 years old already. It makes me so sad that 4 years has gone by so extremely fast. This year has been good, especially developmentally for Jack. He's such a smart kid with such an imagination and funny sense of humor. He plays great with his little brother and since Lucy has been born, he's really sweet and gentle with her too! Jack, you brighten our lives everyday, we love you little stinker!

Lucy Katherine is here!! - Birth Story

Last Monday, May 7th (at 38 wks and 4 days along) I went into the hospital at around 8:45 p.m. as I was having contractions about every 5-7 minutes apart. I was admitted and hooked up to the monitors to keep an eye on my contractions and the baby. It became a waiting game at this point. I was dilated to a 4 when I arrived at the hospital and slowly progressed through the night to a 5. The hospital was super busy so the doctor wasn't going to break my water as he wanted me to progress naturally as their resources were low because the hospital was at full capacity that night.

At 8am the next morning (May 8th), my contractions just stopped out of no where! I was so tired and frustrated at this point, all I wanted was to have the baby already! Finally, my Dr. that had been treating me all this time was the "on-call" and she came in a broke my water to get this going. After about an hour my contractions came back and were every 5 minutes and getting stronger and stronger. Finally, I was dilated to a 7 and decided to get an Ipidural. The contractions at this point were putting me to tears and they were about every 2-3 minutes apart.

After I got the epidural my pain level got better and I was able to relax and watch my contractions comfortably as they happened on the monitor instead of tear through them. About an hour later the Dr. came in and I was a 10 and ready to push! She came out in 2 pushes and we finally had our little girl after 16 hours of labor! She weighed 6 lbs. and 10 oz., 20 1/2 in. long and her head was 13 in. around.

I would've laughed if you told me that I would be in labor for that long because Jack came in 3 hours, Henry came in 6 hours and lil Lucy... well she took her time coming into this world! To say the least, we are absolutely smitten with her. The boys absolutely love her and Daddy and I are so happy to have our little girl!!

37 weeks -

Today I am 37 weeks! This week has been a crazy one concerning the pregnancy. Last Thursday I was having clear labor signs with 3 hours of contractions and was told to "go get evaluated" by a doctor to see if it was "true labor" or not. Unfortunately Fairview Ridges (our primary hospital) was closed so we had to go to St. Francis in Shakopee. A very nice place, but this definetly threw us for a loop! The contractions I was having were 3-5 minutes apart and very intense. I had my 36 week checkup that afternoon and thinking that the exam "stirred" things up in there! While at the hospital I was hooked up to a few machines to monitor me, the baby and the contractions. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours when the contractions just stopped! To my dissapointment, labor wasn't starting. Today, I had another checkup and I am dialated to a 3 and 50% effaced! Things are getting closer! Yay! Could be anyday...

Pics of kids from Easter...

Easter is alot more fun when you have kids, however it's hard to make a child understand why we infact celebrate Easter. This year we did the whole Easter basket and egg hunt thing, but we also tried to make the kids aware of why we celebrate (as a Christian family). We read a book (that they got in their baskets) about Jesus and how died and then rose on the 3rd day (Easter). I think Jack is starting to understand, however, Henry is still pretty young and the candy and treats is a huge distraction. I want to be able to continue the traditions I had growing up, but also want my kids to understand the reasons behind it. Does anyone have any suggestions to incorporate both?

Almost 36 weeks...

On Thursday I will be 36 weeks. I also have my OB appointment that day to check my progress. These last few weeks have been going so sllllloooww!

My Little Munchkin's Daycare - Shutting Down Shop!

After lots of thinking, we have decided to close down the daycare permanently when the 3rd baby arrives in May. I am way excited for this new transition, however, it's a little scary that I won't be working during the summer and earning an income. We are going to have to be a strict budget!
I am however so excited to stay home with the new baby and Jack and Henry during the day and my future plans for the fall are to get my Certified Nursing Assistant certification and start working in the medical field on a part-time basis, while going to school and caring for the kids. Because I am going to school for nursing, getting my CNA is highly recommended and it will allow for some good experience in the field and hopefully will help me get a good job once I get my RN. I will miss the daycare kids and their families but am very excited for this new chapter!!

34 weeks!

On Thursday I will be 34 weeks along in this pregnancy. So I've got about 4-6 weeks to go! The last couple weeks of this pregnancy have really been dragging so I imagine the next few weeks will too :( However, I still have LOTS to do before the baby comes. I still haven't gone through my "nesting" stage yet and I really need that burst of energy to get some things done around the house! Because Henry is still in the crib room we haven't even touched it to get it ready for a girl. Ben plans to paint this weekend, so Henry will be in a "pink" room for a while! I have been reluctant to get him into Jack's room because Jack is such a great sleeper and Henry wakes earlier, so most mornings I just let him be in his crib until I am ready to get him up. I'm not in too much of a rush because I think the baby will be in a pack in play next to our bed anyway for a month or so. But I would still like to start remodeling the room to cater to a girl. I also have lots of school things to wrap up as well before the baby comes. Finals week actually starts May 5th and the following week. Hoping to get all homework and tests done before she comes too! I might have to take some early/late if she decides to come a little early. Jack came 3 weeks early and Henry came two weeks early, so I just wonder what this little one might do.

Henry potty training!

I've been starting to put Henry on the potty because he will be approaching 2 years old soon. Over the last few weeks he just sat there and finally, yesterday, he went pee for the first time and he was so excited about it! We have a long way to go yet as he doesn't seem completely ready yet but it's a start!

Spring Break - Texas!

Last week we went to Texas to visit my family. My Dad, Step-Mom Barb, sister Mikayla, and brother Blake live between Houston and Galveston in a place called League City. The weather was really nice and the boys had such a great time swimming in Galveston, going to the Rodeo, checking out Grandma's new hair salon, visiting Grandpa's carwash, watching uncle Blake dirtbike, and cruise around in the golfcart. It was great seeining them and the trip went way too fast.

Pregnancy Update - 25 weeks

Thursday I hit the 25 week mark and today I had my doctors appointment. Everything is looking good and healthy. Her heartbeat was consistantly at 140 beats per minute. I'm certainly feeling more pregnant with the size of my stomach and the cartwheels this little girl does in my belly. I mostly feel good during this 2nd Trimester; minus some back pain, a little heartburn (I attribute that to the baby finally growing some hair) headaches and some ligament pain. I can now see her move on the outside of my stomach and I am most entertained by this at night when I am working on school stuff and sitting with my laptop watching my stomach excitedly showing kicks from the inside. I think she likes that I'm learning again. :)
Jack loves to feel the baby kick and sometimes he will come up to me and give my stomach a kiss on my belly button and say, "hi baby!" out of the blue-I love this :). Henry doesn't really know what's going on but he'll soon find out! Seeing as I am more than halfway there I better start thinking about nursery ideas. I haven't had much time to do this with school and the kids but need to start transitioning Henry into Jack's room and then we will be able to get in there to start changing things around.

Feed My Starving Children..

On Saturday, some friends and I volunteered for an organization called, Feed My Starving Children - a non-profit Christian organization that is dedicated to producing packaged meals for children, in effort to fight world hunger.
Our church small group has volunteered with them in the past and it was about time that I did it again!

We had such a good time with our group and we were able to produce 18,000 meals in just 1 1/2 hours; which feeds 50 children for one whole year! It's hard to believe that in such little time, you can help in such a huge way. I will continue to volunteer there and would encourage others to do so as well.

In the future, I want to instill in my children that volunteering is very important. I want them to know that we should be sharing the gifts that we have been blessed with on a constant basis. I was so sad to see those images of mal-nourished children on the FMSC DVD. It made me want to do everything I can in the future to help those in need.

To volunteer, please go here for more information, www.fmsc.org

20 Weeks