Blessing Day

Today was Jackson's blessing day. Because of our distance from family, only Daniel and his son Joseph could attend with us. But it was a beautiful day, although we missed our families. Jackson looked so cute in his blessing outfit.

Jackson finally got of O2 last week. It was a marvelous day! Life is so much easier with a baby that isn't connected to a tank or a machine. I can actually walk freely around the house now while holding him! And travel is so much easier. I am so grateful for a healthy baby.

We are finding our new normal as a family since his birth. I was telling Jason the other day that I can't believe it is October already. Jackson was born in August and it still seems like August in my mind. Jason said that outside my little nest (my house), the world has kept going. It has been wonderful to take some time off work and just enjoy my baby.

I have still continued my "bookwork" studies. I try to just keep trucking along with that. It seems to take forever for me to finish classes. Thank goodness for a school that has flexible due dates. People ask me all the time when I will finish school. For right now, I am scheduled to finish in 2014. I know that seems like forever. But basically I am getting another Bachelors degree with a Masters degree on top of it. It's a lot to learn! I am really loving school and I am so grateful for every new thing I learn. Sometimes I wonder if my brain has room for it all. :)

Jason has had such success at work these last few months. He received the CGO of the quarter award for the squadron, group, wing, and 14th Air Force. Next he will compete for the award for the entire Space Command. I am so proud of him. He is really good at his job. More than once, he has been instrumental in preserving the GPS signal you and I use everyday. Love him.

Still on supplemental oxygen. He doesn't look too happy about it.

Worldwide day of play. We celebrated at Peterson AFB. They had tons of fun kids activities.

Charlee and James trying to stay on their feet.

Jayden is dodging the wrecking ball.

Somebody loves his daddy.

Now that is adoration.

Yes, Jackson is freaking out. Out of about 10 pictures we took, this one is the best. Sad.

Love that face.

Baby Jackson

OK, so I'm sure everybody who looks at this blog already knows we had our baby. He was born August 15 at 10:45 pm. It was a fast and furious labor that ended with a beautiful baby boy being born at home (yes-on purpose!). He was born in water, which was a new experience for me. He was a little stinker and didn't breathe right away, but it only took him a little over a minute. It has been an adventure already, as we spent a day in the hospital due to bradycardia (medispeak for slow heart rate). His heart checked out fine, though. He has been on supplemental oxygen ever since because his pulse ox kept dropping. That basically means that his oxygen saturation levels are lower than we want them to be. The doc assured me that it is very normal here in Colorado due to our elevation. Combine that with his fast birth (more fluid left in his lungs) and his intermittent breathing pattern (normal for babies, they just have to outgrow it) and it means that he just needed a little help for a while. I think it scares people when they first see it, so I just assure them that he is fine and they get over it.

About an hour after birth. Isn't it amazing and wonderful that we are in our own bed?

Cute little squishy newborn face.

Poor Jackson. He is hooked up to oxygen, heart monitors, IV fluids, and a pulse oximeter. There were so many tubes and wires coming off him. Makes me want to cry. They strapped his IV arm to a board so he couldn't bend it. It looked so uncomfortable. He was less than 48 hours old.

Arrgh! I be a pirate! The first few days, Jackson wasn't big on opening his eyes. He would open just the one, and usually decide it wasn't worth the effort and close it again.

Wow, two eye open! Good job, buddy.

One week old!

Every military baby has to have some camo!

Jayden is 6!

Jayden asked for a party so he could have goody bags. Apparently, that is what birthdays are all about. :) But I finally had to tell him I was too pregnant to handle a party at home. So, he chose ITZ instead. It is a place with crappy food, but lots of games and some rides. A kid's wonderland, in other words. He also chose to pick out his own presents this year. So, the morning started out with a trip to Walmart where Jayden picked out some toys. (Seriously, at this point in our lives, I keep thinking on every birthday, "Do we really need any more toys??")

Anyway, I took the kids to ITZ this evening and I think it was a big hit. Jayden invited a friend (a girl whom he has said repeatedly he wants to marry...so cute!). Seriously, there are no boys his age, at all.

I am so grateful that Jayden is a part of our family. He is a very smart boy with a huge imagination. He is so tenderhearted and loving. He has a zest for life that helps me take a step back and really enjoy things more. I love him so much!!

Oh, What Do You Do In the Summertime?

I look forward to summer all school year long. I love getting out of bed in the summer and not having to rush around getting people dressed, teeth and hair brushed, lunches packed, etc. It's so nice to just take it easy...for about a week. Then comes the, "I'm booooooored," from the kids. Most days I do have something planned to keep us busy, but only for an hour or two usually. Jason has been working a lot of odd hours, so most of the time it is just me and the kids...all day every day. I lament the fact that we live on a street where there are very few kids to play with. So my kids are left to their own devices to entertain themselves for hours a day. It's been...interesting. Here is a sample of what we've been up to.

Swimming lessons - all three kids are loving it.

Checking out the lifeflight helicopter. We got to see it take off, too. The kids thought that was super cool. Almost every week we have been to the free concert in the park. They have lots of booths that give the kids free stuff-which they think is absolutely awesome. It is sponsored by a hospital, so they have been able to check out the helicopter, ambulance, baby-mama ambulance, and firetruck.

Face painting at the free concert at the park.

Independence Day at the Air Force Academy. It was a really great show. They had the Academy band and CS orchestra there playing music. They did the 1812 Overture with real cannon blasts! That was followed with a spectacular fireworks show. The only down side was that it took 2 hours to get home (about 8 miles away) due to the huge crowd.

Dinosaur museum in Woodland Park

Charlee is scantily clad most days at our house lately. We are trying our darndest to potty train this girl. Let's just say she is putting up her best fight. Lately, her thing is to act like a puppy and pee and poop on the carpet...just feet away from the toilet. What am I going to do with this girl?

The kids had a great time at a birthday party in May. It was at a gym, which is perfect for my energetic kids!

Always the life of the party. That is frosting all over their faces.

I have 5 weeks left until D day! This baby is very active. While I was hoping for a calm one, I am already thinking I am not going to get it. I was telling my dad the other day on the phone that I think Heavenly Father must have a lot of trust in me because he has sent me 4 very active, headstrong children. I mean, they are downright crazy with energy sometimes. I love them so much, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't trade them for anything! But this big, pregnant mama gets exhausted easily these days. I sure hope my energy level returns to normal fast after birth. I need it!

James's Baptism

Words cannot express how amazing it was to watch my son James get baptized. As usual, the morning was crazy to try to get all the kids dressed, ready, and out the door on time. But when it came right down to it, the only thing that really mattered was when James was baptized and confirmed by his daddy. There were so many people there because there was 9 kids from the stake getting baptized that day. But when we broke up into ward groups for the baptisms, it was a much more intimate group of people. James even had the opportunity to bear his testimony after his confirmation. It was so sweet and sincere. He bore his testimony of the reality of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and that we can all live with Jesus Christ through the ordinance of baptism if we endure to the end. I love his sweet testimony and his strong faith.

My parent were able to be here for a few days, which was a lot of fun. Poor Charlee was sick the entire weekend, which made things interesting. Actually, the day my parents left, Charlee's eardrum ruptured, which was definitely a new experience for me. But not to worry, she is fine now. Anyway, we saw some new sites, which is always fun when my parents come into town. I really appreciate Colorado Springs a lot when they come to visit because they give me an excuse to go see the sites. We went to a charming little town right next to the Springs called Manitou Springs. Definitely a town I want to visit again. We also went to Palmer Park, which is a like going to the mountains to hike and mountain bike, but it's right in the middle of a city! All in all, a very great weekend!

I also included some pictures from the Schreiver Zoofari, which was right before Easter. The kids played lots of games, got tons of prizes, and even got to see the Easter Bunny. It was a blast for them.

I almost didn't include this picture. I have issues with how I look pregnant. Oh well, at least I know this is my last baby and I can work to "get my body back" after the birth.

The boys are standing on a lookout at the Air Force Academy. That is the chapel in the background.

Could he look any more grown-up?

Drum Roll Please.....

It's a boy! Had an ultrasound today and everything looks great with this little guy. In babies past, I haven't been able to tell much what I was looking at. But because I see ultrasounds so much more often now that I am a student midwife, I knew the whole time what I was looking at. It was fun. So, now I need to start buying boy clothes because I gave all of mine to goodwill or the garbage can (they had gone through 2 boys already and weren't really going to last through another baby anyway).

Charlee remains queen of the Hope household. At least in her mind, anyway. :)

James turns 8

Well, it is finally happening. We have a child old enough to get baptized. Who woulda thought? James turned 8 this week. Because of Jason's crazy work schedule, it was sort of a celebration spread over several days. We went camping last weekend and included some birthday celebrating into our vacation. Then, we took James to Toys R Us a couple days before his birthday (due to Jason's work day-of) and let him pick out his own present. He thought that was cool. I took cupcakes to his school class on his birthday, which he was so excited about.

But we are still looking forward to the most important part of this special birthday...the baptism. He will be baptized April 30. We have been talking a lot about baptism in our family. I really hope he feels ready and fully understands what choice he is making. I think he does. He is so full of faith. He is so GOOD.

His biggest birthday present was a new set of scriptures with his name printed on them. He picked them out himself, and they are very nice. He is really excited to take them to church for the first time tomorrow. This morning, after chores he brought them into the kitchen. He said, "Guess what I'm going to do now, mom? I'm going to read my scriptures because I want to learn more about the word of God." He teaches me so much and helps me be a better person. He gets so excited when he learns the stories of the scriptures. I hope someday I can be more like him. I am so grateful to have him as my son. I love you James!