Utah Trip – Friday

I was originally planning on baking cake on Thursday and frosting/assembling cake on Friday. But my plans for a kitchen on Friday fell through so I pushed onward and finished the cake all on Thursday. Alan delivered it Friday morning while I packed our family up for our move to our second, not as many points required, hotel. This allowed me the wonderful chance to spend Friday with my family instead of with the wedding cake. It was a blessing.

First we met up with Alan’s cousin Heather and her little son Christian and went to the zoo. It was a lot of fun!

Animals that we saw:

Just like at the Philadelphia Zoo they had free roaming Peacocks.

 

I took this picture of the rhinoceros through the glass. I think it turned out pretty neat. Plus it was cool being at eye level with this beast.

Elephants and giraffes:

 

 

 

 

 

And really big turtles, or should I say, tortoises:

Penguins at lunch time. They gave us a cute show.

 

 

 

 

 

We had fun looking:

And not always at the animals. Seems Katherine and Christian were quite interested in the stream below the zoo too.

Being looked at:

Climbing:

   Gabby is trying with all her might to stay on but she keeps slipping!

And riding:

The carousel:

     

Samantha was too nervous to sit on an animal so she and I sat on the benches.

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, to top it off, the train. We really took it all in.

Samantha and her signature finger suck: :)

 

 Thanks Heather and Christian for spending this day with us!

After the zoo we met up briefly with Alan’s Aunt Janean and her children at Liberty park.

I didn’t take many pictures because I was pretty tired but here are a few.

Here is Samantha who couldn’t resist running through the fountains. She only lasted one or two runs because then she was cold. But she really enjoyed it!

 

Here is a video snippet of Alan pushing Katherine in a swing. He is sooo focused on that swing isn’t he? (I think he was looking around for Gabby or Samantha)

And another photo of the day:

My feet swelled up so bad that my sandals left depressions when I wore them.

Gabby: “Why are you taking pictures of your feet?”

Me: “Because I want to show how big they got!”

 

I was tempted to go compare them with the elephants!

 

The last thing we did in that very full day was drive down to Mapleton to meet up with my family and Danielle’s family for a pre-wedding barbeque. The ride was rather nice because we got to sit down for a while! The barbeque was fun too and it’s amazing that the kids lasted all through it. It helped that it too was at a park.

We were certainly glad to get back to our hotel that night and sleep!

Thanks!

To all who left comments here and on facebook, thank you! I really needed to hear all of it. And so many points hit right on the nose. When I spoke with my doctor today the reality hit me pretty hard but now having time to think more clearly, again, I realize this is the best thing and there is nothing to worry or even be sad about. I am feeling better thanks to all your comments! :)

I really can't wait for Sunday and to finally hold this little guy!

Baby update part 2

My doctor called. He has us scheduled for Sunday morning at 9:30 which means we'll need to be there around 7:30.

It's a c-section which, in spite of my trying to emotionally prepare for the possibility, has me near tears. Don't know why. I trust my doctor completely and know it's fairly straightforward. But it's going to take longer to recover from and it's major surgery!

The reason for the c-section is that the baby is already large and so the risk for shoulder dystocia - baby's shoulder's getting stuck - is increased. Even though it's rare it is a problem that poses risks for both mom and baby the most grave risks being for the baby. These range from bruising to broken collarbones to brain damage and even death if the baby's oxygen is cut off for too long. These are really bad risks but it's also a rare thing and lots of babies who get stuck are just fine afterward. It's a scary thing though.

I know lots of people have c-sections so I feel a little silly being worried about it. It's just not something I ever thought I'd have to do and I do have a problem with people who get elective c-sections to have their babies when it's convenient for them. This isn't my case but it feels odd anyway. And am I crazy in believing that our bodies weren't built to deliver babies this way?

But on the other hand I believe in science and the miracles it has brought to us to allow for more babies to be born safely and unharmed. We aren't afterall living in the dark ages anymore.

I trust my doctor. I have a really good one. He has told me he thinks this is the best and safest bet. I'm only slightly worried about the surgery. I'm more worried about the recovery. Not only will I have a new baby to adjust to but I will also have the incision pain and my other children to take care of. I might actually have to learn how to ask for help. I'm not good at that. I like to be independent and not have people milling about me. That may be hard for me.

So my mind is a little crazy right now while I wrap it around this idea - that I'd been warned about in the first place. It'll be fine, I know that. But yes, I'm a little scared.

Baby update

I saw my doctor yesterday. My blood pressure was high yet again for the 3rd or 4th week in a row. He said, "enough of this. I think we should deliver that baby" and I full-heartedly agreed. So we will be headed to the hospital in the next couple days. I don't know if it'll be Friday or Saturday yet but will update when the doctor calls me today.

Yay!! (happy dance!)

Utah Trip - Thursday

More from our trip to Utah. This is what Alan and the girls did on Thursday while I baked cake:

They visited monuments to the pioneers: 

Went to temple square and saw the tabernacle and organ:

Tidbit about those marble columns: They aren’t really marble. They are wood painted to look like marble. Give it up for faux finish!

Grandpa and grandma Welker joined them and got to spend a rare day with them. We don’t get to see them much so it was great that they had that chance. 

 

 

In front of the organ. Alan tried to get them all together which he managed but this in spite of Katherine’s attempted…

And eventual escape. 

She enjoyed testing daddy to see how far he would let her go.

(Looking back at that series of pictures brought many giggles from the girls as they remembered trying to keep Katherine in the picture.)

Katherine sitting on a bench in the tabernacle.

Here’s Gabby upstairs in the assembly hall.

 She said it was “very crooked”. Alan says “it was built with a slope – like stadium bleachers. If you’re walking along the rows of benches it is definitely slanted. And Gabby felt sea (see?) sick.”

This is the Assembly Hall. Alan says he’d never been inside here before that he can remember.

It’s really pretty. I like the blue reflection behind the organ.

And an Assembly Hall stained glass window.

   

After lunch they went to the Seagull Monument but they didn’t take pictures. Oh well.

Gabby says it was just a statue with a bunch of birds.

Alan: Why were the seagulls important?

Gabby: Because when the pioneers finally got their crops to get up, the locusts came and started eating all the crops. Then one day the seagulls came and then ate all the locusts.

Alan: and saved the crops

Gabby: yep

Next they went to the Museum of Natural History.

They dug for dinosaur bones and saw a real paleontology lab, complete with working paleontologist! Gabby had seen and spoken with one at a class field trip last year at a museum in Philadelphia. She was able to ask him lots of questions and he was happy to answer her. I guess the lab here has glass walls so you can’t talk to the scientists. Oh well. Not as interesting this time around.

 

But they had fun digging for dinosaur bones…

putting together dinosaur puzzles…Gabby and Samantha put this one together in spite of Katherine’s help.

Climbing on the frog prince inside the “frog and toad exhibit”…

Gabby says it was too slippery to climb up on.

And getting their pictures taken whilst boiling Katherine in a cauldron of potion!

They also had a room where they could put on a puppet show. Alan recorded a much longer video of Gabby doing a show but the sound didn’t come through well. This one is of Samantha doing the alphabet.

And here is the picture of the day. Katherine looking so much like my mom!

I think they had a fun day. And certainly a full one!

Fun Primary Song Activity

Today for music time I thought I’d try something completely different to help introduce a new song and to create visuals for the kids to remember the words. I assigned classes a line from the song and they acted out a still shot, or rather posed, based on the line they were assigned. I then took their picture. They seemed to enjoy it. Here are the edited pictures with the words to the song: “Seek the Lord Early”.

I’ll seek the Lord early while in my youth,

And he will help me to know the truth.

(He’s pointing to a picture of a light bulb but it was too lightly drawn. I’ll draw one in when I print these out.)

I’ll search the scriptures and find him there,

Then go to our Father in fervent prayer.

I’ll seek the Lord early and I’ll obey His living prophets in all they say.

I’ll keep his commandments; His love will abound.

(The poster is of the 10 commandments. It was hard to get these boys to show a little love. They seemed to be okay putting their hands on his shoulders and showing a bit of brotherly love.)

I will seek the Lord early, and he will be found.

(This is my favorite of the bunch. It turned out well. And the look on the boy’s face. “He’s here, He’s found, no doubt about it.”)