Pictures from our travels

Haylee teaching Hannah about the butterfly...


Look at those beach babes...Lauren and Haylee


Tyson and Cole took turns burying each other in the sand!


Ben loves the water and the waves chasing him.


The girls loved swimming, and it helped that the water was about 90 degrees in the swimming pool.


Tanner is quite the guy all decked out for boogie-boarding--where did my little boy go?

I wanted to post a few pictures from our wonderful trip to West Palm Beach, Florida! I was feeling brave one day so I agreed to travel there with my parents and my kids (and Dave) for a week in the sun. The kids had so much fun playing in the sand and water with their cousins and I enjoyed having more hands around to help with the babies. The girls went swimming for their first time and were adorable and absolutely loved it. We survived the travel--the way there was pretty flawless, the flight home...well, we made it. Dave had gone home a couple of days earlier so I flew home with my parents and all my children. There were two or three women on the plane who pointed out the obvious by telling me "You've got your hands full." Yep, and my heart full, too! FULL OF LOVE! And boy do we love Florida!

Grandpa Bathtime

Eden gets a bath from Grandpa Halversen!

There's nothing quite like a grandpa bath! I have to give my dad and Dave's dad credit. These two men are the most hands-on grandpas I know! They are so wonderful and these babies just adore their grandpas!

Thoughts

Thought of the Day: My brain is mush. I'm tired and feeling lost. I'm ready for my reconstructive surgery to put abs and everything back where it goes but haven't planned it yet. My clothes don't fit. I'm tired, did I mention that? I don't remember how to connect with my hubby. My back hurts. What on Earth was God thinking? Does He REALLY think I can get through this? I'm trying so hard to keep my chin up, but my chin is getting really heavy. My kitchen is a mess. I need exercise. At least the babies' ear infections are getting better--so why are they still waking me up at 3:30 a.m.?

By the way, I had some x-rays done the other day (some of you know that I have had chronic back pain for about 5 years now) and they show my cervical spine to have completely lost its curve, my head sits off to one side, one of my shoulders is lower than the other, and my lumbar curve is exaggerated to compensate for the lack of curve in my cervical. Many disc spaces are narrowed and my facet joints in my lumbar are jammed up. OUCH!!! The Dr. asked me if I was surprised to see my xrays look so bad. Of course I wasn't surprised! I didn't come in to get them done because I think my spine is healthy! OUCH!!! No wonder I have pain. I am planning to try a new rehab program I found here in South Jordan at a place called "Integrated Wellness" that is supposed to restore my spinal curve, correct my posture, and restore some of my health. After all these years of pain I can't help but be skeptical, but if it will resolve my issues that would be heavenly. I am so used to pain every day that I don't think I give it any credit anymore, but it's there with me all the time and I'm just sick of it!

Another thought of the day: Why has this experience turned me into a cynic?

thought of the day

Triplet Mom thought of the Day: The other day I was talking to a friend who knows someone who has 20-year-old triplets. That mother told her that if I ever say that I'm doing fine, then I'm lying. Okay people, here's the deal. If you ask me how I am and I say I'm fine, I'm assuming that you know that I'm saying that I'm fine...CONSIDERING MY CIRCUMSTANCES! So my being fine means that I'm not melting down and screaming and kicking, that my love for my babies is greater than my need to run away today, and that I'm hanging in there. It doesn't mean that I feel terrific and that this is all a walk in the park. Got it?!!!

Tiptoe through the tulips...

yum, yum...


if I just reach a little further...


What are you looking at?

Can you believe that these babies are already six months old??? I had to seize a moment and snap their picture in the tulips. It's beautiful to watch the girls experience the world! Hannah wanted to eat them, Eden wanted to grab them, and Bella wanted to hold them. It was precious. They are precious! The tulips have moved on but we will cherish these photos of the girls seeing them for the first time forever!

We Love Doctor Terry

I never posted a picture of Dr. Terry because the babies went right to the NICU from delivery and so I wasn't able to get a picture of them with him. Many of you know Dr. Terry and love him as much as I now do. He was so wonderful to me--intuitive, thoughtful, concerned and caring, and always had my best interest and the best interest of the babies as his first priority. I know that he is part of the reason these babies arrived here safely and healthy, and I'm so thankful he was a huge part of this amazing experience! We were able to snap this picture at the singles' ward where he is a bishop when we went to hear Dave's parents speak. Can't you tell that the girls' love Dr. Terry also?!!!