Meals for the month

Some people in my ward have a freezer group and I didn't sign up to do it the first time because I thought I wanted to make healthy paleo meals, but now I'm at a point where I don't really care what food it is, I need help with dinner since I don't have energy to make it. And now with three kids I know it will become even harder. Jeff and I have also been talking about our budget and the biggest expense is food, both groceries and eating out (Jeff often eats lunch on the road). We weren't quite sure how to cut this bill because I'm not ready to devote myself to couponing, so I was hoping for some help to figure it out.

Then I saw this friend post on Facebook that they had an opening in the group for Monday. I debated whether or not to do it since it's about 31/2 to 4 hours long, but in the end the thought of having meals for a month was just too appealing. So I went and spent the time (Jeff came and picked up Max) and came home with 14 meals! All for $179! That will feed us for the month plus meals for lunches since all the meals are big and can be spread over several days. This was a huge answer to prayer for cutting our food bill AND saving me from the stress of having to plan and cook dinners. I couldn't be happier! And I was told there is an opening in the group so I can join if I'd like. What a wonderful blessing for me!

 Also, several women in the ward do a co-op for produce so I joined this week. It's very exciting because we got pineapple and mango and all of this in the basket was $15! 

Photo Session

My dear friend Janna Beecher offered to drive over an hour to come do a photo session for Max. She has a photography business and does such a great job. I asked if she could also take some photos with Max and the kids and us as a family. She was very nice to accommodate us and while the session was very stressful because Lily was not in a cooperative mood, the pictures turned out beautiful and all the stress is forgotten. I have a new respect for people who photograph newborns. Janna was very patient as I tried to calm Max and get him to sleep (he always sleeps, but I think with all the commotion and moving around and being wrapped up for pictures he was wide awake). I had to keep feeding him to get him to go down, and miraculously he didn't pee or poop during the shoot since I was just supposed to feed him an hour before. But after saying a prayer that all would work out and Max would fall asleep he did, and it went great!

Darin and Rachel visit!

Not long after Max was born we got a visit from Rachel and Darin! It was so fun to see them! They were on their way from moving from Iowa to Provo and how perfect we were on the way. We enjoyed a trip to the zoo.

Ryan was sure tired at the end of the day and he made a friend

And the next day we went to open gym at gymnastics.

The kids loved that Darin had a Flash shirt

We love Darin and Rachel and were so thrilled we got to see them!

Life with 3

Well we are adjusting to having a new baby in the house. I don't know what we would do if my mom wasn't here and if Jeff was planning on going back to work next week. I have been more tired in the night than I anticipate and Jeff was so good to help with all the kids. Lily remembered that Jeff was going to sleep in Ryan's room the first night so went looking for him (he slept in our bedroom) and woke Ryan up. So Jeff was up for a few hours keeping Max asleep and getting Lily and Ryan back to sleep.

Lily and Ryan love seeing the baby and touching his toes or Ryan likes to point out his body parts. Lily said, "he is so cute." She likes to hold him and had to get her baby out and feed her and put her to bed in the Moses basket. It's very sweet.

The day after Max was born I went home and the Baer's brought our kids back and spent time with the baby.

 Ryan wanted to play outside with his ball and with his makeshift cape when he came home. 

 And both kids love this! They like to look in the little mirror on top and drink their milk while lounging. 

 Ryan can never get enough story time.

 I'm sure Ron is telling Max to live up to his middle name (which is Ronald).

We spent several days indoors due to high wind and cold temperatures, so the kids were itching to get out of the house. My mom spent a lot of time playing with them downstairs, building block towers, making a town in the middle of the train tracks, and whatever else they came up with. Jeff and my mom took the kids to Jumpin,' which has inflatable jumping areas and to gymnastics. Jeff is the best dad and gets right in there with them and plays hard with them. He's so wonerful because he's such an involved parent. Ryan loved the bars at the gym and has a steel grip. He could hang all day long. Lily insisted on wearing dresses and zebra tights all week, which weren't the best choice of clothes for jumpin' or gymnastics, but she made it through, and we managed to wash her tights finally.

Indoor beach day! The kids had a great time and were entertained for at least an hour.

 But it was cold outside so snow hats were a must on this beach day.

 Lily built this all by herself! My mom said it toppled down at least 10 times and while she'd get upset each time it fell (sometimes due to Ryan and sometimes due to her), she re-built each time. 

 Ryan sure loves his daddy.

Saturday my mom got the kids an outdoor play set (since their activity of choice in the back was to throw rocks) and some little pools for them to wade in. Lisa came to visit Sunday morning and after church Ron, Sandy, and Diana came for dinner and to take the kids back home for the week. My mom spent the week doing loads and loads of laundry, going shopping on multiple trips, cleaning up, keeping us sane, and playing with kids. When I told Jeff that she even swept our garage he said, "your mom is the best house guest ever." He loved having her here too and it just made the week seem so much less stressful. We even left a screaming Lily to go have dinner Saturday night and my mom just calmly told us to still go out and she'd take care of it. And Lily did stop crying and was pleasant and happy when we got home. Jeff and I learned the value of having a date night and stepping away for a little break.

My mom went home yesterday and I'm so glad we got to spend time with her. Such a fun visit and it's always great having one on one time with my mom. We stayed up late talking most nights (which probably wasn't the best idea, but it was still fun) and enjoying one another's company. And we even got a visit from Darin driving from Iowa to Utah so that was a pleasant surprise too!