School Is Now in Session

We reached a big milestone in our family's life.  School!  Anna started Kindergarten a few weeks ago.  I vividly remember when Anna was a baby and I thought having one baby was so hard and all I had to do was make it to Kindergarten.  I thought that something magical would happen and life would be easier then.  It's funny how you get these ideas in your head.  I would not say that life is easier, it's just very different.  Kindergarten has been such a smooth adjustment for Anna.  She's done beautifully so far.  I expected the first week to be hard with getting used to such a long day, with her coming home cranky and tired.  She had one or two days where she was extra tired but overall, she's done great.  

Anna loves pretty much everything about Kindergarten.  She LOVES riding the bus.  She thinks it goes really fast!  ;-)  She's says it's really hot on there but is still happy to ride.  Lunch time is a big deal.  She always tells me about the kids at her table and what they talk about.  I love hearing every second of it.  On a down note, a wasp has stung her twice on the playground, (on separate days), and she has had to go to the nurse's office.  She was the calendar helper this last week and was overjoyed about the responsibility.  She loves feeling like she has a special job.  

Overall, she's had a great experience.  I think it's been just as much of an adjustment for me as it has been her.  I have to get used to having a kid in school everyday.  There are so many forms to fill out, dates to remember, and lunches to pack.  I feel like if I drop one ball, they will all fall and Anna will be the one who suffers.  Getting into this routine has been a good thing, one that is really forcing me to stay on top of things.  

 Andrew also started school last week.  He is going to a two day a week preschool.  He will go to full time Pre-K next year.  I worried about not putting him in for more days but surprisingly, I think this is just right for him.  He comes home quite exhausted.  In my mind, I think Andrew is older than he actually is.  I assume that he's not three and is more on Anna's level in some things.  I have to remember that he is just a little boy that gets worn out.  In short, two days a week is a perfect amount of time for him.  He LOVES his school.  His favorite part is that they have trains to play there.  As if four plus hours of playing trains at home every day is not enough.  He is making friends quickly and seems to just be loving every second of it.

These first pictures are from some of the kids' "beginning of school year" pictures I snapped.  I love how they turned out and just put them up on my wall.  I sure do love those little smiles.

This picture below is Anna at her Kindergarten orientation.  We were all so excited to go and meet her teacher and see her classroom.  It was on this day that Daniel fell off the counter and began bleeding out of his ear and broke his collar bone.  Luckily, Josh worked from home that day so he could go with us to Anna's school.  Daniel fell about two hours before we were supposed to leave.  I screamed for Josh to come.  Daniel was hysterical.  When I saw the blood pouring out of his ear, I freaked out and jumped in the car to rush him to the ER.  I had no make-up on and just barely finished blow drying my hair.  I looked awful but didn't think twice and sped to the ER.  Of course, I bawled my eyes out the whole drive there.  I felt so guilty that I wasn't more careful and let this happen.  I truly felt like the worst mom in all of history.  Luckily, they were able to get us back right away.  His CT scan was clear and an x-ray showed that his clavical was fractured.  Luckily, it didn't break all the way through.  Daniel and I missed the orientation but I was just feeling so blessed there was nothing wrong with his head.  He was SUPER sensitive for the rest of the day.  It was hard to teach the kids not to touch him since most of their contact with one another involves wrestling.  I was shocked how quickly Daniel recovered though.  It is truly amazing how fast our bodies can heal themselves.

Josh was great at taking pictures so I could see everything that I missed.  However, there was a smudge on the lens so there is a blurry part in all of these pictures.  At least we have them though.

Here is Andrew at his orientation.  I thought this boy would absolutely roll over and DIE before he got to go to his first day of school.  He's been packing his lunch box for months to get ready for school.

Andrew's teacher gave him a scavenger hunt to do so that he could orient himself with the classroom.  He thought that was the best thing ever!

How can you not love that boy?

I absolutely LOVE his teacher.  She is so kind and sensitive to the kids and what they need.  She's also been doing this a while and I love knowing that she has everything under control.

Here are a few pics from Anna's first day of school shoot.

Daniel was totally jealous and wanted his picture taken too.  He loves being in front of the camera and turns into SUCH a little ham.

Daniel is obsessed with Anna.  Every night at dinner, he climbs onto her chair and just hugs her head for as long as we let him.  It's hard to pry him off of her.  This picture below pretty much sums it up.

And here is Andrew on his first day of preschool.  See how Daniel just loves to be in the picture.  They're buddies and I love it.

"Cheese!"

Such a happy, happy boy.

Hilarious!

He kept making that weird face....???  Not sure what was going on in his head.

There's my boy again.  Yay for school starting!

My Pregnancy with Jenna Marie

I have written so little about my pregnancy with our little baby girl, so I thought I'd correct that mistake.  I am now 35.5 weeks along and about to burst to see this little girl.  We've decided to name her Jenna Marie.  We just like the name Jenna and Marie is my middle name, as well as my mom's.  Daniel always calls her Jen Jen, and it melts my heart every time.  We feel more prepared for this baby than with any of our other ones because we can actually breathe in our house.  Before, when we were living in our little apartment, the baby would have a couple of shelves and a little corner in the closet.  It worked just fine, but it's nice to have a bit more space to put everything.  I've been able to buy everything we need to get ready for her.  Last night, I ordered the last thing I plan on buying for her before she gets here.  I felt so excited.  We're ready!

I've been feeling really good this whole pregnancy up until just the last few weeks.  I had very little nausea, if any.  I wasn't overwhelmingly tired.  I felt pretty normal, minus the huge ball growing on my stomach.  Just a few weeks ago, it felt like someone flipped a switch and all the aches and pains came in strong.  I can't complain though.  With all that we've had going on in our lives these past several months, I know that Heavenly Father blessed me with the strength I needed to get through all of our major life changes.  I thought I would absolutely die when I was pregnant with Daniel.  By the end of his pregnancy, I told Josh that I didn't know if I could do this again.  It was awful the whole time.  I was expecting Jenna's pregnancy to be the same or worse because she is number four.  I have just felt so blessed and looked after and supported.  So, even though it's not fun to be achy all the time, I know it's only for a few weeks and that the blessings we've received have been from heaven.

The kids are really excited for Jenna to get here.  Anna is definitely the most excited to have a sister.  She talks to my belly every night and tells Jenna that they will always be BFFs and then gives her a hug and kiss goodnight. Anna has also told me that I am not allowed to change any diapers or burp Jenna.  That is to be solely her responsibility.  Ha!  We'll see how long that lasts.  Andrew is also excited but is definitely more of a boy.  He doesn't think of her nonstop like his sister does.  Little Daniel has no clue what is going on or what's coming.  I've tried telling him that there is a baby inside.  Then he points to his belly and says "baby".  Daniel is also ridiculously attached to me and cannot stand it when Andrew or Anna sit with me.  He's seriously jealous and wants me all to himself.  This transition time for him is going to be very difficult.  I'm trying to wean him off of being held all the time and what not.  It's not going super well but hopefully in five weeks, things will begin to improve.  

I know I've already posted this picture, but here I am at 17 weeks pregnant.  

Here I am at 31 weeks pregnant. 

 And finally, here I am at 35 weeks pregnant.  Believe it or not, I actually feel the smallest with this baby.  I've gained the same amount of weight or more but I am carrying differently.  None of my pregnancies have been the same, and this one is no exception.

 Around 26 weeks or so, we were able to get a 3D ultrasound at my doctor's office.  I loved seeing her in there.  We've never had a 3D one.  It is AMAZING how much more clear they are.  It was so fun to watch her moving around in there.  Ultrasounds always make me feel more connected to my babies.  There really is a human growing in there!  Ha!

 This is her little face hiding behind a leg or something.

 Look at that!  You can actually see a face.  Isn't technology amazing?  Josh and I both think she looks like Daniel.  I guess we'll see when she comes out.

 Here is just a 2D ultrasound picture.

Although this has been a really, really good pregnancy, I am ready to for it to be over.  I'm ready to have her here and to get my back muscles back.  However, I'm super grateful that we can get the first day of school out of the way before her delivery.  Yay for baby girls!