We Finally Broke...

Brian and I have never found out the sex of our children before they are born, but we have been broken and are going to do so this time around. I am not sure why however since I feel strongly another little boy is coming into the mix. I am putting up a poll on your opinions. Also I would love to know why you think it will be a boy or girl. So please vote and post a comment. We find out on April 13, so stay tuned for the announcement. One thing we will be keep mum about is the name, we did this with Teagan and Rayle and will continue it with this baby, so don't ask, we are not telling!!!

Happy 7th Anniversary

Today Brian and I celebrate 7 years of marriage. Happy 7th Anniversary Honey!!

Doula

This weekend I started my Doula training. It has been a long weekend and I mean LONG weekend, but so worth it. I have learned so much and I am so excited!!! I had training on Friday from 6 pm to 9 pm, Saturday 9 am until 6 pm, and today from 1 pm until 7 pm. Lots of time learning and soaking up great information. And so much more to learn like any other thing in the world.

So what is a Doula you might ask and why in the world am I taking this on?
A Doula helps give support (emotionally and physically) to a laboring mother and her spouse and other members of the support team. When you need back labor support, I can give that and show your spouse how to offer that same support to you. We have a vested relationship before the birth happens. We give advice to problems that might arise and options for the situation. We help with prenatal questions, then on into labor, and Post Partum. Many woman that have home births opt for Doula's to help out with Midwives. Doula's are great support in the hospital also. We can help to calm the craziness that sometimes arises there and so much more.

Now why am I taking this on? Because I LOVE the birthing experience!!!! I want to help every woman that I come into contact with, have a happy and joyous birth experience that they will have for their ENTIRE life. I would have loved to go into the medical field, but I do not do needles. So be the support and help to keep mommy-to-be calm and relaxed if she is medicated or not is my little step in that direction. My birth experiences I feel were great, but I also feel they could have been so much more. You know the nurse counting and making you hold your breath for 10 seconds is not really great. Mommy has no oxygen = baby has none. If I had known I could say shut up I would have. There are SO many things that we do not know that we CAN DO. I want to educate mommy's that they know they have rights and are just not some other room occupant.

So I am excited to start this journey and help woman in the miracle of birth. Now some of you might think, um aren't you expecting? Yes so I am not planning on running my self to the ground, but I want to get my feet wet, just a little. I need 3 birth experiences for my certification that will be heavily discounted so I can get the experience, but what my plan to really do right now is Post Partum Doula. What's that? I come into the home after the birth and help out with all the things you and your partner are not up for right now. So light cleaning, cooking, laundry, errands, and most importantly taking care of mom and baby and making sure all is going smoothly with feeding and healing. (All the stuff your mom or mother-in-law may do but maybe can't get there or you can not have them there;0) my mom planned on staying almost a month, yeah she made it not even 2 weeks) I am excited to start this process as soon as possible. Also one major reason I am not jumping into birthing is because when you are with a laboring mom you will also start to contract along with them. 18 weeks is not an ideal time to be contracting. I do not need another miscarriage thank you very much.

So if you know anyone that is interested now or even in the future, keep this info in the back of your head. I would love to share my wealth of information with you so if you have questions, please feel free to ask away.

Spring Break

Teagan had Spring Break from preschool last week so we took advantage of that. The first weekend Brian and I needed the break! On Friday (13th) we took the boys to my moms house. They stayed there until Sunday. Friday night we went to my sister home for a party. I am so thankful that I am a member and can sit back and watch people drink and become well stupid for the most part. Anyways we stayed out way too late and got home I think after midnight. On Saturday we had made reservations for Gold Canyon Golf Resort. I would not recommend this place, it was beautiful but for the price nothing was included. On Saturday evening we went to the Mining Camp Restaurant. I love this place but my steak was too over done for my liking. So we hoped Sunday would be better. We went to the Renaissance Festival. I love this place. I have no idea how many times I have been but it has been a lot. Though we had fun, we both felt that we would have had more fun if we had brought the boys. The food is so GOOD! We wanted to get the boys some swords, but thankfully thought about our very small abode and opted to get them something smaller. Maybe next year we will buy the swords. When we told Teagan about it he really wants to go. We will make a family trip next year for sure. The rest of the week we kind of vegged out. I had a doctors appointment and had a fun fainting spellout at the Superstition Springs Market (yeah I am surround by a majority of older people and I faint!) Thankfully my mom was with me when it happened, Brian had taken the kids to the car. On Friday my mom and step dad had my niece and nephew so we made a trip to the zoo. Teagan really enjoyed spending time with his cousins. They are just seven months apart so the twins are the closes in age to him. We all had a good time, but again there were so many people there. Brian did not like the crowd so we left around 1 and my mom and crew left around 4. That evening we got together and had dinner together. The boys did not want to leave. On Saturday we made a trip up to Camp Verde to spend time with Brian's Uncle and Family and his Grandma Betty. We only went up for the night but it was a nice little get away. The boys feed the neighbors horse and played with their Gibson cousins. That night we had a camp fire and enjoyed the nice weather. On Sunday we walked down to the Verde River and had fun skipping rocks. Boy was it windy though. When we got home the news was talking about a wind advisor and I can believe it. On top off all of that I wrote and 2500 word final paper due Sunday for one of my classes. I am down to 3 more classes!!! YEAH! I started one on Monday and will finish one more online starting at the end of May and then one for summer school at the same time at MCC. I am almost to the half way part and can't wait. Here are some pictures from over the week.

I like this picture, because if you look close at their hair you can see how windy it was. They were running into the wind on the walk back. Well Rayle was running and Shane was walking.
Here is the Gibson gang: Sierra, Brian, Betty, Teagan, Shane, Tracy, Rayle, and Scott. Uncle Robert was watching ASU get their rears kicked.

Teagan and Rayle throwing rocks.

Rayle hitching a ride on daddy's shoulders.

All of the gang walking to the Verde River.

Look at all those blondies! Shane, Teagan, and Scott feeding Joe.

Rayle feeding Joe with Grandma Betty's help.

The boys feeding Joe the horse.

Jon and Brian watching the kids get wet at the zoo.

Look at Teagan's hand...Kaylee insisted he hold her hand this way. Teagan said it did not feel good and complained. Already being told what to do by a girl!

The monkeys playing right in front of us.

The cousins walking so well together.

Picture pose time!

Jacob and Teagan walking together holding hands.

Jacob on the spider web.

All the four year old monkeys on the spider web.

Bag got your head. The Wallaby was so cute with the bag stuck on its head.

Teagan and the Wallaby's.

Cute pic of Rayle looking back at Brian.

Here is the whole gang: Brian, Teagan, Me, Jacob, my Mom, Kaylee, Jon, and Rayle.

Cousins, I love Kaylee's pose!!

Rayle getting ready to go out. I just love when children dress themselves.

Rayle at grandma's playing us a song.

Teagan's First Field Trip

Today was Teagan's first field trip with his preschool. Brian and I were able to go along and join in the fun. (Rayle stayed with Grandma since this was Teagan's very first field trip) We made the trip to the Superstition Dairy Farm. It was a lot of fun. Teagan's favorite parts were #1 the ice cream, #2 the feeding the goats, and #3 the cows. When we arrived we went on a hayride to see all the cows, 1,000 of them. There were no babies but many mothers about to have some calves. Cows are also pregnant for 9 months. They milk the mothers-to-be for 6 months and then they get a 3 month break before giving birth. Glad that is not the case with us!! After the hayride, the children got to feed the goats. It was fun to see them squeal when the goats licked their hands. They also got the chance to feed a horse a carrot bite. There were also bunnies and chickens to pet. Teagan liked how soft the bunnies were. After that we washed up and got some flavored milk. Then many potty breaks for all the four year old. After the milk we went into the barn to learn more about cows. Teagan had so much fun with his friends. I enjoyed meeting the faces to the names he is always talking about. After the class we got our ice cream. It was really good and hit the spot. We left and loaded up and headed back to a park for a some what lunch. Yep lets go eat lunch after ice cream. Oh well it's not every day Teagan goes on a field trip, right?! Well Teagan has the rest of the week off and next week too. So tomorrow we are off to the zoo so Rayle can get out of the house too.

Enjoying his ice cream, he ate the entire cup.
All the children waiting for their ice cream.

Yum strawberry milk!

Drinking his milk.

Playing with his friends.

Petting the bunny.

Feeding the goat!

Waiting to feed the goats. The goats were named Cookie, Brownie, and Cupcake.

Riding on the hayride with his buddy Karstin.

I love this picture, a bunch of duckling following mom duck!

Group picture ready to go!

Yesterday they made shirts to wear for today. Teagan's is a rocket ship with a flying saucer if you did not know.

Info on Superstition Dairy Farm: It is located on Hawes just north of Elliot off of the 202. The cost is $6.50 for a Hayride, milk, and ice cream.

Can you share?????

Daddy wants cereal well Rayle is right there wanting to share. He is starting to really like cereal. Here he is eating Raisin Brand, kind of strange for a almost 3 yr old in my book. My boys are not cereal and milk eaters. They like to eat it dry and from the box. Rayle is coming around, I honestly don't think Teagan ever will. I can't even coax him with sugar coated goodness. Weirdo!!

Boys and their underwear

Okay Rayle was doing really good with the potty training, but the last few days he stopped and refuses to go. So I will wait it out for him to be ready, and we will try again when he lets us know. So instead of putting underwear on the bottom he puts them on his head. He was having so much fun Teagan got in on it too. So here are our Super Underwear Heroes.

Take me out to the ballgame...

So on Monday (THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE WEEK) we went to a Spring Training Game. My mom and step dad live down the street from HoHoKam Stadium. The Cubbies were playing the D-backs so we got some tickets. It was fun to spend time with the family and my mom and Jon. The boys got a little bored and HOT, but they did have fun. So here are some pictures I snapped. And of course our D-backs WON!! 9 to 1!