Germany

In the summer of 2005, I had a life changing opportunity to live in Germany with my sister Kari and her family. I just recently found the pictures I had from that amazing summer, and because there are SO many of them I will have to do several posts about it.

These first pictures are of me spending time with the family right before I left Germany. I was trying to sort the pictures out according to timeline, but it's easier to do it by country or special times. This is one of those special times.

I can't remember the name of this castle we went to, but it was right next to Machenbach. Where Kari and Aaron lived. We went there to just enjoy the rest of the day and spend time together before I had to leave. It was amazing! We roasted marshmellows, played on the rails of wood, and the colors of the sunset were, to say the least, GORGEOUS!!!

A street in Machenbach:


My first day in Germany at a FHE activity:


Aarons turn on the rail:


My turn:


Makayla's turn:


Lexi's turn:


Isn't she SO cute!?!?! How time flies!




This is me and my friend Nadia:


Close up of me. Gorgeous huh???


These last few pictures I took with Kari's AMAZING camera. I was just walking around the castle grounds and was inspired by the history and beauty it portrayed that day.



My FAVORITE one:





Didn't I tell you the sunset was GORGEOUS!!!


SO....where to next I wonder???

Late blogging because that's the only time I have peace and quiet

(A sneak peek at what my next post will be about...)


I can't believe it's almost the middle of July. That means two things for our family. 1: Isaac has swimming lessons and will be gone for a few weeks starting today. And 2: Jace's birthday is around the corner!!

Having Isaac here really completes the family, and when we all get along it's great! But being part of a split family is hard! It means trying to get 4 people (the parents) to agree on how to raise 1 kid. Good luck! We all have opinions, which we tell the spouse about and hope they'll take care of it. We all have ideas on how Isaac should be brought up, which we try to carry out every chance we can. We all want the best for Isaac, which means we all try to teach him OUR "best".

NO WONDER the poor kid has a hard time adjusting from house to house. He didn't want to go home today. And I don't blame him. It's not because we're the better home, or because he loves us more, it's because he wants to be with ALL of us. All of HIS family. His little heart was torn in two again today when he left. It seems his heart is torn a lot. And I think for the first time... mine was too. I mean really torn. It tore because... for the first time I actually looked at it from his point of view.



So instead of getting mad that he always forgets the "ways of life at our house", I'm going to do my best to find a way to bring both houses together. I've made up several charts to help him remember our rules, and I'm going to spend at least 1 hour each day with just him. When Ryan and I were first married, that's how it was between Isaac and I. I miss those days. So I'm going to do my best to bring those back. Library trips, visits to the park, and crafts together. I know it's going to be a big juggling job, but he's worth it.

As for Jace... I'm really excited that I'll have a 2 year old! I know what you Mom's are thinking now. I know. That just means more hectic days and more of my big "what did I get myself into" sighs. More days where I discover where that smell is coming from or learning new ways to keep things tidy. I know Mom's. I can't get out of it now, so I might as well accept it and dive into the journey because it won't last long. So bring on the two's!!!



And of course Mr. Kayson. I LOVE him so much!!! He reminds me everyday why I love being a Mom. He keeps growing, and I love watching him do so. He's SO different from Jace that I feel like I'm a first-time Mom all over again. We have the breastfeeding thing down and I'm taking full advantage of that time with him. He's been really cute too while he's awake, so even though I know it might make a certain Grandma miss him more, I can't pass up posting a couple pictures.





We love you Grandma Merkley!

Me And My Boys!

They keep me on my toes everyday. What more could a mom of three ask for???



Having Isaac here has been a lot of fun...most days :) It's hard for him when his neighbor friends can't play because Jace can't do the stuff Isaac can; like ride bikes, scooters, or understand how to play board games and such. But he manages to entertain himself. His favorite part of the day is morning. He and Ryan go put those annoying flyers on everyones cars :) YUP that's us!!! And it's been nice to have him get out of the house for a couple of hours. So humor the paper underneath your windsheild wiper because it helps keep a certain new mommy sane.

Jace, I think, is finally not mad at me for adding to our family. Thanks to my mother for sibling advice while nursing! She told me to sing songs with Jace or have him sit next to me and read a book while I nurse Kayson, and it has helped. A lot! A lot, a lot! Jace can now escape outside by opening the sliding doors in the kitchen and LOVES to do it often. Thankfully he's only gone to the mailbox once. Needless to say I dead-bolt the front door ( who KNOWS when he'll start opeing that one from inside) and I put the baby gate in the sliding doors so he can't get out when he opens them. Jace has really put his words on full blast! He talks non stop and has the funniest personality I have ever seen in a 2 year old! His birthday is next month so I already call him my 2 year old. Anyway... He LOVES Grandma and Grandpas houses and LOVES jumping on the tramp by himself. He LOVES helping Grandpa Merkley till the garden and Papa Hartle turn the water on in the garden. He has quite the tan now.



Kayson is growing and growing. Most days I can't decide who he looks like, but when I see pictures of Jace when he was a baby I can see a similarity. He is just SO DARK it throws me off! He is a mommas boy and loves to snuggle against my chest. I LOVE having him here and even though it's made every second in my day busier than I ever thought it could be, it's totally worth it when I look at him.



Well they are all asleep as I write this. I had better get some too. We'll write more soon. p.s. Erin, Andrew, Alesa, and Taci this is for you:

A little update

Hillary Weeks sang it perfectly in her "Favorite Things" diddy at Women's Conference a few months ago.

"Bedtime and naptime and bedtime and naptime. Bedtime and naptime and bedtime and naptime..."

Life with two kids is busy busy busy!!! I LOVE IT!!! I get to enjoy my almost 2 year old growing up and learning new things everyday, and I get to enjoy my newborn snuggled against my shoulder completely dependant on me. The time I get to spend on me has been cut in half again, but after two weeks I think I'm getting the hang of it. While Kayson sleeps I can shower and play with Jace. When I'm nursing Kayson, Jace HAS to sit next to me. My mom gave me the idea of singing songs or reading to Jace while I nurse and it's working out great!

Ryan has been just plain amazing! He is constantly asking me if I need anything or need help with the boys. He cooks, he cleans, he provides for us, and on top of that he's a wonderful dad and incredible husband! I'm so thankful for him. I love him so much!

We will be getting Isaac this week. On Wednesday to be exact. He has Boy Scout Day Camp so after that he'll be coming to our house for the summer! He's grown so much and I can't wait to have him here. He loves to play with his friends out here and he's excited to see Jace and meet Kayson.

I'm excited for the next couple of weeks to go by. Cassie and Logan are blessing Bridget next Sunday! I can't wait to see everyone and have them meet Kayson! Especially Bridget :) She and Kayson are the closet cousins in age. Now we just have to have them move out here so they can grow up together!!!

We'll talk more soon!

The Birth Story :)

Sorry all you men who might read this, but because I LOVE reading everyone else's birth stories I'm going to post mine. Ladies, enjoy :)

Jace's delivery was so hard and long and ending up being a nightmare. I was really nervous that this delivery would be the same. Everyone would give me encouraging words that "the second one is always better", "Jace carved the way for this one", "Second babies come faster". I loved hearing the words and they DID bring me comfort, but there was still a part of me that feared another roller coaster delivery. After praying and reading scriptures, I decided that whatever happened, it would bring me a healthy baby boy.

Well "D-Day" came and we left for the hospital at 8:00 am. Jace was with Grandma Lois. We arrived, got registered, and led to my room. Dr. Griffith came in at 9:00 am and broke my water. We decided to wait an hour to see if my contractions would start on their own. At 10:30 we started the Pitocin also known as the PIT. My contractions had started, but we wanted to get them into 2-3 per minute state. I was getting really nervous at this time. My past feelings with Jace's delivery were making me feel overwhelmed, so Ryan called our Bishop and he came to help give me a blessing. Having Ryan give me a blessing was the most POWERFUL comfort for me. I felt in my heart that what happened during Jace's delivery would not happen again. From that point on it was an enjoyable experience. That's right family, I said ENJOYABLE! The day pretty much went like that morning: upping the PIT and me breathing through the contractions and being bored! I wish I had taken a card game or something. The tv didn't have ANYTHING good to watch. I took a nap at one point!!! That was fun!!!

By late afternoon (I can't remember what time it was) I had progressed to a 6 and was having a hard time breathing through the contractions. I would start to shake and my focus was leaving. I decided to have the epidural. This was the major cause of pain with Jace's delivery. I talked with my Dr, and I talked with the Head Anethesiologist and felt comfortable with doing it again. Dean (the Head Anethesiologist) did the procedure and it was NOTHING like last time! It took him 5 minutes to put it in and I didn't feel ANY shocks in my legs or ANY discomfort while it was being put in. Needless to say it was such a relief and I KNEW that this deliver was going down the right road! It actually made me really excited! I told him not to dose me up to high, so I ended up being able to still move my legs and it took the edge of pain off my contractions! It was perfect!

By 9:00 I was still at a 7, but 100% effaced. It was just a matter of waiting now. During this time the contractions were coming harder and faster. Ryan would help me switch positions so I could hopefully dialate. By 9:30ish the nurse checked me again and I was ready to push! WOO HOO!!! It was SO painful!!! I didn't feel anything with Jace because I was completely numb, but with this delivery I could feel when the contractions were coming and could actually push with them.

After a couple of contractions and pushing, it was time to get the Dr.!!! Ryan had asked if he could catch Kayson, so like the dr he got suited up :) I had to wait TWO contractions of NOT pushing!!! OUCH!!! Then after two more contractions and pushing, RYAN delivered our little boy at 10:05 pm!!! Such an AMAZING experience for both of us! A lot of pain for me, but SO worth it to see Ryan deliver our son! Ryan looked a little pale after catching him, but he told me later he wanted to do it again!

Ryan stayed with Kayson and I laid on the bed being stitched up from tearing a little. They finally weighed him and I was able to hold him when he wasn't all bloody. Ryan put him on my chest when he was born and Kayson whacked my face with his bloody arm! YUCK! After waiting for my legs to become un-numb, we went to our room and started the recovery process.

With Jace I couldn't do anything for a day and a half because of the epidural hitting my spine and causing a spinal headache. This time I was able to take a shower and walk around and feel normal! It was the best delivery experience EVER and having Kayson home with us now is amazing! I feel AMAZING!

As a side note about his name. We had decided on Kayden, but when we kept hearing how popular it was we decided to look for a second name. We decided on Kayson a couple of weeks before he was born, but didn't tell anyone because we wanted to see what he would look like when he came. I told Ryan when he placed Kayson on my chest that he was indeed a Kayson, so it became official. So sorry for the surprise, but we wanted to make sure it fit. And it does :)

Thank you for all the sweet comments! I can't wait for everyone to meet him! We'll write more soon.

Pictures!

Kayson is HERE!

Hi everyone! Our little Kayson is finally here! We just got home today so give me a few hours to get settled and I'll post pictures and tell you how everything has gone so far. But for now here are his stats:

Kayson John Hartle arrived May 27th, 2010 @ 10:05 pm
He weighed in at 8 pounds 1 oz and he is 20 inches long (Good thing I was induced 3 weeks early!)
He has LOTS of brown hair and is a champion eater already! He actually has gained 3 oz since his birth.
Ryan was able to catch him when he was born and LOVED that experience! I'm doing great as well and loving having my baby here! Jace loves his baby brother and will pat him on his bum when he holds him. I don't think he quite understands yet that this kid is staying with us since both Grandma's have been keeping him busy with cousins and friends (Thanks again Steph!) while we've been at the hospital. Isaac is coming in little over a week so we'll have more to tell when he gets here.

Well I'm going to get some stuff done before Jace comes home. Ryan keeps repeating how quiet the house is because he's not here. Enjoy it while you can hun!