Long Time No See....

Obviously, it's been a long time since I've updated our blog.  You can imagine a lot has happened in almost 8 months.  Looking back it is absolutely crazy to think how much our lives have changed in such a short amount of time.  Here's a quick review. 

April -
*We broke ground on our new house.  We got to watch the house being built step by step.  Everything went extremly well and we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.  When we were making the decisions, I just kept hoping that the images in my brain would turn out. 
*Easter with my family in Lisbon.  We went to church, went to my friends for an Easter egg hunt and enjoyed wonderful food. 
*Jason went to California for meetings.  He is on the Board of Directors for the hospital in Lisbon.  It was my first go with putting all 3 kids to bed by myself and let me tell you...I appreciated Jason even more and have a real respect for single mothers. 
*Hayden participated and Jason coached soccer.  The preschool group didn't have any games, just a camp and for Jason never playing soccer he enjoyed it.  He had lots of help from other parents too. 

May -
*Reid giggled for the first time on the 7th. 
*We went to Marion to celebrate Jason's cousins graduating.  On from high school and the other from NDSCS.
*We celebrated Hayden's 6th birthday party with a sports themed party at the park.  The kids had a lot of fun playing and running around. 
*Hayden's last day of preschool.
*Memorial Day weekend at the lake.
*Hayden started Tball
*Hayden tested for his orange belt in Tae Kwon Do.

June -
*Hayden had basketball camp
*Tball games.
*Jason and I went to my college roommate's wedding in Mayville. 
*We went to St. James to watch John play baseball.  They also had their summer celebration, so we got to see their parade.

July -
*4th of July at the Lake.
*Swimming lessons for Hayden and Clara.
*Jason golfed in the GOLF tourney.
*I went to the lake with a couple of my girlfriends and the weather was awful, but we still had fun.  It was also my first night and day away from Reid
*Reid rolled over from his back to tummy.
*We did a lot of packing!
*We moved out of our house on July 26th and moved to Forman.

August -
*VBS for Hayden and Clara.
*We moved into our brand new house! 
*Jason and I went to Wefest with friends.  The kids stayed at the farm with grandma and grandpa.  
*Clara turned 3!  We celebrated with a Little Mermaid pool party. 
*We hosted 3 of my very good friends from high school and their families. 
*Kindergarten open house! 
*Ransom County Fair.
*Hayden's first day of Kindergarten!  He was so excited and could hardly wait.  We dropped him off and I barely got a goodbye.  I only almost cried.  :)
*Labor Day weekend at the lake.  We celebrated Carver's 1st birthday. 

September -
*Clara started dance class.  She LOVES it.  Each week she walks right in and has a huge smile on her face when we pick her up. 
*Hayden, Reid, and I spend Tuesdays at the library while Clara's at dance.  Hayden looks at books with Reid and I take quizes for my class.  This semester I have 4 classes which is a lot more than I've done in the past. 
*Sunday School starts for Hayden, Clara and me.  I am a helper this year in Clara's class.
*I went to labs in Wahpeton.  I've gone once a month September, October, November and I will go this coming weekend in December.  It has been very interesting and fun to connect with my classmates. 
*Jason and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. 
*Clara had her tonsils and Adenoids out.  After 3 years of terrible sleeping and finally listening to her sleep one night, we realized she was stopping breathing.  We were refered to an ENT and he did X-rays and showed us that she had obstructive sleep disorder.  Which is a less severe case of sleep apnea.  Her adenoids were completely obstructing and he tonsils were very large.  Because she didn't have issues with infections we didn't need to remove all of the tonsil tissue so the recovery was very quick.  We noticed a difference in her sleep immediately and it has been the best thing ever.  We only wish we would have none sooner.  We are all finally getting sleep.
*I went to SVACA with some of my friends which is a arts and craft fair in Fort Ransom.

October -
*The 5 of us went to the pumpkin patch in Oakes.  In the past years I've taken the kids with a friend, but this year it worked for Jason to go too.  It's such a nice patch and we were sad to learn it will be their last year operating it.
*Reid started crawling.
*I attended my 10 year reunion at Concordia.  I met with my 2 best friends from college and we had such a great time catching up. 
*My cousin Tom's wedding in Fargo.
*Clara, Reid and I got to help at Hayden's Halloween party at school. 
*Trick or Treating - we had Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon, Elsa from Frozen and Reid was a cute, cuddly elephant. 

November -
*Jason and I went to the NDSU/SDSU game with friends. 
*Jason and I went to Rutand to the Coteau de Prairie with our friends Nick and Rachel for a food and beer pairing dinner. It was such a fun night out. 
*Hospital gala in Lisbon.
*Hayden tested for his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do.
*My yearly Christmas shopping trip with friends.
*Reid says "mama!!"  I was soooo excited!  The other 2 said "dada" first, so I was excited that at least one of my children said mama first.  :)  He is sort of a mama's boy, so I guess it would be fitting! 
*Jason and I helped my parents move out of their cabin on Turtle Lake.  This year has been a transition for my parents.  After much consideration they have decided to sell their house in Forman and then decided to sell their cabin at the lake and find a lake home that they will eventually retire to.  They are still a couple of years away from retiring, so they will find an apartment to rent in the area until they retire, but they are very excited.  So this spring we will be moving them out of their home in Forman.  It will be a very sad day, as my great-grandfather built the house in 1920 - the year my grandpa was born.  The house has only been in the Dyste family.  It is a good thing though, as a nice, young couple will be buying it and they will be able to make new memories in it.  We are really looking forward to this summer at Lake Seven.  The house there has much more room for all of us, and amazing yard for the kids to play in and a really nice lake and beach.  I am so very happy for my parents.  They have worked hard for many years and it's so nice to see them reap the benefits. 
*Thanksgiving in Forman.  We celebrated our last Thanksgiving in Forman with some cousins and aunts and uncles. 
*Reid is pulling himself up to everything and scooting around furniture. 

That's pretty much a quick catch up!  In a couple weeks I will be completely done with classes for good!!!!  I'm so excited!  And then I will start interning in January and I am very excited to get that underway.  It will definitely be an adjustment for us all.  After 5 years of being a stay at home mom, I'm excited to "work."  I don't know what will happen after my 8 weeks of interning are over, but I'm excited to see what the future holds....more on that soon.  Hopefully not 8 months from now! ;)  

A Bittersweet Move

This week will bring many exciting changes to our future.  This past Saturday our contractor started digging the basement for our house.  Which means our new house is underway.  Hopefully we will be seeing lots of big changes in the next few weeks.  From what I understand things go pretty quickly at first, in terms of getting walls and roof and then the finish work takes the longest.  We are very excited to watch the progress.  The other thing that is happening this week is the sale of our old house.  We will be closing on it this week and although I am so relieved that we will have this behind us I am also very emotional about it.

Hayden has gotten into watching some of the "bigger" kid shows on the Disney channel and that includes a show called Good Luck Charlie.  It's about a family and their dynamics that so many families have.  The other day I was watching it with him and this family, the Duncans, were moving.  While I was watching the clip below I couldn't help but think about all of the memories that we have made and shared in our home and of course I cried.   The way this mom feels is no doubt how I am feeling and how I will feel when we walk out of the door for the very last time. 

This move is bittersweet for many reasons.  On October 31, 2006 after only 45 days of being married, Jason and I took a trip to Lisbon to look at houses.  We looked at 3...only 3.  That was pretty much all that was available at the time we looked.  We looked at this house last and although it wasn't what we considered perfect, we saw potential.  We saw a great neighborhood.  We saw a great yard.  There was no way we would see all the wonderful memories that would be made here.  How we would bring 3 healthy, beautiful babies home from the hospital to this home.  How Clara would learn to walk in the backyard.  How Hayden would learn to write his name at the kitchen table.  All the baptism celebrations, birthday parties, bonfires, playdates.  The list of memories could go on and on. 

The things I'll miss....

•  Our yard - we have a beautiful yard with great space for our kids.  It is 2 city lots on a dead end street and it almost feels like you are out of town.  
• Our neighbors.  We have wonderful neighbors.  The couple across the street just randomly brings over treats for the kids.  The other couple brings them Christmas presents every year.  The other day the gentlemen from across the street gave Hayden a baseball glove and ball and played catch with him for a little while.  We will miss them.
• The comfort of living in the same house for 7 1/2 years.  This house has been good to us.  We have made changes and updates, but this house met our needs, was comfortable and homey.  

On the other hand we are so very excited to be living in a brand new home that we designed and that we feel will fit our needs and family perfectly. 

What I'm looking forward to....

• A young neighborhood.  I think Jason and I might actually be the oldest couple in the cul de sac that we will be moving to.  There are 5 other families there and they are all either young, newly married couples or families with young children that around the same ages as ours.  Our kids will be able to walk out the door and have playmates at any given time.  And our best friends yard butts up with our back yard. 
• Our yard.  As much as it will be work for a few years, our yard is much bigger than our current yard.  We are building our home on 1.3 acres within city limits.  
• My new kitchen!  I feel like I spend 75% of my day in the kitchen.  And I can't wait to spend the day in MY kitchen! 
• Making new memories in our new home.  Reid's 1st birthday.  Clara's first sleepover.  Hayden's first date (that's a loooooong ways away), but this is our forever home.  And I'm excited to see what's in store for us there.  

 The couple that is buy the house from us are good friends.  They are newly engaged, planning a wedding and a future.  I hope and pray that this house will hold just as many wonderful memories for them as it has for us. 

....stay tuned for pictures and updates on the process...hopefully, smooth process! :) 

Reid Joseph

35 WEEKS

He's here!  And he has been for over 5 weeks now!  Right now I have 2 kids napping, another quietly resting while watching tv, a disaster of a house, homework that needs to be done and other misc. tasks that should be done, but I know that I need to do this also.  I want to document this amazing moment and person while it's fresh in my memory.  Here's how it all went leading up to meeting our little guy. 

Feb. 13th - 9pm.  I had started sleeping on the couch in the basement because I could sleep better sitting up as my back and hips were very sore.  So I was laying down watching the Olympics when I started having contractions.  I wasn't too excited, because I had them a few nights before and they fizzled.  But they seemed a little stronger.  Around 10pm I called the birth center and told them I was having contractions.  They were around 15-20 min apart, so they were not at all impressed with this fact.  I did let them know my history and they said I could come and get checked to see if I was progressing.  I called my mom and she came up to stay with the kids and Jason and I took off for Fargo. 
Midnight - we arrived at the birth center and they checked me and I was 3 cm but he was still pretty high up.  My contractions were much closer together by this point around 8-10 minutes apart, so I knew that things were happening.  The nurses and doctors however wanted to make sure that I was actually in labor because I was a couple weeks early.  They had me walk around for a couple hours and checked me again.  This time I was at 4 cm.  So the doctor came in and said that since I had progressed and my history that he would break my water.  At around 5:30am I was able to get an epidural (where Jason almost passed out again!!!)  and then they broke my water at around 6am.  I was at 5 cm at that point.  After that I tried to get some sleep but just couldn't relax enough. 
At around 9am the nurse checked me and I was at 7 cm and then she checked me shortly later and I was at 10 cm and ready to push.  She called in the doctor at around 9:30am and Mr. Reid Joseph was born at 9:52am.  He weighed 7lbs. 5 oz. and was 21 inches long.  It was such a wonderful moment and one that I will never forget.  Each of my labors and deliveries were so very different from each other.  I felt like this one although longer than my other 2 was pretty relaxed. 

We have now had the pleasure of enjoying our baby boy for over 5 weeks.  He is such a good baby.  So laid back and if he cries it's for a reason.  He's either hungry, tired, has a burp or having a little difficulty with a poop.  He just started smiling this week and we hope to see lots more of them soon.  He sleeps through Hayden and Clara screaming, crying, singing, you name it.  He has started sleeping around 4-5 hours at night and going right back to sleep.  So he only gets up around 2 times a night. 

***I started this post last Wednesday....it is now Monday.  Just goes to show how some things get pushed to the back burner.... I will try to continue where I left off***

Anyway....since I posted that, Mr. Reid has slept anywhere from 5-7 hours at one shot.  YIPPEEEEEEE!  We are headed in the right direction.  He is still eating about every 1.5-2 hours during the day, but we are all getting some sleep at night, so we can handle the frequent eating during the day. 

He is the perfect addition to our family and we just love him so much.  Hayden and Clara adore him and want to help so much.  They both love to talk to him and sing to him and hold him.

This coming weekend we will be celebrating his baptism with family.  We are looking forward to having everyone here to celebrate this little guy we love so much.

Other fun updates -
*We sold our house!  YAY!  We will be closing on it in April, but the buyer has graciously agreed to let us rent it back from him until August.  We then will be staying with my parents until the house is done. 
*We staked out our house at our lot.  They have not been able to dig the foundation yet as the ground is still frozen and we are getting a blizzard as we speak.  Hopefully within the next couple weeks they will be able to start digging and we will be on the road to our new house.
*We have been doing a lot of purchases for the new house.  We have our appliances purchased and our cabinets.  We were able to order both of those things and delay the delivery until they are needed so that we could get them at a good price.  So many decisions to be made, but we are crossing many off the list. 
* School has been going very well considering.  Reid was actually born at the perfect time as I had everything I needed down and some time before anything else was due, so I had a week or so to regroup before I had to hit it hard again.
*Hayden tested for his next belt in Tae Kwon Do.  He is now an orange stripe.  He does so well with it and really enjoys it.  He should be testing again here in May before Summer break.
*We had Kindergarten Round Up.  So hard to believe that Hayden will be starting Kindergarten in a short few months.  He is soooo ready and so are we!   

2014: The Year of CRAZY!

The past couple of months I have been gearing up for 2014.  Gearing up as much as I can.  I am affectionately calling 2014, The Year of Crazy.  As in if you see me in the next year and I look like I'm going crazy, it's probably a fact.  I've debated calling the state hospital in Jamestown to give them a heads up, but I'm just hoping that my family and friends are understanding enough.  So if you see me this year and I seem a bit off.....there are reasons.  And here they are in no particular order.

1) I have started a very difficult semester of school.  2 Classes that require a lot of reading and work, where one is actually 2 classes wrapped into one.  It's like the worst 2 for 1 ever!  I started on Monday and contacted my professors to notify them about my "situation" (pregnancy).  I'm hoping they will be understanding.  So far they seem to be very.  Today while the kids were at daycare I set out with a goal to get a ton done.  I am happy to say I did and I'm hoping each Tuesday will be the same. 

2) We have a baby coming in about 5-6 weeks.  Yep as in no sleep, requiring 24 hour attention, does not entertain self fun.  I'm ready, believe me, I am, but I know life will be crazy for the first few months.  I have a doctor appointment next Friday and I believe I start going every week after that.  Hopefully we will see how things are progressing and get a better idea on when the baby is coming.  I have gotten everything purchased and ready in order to feel a little bit in control, but of course, I'm sure I'm forgetting something. 

3) We are building a house.  It's official, we have purchased the lot, put money down for lumber and materials and the plan is to start in the Spring (what's that again??)  We've been planning this for some time so I have been doing as much as I can in advance.  Not only did we want to do that for budget issues, but I also did not want to be lugging a newborn around to meetings, stores, etc. to decide on the big things. 

4) And because of item #3, we will be putting our house on the market with a newborn.  So, I will be going through each and every room trying to declutter, cleaning and clearing out as much as I can.  This also means that there is a big possibility that there will be a gap in between when we need to be out of our house and when our new house is complete. 

I know that 2014 will also be a great year full of fun memories and as much as this stuff all stresses me out, I know that it will be a year we will never forget and I am thankful for that and for all of these things.  I'm not taking it for granted that although these can be stressful things they are also blessings to us.  We are very fortunate and I couldn't be more excited for what lies ahead.  The thing that helps me is knowing that we have wonderful family and friends that are always willing to help us out in one way or another.

Here's to 2014....a crazy, wonderful ride! 

Hi Ya!

Hayden had his Tae Kwon Do testing a couple weeks ago and he did so great!  I was so proud of him.  It's amazing what these guys have learned in such a short amount of time.  His instructor is fabulous and I really hope it is something he sticks with for awhile.  He earned his white belt and even broke a board. 

I'm sitting here watching the snow fly outside.  It's suppose to snow for awhile and get very cold this week.  Tis the season, I guess.  I'm just hoping we don't have snow into May this year. 

A couple weeks ago I had my 2nd ultrasound and my doctor said everything looks great for our little guy.  It's so hard to believe that he will be here in a little under 3 months. This pregnancy has gone so fast, but I'm also getting to the point where it's getting uncomfortable.  So I'm hoping with the holidays that the rest of the time will go just as fast.  Can't wait to meet this little boy.

We are gearing up for the holiday season.  Lots of things planned between now and Christmas.  I hope we get through it all.  We are hoping to see Santa this week, lots of Christmas get togethers, programs, etc.

I'm also ending the semester for school.  This semester has gone very well and I'm hoping my final will go as well as the rest of the class has gone.  I will have about a month off before next semester starts.  I'm stressing a little bit about next semester.  Obviously we have a lot going on with 2 busy kids, a baby on the way, I will have 2 classes next semester and we are also planning on building a new house in the spring.  I know we will all get through it, but I also know it could be a stressful time.  I'm trying to make as many decisions about the house and preparing for the baby as much as I can now.  I'm also hoping that I will be able to work ahead in my classes and that my professors will be understanding of my circumstance.
 

IT'S A .......

 

 

  BOY!!!!!

It's amazing the thoughts that go through a mother's mind.  I'm sure many moms have the same feelings and thoughts that I do.  And although I'm a "talker," many of these thoughts to come have never been shared.  Not even with Jason.  On Oct. 16th we had our ultrasound.  This was to be my 3rd and final time having an ultrasound and each time I go in nervous.  Nervous because, although I'm not a worrier by nature, I worry about my babies.  I worry the whole time I'm pregnant.  I worry that I am eating right, that I am drinking enough water, did I feel the baby kick enough today, am I being healthy, will my child be healthy, will my baby be anything less than perfect.  Although I know the odds are in my favor, it's still something I worry about until I am holding that little being in my arms.  And then a whole different worry starts.  

The ultrasound helps, but it doesn't take the worry away.  This time the worry continues for a few more weeks when I will have another ultrasound.  During my ultrasound the baby wasn't be very cooperative and they would like to get better pictures of the heart.  Although, my doctor assured me that everything is fine and I keep telling myself, "if it was serious, they would want you to come back sooner!" the worry still invades me thoughts.  Next month when I return, I know I will be reassured that our little baby is healthy and growing, but until then, my mind might play tricks on me.  Perhaps, these tricks come about because I see so many people that suffer, have dealt with sadness, loss and life changing events.  I myself, have not.  I question...."how can I be so blessed?" "Why not me?"  Again, I know everything will be fine and I find comfort in this....So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

The best part of that day, was our surprise!  We found out we are having a boy!  We are so excited, although, we really didn't care one way or another.  During our ultrasound we asked the technician to write it down and we did not look at the screen while she found out.  On our way home from Fargo, we dropped off the gender information, the box to hold the balloons and pink and blue balloons at my friend, Kara's.  She checked the information, filled the balloons and filled the box.  She came to our house where we were ready to find out.  It was so fun to open up the box and see that our little baby is a boy.  With Hayden and Clara it was a surprise and I LOVED not knowing, but this was equally as fun.  I am so anxious to meet him to see who he looks like to examine every inch of him and to hold him in my arms.  As this will be our last baby, I am trying to savior every moment, especially the kicks.  At almost 23 weeks we don't have much more time before he makes his arrival.  We will be so excited to share with the world our little boy! 

Second Half of Summer

 Here we go with another long post recapping our lives.  So much has happened since the last time I posted. 

July
* We were able to watch some of Jason's cousin's baseball season.  They had their tournaments in Lisbon, so we went to a few.  They ended up making it to state.
* We announced the we will be having a baby in February!  The kids seem to be excited.  I am feeling better now, but went through a stretch of nausea and vomiting.  Glad that is over.  Now just trying to get as much sleep as possible.

August
* Clara got her first haircut!  Didn't cut much off, just a little bit to even out the back.  She is actually pretty good about letting me put "pretties" and "ponies" in her hair.
* Hayden went to VBS for a few days.  I was able to help in his group and we had lots of fun.
* I went to California with my mom and our friends Jeanne and Rachael.  We went for my friend Sarala's wedding.  We flew into San Francisco and got there rather early, so we were able to walk around the pier and eat at a really good restaurant for lunch.  We then made our way over the Golden Gate Bridge to head north to our hotel.  We stayed in Santa Rosa and we were able to a few wineries each day along with the wedding festivities.  The whole trip was lots of fun even though I was not able to drink the wonderful wine.  I've had a few bottles shipped home so that I can enjoy them at a later date.  It was very interesting attending my first Hindu wedding and so great to see my friend Sarala. She was a stunning bride and it was so much fun to meet her husband.
* While I was gone Clara turned 2.  So we celebrated the following week.  She had a Minnie Mouse birthday and had such a great time with her friends.  We are so blessed by wonderful family friends.  She ate so many cake pops that we lost count.  But it was her special day.

September
* We were able to enjoy one last long weekend at the lake.  With my family and we had some pretty good weather.
* Hayden started taking Tae Kwon Do lessons.  Once a week he goes and he has really been enjoying it.  It is amazing what they learn.  I'm very impressed with the academy that puts it on.  They stress discipline and respect and also that it is used for self defense only.  I hope this is something that he enjoys for many years.
* Hayden also started his 3rd year of preschool.  He is going to the same teacher as in the past and he really loves going and being with his friends.  Can't believe next year I will have a kindergartener!
* Clara and I have started going to Mops again.  She again is not cooperating with being left with the other kids in the childcare center, but maybe someday she will.
* We celebrated a good friend's 40th birthday by getting dressed up for prom.  We had a blast getting ready and going to prom.
* We met our new nephew/cousin Carver at the farm.  Jason's brother and sister-in-law had a little boy at the end of August and we were so excited to meet him.  He is so cute and we can't wait to see him again.  Both of the kids loved holding him, especially Clara.

Not much new has happened this month but we are looking forward to many things in the weeks and months to come.  Next month I go for my 20 week ultrasound and we have decided to find out if we are having a boy or girl this time.  We didn't with the other 2 and since we already have one of each we decided to try it that way.  We will be excited to share the news.  We just pray for a healthy baby no matter what.