Update!

Daxton is getting so big! Here is some of my favorite pictures of him:

So much has been happening with our family. In August, we went to a family reunion in Idaho. We stayed in Mack's Inn which is just past Island Park. Here is the cabin we stayed in:

We drove up on a Friday night and met my parents there. Saturday morning we went for breakfast with my dad's family who has a beautiful cabin in Island Park. It was fun to see family that we rarely see and to let the kids play. Poor little Dax had a terrible time.

After breakfast, Jack and the kids went with my aunt and uncle and their family to float a river. I stayed back at the cabin with my mom, dad and Dax since the river float was about a 3 hour trip. They had a great time. Mason only fell in the river twice on accident and 3 times on purpose! He is a silly kid. When they got back, we roasted hot dogs outside our little cabin.

No, Zander is not drinking Diet Pepsi. We rinsed out the bottle and gave him water.

That night we went back to the Island Park cabin for dinner and games. Daxton cried most of the time and I spent a lot of time in the house while everyone else was outside. We ended up leaving a little early because he was having such a hard time. We didn't know then why he was struggling so much but now know it is because he is allergic to dairy. Things have gotten much better now.

Sunday morning, we drove up into Yellowstone. We saw a big moose almost immediately after entering the park so we had to get out to look at him.

Not long after the moose sighting, we discovered a big buffalo walking on the street. I took this picture standing on the front seat of the van with my head and camera sticking out the sunroof.

The kids had a ton of fun. We got out at several places to look at geysers and other little walks that were marked off.

Here is part of the group waiting for Old Faithful to blow. There is Jack (with the goofy face), Daxton (sitting on Jack's lap), Grandma Terrie, and Alyssa.


And here is Old Faithful. She is still pretty faithful!

We spent the rest of the day driving home. We came back through Jackson Hole, WY. Over the course of Friday to Sunday, we drove through Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Not bad to do 4 states in 3 days. By the time we got home we were pretty tired of being in the car but it was a nice little trip before school started again.

The next day was Alyssa and Mason's first day of school. Here they are standing out in our front yard just before we walked over to the school:

Alyssa standing out by where her class lines up:

And her walking in to class, getting ready to shake her teacher's hand. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Ball and she is a delightful woman from Great Britain. I could listen to her accent all day!

Here is Mason standing outside where his class lines up:

And waving goodbye to mom as he walks in for his first day!

The following week, my little Zander started preschool. These are the only pictures he would let us take.

Zander has preschool two days a week and he is loving it. We are so proud of all our kids.

Big Update!

Ok so it has been WAY too long since I have been here! But life has been crazy so this might be long. Lets go back... way back to July 8th.

WE HAD OUR BABY!!!

Daxton Zane Rapp

He was 7 lbs 2 oz and 18 and 3/4 inches long. He has tons of hair! He had to be on the bili lights for 4 days in the hospital and then another 4 days after he got home. It wasn't the funnest thing on the planet but at least he got better!

Shortly after, my incision opened up and we are still packing that two times a day.

A week after my incision opened up, I woke up in the middle of the night with a very high fever and chills. My stomach also hurt REALLY BAD. I couldn't even get up out of bed by myself. I went to the ER and the wanted to admit me but I resisted. Two days later I was there anyway. I spent 3 more days in the hospital but at least they let Daxton stay with me. After I was released, I felt a lot better and hope to never feel that bad again.

Daxton is growing like crazy. He also has reflux so he is grumpy and cries a lot. He also wants to be held all day long. Luckily his mommy likes to hold him but it is doing a number on my back. A friend of mine let me borrow a sling and I think that will help once I really figure out how to use it. At least I was able to make dinner with both hands last night.

Anyway, he is now 7 wks old and I am still on antibiotics and my incision is still not totally healed but I think we are close! So, cross your fingers that nothing else comes up!

So, don't you just think he is a cutie???

HOT HOT HOT!!!

This is how I feel. I don't do heat. I especially don't do heat when I am so pregnant I could be mistaken for a large bellied animal. And yet, here I am. My kids say my hands feel like they are going to start on fire and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. I can't sleep. I feel like crap.


Yes, I am whining.


Can't we just order snow for the next 22 days? Pretty please?


At least I have found motivation to clean out my fridge and freezer. It is nice and cool in those places!

Zander Turns 4!!! Oh, and it's Father's Day

My kids decided that today would be a great day to adjust our sleep schedule. I had set my alarm for 9 am so we could get up and make Jack breakfast in bed, as is the tradition for Father's Day (I get the same on Mothers Day and it is great!). Zander had me up at 6:50 am. He is lucky it was his birthday or I might have been really unhappy with him!

Jack had a special request this year. He wanted pancakes with extra sugar and whipped cream so they tasted like sugar cookies. Oh, and he wanted hash browns with them. Heathly huh? Well, I had never made these particular pancakes before. They are Jack's thing. I don't tend to add sugar to anything. It took me over an hour to get 4 pancakes to actually turn out right. He loved them so I guess it was worth it.

We also celebrated Zander's Big #4. Here are some pictures:

And here is a pic of the sad little pirate ship cake I attempted. I am really not a talented cake person. =0) But Zand was happy so that is what matters.

It is sad to have your kids grow up. But at the same time, it is great to see the little people they are becoming. Zand is a little light in our lives with a smile that lights up his entire face. I am so glad that he is part of our family.

And, I am grateful for Jack too. I felt a little bad he had to share Father's Day with a birthday because Father's Day sort of took a back seat but he did get into the festivities:

He would totally kill me if he knew that I was putting that picture on here! Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!

The countdown is on! As of tomorrow, I have 24 days until this baby arrives! I am still in denial that I will actually come home with a baby.

Yesterday, I went shopping for father's day. I was at Home Depot. I barely got dressed, combed through my hair and brushed my teeth before I left the house. I felt huge all over. As I was getting ready to leave, I actually got hit on! And he didn't even look like he belonged in a pyscho ward somewhere. He was a normal nice looking guy. I have now decided that there needs to be a group of men who goes out and hits on very pregnant women because it makes them feel really, really great!

I am really looking forward to Sunday. Not only is it Father's Day but it is Zander's birthday. I can't believe he is going to be 4! Seems like just yesterday he was a little baby!

And now he is a big boy!

Time flies!

Long time no post!

Well, I guess it is time to update my blog! I have been putting it off because I felt like I needed to catch up but honestly, that just won't happen. We have been to Disneyland and St. George, we are having a baby boy in 8 wks, we have had dance competitions, Jack started the nursing program, had to drop some classes and now is starting a new paid cohort group through the U at SLCC. Things are crazy.

Anyway, what I wanted to post about today. I am having a rough week. Last year on Mother's Day (which was on May 13, 2007 - exactly a year ago today), I had a secret. I was having a baby that was due on New Years Day 2008. I planned on telling my mom the next day when she went with me for an ultrasound. I was 7 wks. Mother's Day last year was the last day of peace I had with that pregnancy because I believed that everything was fine. Turned out that it wasn't. A year ago tomorrow, I found out that my baby had a fatal defect and was going to die, either during the first trimester or, if he/she made it past that point, within the first few hours of life. It was one of the worst days of my life.

Having a little one growing inside of me right now takes away the sting a little bit but it is still difficult to look back. The 4 wks of wondering whether or not my baby was going to be in the 5% who might make it to birth was beyond painful. I really hope that once all these year milestones pass, that things won't be as painful and that every year it will get easier. That is my hope anyway. But I will always wonder where that little one is now, whether it will be mine in the next life or not. All I have is hope...