A Fabulous Friday

1 - Nels took part of the day off of work today and we were able to go with some friends of ours for a beautiful Fall drive. We drove up to Mesa Falls, Island Park, and West Yellowstone. (One of these days we are actually going to make it INSIDE Yellowstone. It seems each time we venture up that direction, we get a little closer. :) We had such a wonderful time, building friendships and seeing the beautiful colors and the CRISP Fall air. I'll have to post pictures in the next couple of days --- we actually got some of all of us together!

2 - We just got home 10 minutes ago and the kids are already in bed sleeping. (((sigh))) Oh happy day.

3 - I am finally starting to feel like I am really getting over this nastiness that I have had for a week. Still a little tired and gunky, but definitely on the down slope. I do wish that the nurse had informed me that the flu shot I got yesterday was going to make my arm all but incapacitated for the next 36 hours. And I think that it made me feel more tired today than I would have otherwise, but I'm still happy to feel like I'm almost back up to full capacity.

4 - Yesterday I had to run to my doctor's office to get blood drawn for . . . for the numerous tests that they deem necessary. Since I was just going to be in and out, the girls all came with me. I know it's a weird thing to put on my list of fabulous things from the past week, but it cracked me up to have them there with me. As the nurse was getting things all ready, Hazel and Lilie were standing behind her, against the wall. Then as the nurse "sticks" me and starts collecting blood, I see Lilie slowly inch around her back, watching with open fascination -- and an open mouth. By the end of filling all four vials (good grief, do they really need that much?), both girls are standing right next to the nurse, agape at the amount of blood and asking all sorts of questions (like if they were going to take ALL my blood and what they were going to do with it). I love to see their inquisitive little minds. I (usually) love their funny questions and the way they seem to NEED to know things. I love watching their brains at work.

5 - I love how wonderful my husband is. I love that he loves me and loves being with me. We have so much fun together. He brings peace to my soul and fills me like no one else. He is so good and kind and happy. I'm so glad that I got to spend the day with him.

Halfway

I am halfway through my pregnancy today.

Wow.

I don't know whether that's exciting or scary. :) I think exciting. I love new babies. Especially mine. :) I'm excited to hold another sweet little angel in my arms. My cousin called yesterday to find out if we'd had our ultrasound. When I gave her the news that we are four for four and having another girl (which is still making me smile at the thought) she was so excited and said, "Good, I was hoping you would. Now you will have all your Little Women." I love you so much, Amber. You are so right.

Earlier this year I read the book Little Women. My mother has been gently "encouraging" me to read this book since I was, oh, about TEN. I'd started it probably two or three times, but never got much past the first 5 pages. Apparently I hadn't grown up enough to enjoy it yet. :) Happily, this year I must have reached some kind of maturity milestone because I picked it up and devoured it. It is now certainly among my favorite books. The lessons taught through its timeless story have changed who I am and the way that I view the world. It will forever be a book that I should reread on - at least - a yearly basis. I recommended it immediately to my cousin and she loved it too. (She has three little ladies as well.)

I am excited to be halfway through this pregnancy. It's been a fairly pleasant four and a half months and I'm looking forward to the next four and half. I like feeling my babies moving and I even like (for the most part) looking pregnant. I like getting things ready. I even like the seemingly habitual feeling that we should MOVE whenever I'm pregnant. (which we will not be doing, even though I've been casually browsing around real estate websites. LOL!)

But more than anything, I'm looking forward to being surrounded by my four little women when this second half is finished. I love my babies. I love being a mom.

A Whole Clutch

"Did you know that here, chick is another word for girl??"

Nels was asked this on a regular basis while serving an LDS mission in Ireland. Ha ha.

Well what could be more fitting for a family with the last name of Chick to have a whole nest full of girls? :) I know that at the very least, my high school buddy, Todd, will send kudos up to the Lord for how very clever he thinks He is. :)

We are so excited to be able to welcome another little lady into our family in about 4 1/2 months! Can you believe it?! FOUR GIRLS!!!??? LOL! That is a lot of ladies!

I could say that I'm not excited for another head of hair to do each morning, but you know, I think that would be preferable to a bald child, don't you? ---- Right? I think so . . . . :)

We're all so excited to get to welcome another little personality into our family! I love being a mom!

Birthdays and Harvesting

Finally getting around to posting the girls birthday pictures! hooray! :)

We has a great week with our birthday girls this year. Grandma Moon was able to come the week before and spoil them with her beautiful presence and presents :) as well as carrot cake. Yum! Good food is always in abundance when Grandma is around! :) It was a gorgeous week (except for Hazel's birthday, on which I believe it snowed) and that weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Chick and Great-Grandma and Grandpa Larson were able to come visit on their way to Utah. It was so wonderful to see them and the girls loved going to out to breakfast with them Saturday morning.

Hazel's cake this year turned out . . . lovely. She told me that she wanted a pink cake with a purple octopus on it. (???) Too bad spiders and octopi have to look so similar! :)

Her special birthday heart hair :) and her fuzzy new robe.

After eating most of two cakes by the time we got to Elsie's birthday, I was just all caked out. So instead we made birthday brownies. :)

If you should try this at YOUR house, please be sure to cool the brownies before you put the was candles into them . . .

October started off beautiful, but then let us know (full force) that she is a FALL month. We picked the remainder of our garden October first and it froze every single night for the next two weeks! :) We got LOTS of pumpkins this year (which was nice after last years sad attempts). I had no idea what to expect from a pumpkin plant . . . just an fyi for future pumpkin growers, pumpkin plants get HUGE!! It took over at least 1/3 of our fairly large garden with its beautiful orange fruit and bright green leaves (not to mention part of our neighbor's backyard), but if nothing else, it made my garden look really full and abundant! :)

Not only did our garden produce --- produce this year, it also turned up baby kitties! :) Which my children have been loving and loving and loving into docility.

They are absolutely adorable and it's been fun to have them around, but truth to tell, I'm really glad that they're not mine. - They're strays. - I'm glad that they've started eating solid food this week and are now ready to find someone else to love them.

Not a fun post, but at least I'm updating!

Let's take a vote.

I propose that if you are already pregnant, you should not have to also get SICK, SICK, SICK on top of that. Pregnancy sick? Not pleasant, I know, but it comes with the territory. But fevers, headaches, chills, coughing, coughing, coughing, and laying in bed desperately wanting to get up and at the same time NEVER wanting to get up again and not being able to sleep . . . ? Coughing so hard that it triggers your puke reflex? And for THREE days? Seriously??

Okay, on the bright side, the Lord has given me three really wonderful little girls who can pretty much entertain themselves at this point. Yesterday Nels was home until about noon before going to a meeting at work and I think the only things I got up for were to occasionally get Elsie a drink of water and to use the bathroom ----- and to order pizza.

Also on the bright side, Nels worked about 6+ hours of overtime almost everyday last week and then left Monday morning at 9:30 and worked until about 5:30 Tuesday evening. As a result of his non-paid-for ridiculous hours of overtime, he did not go into work on Wednesday or Thursday. Now, although being sick in bed is not my favorite way to spend Nels' time off, I am so thankful that he was able to stay home! He wasn't feeling well either, but at least slightly better than me. He has lovingly taken care of nearly every meal for the past 3 1/2 days. What a champ that sweet man is!

Good thing I deep cleaned my house on Monday. And speaking of Monday, we have our ultrasound this coming one. The girls are convinced they are going to get a baby brother. - But have also said that they will really love a baby sister as well.

I'm not going to guess either way, I've learned that I'm a terrible guesser. I just want a healthy baby.

And one less head of hair to do in the morning would be really nice.