Bryson and Quinn's baptism

Bryson and Quinn were baptized yesterday and it was so special. So many people helped get them ready beyond Casey and myself. The each spent 45 minutes with the bishop before their baptism. SIs cockerel came over and visited them. Granny came and gave them a shpeel on the Holy Ghost, the morning of Grammy gave them a talk about baptism and repentance. During their actual baptism Papa went over the importance of making the first covenant with god of being baptized and on the covenant path and what promises we make when baptized. It was so so special. Grammy gave the last talk about the Holy ghost comforting us like a blanket.

They kinda gave me a super hard time leading up to their baptism though, ha, stinkers. Not wanting to do pictures, write their testimony, invite anyone, saying they didn’t want to get baptized, I think they were just making a fuss to be silly, finally before their baptism they were excited and happy.

Bryson had this sweet spirit about him intensely listening to my words with eyes wide open. He has the sweetest heart. 

Quinn brought the silly straight forwardness into the baptism day and was so eager to help with whatever I was preparing. 

Grammy and Grandpa Cutler were around the whole weekend helping which was IMMENSELY helpful. 

We got there early enough to take pictures and it was calm and great. As they went into the font area they freaked out forgetting they didn’t have their white underwear on. They were quickly switching to that underwear but it was hard to take the jumpsuits on and off, falling and laughing all over the place. Bryson put his on backward and it was just a giggle fest which led to him peeing his pants a little, so funny. Bryson was baptized first, then Quinn. When Quinn came out they hugged each other at the top of the font area and it was so sweet. Both boys were very focused in the water making sure they were doing it all correct but smiling when they came out and kind of like "wow" it happened!

They will be blessed their whole lives doing all these big moments with their twin brother. Having a best friend to experience life with that TOTALLY gets each other. I’m so happy for them. 

THe day of the baptism they were more than happy to take all the pictures I needed being silly to change sides of which parent they were standing with. They were sandwiched between Casey and myself during the baptism program and listened so intently, I just love them and am so happy for them.

In the dressing room Bryson said how he felt warm and happy inside after being baptized. They both said how they wanted to do it again and then we got to talk about baptisms for the dead.

So proud of these cutie boys and how I adore them. What a special baptism day it was for them. It went by too fast, I wish I could hav videoed all of it.

The robinsons, fears, heckdricks, bro Chikuni, Sis Hadley, and Sis COckrell and bishop dean were all there which made it special to have with the rest of our Arizona family.

Afterwards we invited all over for chips and salsa (green, red, texas caviar) and donut holes (krispy kremes- went way too fast!) and so I made muddy buddies on the spot which helped. Camille and Jaden tag teamed the piano which was so lovely, bless them. The musical number song didn’t go so well- Summer stopped the music in the middle of it and Ruthie, Brielle, and Max DID NOT want to sing but stood up there just mouthing it- kinda made a scene themselves Max especially. But Easton and the twins belted it out and were so happy!

I bought two size 8 suits from Amazon and the boys looked so handsome in them. I couldn't get over their sweetness and kindness all day.

Casey and I ended with closing remarks- I shared the fact that when they were 3 years old they said they didn’t want to get baptized bc they hated putting their heads in the water for swim lessons, ha. My how we change and grow in 5 years time and that change and growth comes from Jesus Christ. Casey shared his testimony and got all choked up about feeling the spirit and testifying that the Holy Ghost guides us, we need to look for it and be open to it.

It was really such a special day, I was so happy how it all turned out.

Introducing our caboose- Taysom!

 Although I don't really use the blog much anymore, it only seems right that I write his birth story on the blog, where all the others can be found!

Taysom was due Aug 7, I was dying at like 32 weeks! Ha, being pregnant all of a hot Arizona summer while following around, entertaining, and helping 5 young children did not make pregnancy enjoyable, but I survived! I was fully mentally prepared to go the full 40 weeks but cross my fingers to be induced during that 39 week at some point, although everything I had heard about this east valley area is that being  electively induced is not easy and you almost never get called in until 40 weeks- they don't let you set up an appointment, it's all based on the availability of beds and staff. This was my first pregnancy that I can remember having painful cramps for long periods of time before having baby, I'd always had braxton hick contractions but nothing painful, interesting.

At my 38 week appointment I had high blood pressure- 136/87- the cut off line for it not to be "good" anymore is 140-90. It had been up high at my 36 week appt, but was down enough by the end of my appointment and then a few days later it was just low and good again. But at this 38 week appt the doctor walked in and almost immediately asked "ok, do you want to have this baby early?" I was shocked but with a huge smile immediately replied "absolutely!" His reply was "I thought so, I'll go call the hospital and make a case for you"

He left real quick to call the hospital and I texted Casey what was going on.

Dr. Layton came back with a post it- a time and a phone number. 3 am the next day, Tuesday! I told him I felt like I was a kid at the orthodontist and the ortho just told me I was getting my braces off early, ha! He checked me and I was a 1 at 40%.

Came home and started getting all the last minute stuff ready the best I could, although I lost so much steam quickly to actually be productive- pregnancy. Decluttering a few last areas, baby stuff out, hospital bag packed. Casey had his work cancel all his Tuesday patients. Casey actually took the boys on the Hieroglyphic hike hoping for amazing waterfalls after the monsoon we had, they were blah. I went and got a pedicure and manicure for my last "gift to me" things I had been doing all the last weeks of pregnancy, I originally had it planned for the next day but luckily had time to get it done Monday night before they closed! My mom came over that night and helped me cross more stuff off my list- like cleaning out the kids plate/bowl drawer, little things I just wanted done! Felt much better prepared! She slept at our house in anticipation of us leaving in the night.

Before bed I was to call the hospital to ask if I was still on for 3 am- they said no :( They'll call me and if I haven't heard from them by 7:30 am to give them a call but focus on getting a good night's rest.

 I woke up a lot that night, of course, checking what time it was, ancy for something. Before we had gone to bed I had Casey call my phone to check that it was working just to triple check, ha.

Well we woke up at 7 am with no phone call, Casey was frustrated since he had cancelled all his patients but nothing had actually happened. So he called his office to start setting up patients for the day and was going to go to work. I on the other hand felt like I was cheating the system in the first place getting to be induced at all, especially at 38 week and 3 days, so waiting wasn't a big deal at all to me. All the kids one by one walked into our room that morning confused where the baby was or why I was still at home. Maxson specifically asked "where's the baby?" haha. When I called at 7:30 they told me no room right now, they'd call at some point but no clue when that some point was going to be. (Casey did end up calling the hospital around 9 playing the doctor card of "yes, but WHEN could it possibly be! I have patients!" they said maybe afternoon or evening but that's only a guess. I was third in line for inductions waiting).

I went about the day normal, getting as many things done as I could like normal, my cleaning ladies had already been scheduled that day so the house was getting cleaned- perfect timing. The kids learned to make rubber band bracelets. Every time I got a phone call I was so excited but then disappointed to see it was Casey or someone else, ha. Finally went upstairs to take a nap. Not more than 10-15 min after laying down, I got a call, it was the hospital! YIPPEE!!!!!! They asked if I could be there in an hour- OF COURSE! Made some phone calls and gathered all my last thing. my niece came over to watch the kids and i was out of there by 2:00. Stopped at CVS to pick up mascara because that's important y'all.

Once to the hospital around 2:15, filled out paperwork, got checked in my room and just started going through the whole process. Nichole was my nurse, so fun and sassy, I wish she could have stayed until the laboring portion! I've always gotten so lucky with such amazing labor and delivery nurses. Casey eventually got to the room probably around 3:30. When she asked my birth plan I joked that I forgot my typed and laminated paper that said "epidural", always.

It took FOREVER to get my IV in, kind of like it always has-I warned them I'm a hard poke, I just don't have good veins in my arms for it. Dug around in my hand awhile, didn't work, hurt a ton. Another nurse tried my wrist- no luck. They finally brought in an ultrasound machine to find my vein and get it in more easily in my forearm. Finally able to start pitocin about 4:30 and the antibiotics for the positive thing (GBS or something), checked me and I was at a 2 and 70% so definitely progress overnight, and she stripped my membranes, whew, that was uncomfy. Apparently the doctor told my nurse to be aggressive and not hold back, ha, I loved it. The antibiotics in my arm HURT though, kept having to massage my arm.

I truly had been so hot the 4 previous months of my life and somehow the room we were in did not have great AC, they gave me my own personal fan which helped a ton.

We watched olympics and just started playing the waiting game. Doctor came in at 6:20 to break my water- I always warn them that I usually have a ton of fluid and to be prepared, they're always surprised how much actually comes out and that it keep coming and coming and coming. Funny how 5th time giving birth I actually know my body pretty well. And to be noted- apparently there's a special name in the hospital for moms who's deliveries are their 4+ : a grand-mal-tip. All I heard was grandma pregnancy. Definitely a young 31 year old, thanks, guys.

Contractions began building from there on out, at 7:45ish was my first long intense one that was the point ok I can do those for a little while but I don't want to for too long telling the nurses that likely in 30 min I'd ask for an epidural. I like the contractions to be hard enough that the epidural isn't bad at all in comparison to the pain of contractions. after 5-6 more long intense painful ones I asked for that epidural around 8:15, just like I had supposed. I had them check me and was at a 6, yay!

Epidural came rather quickly but man those contractions were getting super hard, just trying so hard to breathe through them. Casey came in front of me during the epidural and i just pushed into his shoulder with that intensely rounded/slouched back, I had him push my shoulders together during contractions and just got through them one a a time. Hollar to all those moms who give birth without epidurals- I applaud you!

By 9:00 I didn't feel the contractions any longer, yayyyyyyyy. But after that I could not keep my eyes open, I was so tired. I almost immediately got shakes/shivers and was so cold the next long while- a first for being cold for me in MONTHS! The shaking was intense, the worst was my teeth chattering, biting a wash cloth helped with that problem.

They brought out the peanut ball and after 15 minutes with the peanut ball I was feeling the pressure down there- that means I'm ready I think that was about 10:15. I was a 10 and something else not quite ready, so they called the doctor and he said he'd be on his way, maybe 15-20 min. Thank goodness I had that epidural because I sat there with that pressure for awhile, but it didn't bother me much. Seem like baby boy worked himself down pretty far during all that waiting!

He finally got there and the party got started- he got all gowned up, a stirrup didn't work so a different nurse came in to be that stirrup ha.

Dr Layton sat there at the edge and said "ok whenever you feel a contraction push, you can usually get 3 good pushes out of each contraction." I laughed and said "I just go?" because, ya know, you can't feel those contractions much, ha. But I went ahead and pushed almost immediately thinking it was a contraction, with a 1/2 a push he plopped that baby on my stomach! 10:48 pm- It was so much quicker than i anticipated, easy breezy! I told the nurses I was banking on a 1, 2 push max baby, so a half a push had me surprised. Just like that my baby was there! Just laying on my tummy- a short chord so I couldn't bring him up to my chest, but just crouched as much as I could to see him and say hi over and over and over. "hi baby" is usually all that comes out for awhile from me. So elated that it all went so easy!

Casey cut the chord while the doctor joked "wait don't cut that part off" referring to the penis, ha.

He didn't cry much, just a little squeak and then just happy to be there wrapped in a blanket. He was so sweet and so perfect we kept rubbing him but he was totally perfect and happy. He nursed for I swear 1.5-2 hours straight, as soon as I took him off he just kept rooting around on me or when Casey held him so we just kept letting him nurse. Sometime within that first hour or two we agreed to name him Taysom, the only name we both were agreeing and loving during pregnancy.

7 lb 8 oz, 20.5 inches long- he would have been a big boy had I had to go to 40weeks+! Thank goodness I got him out early. I gained 55 lbs this pregnancy -usually I gain 60, so totally normal for me! and only 7 lbs of that was baby love lol, and that's ok!

Placenta was delivered unbeknownst to me, the smallest superficial tear that he repaired quickly and the doctor was OUT! ha. Dr Layton is super chatty in regular appointments but at delivery he is all business and no chit chat. 

I had to finish 2 bags of pitocin, boo, which meant my IV was in forever it felt like- maybe until 5 am. Casey ordered hamburgers for us from the kitchen and we ate them at 1 am, he fed me every bite while I just sat there so tired and nursing. This was the first time I wasn't able to get up and walk immediately, my right leg was fine but my left leg stayed asleep for HOURS. I was finally able to get up at 3 am and walk to the bathroom. The rest of my hospital stay I was kind of cold! And I hadn't brought warm enough clothes for me or baby I felt, ha, I was just assuming we'd both forever be hot the rest of our lives. Luckily I brought a sweet blanket a friend made specially for me and baby to take to the hospital, kept us warm and cozy, I wasn't warm again until we walked outside the hospital.

The rest of the hospital stay that day was easy, I felt great, baby did great nursing, nurses took the baby from about 2-5 am and I got a good chunk of sleep in to recover from the previous night. I had an epidural so it wasn't painful but it went to show me that the whole time my body was working SO HARD because I was EXHAUSTED. the whole day was pure heaven just holding my sweet new baby boy.

Casey left in the early morning to go be with the children. Sometime in the afternoon he brought them back to see the baby. Unfortunately due to stupid covid, they could only look through the window but they were all still so cute and so excited to see him. It was a sight I'll remember forever. My mom came in after and got to meet baby boy too!

After watching some Olympics, trying to sleep but constantly having staff come in for various reasons I was ready to get home! Baby boy was doing great, I was doing great, When the doctor came and checked on me in the afternoon he asked "wanna go home early? Great, you can leave tonight!" So we prepared for an 11:00 pm departure! Plus I was honestly so bored in the hospital, you can only watch shows or olympics in a bed for so long, I couldn't even cuddle and snuggle the baby on my bed like I love to, it was time to go home!

Casey came and got me and we were home by 11:45 pm, just 25 hours after he was born. 

So nice to be in my own bed, baby boy was up every hour that night, I supplemented with a little bit of formula after a couple feedings which made him much more content. But after an hour of trying to sleep  I just told Casey to go sleep downstairs, no reason he should get crappy sleep ha, we actually had him go to work the next day around 10 am to get in a few more patients he had shuffled around before he was off for his 3 day weekend.

The kids were SO excited to meet baby in the morning! I came downstairs and they were just all so so excited to see the baby in my arms and gather around me and admire and look at all his tiny details. We passed him around to everyone and they all cried for longer turns but it was so sweet to see them all together! So happy to have my 6 kids all together with me at home.

That is the birth story of our sweet little caboose boy, Taysom! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love all the birthing days of birthdays for my babies! The excitement, the anticipation, the support, the help from others on you, you're pretty vulnerable there in bed relying on everyone around you for help in every way. I love it all. So grateful for the doctor- the first few appointments it's just with a stranger not very often 6ish weeks apart, and by the end it's nearly every week and you're friends and he's very aware of your needs. 

That's our Taysom boy's big debut story!

PS- if you click the label/link below that says "birth story" you can read the other kids too

Maxson's baptism

 Maxson chose to be baptized  into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, December 12.

It was a beautiful day surrounded by so much family!All of our Arizona family was there as well as Brad, Nan, Tayli, and Lance and Malinda's family.

Preparation beforehand (mainly for my benefit to read next time before the twins baptism)- bought a $20 etsy kit for all things printed- definitely not something I'd normally do but glad I did for  this special occasion. I bought this kit from etsy (and future reference kimber, here's the link to edit it for future boy baptisms). I asked Max to write down his testimony and that's what i had on the back of the program. We bought him a new suit from Target (size 10)- it was too big, go figure. My mom and dad gifted him a new tie with little Moroni's all over it and an embroidered towel. I took pictures of him the day before- wish i had gotten them done a week or 2 prior...oh well. I ordered subs from Walmart- for 43 people i got two 6 ft subs, they said one 6 ft sub feeds 20-25 people, it seemed like we almost had half left! You can order the subs in 3 ft platters... My childhood friend, Amber, now lives by me, and made the cutest cupcakes and cookies. So so so nice of her to do that for me! Took lots of stress off my back. Remember to bring extra underwear for Casey and child and hair gel and a comb. Part of that etsy kit was little cards for people to write thoughts on for Max- I had family write on those while Max and Casey were gettin changed out of wet clothes. 

The actual baptism program was beautiful. Sis Jobe played the piano and it was literally all family in the room except Bro and Sis Jobe- so glad they would come for it and Bordy and Tanner who snuck in the back. First Papa spoke on baptism and the covenant we make of being a representative of Jesus Christ and just like people know part of your character because of your last name because they know family members of yours, it's the same way as being a Christian- you have qualities of Christ and people know parts about you before they really know you. It was really really sweet.

All the cousins got up and sang "I will be what i believe" Max loves that song so much. Annalee has gotten so big, I can't believe it. She's a teenager up there with all the little kids, she held Summer the whole time. It was so sweet to finally hear singing and be surrounded by so many children! Jaden too looked old, ha. But Max was beaming in his white clothes surrounded by all the family members singing a song he knows and loves.

Then Grandpa Cutler spoke on the Holy Ghost- he told a story of Grandpa Cutler being lost in the snowy woods with fog all around, even though he wasn't a typical praying guy, he prayed when he was scared and after walking a bit where he couldn't tell he just followed his feelings the clouds withdrew for a second and saw the surroundings and could find his way back through the fog. The Holy Ghost will be a constant companion. He also shared the beauty of Max, Casey, Brad, and Grandpa all having D's in their name. And he also shared the signifcance and numbers that today Max will receive the Holy Ghost from his father, and 27 years ago Casey reeiceved the Holy Ghost from his father, and 54 years ago Brad received the holy ghost from his father, and 75 years he received the Holy Ghost from his father. A beautiful example of the tradition of faith deep in the roots of Maxson's blood.

Max was then baptized by his father, who holds the Melkhesidic priesthood. The cousins surrounded the glass so I could barely see, ha. But Max had this closed face smile on and it was so sweet seeing him come out all wet and clean, it was a really special moment.

He was quite cold when he got out but his towel was nice and fluffy to use.

Grammy Cutler then shared some words and was emotional, I didn't hear what she said though and everyone filled out their little papers.

They came out all freshly dressed and I got to give Max a big hug and was so proud of him. The priesthood circle then formed and Max was confirmed a member of the church by his dad, 2 grandpas, 4 uncles, and 1 great uncle. It was tender looking over there at the love of brotherhood and God in that circle.

Casey then bore his testimony, and was very emotional, I haven't seen him emotional like that in awhile it was sweet. he talked about how the Holy Ghost relay shaped hi life, and there's a lot of brothers in the room, and the bond of brothers is something really special and how Uncle Cody was there when Casey had his first real experience with the Holy Ghost and he'll never forget that. It was just super super sweet.

After the closing prayer, we took pictures and came back to our house for lunch, everyone was so crazy helpful, Malinda, my mom and Nan helped so much on getting the food table ready, Blair was helping take pictures, Camille was surely helping me in there too. Kids were playing and laughing lots outside running through the house, on the swing, it was just a perfect afternoon. So happy for Max to be an office member of the church 

Time to start dusting off the old blog

The first 2 years after the twins were born life was HARD at times. So intense with babies crying and who knows what Maz was doing, I turned to my blog and wrote and wrote and wrote. I think it was extremely therapeutic. When I had a hard day- I wrote about it. And I found some positivity things about the day amid writing of all the awful things that went on too. I think I need to start doing that agin. It seems like everyday i s a hard day for me, for the kids, for Casey. And this time it's hard for 7 people instead of like 1 before. It's all the hardness back in those years plus cooking way more, cleaning way more, fighting way more, patience divided between so many little kids way more, bills way more, uncertain future way more, just so much more and it seems like it's caving in on me now.

So blog, now I turn to thee for some therapy.

Let's talk about Home Church. We are on week 9:

Yes Come Follow me was 1000% heaven directed, its has made the transition so much more seamless. It was cute at first, and slowly each week got worse and worse and worse- ever declining and that's been really hard. Hard because "church" isn't necessarily something go look forward to now. Hard because others around me say it's the best part of their week and so amazing with their family and beautiful and wonderful and I'm over here yelling at the kids just be still for 10 minutes out of their whole week. Instead there's crying, someone won't get properly dressed, they want to be on the overboard regardless of my threatening them, Summer screams to get down and wrecks the Sacrament bread and water, Easton wonders on and off the couch, in and out of the room the entire time. It's just another thing for me to fight my kids on.

How schooling went:

At first yes it was cute and the kids were eager to do it at home and listen and be good, and then, just like church, it gradually fell apart. Quinn crying that he hated coloring, Max insisting that all he do was listen to books being read to him or play games on the computer- don't you dare ask for him to write on paper with real words, it will be the end of the world. Easton wants to have some type of schoolwork too- crying at my side. And don't for get the almost 1 year old vying for my attention too

That's as far as I am getting...people are whining for me

Summer is one!

One year with our baby girl Summer and it's be so fun!

-She's given affection by everyone all day long, poor girl gets kissed and hugged to death daily
-Girlfriend SCREAMS like cray cray when something go snot going her way, i.e. she's hungry, she's done in her high chair, she wants more food in her high chair, she's tired, she wants you to pick her up, you went outside without her.
-She loves to play peekaboo herself and it's so flipping adorable. Hiding behind her hands or a blanket, or putting her head into the carpet, I just love it.
-She started walking a little on her first birthday. Before then she would unwilling take 1-2 steps out of surprise when we tricked her into doing so and then wouldn't do it again. On her birthday she took 5-7 steps! But then the days following she wouldn't walk again, ha, different mold than her brothers that's for sure! But she does love to hold my hand and walk everywhere.
-She wants to be wherever the boys are.
-She constantly goes crawling outside all by herself. Bear crawling lately too.
-She puts everything in her mouth all the time, ha. She especially loves to find lego wheels.
-Obsessed with her bottle of milk and binkie
-Says dada and mama, not so much on command though, mostly mama when she's mad and dada when she's happy babbling
-Signs all done frantically-happily. We're working on please right now.
-Crawls up the stair all the time. Can climb down by herself once you flip her around-she hasn't quite mastered the flipping around herself yet part
-Bounces in excitement on her knees which I love.
-Takes 1-2 naps depending on the day
-Is entranced by her bow organizer and pulling the bows off.
-Loves to steal our phones and put it to her face
-Loves to steal the remote, touch buttons and look at the tv and then goes ballistic when you take the remote away from her.
-Constantly being toted around by the big brothers, she tries to hold on for dear life on the twins since they're not the best at holding her properly. Looks pretty happy and comfy in Max's arms, and hates when Easton tries to lug her around from behind.
-Has enough hair to put in a tiny ponytail on the top of her head, although we've only done it 1-2 times so far, we mostly just stick to bow headbands.
-Says "Hi" all the time- strangers at a store, seeing mom or dad again after a long time, seeing herself in a camera. It's little sweet and short high pitched hi and i die every time.
-So good at giving kisses on command. So often when i give her a copious amount of kisses she the gives a big open mouthed kiss in return.
22lb 8 oz
29 in tall
-

1st week with summer girl

The first week with our Summer girl has been the absolute best! I'm just so happy she's here and I'm so happy to not be pregnant anymore. She has been a dream boat baby: so darling, eating so well, willing to take a bottle when needed, sleeps really well and for long stretches at night and during the day, is content with being passed around from brother to brother constantly. I'm so happy she's here and apart of our family!

My mother in law has been the biggest blessing since her birth, she's taken my 3 little boys to her house for 3 days nearly all day long to play and sleep over there so Summer and I can figure out the day together of eating and sleeping (and for me not having to break up fights and whining and arguments constantly ha, or find activities for the boys to do). It's been the best transition to welcoming her into our family. The boys are all home after school until dinner time and then Nan takes them back to her house to sleep, and Maxson then has a fit about not getting to to go to Grammie's with everyone, ha, poor kid. He's actually slept on the floor in our room the nights the brothers are gone because he doesn't like being in the room by himself- he's not used to it at all!

I've had the sweetest friends and neighbors and family members check in on me, asking if I need anything, bringing in meals, cooing over my baby. Summer and I have felt so loved!

Recovery has been pretty darn easy yet again with her. Having a very awful first delivery makes all the rest incredibly easy ha. I got a rash on my arm and back where the tape was holding in my IV and epidural, so that's weird but it's slowly going away. My insides feel super loose, and I have no inner core to help me in and out of bed. My ankles and legs have appeared once again and it's AMAZING! That right there is the biggest self esteem boost reminding you that you can be smaller than your current size again someday, there is hope!

2 days after Summer came we closed on our home in Arizona! So so exciting! I am so crazy excited for our new home and know it will be so wonderful for our family over the next few years, I'm hoping it can be our 10 year home that the kids can grow up in. It's in a cup-de-sac with a HUGE grass field right across the street with a volleyball court and basketball court. I truly could not have imagined anything better for our family. On day 3 during our housing search I was crying to Casey wondering if I need to have lower expectations for our budget, I wasn't finding something I fell in LOVE with and was kind of getting disappointed. I had seen well over 20 homes without LOVING anything. ON day 4 this was the first house I walked through and it was honestly LOVE at first sight. The downside was no pool, and no large upstairs loft area but there were so many other PROS to the house that you can't buy that the things it didn't have didn't matter. I am IN LOVE with our home and can't wait to raise our family in it!

So 2 major life changes down, 3 more to go in a matter of a couple more months! Still to check off the list: Sell our Wyoming house, move down to Arizona, buy into the dental practices. Whew, we're working our way there!

Also it kind of stinks WHEN we're moving down to AZ, we're going from the worst of Wyoming weather straight to the worst of Arizona weather without much reprieve, I hope we can stay happy through it all!

Let's do an update on the family:

Summer the most adorable baby as possible.

Easton equally adorable. He's also now GINORMOUS now that Summer is here. His head for instance- HUGE. Diapers- why is he not potty trained? Kidding, ha. But he is my one that is growing up so fast. He's stringing 3-4 words together expressing his wants and wishes. Has deep opinions on subjects such as food (eww), bikes (mine!), the baby (lap!...all done), daddy (no! My daddy!). I'm just so obsessed with him. He let's me know if and when he's ready to take a nap each day. If he takes a long nap he hangs out with me and Casey for awhile after everyone goes to bed and it's so sweet to have just him around. He is super athletic- always trying to kick a soccer ball, dribble the basketball, ride his bike around the house, bat the baseball like everyone else or throw some type of ball to you in the house. He also runs super fast , still trailing, to keep up with his brothers when they're running off. I love love love his whole little heart. Oh, and he's constantly giving you kisses and hugs throughout the day. He's so affectionate I just love it! And he loves baby Summer- always so gentle and asking to hold her, or somehow lovingly bothering her while she sleeps. I adore him

Quinn just got his cast off and woke up that morning yelling "THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" When it came time to actually taking the cast off he cried through the whole thing lol. He loved swim lessons but did not want to go off the diving board. He's always super excited to play soccer and ride his bike outside . He sleeping on the top bunk and loves to get out his new preschool work book to do "homework". He can sure make a loud annoying crying noise that can get on your nerves but will listen to my voice when I tell him to take big deep breaths and tell me what happened.  He's always eager to help me in the kitchen and pack and do big kid things. He got a cool frisbee from Easter and loves it and calls it his boomerang. Quinn is our intense, in your face, matter of fact boy.

Bryson has so much of the same stuff from above! They are so much alike each other yet subtle differences that only a mama heart can see. He loved swim lessons and loved to go off the diving board. He's always super excited to play soccer and ride his bike outside and always puts rain boots on . He sleeping on the bottom bunk and loves to get out his new preschool work book to do "homework". He likes to remind me of my "fish" something we did from Come Follow Me to help Mama not yell. He loves helping in the kitchen and is so willing to unload the dishwasher and help me pack. He got a cool huge ball from Easter and loves and kicks it around the house all the time when I tell him not to. Bryson is our singer, dancer, and giggler

They both love and dislike preschool. THey're always happy when it's over but sometimes don't want to go because that's usually their movie time or they're playing together so well and don't want to stop. They are both really great adventurous eaters and try most food I give them. When they have  a hard time eating we play rock paper scissors.

Maxson is rocking Kindergarten. I'm so glad I've been able to help in his class this year to see how he's doing with the teacher, other kids, academically, what he's like around his peers and me simultaneously, it's all really fun. Academically he's soaring, gets his work done super fast and it's super easy for him, great reader, great listener, the teacher trusts him, he's kind to others, quick to obey, just one of those top notch students. When I come around he's overly huge and clingy and lovey to me, ha. I'm glad he likes when I'm around. He is so competitive, I feel like I've been saying he's so competitive for years but that's his thing. Racing, winning, sports, getting dressed, everything is a competition, so when he loses, his whole world falls apart and he turns into a tantrumy 2 year old, sigh, we're working on it. He can be the world's greatest kindest big brother and immediately turn into the teasing, and mean bully. He's fueled by rewards systems and they work so well for him. He's so independent and I can count on him a lot. He can get ready for school completely by himself- make lunch, get breakfast, backpack, etc. It's crazy to see him growing up so much and so fast. Also he's a great big brother to Summer already, always asking to hold her and holds her for a long time.

Casey is the freaking dad champ. So fun for the kids, always willing to play sports outside, wrestle inside, let the kids play video games at Grammie's way more than mom would, plays some little battle game on his phone that the kids get excited for him when he gets a new guy, feeds the kids love for rock band and fun songs on his phone. He works so hard for our family and is so on top of life. When a phone call needs to be made he does it RIGHT THEN AND THERE, no wait time. (Literally, we're in the hospital before I'm anywhere close to having the baby and he call my Dr's office to pay for it, as well as calling 3 different other places for the bill to be paid off that day). It has helped immensely with buying our new home- he's our rock and my life would be 25% functional without him here. He values family time so much, our own little family and then extended family as well. He sees the need for friends like I do and works to improve relationships, build new friends, and keep old ones going. In the past year we have become really awesome friends with Carey and Amanda Larson who live down the street with their almost 18 month old baby girl. They play spike ball with us, constantly come over at night after all the kids are in bed and the 4 of us just sit on the couch and talk and laugh and sometimes play games. It's been so fun to have another couple friend we both love. He carries the burden for our family financially, so aware of our needs, goals, dreams and just where we are at, all the time. He's such a great provider for our family

I am adjusting to life with 5 kids SUPER slowly. The first 2+ weeks of Summer's life I'll pretty much always have help from someone with all the other kids- from Casey, Nan, or my mom. It's been such a peaceful transition to a new baby and I'm ever so grateful for everyone's help. I Can't help but want to hold Summer all day long, I just am obsessed with new babies. I am on Marco Polo a lot of the day with a few different girlfriend groups which is so fun.

Our Summer girl is here

I scheduled an induction date for as early as possible because a) I was huge and miserable b) I could c) all my other inductions- especially Easton's which was completely elective- all went great, specifically the twins and Easton (max was awful ha). So at promptly 39 weeks on the dot, April 19, we scheduled it, yahoo!

April 18
The night before was hectic, it was the first day of soccer for everyone, dinner plans kind of fell through so we scrambled to pick up some pizza on the way to soccer. After soccer at 7:30 we still had to pack all the kids stuff. After packing up I drove them to Casey's parents house in Green River for them to spend the next couple days over there. Casey stayed home and cleaned up our crazy messy house so it would be ready for showings potentially if we were gone. Making the house perfect is EXHAUSTING, bless his heart for doing that. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up last minute Easter stuff and milk and hospital treats. We were both dog tired by the end of the night and didn't go to bed until about 11 or later, whew.

April 19
5:45 am- bright and early wake up call to get ready to leave for the hospital. Casey gave me a blessing- we packed the car with our 2 bags (WAY less crap than we had with Maxson haha)

6:20 am- leave the house for the hospital that is about an hour and 15 minutes away

6:35 am- stop at an exit in Green River to hide a grocery bag of shoes for Easton since we forgot to send him to Grammie's house with shoes, ha

Casey and I had great conversations the whole way to Evanston, talked about the baby, the house, work, the kids, dreams, concerns. It was nice way to start the day together like that. We listened to Florida Georgia Line just about the whole way there and we loved it

7:45 arrive at the hospital- we were supposed to be there at 7:30, oh well. Then we had to fill out paperwork which took until 8:15, goodness. So finally walked over to labor and delivery at 8:15 and started getting the whole process going! Changed into my gown, more paperwork, chatting with nurses.

I was the only patient in their area all day long, it was so nice and quiet, ha. My nurses were Chelsea and Megan and they were both fantastic. I sufficiently scared them and told them how difficult I was to stick for an IV. Of the past 3 deliveries, no nurse has been able to get the IV in my arm, only in my hand which is way uncomfortable to then try to use for the next 24 hoursish. Each time they've poked me between 2-6times to get the IV in and it's awful. So after that whole story she closely examined my arms and hands and veins and pushing and checking for about 20 minutes- she tried once in my arm and got it! I was so proud of her and happy for me! So we definitely started the morning off well!!!!!

8:45 we got me on antibiotics since I tested positive for strep B and also started pitocin. All day long my blood pressure was high, which is normal for the end of my pregnancies, hanging in the 140-150/90 range.

 9:15 Dr Hansen came in, checked me, I was still at a 2+ a little from my appointment with him on Monday but he couldn't feel her head at all like he had on Monday, worried that she may have flipped he got the ultrasound machine out, checked only to find I had a full bladder. So after peeing, and getting checked again, her head was indeed down low enough and he could confidently break my water. Again, from warning them that I have a had a TON of fluid in the past they were better prepared for it with multiple towels and kept changing them out quite often. From there on we started watching Friends and it was just a waiting game! We started with the "Pivot" episode and laughed so much.

Casey and I have watched Friends during every hospital delivery. We've watched the whole thing before so know what's going on however much we (I) are or are not paying close attention. It's light hearted and funny and a great way for us to pass the time since they're small episodes.

12:45 2nd round of antibiotics is given and now I'm safe to deliver, they were  giving me pitocin very slowly before this time so I wouldn't risk delivering too early. The nurse checks me and I'm at a 5. Dr Hansen suggests you get to a 4 before your epidural to not slow down the process. And now that contractions are getting more frequent and intense, not awful yet, I opt in for the epidural, because, hey why not! It just makes the process easier for me ha. That needle sure stings and gives you a big tinge of pain but you know it's worth it. No drop in blood pressure afterwards and a very smooth epidural process.

1:45 the epidural is done and I'm laying back in my bed pretty flat- ZERO pain in my back and feet and rest of my body which is far from what I've experienced the last 5 months. I quickly and easily shut my eyes and rest- not fully asleep but definitely happily tired for the next 3 hours. This was the first epidural that for majority of the beginning of it and then after I had the baby I was shaking a lot from being cold and the adrenaline of it all pumping through my body, lots of shaking haha.

2:45 dilated to a 8

3:45 still an 8, 90% effaced, and -1. She then brings out this large peanut ball- it's a large exercise ball shaped like a peanut- put it between my knees and says it will help

4:08- checks me and I'm at a 9 and +1

4:15 I'm feeling all the pressure I'm familiar with to call in the nurses and tell them I'm ready to go. Over the next 15+ minutes they get everything moving and grooving and set up to deliver. At this point I'm so freaking grateful for that epidural. Still feeling all the pressure but I'm more than happy for the contractions to continue pushing baby girl down further and further to make my pushing that much easier. We laugh about figuring out some background music but couldn't quite put our fingers on it. Playing Push It by Salt and pepper appeared once as a joke though, ha.

Dr Hansen comes in so chill, seats himself sideways at the edge of my bed, and says "let's make this birthday party happen". With one light push out comes her head, he tells me to stop, turns her a little, and the second push (again, I really didn't even have to push at all) out comes her shoulders and rest of her body, easy peasy!

4:38 Baby girl Cutler has officially been born! They lay her straight on my chest and I hold and gush over her for the next long while! (Re-watching a small video of her immediately on my chest you can hear the doctor say "You could have 5 or 6 more of those, she almost pushed herself out" ha, no thank you!) Casey cuts the chord- the placenta takes a little longer to deliver but still comes out easily just not as easy as her. 1 small stitch is put in and I'm good to go! They clean her up just a little bit more, we start skin to skin and nursing right away, she wasn't the quickest latch but still got going and figured it out. It was just nice and quiet and easy and a wonderful anticipated birth. I just kept saying "hi baby" over and over again. Small tears in my eyes realizing she was finally here and safe in my arms. So freaking happy.

5:30 they take her to the warming station, clean her off more, weigh her coming in at 7 lbs 5 oz- far off from the 12 lb baby Dr Hansen joked I'd have because I had gained so much weight (60 lbs!) and my uterus was always measuring larger than I was in weeks (41 cm when I was 38 weeks). She was 20.5 inches long and I have no clue on the head, ha. She was absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way! Dr Alan Brown came in as the pediatrician to look at her. His wife, Kate, is one of my most best friends and they moved away from RS to Evanston about a year ago so it was so fun to have him come in and look Summer over. And then at night Kate came and visited me for over and hour which was oh so fun! During this time I ate dinner too which although I wasn't hungry I knew I should eat and it was a good things because I kept eating and eating and eating, ha. Once she was all cleaned up and given back to us we decided on her name- Summer Cutler.

We face-timed the boys and they were over the moon happy to  see her and hear she was here finally and learn what her name was. I nursed her once more and then from 6-7:30 I slept. Man I was so exhausted! I didn't personally work hard but apparently my body had, ha, and my want to sleep showed it.

Also to be remembered- this was the first warm day Wyoming has had in 6+ months- everyone said it finally felt like summer outside! Getting up towards 70, I had multiple friends get sunburnt from the time they spent outside. So it seems like our little Summer brought some summer with her :)

7:50 I call in the nurses and tell them I'd like to try and get up- shuffled my way to the bathroom with their help and got all cleaned up. It was so nice to be standing again, I hadn't in hours! We moved to the post partum rooms and it was lots of sleeping and resting and nursing, and holding the baby from there.

April 20
12:00 Brad and Nan brought the boys over to Evanston to meet their new baby sister! And man they were so all so freaking cute about it. I relished in watching themHe videos we have of them all are just so darling.

5:30 we ate a quick dinner and drove home from there! Bada boom! I remember being so scared on the drive home with Maxson, a whole 12 minutes. I cried while sitting in the back seat of the car with him worrying about if we got in a car accident if we'd be safe, making sure he was happy on the ride home, just WORRYING! Baby girl got the 5th child treatment: carseat in the back, me in the front, and for the long hour plus drive she happily slept and I happily and not a bit worried sat in the front and talked with Casey. I think I only checked on her once or twice. Truly, I become a better parent in so many ways each time I have a baby.

We are over the moon excited she is here. Yes it is fun and a tiny different to have a baby girl in the family but it's the same over abundance of love I've experienced each time before. I love her deeply and am so excited for the girl she will grow and become.

Side note- I LOVED delivering in Evanston, not only because I feel like I received really awesome care from my Dr and nurses but because it was really nice being the ONLY labor and delivery patient, ha! It was really nice to be so well cared for and all the attention on me, as vain as that sounds. I was my Dr's main priority that day as well as all the staff (meaning all 2 nurses) but it was just a quaint little birth and I loved it. If I have another baby I would want to drive to Evanston to deliver again it was such a great experience ( not like I'd actually do that but that's how much I loved it)

Also reflecting back on all my birth stories, Ive decided that I really love giving birth, like the birthdays of all my kids are some of the best days of my life. Everyone cheering for you to have a baby, caring about you and your new baby, attentive to how you're feeling, taking care of all your needs so you can focus on baby or getting through whatever pain you're dealing with during labor. It feels like you finally become great friends with your Dr that you've been seeing over all the past 6+ months. I love baby delivery days, I know, I'm weird. Through all the pain I've experienced on those days, I'd live them over again easily...Ok maybe except Max, that one not so easily

PS- if you click the label/link below that says "birth story" you can read the other kids too😊

32 weeks pregnant with baby girl!

It's funny, my twin pregnancy was so drastically hard from my first pregnancy with Max that it made my 3rd pregnancy, Easton's, seem crazy easy! Even though I was uncomfortable at the end it was still way easier than begin pregnant with twins. So now my 4th pregnancy, baby girl, seems so difficult because my last memory was that pregnancy is easy! Ha!

Lots of back pain. I don't know what it is but from early on, my back began hurting, darn it. I've been using KT tape on my belly which I do think has helped it. It made it go from excruciating painful back ache all day to just a tired feeling all day. I can deal with tired feeling. I've been trying to do back exercises, again, may or may not help. And then on days it's awful and take Tylenol and use deep blue.

Chubbiness. Just turn me green and call me Princess Fiona. Holy cow my whole body has slowly gotten quite chubby everywhere, lol. I've heard people complain about getting fat during pregnancy and I've always thought "well duh, there's a baby in your belly, your stomach is going to get fatter!" Sure you may gain a little fat through out but I just thought they were talking about their stomachs. No. They were really talking about an overall body fatness and I can relate! Ha! My arms and my legs have been huge indicators that the baby weight gain has not just been to my stomach. The face shows it, but face always has. My love handles and back have shown it more! So here's to crossing my fingers the "baby weight" comes off as easily this time as it has in the past 😣

I'll be sitting down for however long and when I stand up it's like I suddenly have to pee NOW, ha. No hints of that feeling when sitting.

Picking up the house is not fun, it's not awful yet, but not comfortable. I beg the boys to pick up the floor and just put it on the couch so I can help put it away comfortably too

It is so uncomfortable to lay down! I toss and turn most of the night from side to side, bathroom breaks, I'm always hot it seems, take Tums in the middle of the night with this crazy new sensation of pregnancy heart burn I have never experienced!

I know that at 32 weeks all these things I'm feeling will only get worse but still, it doesn't feel good with them even at this level, lol. It could be way worse after talking to friends (vomitting, varicose veins, gestational diabetes, high risk pregnancy things) so much worse, so I'm feeling like I should be grateful for the problems I do have. It's like Pres Uchtdorf's talk "being grateful in your circumstances" haha.

The boys are so understanding of mama's belly and me being pregnant. Mostly very willing to give me back and foot massages even if they don't do much good, ha. Love to tell people about me being pregnant, ask to see the baby app to see how big the baby is. Easton still calls himself the baby. When you point to everyone in the room and ask him to say their name he says "baby" when we point to him, ha. But he also points to my tummy and says baby. It's really cute.

I love babies. I love that I have been gifted with the chance to be pregnant with multiple babies and multiple times. It is so coll having a sweet little baby kicking in your tummy all day long. It's like your little buddy that no one knows about. A special relationship between just you and them. She is so wiggly and I love feeling her kicks :)