It's the little things.

With everything as crazy as it is and Matt getting ready to head out on a boat for a few months I'd like to take some time to state a few things that I'm thankful for.

We'll start off with some big things:

1. My kids. Not just them but for my ability to be a SAHM and teach them and learn from them. I have found that I am happiest when I am with them. They are the biggest blessings I have every recieved and I am grateful that God believes me to be worthy to be their Mother.

2. Husbands. For all their hard work and long hours and their willingness to come home and make time for the kids. I know my Husband works hard and I am very thanksful that he has the drive to be such a great provider for our family.

3. Mommy vans. As we have recently purchased one of these I have to say I love it. I never realized just how squished we were in our little Subaru until we got this massive thing with all it's space.

Straw & Sippy Cup Cleaner

Now for the little things:

1. Car Seat Bases. This might seem silly but until we got our van there simply was no room for the base. My life is so much easier now that all I have to do is pull that lever and take the car seat out. With all the in and outs of the car with my kids I can use all the help I can get!

2. Bottle Cleaners. Not just the big long brush for cleaning inside the bottle. I'm talking the little cleaners that clean the irritating parts of bottles and sippy cups. Whoever made those is a genius!

Boba Carrier

3. Drying Racks. Specifically for bottles. Totally cleans up my counter top space so I don't have little bottle parts everywhere. Again genius!

4. Baby Carriers/Slings. Amelia LOVES these. She would spend all day in it if I let her. I love the hands free holding and she loves to be snuggled. It's a win-win.

5. Binky's. Specifically, glow-in-the-dark ones. It's so much easier to find the glow of these at 3 in the morning than to rummage around for one in the dark.

Now I know most of these are baby related but that's what my life is surrounded by. All things baby! :) 

Amelia Janet

So I know, I know I never get on here anymore. I am really bad at this blogging thing I guess but as always, I will try and do better.

We started the new year off with a BANG by welcoming a new baby. Amelia was born on January 3, 2012 at 6:50pm. She weighed 7lbs. 5.3 oz and was 19 3/4 in. long.


The birth story...

After months and months of pre-labor and being in and out of the hospital, once she could finally come, she wouldn't! So we scheduled an induction. At the time Matt was waiting to be called out to work so we were hoping and praying that he wouldn't miss her arrival. My induction date was the 3rd of January. We woke up early, around 4:30, on the morning of the third. We had to be at the hospital by 5:30. We packed everything up and went to start the car and it wouldn't go! We ended up calling our friend Brandy to come and get us. (She was watching the boys for us while I was in the hospital.) Once we finally got to the hospital and I'd gotten my IV and done my paperwork I was given medicine to help get things going. ( I had been swiped at my Doctor's appointment the week before.) This was around 7:30. After a few hours of no real contractions the Doctor was going to break my water but couldn't. The baby was still high and I still wasn't dilated past a 1. :( So they gave me some more medicine and after about an hour I started having regular contractions. So much so that I asked for some help with the pain. (This was probably around 3pm. With the help of the medicine I was able to nap for an hour or so before the contractions became painful again. The nurses prepared to give me some more medicine (but not my epidural.) By then it was too late. The contractions were a minute a part and unbearable. I asked for my epidural and they told me they were waiting on the anaesthesiologist. I could see the nurse prepping the items the anaesthesiologist would need. Meanwhile my water broke. Then the anaesthesiologist came in. They sat me up and I tried to be patient while he tried to stick a needle in my back. It was very hard as my contractions were unbearably painful and I hadn't expected to be able to feel them and would sorta freak out every time one would come. (There was a lot of screaming!) Once they had given me my epidural I remember asking how long it would take to kick in. Then I could feel the baby. I screamed at the nurse because I knew she was coming out. The nurse looked down and said, " There's her head, someone get the Doctor!" I am still waiting for the medicine to kick in while I watch my Doctor wash her hand and prep to deliver the baby. She came over and Amelia plopped into her lap. No pushing or anything. (Guess she was sick of hanging there waiting. )

My labor with Amelia was hard, very hard and I can't see why anyone would refuse the drugs after having her the way I did. It was traumatizing and I have to say I'm already a little nervous about having another one. That's not to say it wasn't worth it, because it absolutely was. She was worth the pain and screaming and unbearable contractions. The nurses must not have believed me when I told them how it would go. I'm really slow at the start, until I get to about a 4, then it goes lightning fast and the babies here. I am just greatful it didn't last any longer than it did.

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Long time, No talk!

Well, I sure haven't been keeping up with this like I was hoping I would. So as usual I'm gonna give the short version. Tristan is a walking and talking machine. Ethan already tries to roll over and only likes to be on his belly. Mathew went out on a boat and was out for a month before coming home for a visit.

Matt came on the first and stayed until the 18th. While he was here we all went to the cabin as a family trip. Mathew, the boys and I went down a day before the rest of the family. We left on Friday and they followed on Saturday. Because it was Labor Day week end they stayed until Monday and we traveled back through Spokane and stayed a night in hopes to catch some diving companies and see if anyone was hiring. [Mathew is hoping to find a job closer to me and the boys.] We had a blast! The boys went kayaking. We went to Ione and rode the train and got some delicious monster ice cream cones. We also drove around spotting deer and visited the Caves. It was nice to get away all together. It's the only vacation we've been on all together with the babies.

Train Ride

Caves

Walking!

Well, it's about time kid! We have been waiting for him to start that old walking thing for months now; but he just loves to crawl like a stink bug. I guess the problem has been living with so many people willing to pick up the baby. He has done it though. He's been walking a few steps at a time for a while now. Recently, though, he has decided to try and walk for longer periods of time. I know it won't be too long before he is running all over the place. We're very proud of him. He's getting to be such a big boy.

On a totally different note, Mathew's gone back to work. It's come as a relief because he hadn't worked for a month before he finally got the call. He's very excited to get back out there. He loves to be out on the boat. We are hoping that he will be able to work for a while and make some money so that I can move and be with him. Now that the baby's here we are just waiting for a chance to all be together again.

P.S. I have a video of him walking, I just can't get blogger to upload it. So I put it on my Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/bonnie.wick

Ethan's Blessing

Well, I remembered to post about Tristan's haircut but forgot to update about everything else that was going on. Ethan was born on the 13 of June and Mathew flew in the next evening. He stayed for two weeks and while he was here we blessed Baby Ethan. He was a whole week old and it was Father's Day. The blessing was beautiful, Mathew did a great job. We had a great turnout of family and friends. I am so glad that Mathew was able to come up and be with us and bless our new little boy. [For a while i was worried that it was gonna be a while before we;d be with Matt and be able to do it.] Ethan is a great baby and a wonderful blessing. We are very thankful to have him here.

Tristan's first haircut

So Tristan's hair finally grew enough that we had to cut it. It was starting to turn into a mullet! The funniest part was that the whole time my Mom was trying to buzz him he was trying to get her to hold him. He was convinced that I had the clippers not Grandma.

Ethan Ronald Wick

Well he's finally here! He was born June 13 at 8:08pm. He weighed 7lbs. 1.3oz and was 19in long. Here's how it went. I got a call at 6:30 in the morning from the Hospital telling me that they were ready for me to come in and be induced. We got to the Hospital around 7:30am and they put me on pit at about 8:30. Then we waited. After 5 hours my contractions were still not doing much so my doctor came in to break my water. That was about 3:00pm. We continued to wait. At first it was really slow but I'd had my epidural before the doctor came in so I was fine. After a while, though, I got to where I was in pain. The anesthesiologist came back in to try and help with the pain, but it didn't help. I was then dilated to about a 4 but after that the pain gradually got worse and worse. Since I could tell the drugs wern't totally doing there job I figured I was in for a hard delivery. Lucky for me he was ready because the next time they checked I was dilated to a 9 and I knew he was on his way. So we called in the Doctor in and before we knew it Ethan was here. It was a bit harder than expected but totally worth it.

Mathew called a few hours later with great news. He was getting to port and they were going to let him off the boat so he could fly home to see me and the babies. He is with us now and it's been great to have him back. He will be heading back in a few weeks to go to work again. I am very greatful to have Mathew back and to have a healthy new baby. Now the real work begins!

Are we there yet?

Well the count down has begun! I am 36 weeks along and ready for little Ethan to get here. I had an ultrasound done about a week ago and Ethan is looking good. He is big too. They were concerned for a while about his weight but when we went in they estimated his weight to be over 6lbs already. He will definitely be as big as his brother was. We have everything ready for him now. I have put his clothes and diapers away and we have his stroller and car seat all ready to go. All I have to do now is go get his cradle from my Mother-in -law. We are very excited for him to get here. I know people are itching for a belly picture so here you go!




On a different note, Mathew got called out today. He is going on a bigger boat and should be out a few weeks. It's nice because he was getting tired of working inland but sad because he won't be here for the baby's birth. So I am on my own for this one. :( It will be best in the long run because you never know when a call will come or how long it will last. We will be moving to be with Matt once little Ethan is a month or so old. It will all depend on how long it takes to find a place in Louisiana. I am very excited that Ethan will be here so soon and that we will all be able to be together as a family again. It's been hard being without my husband for so long and I know Tristan is sure missing his Daddy. Having Ethan come and being reunited will sure be a great start to our summer.

Tristan Shenanigans!

Well things have been pretty slow around here. Matt is working in Louisiana and I am waiting for the baby to get here. We were visiting Matt's parents and got these video's of Tristan. He loves to play under the kitchen table. It's like his own jungle gym. We have also been teaching him how to walk. He is so close. It won't be long now.

Baby!

Since these posts' have all been out of order and written months too late it's hard to keep everything straight. Mathew has been in Louisiana for almost a month now and me and Tristan just got back from there after a week long visit. He is hoping to get called to work this week.

I am now about 31 weeks along with our second baby boy, Ethan. I will be staying with my Parent's until he gets here. I can't move until then because there is no guarantee that Matt won't be working and I am too far along to try and transfer insurance and everything else to a new state. So we are stuck. Matt in Louisiana and me in Pasco. We are very excited for this little guy to get here and hope that he comes in time for Daddy to be there. We know the Lord knows what he is doing and this baby will come at the perfect time, just like Tristan did.

Graduation & Moving

Since Christmas it has been pretty dull around here. Valentine's Day was fun. Mathew and I got to go to the Temple together with our ward. It was the first time we had been since our wedding. The ward provided childcare and Matt didn't have to work. It was a great Valentine's present to be with my husband in the Temple. I hope we will be able to go more often.

At the end of February Mathew graduated from The Divers Institute of Technology. It's been so much fun to be in Seattle and have this little adventure. We are excited to move back home. We miss all of our friends and our wonderful ward in Seattle. It was a great experience and we are grateful to have met all the wonderful people and make such great friends.

Matt graduated the 25th of February and we moved back to the Tri-Cities on the 26th. With the help of our family. Since then Mathew has driven down to Louisiana and gotten a job with Blackwater Diving. He left the beginning of March and has since been down there waiting to get called out. I am living in Pasco at my Parent's house with the baby.

Christmas 2009

So I have decided that I need to try and keep this thing updated. To do so I have to go back a few months and fill everything in. For Christmas we traveled back home to see the family. We've gotten real familiar with the roads between Pasco and Seattle. I love Christmas time. Lucky for us Mathew was able to get work off so that we could be with the family for Christmas Eve and join in the celebration. It's always great to see everyone. We were able to stay for about a week before having to go back to Seattle. Tristan loved all his presents and was rather fond of the bows on top of all the boxes. His favorite toy has been the little green bear named 'Scout.' He talks and plays bedtime music ( which has been the best) and can be plugged into the computer and personalized. We had a very full car on the way home. We are so grateful for the gifts and love and support that out families continue to give us.

Thanksgiving 2009

Well, these posts are really late but here it goes. For Thanksgiving we got the chance to go home and see the family for a few days. Mathew had to be back at work so we only got to stay for a little while. It was great though. Mathew hadn't been home for a while and was happy to get to see everyone. We did our regular running around to all the family get together's, which is nice. It's great to have all the family so close and to be able to see them all when we visit. Tristan is continuing to grow and learn. He loves to play, play, play! I am so thankful for my family and their continuing love and support.

Visiting the Reindeer

With the holiday season here we decided to go visit the Reindeer that are kept at a local nursery. They had two Reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, a Camel and a Miniature Donkey. We went with my friend Kathryn and her son Hyrum. It was lots of fun. Mathew came and took some pictures before heading off to work. We got there just at the right time because they came to feed the animals. The boys seemed to like it, as in they weren't screaming their heads off in fear. It was rather cold so Tristan had to be all bundled up in his 'Eskimo suit,' to keep warm. It's amazing to me all the beautiful things that God created for us to enjoy. He really knows what he is doing.

Eskimo Tristan and Matt feeding the Reindeer

Donner and Blitzen

Watermelon Crawl

Well not really watermelon but Tristan did learn how to crawl. He has been doing the army crawl for quite a while now and was getting pretty good at it. On our way home we noticed that he had started crawling on his hands and knees. I was so excited. I guess he first did it when we dropped Zoe off with Chanel's mom but I didn't notice until we let him play in the mall's play area. I am so proud of him. Now I guess the next step is walking!

Family Visit

This past week Tristan and I went to the Tri-Cities for a visit. Mathew had to go to school so he had to stay home. :( Dad and the girls came up and we rode back with them. We got to town just in time for Travis's Baptism, which was awesome. I am so glad that he decided to get baptised. It was wonderful to be surrounded by family and get to feel the special spirit of a baptism. He got confirmed a member the next day at The Singles Branch, which was nice because I got to see some old friends.

The rest of the week consisted of playing millions of Scrabble games, shopping and going out. We got to visit Great Grandma and we even got to visit Grandma Wick's work and see all the buses and meet her co-workers. It was great to see everyone but we missed Mathew.

Alex and Chanel brought us home and stayed over until Saturday. We looked around with them and then went bowling. It was so much fun! It had been such a long time since any of us had been bowling. I was kicking everyones butt at first but then I came back to earth and Chanel ended up beating us all. The second game the boys were officially warmed up because it was a battle between the two of them. Alex ended up winning the game but we all had a ton of fun. I think we should go bowling more often. I had forgotten how much fun it was.

Now we are home. Tristan got his first cold the last day we were in Tri-Cities and has since given it to me and Matt. So now we are resting at home. We are slowly all getting better.

Halloween

Well, this post is way late. This year was Tristan's first Halloween. We went downtown to get him a new costume because the bat one was not crawlable. He was a Penguin and a rather cute one at that. We bought him the costume for five bucks and then decided to let him wear it, since it was Halloween and all. As we were walking through the mall we got stopped and given a $10 shopping card for having our baby dressed up. Then they told us about the costume contest. We stuck around for the hour it took and we ended up winning! The prize was a $50 Macy's gift card. It's was awesome.
Later that afternoon we went to the church for some Trunk or Treating. It was fun to play the games and see all the cute costumes. Since Matt was at work Tristan and I went to my friend Kathryn's house for dinner. It was lots of fun. The best part was that Matt got off early enough to join us once dinner was ready. It was a great Halloween.

Stand Up

Well time sure flies! Mathew had mid terms this week and passed. :) I can't believe it's almost time for Halloween already! I am excited to get in the holiday swing of things. Tristan continues to learn and grow. It still amazes me the things he learns and how fast he learns them.

This week he stood up in his crib all by his self for the first time. It was awesome. I put him in so he could take a nap and he fussed an cried a little and them he was quiet. I figured he had given up and went to sleep so I came in to check on him and found him standing up smiling at me. He was clearly proud of his accomplishment and so was I. Later that night, once Matt got home, he did the same thing for him.

He has also learned how to pull himself up on things. He had his first encounter with our fish Charlie this week. He pulled himself up on the speaker where the fish's bowl is and patted the glass and scooped his hand like he was trying to pick him up. It was so cute.

I just found out another party is comming our way. My Mom and sisters are comming for a visit. I guess Natalie entered some kind of contest online and is now comming up here for the next part of it. I am not sure what it is but I will find out when they get here.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

So this last weekend my in laws came up to visit along with my brother in law. As always a family visit is code for let the party begin! We started by going to The Smith Tower in Downtown Seattle. It has some really great views, but my favorite part is the elevator. They still use the original and its awesome to be able to see each of the floors as you pass them. You can see all kinds of things from the observation deck. Like where the bums sleep, Safeco and Quest Fields, The Space Needle and there is an awesome view of the Pier.

Then we went to Pioneer Park. We walked through the little shops and took lots of pictures. After we went to our favorite little Chinese place in China Town called Kau Kau. It has the best BBQ Pork ever! After, we walked through Post Alley past the Gum Wall to shop around at Pike Place Market. After all that we had to high tale it home so Matt could get to work on time. While Matt was at work we hung out and watched a movie.

The next day we got up and couldn't decide what we wanted to do. Some wanted to go to the Beach, others on a ferry ride. We were discussing it while driving when we passed a sign for he Zoo and we all agreed that that would be fun. I love the Zoo. I love to look at all the animals and see how all of their homes vary. Its amazing to see all of the things that God created. Some of the animals don't seem real to me. They are just too beautiful. We tried to take as many pictures as possible before the batteries died. Here are some of my favorites, and proof that God don't make no junk:

This one's for my sisters. :)
The Penguin

Mommy and Baby Gorilla

The Jaguar

Boa Constrictor
He reminded me of the snake in The Jungle Book

The Hippo

What a magnificent animal.

He almost dosen't seem real.