Thank You!

The week before I was put on bed rest, we were able to tour the new BEAUTIFUL Gilbert temple. It was absolutely gorgeous. I was a little nervous to bring the boys but knew that it would be a great experience for them to be able to see inside the house of the Lord before it's dedicated. They did really good-- had occasional outbursts of energy where they would jump up and down and yell out a funny noise, but for a 2 and 4 year old, they did great! As we waited in line to go inside, one of the tour guides greeted us and told us that they would put booties over our shoes to keep the carpets clean. When he walked away, Hudson shouted with a confused and silly look on his face, "Why did he say BOOTY?!" It was awesome, I'm not going to lie. Such a funny kid!

 Parker is at such a fun stage right now. He is 4 1/2 and is a little ball of happiness. We always laugh that he prances around. The kid just loves life. He makes friends really easy because he's so cheerful and nice to everyone. He is learning to read really well and it's a lot of fun to watch him learn and grow. I can't believe he will be in kindergarten next year! He is also very sweet and gives me hugs and kisses and tells me I'm the best mom every day. He also kisses my belly and tells the baby he loves him too. It melts my heart more than anything. Although every stage comes with new joys and sometimes frustrations, it is sad to see them growing up so darn fast! I kind of want to bottle them up and keep them little forever because they are so cute.

 Hudson is a ton of fun and makes us laugh at his hilarious comments and animated facial expressions. He always carries at least two toys in his hands (usually Thomas the Train and some kind of car or airplane.) He goes down for naps really good too. He could be running around, hyper as all get out and when we say it's time to go "nigh-night" he lays right down and goes to sleep with his paci and blankie. We are trying to prepare him that he won't have a paci anymore when he turns 3, but we might have to wait until after baby comes so he doesn't try to steal his paci! Luckily, he only uses it when falling asleep and leaves it in his bed when he wakes up. :) He tells us his best "fwends" are Kenzi and Zack (our neighbor a couple doors down.) Since I have been on bed rest, he plays over at Aunt Lori's house next door every day with Kenzi! Although I miss hanging out with my little buddy every day, it's nice to know he is right next door playing with his cousin and they play so well together! Kenzi likes cars and trains and playing with "boy toys" so it works out great!! 

 I took him down to the park the other day and sat in a lawn chair and watched him play. It was so nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air! The weather is amazing in Arizona right now! Hudson was excited to have me outside with him! I can't wait to get off of bed rest and join humanity again!

 Parker had fun on Jases long board on Saturday. Cousin Gunnar had his 3rd birthday party at the park. It was a beautiful day and I was excited to get out of the house and go (Steve brought a reclining lawn chair for me to sit in.)

I am so grateful for everyone that has helped me these past couple of weeks. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. Lori has been a saint and has pretty much been my baby-sitter, cook, nurse, and taxi driver. She watches my kids every day and brings me meals and lays Hudson down for his naps and gets him when he wakes up. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She is so giving and service oriented and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for her. Parker has also had fun playing with one of his best friends, Adam, next door. His mom, Brooklyn, has picked up the carpool from preschool for the past two weeks, lets Parker play at her house for hours, and made me dinner too! I've had so many friends come visit me, bring me lunch, dinners brought to us five nights a week and my phone blows up every day with texts and calls from friends checking on me to see how I'm doing. I don't know how I deserve this. But it really makes me want to pay it forward when this is all said and done. 

Steve has been an incredible help as well. He goes to work and has busy stressful days and then comes home and gets everyone their dinner ready, does the dishes, laundry, bathes the kids and puts them to bed every night. He refills my water cup without me ever asking him to (that seems small but it means a lot to me) and makes sure I stay off my feet-- and never complains. I married a good man. I get emotional when I think about how incredibly loving and thoughtful he is. Although bed rest is getting REALLY old, I have to say that it has been a truly humbling experience. 

Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart for all of your help and service to our family!

Love,

Erin