So Rise and Shout...

Happy Birthday Sam, Happy Birthday Jet...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:18:00 +0000

I am a little slow posting and still haven't gotten most of the pictures off the camera. For some reason life didn't really want to stop and give me time.

Samuel Arthur Prince was born on Dec 1st which also happens to be my sister Jet's birthday. Born exactly 28 years apart ;). He was 7 lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long. He has a lot of hair but not quite as much as his brothers and pretty much looks exactly the same. Since most of you have seen one of our newborns then you know he is just another precious carbon copy ;) That's how we like to do it. As Seth said when he saw the pictures, "Hey, that's me."

At around 2:00am I couldn't really sleep so I got up and went to the bathroom. As I got back into bed I felt a small gush. I wasn't really sure but by the time I got back to the bathroom it was very clear that my water had broken. I was tempted to wake up John but then I remembered that it probably wouldn't be wise till I was ready (explanation later). I figured I'd wait for regular contractions and a decent hour of the morning. I got all ready and drank some juice. Just before 3:00 John woke up, he has had a cold and was coughing. He saw me all dressed and packed so I couldn't really lie to him and the panic I remembered ensued. "Let's go, we have to go now." "No, I am not even having real contractions. There is plenty of time. It's not a big deal." "Yes, I am taking you now!" Etc...arguments about people we knew whose water broke at the library, zoo and a dinner party who didn't go to the hospital within 10 minutes. They are just going to make me wait at the hospital for awhile for contractions anyway...hmmm. We finally compromised on me going to the hospital (it is very close to the apartment, just a few blocks) and John getting everything cleaned up, breakfast ready and the boy's clothes and bags ready for school. Then if I still wasn't in "labor" he would wait for a decent hour to call our neighbor. Anyway, John got to the hospital just after 5:00 and we waited till past 8:00am to see what would happen. I was having some nice good contractions but they weren't consistent. I was half way dilated, baby was already at 1+ station and pretty much effaced so we added a little pitocin and an epidural. Three hours later with very little pushing, Sam arrived at 11:47am. We are very happy and another than no sleep everything is going well ;) More pictures to arrive soon ;)

Brotherly Love

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:25:00 +0000

On the way home from Costco today Math and Seth were having a hard time getting along in the van. After trying a few different approaches with them they were still disagreeing. I then reminded them that they will probably only get to sit by each other 2-3 more times before Math has to move to the back of the van to make way for the baby and they should not argue since they will soon be parted. My loving Seth turned to Math and said, "You have to move...See ya meany."

Around the House...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:47:00 +0000

The other night Josh told me that when we move he doesn't care how many brothers he has to share a room with but he HAS TO HAVE his own bathroom. You know you have a problem when a 9 year old boy is worried about having his own bathroom. I admit it is bad with all 6 of us and a tiny, tiny bathroom. I feel the same way!

This story is too funny to pass up...John's building had another fire so he got to come home a little early on Monday. He and the boys decided to finish the bionic eye treasure hunt. I blogged about the bionic eye last Christmas when we received it from my brother and sister-in-law. Anyway, they got really into it and were having a fun time but started complaining about being ready for dinner. Quickly Seth and I got dinner all ready and put it on the table. Everyone came and sat down except John who was still glued to the bionic eye. This is normal, often John has "just one more thing" to finish before he comes to the table so no one thought anything of it. We said the prayer and everyone ate dinner. We then had a round of tangerines (who doesn't want tangerines this time of year?) The boys finished, put their plates in the kitchen and went and sat back down with John to finish up the treasure hunt. It is important to this story to note that the TV and table are (I counted today) only 5 steps away from each other. While we ate dinner John was literally about 5-6 feet away from us. They finished the treasure hunt and wanted to keep doing some other pictures on the map with the eye. John told them they couldn't because it was time to fix dinner and eat. Hyrum said, "I'm not hungry" and Josh explained they had already eaten. John refused to believe them. He said they had been sitting there the whole time with him doing the treasure map. Josh and Hyrum persisted saying mom and had already given them dinner. John getting a little frustrated said he knew they were having a lot of fun but that they had to stop and get dinner. Josh went and got his plate and showed John. Hyrum started laughing and showed John all the tangerine peels. Then they both started laughing at John when he went into the kitchen and saw what was left of dinner fixed up for him. It still took John awhile before he believed that we had all sat down and had dinner and he hadn't even noticed the boys had left the floor. Eventually he ate his dinner while we spent the next 10 minutes giggling. As the boys poked a little fun at him later he still had a hard time believing us. He is still convinced the boys never left his side. I think the take home message is that John has an AMAZING ability to focus his mind :) This is why he is so successful at both problem solving difficult experiments, data analysis, programming situations, etc and being so very entertaining to the normal public at the same time.

New Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:09:00 +0000

I am sorry to report that I am not a Twilight fanatic. I have tried but it just didn't work. I do like the books (except Breaking Dawn) and I do think they have potential to make good movies. Twilight was a lot better than I was expecting but they just don't get me as excited as the Harry Potter or Bourne movies ;) However, I am lucky enough to be 1st counselor in Young Women's so I spend A LOT of time talking about Twilight. I know more about these movies/books and the people in them than the average fan. There have been many conversations in the past month dedicated to how/when and with whom everyone is going to see New Moon. I personally hope I can't go with the YW to see it because that means this baby is still in my stomach.
So...in tribute to New Moon which will be released in a week, I give you the best clip of "Robert Pattinson is Bothered." I discovered these one night watching The Office online. I also recommend Fallon's Real Housewives of Late Night very highly. It is really all the spells that make this so funny!! Warning - This clip bleeps stuff but they do use some bleeped words and some inappropriate words just in case you don't want to hear bleeps...

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change? - Trailer and Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:23:00 +0000

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change? - Trailer and Photos

Bad Combination

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:44:00 +0000

So what really upsets OBGYN doctors? Losing weight when you are 36 weeks pregnant. I have never had a huge weight gain, usually between 15-20 lbs but I have never lost weight past 30 weeks so this is a first even for me. (I would like to note that I haven't been a big weight loser either so it evens out) However, I had been really sick and in tons of pain. I don't feel like eating! I also pointed out that I wasn't super thin in begin with...I had a little extra weight to play with. The doctor said I wasn't big enough to justify not gaining 20 lbs and gave me strict instructions not to lose weight.

Hmmm...Food, Inc was just released on video and I have been waiting for it. It was really good. For people who aren't super concerned about the organic movement you can just ignore the rhetoric and it is still good because the major focus of the film is on politics, regulation of the industry, and monopolies. Obviously, there is going to be a slant towards sustainability, organics, etc which I am in support of when done in a rational manner but I really found the politics of the food industry shocking. SHOCKING! For me the best parts are the interviews with the one actual free range farmer and the head of Stonyfield. It was refreshing to see a crazy hippie (head of Stonyfield) acting rationally and actually benefiting the population.

Anyway, guess how much I feel like eating now...that's right...zero. I have mostly only been able to get down Propel. I am nauseated, in pain, too tired to fix food and now I am so annoyed I don't want to eat any of it anyway :) Don't worry, I am still eating (I live in Boulder so everything is organic anyway) but I am thinking my appointment next week isn't going to go very well...

I posted the trailer if you are interested...

:)

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Ring around border, we have a sleeping disorder...narcolepsy, narcolepsy....we all fall down!*

*present Prince version of Ring around the Rosies. Currently there is no treatment for this version but our top scientists J and J Prince are working to help the situation. Unfortunately, we expect the upcoming Prince family addition to suffer severely from this version also.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:21:00 +0000

Many heard on the news about our amazing storm! As requested...too many pictures! The total snow fall I saw on the news was 28 inches and it snowed for more than 50 continuous hours in the metro area. Two days cancelled school, two days of sledding, two days of hot chocolate and oreos....

A lot of trees couldn't take the stress....

Looking up at 2 feet of snow that could fall on you :)

When you are only three feet tall sometimes two feet of snow can become a challenge but that didn't stop him one bit!

Off to go sledding/tubing....

It really was a winter wonderland. John and I walked around a bit one night just to take in how amazing it was!!

John's bike...

Yes, it was deep...

This was the afternoon of the first day right as the snow reached a foot.

Halloween, Halloween...Trick or Treat

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:02:00 +0000

It was a Star Wars year for us and everyone was very happy!

Happy Birthday YODA...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:23:00 +0000

For Halloween Seth is going to be Yoda which was facilitated by Grandma so these pictures are for both Grandma's. You'll notice the card in his hand which is his birthday Yoda card that plays Star Wars...it has been very popular.

Christmas Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:21:00 +0000

I am doing this post for 2 reasons. The first is because I am suppose to stop standing and lie down which naturally leads to more computer time :) The second is to get suggestions for fun, lesser known Christmas songs or excellent versions Christmas songs since I have time to lie and listen to them :)

I am not an expert but we do have a love of Christmas songs in the house. The boys favorites right now are Jingle Bells, Feliz Navidad, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Santa's Beard and Holly Jolly Christmas. Their favorite traditional song - Silent Night. My favorite Christmas songs (besides all of them) are White Christmas (only Bing), Silver Bells, Winter Wonderland, Ding Dong Merrily on High, It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, Home For the Holidays, Christmas in Dixie, etc...I'll stop. My favorite traditional - Angels We Have Heard on High. I am always looking for fun versions of these songs. I think my favorite Christmas singer is actually Perry Como although Armstrong, Sinatra and some other have some great versions. I think my favorite versions of Silver Bells and Ding Dong Merrily on High are from Perry Como but these are the two I have the hardest time finding decent versions. We love the Time Life Christmas album but the newer releases are not near as good. Our is from the 90's and is the best one so far.

These are a few suggestions of some of my favorite "less" traditional songs.

First off...John Denver. His version of The 12 Days of Christmas with the Muppets is very famous and really is great!! His Christmas for Cowboys is also good. The Beach Boys are very popular in our house and their Christmas song Santa's Beard is wonderful!! We love it. It even makes John laugh. Little Saint Nick is also a great song in fabulous Beach Boy tradition. Yes, I am being objective with this next suggestion...U2 Christmas. This is a great, rockin song and also the best on the album A Very Special Christmas (although the Eurythmics have a pretty rockin version of Winter Wonderland, who doesn't love Annie?) And last...Harry Connick Jr. His albums are good but we love I Pray on Christmas and It Must Have Been Ol' Santa Claus (PS He has a great version of Louis Armstrong's Zat You Santa Claus)

I am so smart...SMRT...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:08:00 +0000

One of the best Simpson's quotes.

Anyway, I am so smart. Want to know what I did? I vacuumed up one lego piece one time. The catch is I made sure Josh, Hy and Math saw me vacuum it up. I was getting pretty sick of legos everywhere and a seriously lack of motivation to clean them up. They seem to spread and no one wanted to clean up all the little pieces. Solution...threaten that if all the legos aren't picked up you will vacuum them up and then make good on your threat. They were "too tired" to get every lego up so I vacuumed up one tiny generic piece. The screaming, the crying, the yelling ensued...
It has been a few weeks since that afternoon and EVERY single time I have pulled out the vacuum and said clean up they race around the room picking up every thing they can find. The effect has not worn off a bit and if it does then I'll just vacuum up another piece. If they are slower than I want all I have to do it turn on the vacuum and they jump into action. I am so smart...SMRT...

Oldies but Goodies

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:28:00 +0000

Thinking of names is a lot of fun but is a little sad to see that some names have gone by the wayside. Some of these old names I really like but they haven't been used since the early 1900's ;)

Linus (one of my favorite)
Bartholomew (although Bart has been mildly popular for awhile)
Abram (which is currently enjoying a come back)
Hiram or Hosea
Amos
Harry (even Harry Potter hasn't been able to bring this one completely back to life)
Matthias (I was very tempted to name Math this instead, also enjoying a major comeback)
Jedidiah (totally gone now although popular a few decades ago)

Then there are a few like Tobias which was gone for decades and decades but in the last 10 years has been much more popular. I really like all of these! What old names do you like? Linus isn't going to fly with John but I hope it is popular again someday.

I think it is safe to say summer is over...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:32:00 +0000

This was the scene that greeted us this morning. Needless to say that by 9:00am everyone was in boots, gloves and snowpants outside making snowballs. At the beginning of Oct we had John's brother's family (Dan, Melissa, George, Ben and Henry) come for a short visit. Before they got here I pulled out all the snow stuff to clear out a room for them to stay in. I thought "I know this is Boulder but it still still seems insane to pull out the boots on Oct 1." Well, it was less than 10 days later we needed them!

I am proud of John because he has finally accepted boots. Last year we all got really good boots. I got John a really good pair because I knew he would be walking to campus both here and at BYU through the snow for many years. Would he wear them? No...apparently tennis shoe are SO MUCH better and it was too big of a hassle to carry them in his bag to school so he just wore his tennis shoes all through the winter last year. His feet were wet all day long and completely frozen when he got home but he still wouldn't concede. Today he got ready for work and put on his boots to leave with a small hint of how silly he had been last year especially considering how comfortable his boots actually are ;) Growing up is hard to do....

Clash of the Titans...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:19:00 +0000

So it is Thurs. I have been watching Ken Burn's PBS specials "National Parks America's Best Idea" this whole week. How could I not watch a documentary about the National Park System? After my goal to go to every state (I'm in the upper 30's) the next goal is to make it to every National Park (like everyone in my family ;). I am not doing as well with this goal but there are more of them. This has just made me want to do it more. It has been amazing! It is on every night this week from 8-10pm. The episodes are also online at pbs.org till next week.
However it is Thurs when the big match up comes Ace of Cakes vs. The Office. The only two TV shows I actually watch. I usually do Ace of Cakes and watch The Office online later. Now I have Ken Burns, Duff and Michael competing. Who will win?
Here's a fun interview with Ken Burns from Stephen Colbert (of course)...

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Ken Burns

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Michael Moore

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/250388/september-24-2009/ken-burns

Utah

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:49:00 +0000

We've been in Utah for my brother's wedding. I don't have many wedding pictures because I was running around after the kiddos. I think my brother Tyson probably ended up with the best pictures. Anyway, driving home I had to snap some pictures of the leaves. I am not sure New England has anything on Provo Canyon.
They are a little blurry because I was in the car...

Technically Math's post...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:20:00 +0000

So this is technically from Math. He picked all the trees he wanted pictures of and showed me how he wanted them posted ;) These are about a week old so we have even more color now!

This is the river we walk by almost everyday.

Matthew's favorite tree on our walk.

Math turns 5...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:16:00 +0000

It is hard to believe but Math is now 5. He loves kindergarten and learning to read. We had a combined party with his little friend Abe whose birthday is only 3 days different from Math's.

Dropping Hints...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Soon there will be tons of blogs from all over the Northern US filled with pictures of leaves. I took these pictures a little while ago. We have a few trees that have turned and we have a lot of trees with branches that have turned. Our nights are getting down into the 40's now so I expect it won't be long until the whole world is yellow, orange and red. How about this amazing trail we get to take our walks on everyday and I didn't even post a picture of the beautiful river that runs between all these trees!

Finally something to argue about...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:57:00 +0000

It is good to have college football back. After about 2 years of marriage John and I ran out of really big things to fight about. About the time Math was born we completely ran out of things to argue about. In fact, about a month ago while we were out walking John was complaining that we haven't had a fight in years. He said we'll end up like all the General Authorities who can't ever remember fighting in their marriage....Enter college football! Of course, there is no dissension when it comes to the Cougars or Longhorns but it is just nice to have something to debate again. John says OU still has a shot at the National Championship. I say very unlikely. John wants a playoff and I don't think that is the answer (if there was a playoff then I would lose all my debate and arguing skills). Is FSU too fast for us? Is TCU too fast? Can we really run through Missouri, Baylor, A&M, OSU and OU? Florida overrated? Ah...the possibilities are endless so here's to great debates, pizza, seven layer dip and hot dogs!!

Two weeks in and looking good...BYU 54, Tulane 3 and Texas 41, Wyoming 10!

Booster Seats

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:49:00 +0000

A bunch of new booster seat laws went into effect this Sept although many states already had laws. Texas was one of these states which is why I got an update but then I realized that I had not ever checked Colorado laws. I had seen the promotions in Utah about their new booster seat laws so I knew the age there was 8 years old. Texas's new age is now 8 years too. Colorado is 6 years old but they also have a height requirement with it. Seth really wants to sit in a booster seat but he isn't 3 yet and here in CO (from my understanding) it is illegal to put a child into a booster seat until they are 40 lbs. Almost all booster seats require a child to at least 3 years old before it is safe to use them with a seatbelt so it isn't like the CO law is that far off. Seth isn't quite heavy enough and I am not about to move him because it is so much more dangerous. Also, it really is better to wait till they are 4 (I am not sure we'll make it another year ;) Of course, when I say booster seat I am talking about a seat that only uses the seat belt. There are boosters with a 5 point harness that are safe for children under 4. I don't know what the Texas law is about when you are allowed to move a child to a booster seat. Utah's law requires the the child meet all the height and weight and age requirements before you can legally move them to a booster seat. This means that the child will have to be 3 and at least 38 inches tall. Our older booster seats require a weight of at least 35 lbs but I have seen new ones that only require 30 lbs. Seth isn't 3 so he can't legally ride in a booster seat in any state in the US but it is hard to convince him to stay in his carseat. When Josh was a baby we turned him forward facing right around 13 months because he just couldn't take it any longer. With the other boys it was easier to keep them backwards because they had brothers to interact with when they were still backwards. I try to keep them rear facing longer because it is so much safer but we usually don't make it more than a couple of months past 12 months. Now what to do with Seth? And what to do with Hyrum? He is legal here but when we drive to and through other states he is not. I have a backless booster for him but he is resistant to it :)
Also...why is it so confusing? States really need to do a better job letting people know the carseat and booster laws!! Hmmmm....

Final score: BYU 14, OU 13....

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:14:00 +0000

Really people...need I say more!!! YEAH BABY!!

Shout out to Scott, Eldon and Dan who were "righteous" enough to go. By the look of it, they were the only BYU fans there!

If you need permission...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:24:00 +0000

I know people think I am crazy but we declared Christmas music season open tonight! Bedtime songs were Silver Bells and Winter Wonderland and Silent Night. Although we sing Christmas songs all year round, Aug 31st is our official start when John can't roll his eyes because we play it in the car and listen to it a lot at home. Four months isn't really overkill for Christmas...I mean it is Christmas right :)

Shoe Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:10:00 +0000

It is delightful that Chaco has finally started making real shoes just in time for my move to colder weather. They have a lot of different ones now. I really like a lot of different sport sandals like Keen and Merrell and Teva, etc but the Chaco sandals have always just been amazing for me. They fit my feet so I was happy to find the Chaco Jane on a closeout at the end of summer for an amazing price (because they really are too expensive). They are more sporty but I am hoping that when my feet swell they will pass for Church so I have something comfortable to wear. What do you think?

Also, I have been reading Born to Run, which is mostly about this tribe in Mexico that run huge races on rocky terrain barefoot. Obviously the book is a little more extensive than that but I haven't finished it yet...anyway, part of my running problem has always been that my feet go numb and when I had metatarsalgia about a year after Seth was born the pain was excruciating so it is interesting to see what other people do. John is obsessed with going barefoot. He says he is preparing for the second coming when we all have to walk to Missouri and since human kind has fallen there will be no shoes. He wants his feet to be ready. I had read about these "shoes" (Vibram Fivefinger) and, of course, thought of John. I saw my cousin got a pair the other day and is suppose to post a review sometime. Has anyone else used them? I wonder if they are like going barefoot and really that amazing. They are definitely amazingly ugly!

School Sum Up

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:21:00 +0000

This is more of a "grandparent" sort of entry and I really mean that so you might want to consider skipping it...a quick sum up of our first week of school.
Joshua - in the first 5 days of school Joshua received 3 letters home telling us what respectful, hard worker he was (this, of course, is wonderful but Josh does have a tendency to let it go to his head). His standardized tests scores came this week and he is considered Advanced in every subject. This is not a big surprise although I think he has some personal weaknesses they definitely aren't in school so far ;)
Hyrum - his reading improved over summer but he is still struggling with speech related delays :) Both his teacher and student-teacher said he was the sweetest, most kind student they had in the class and proclaimed him a delight to teach (HA...we'll give this a few more weeks). Joshua's 3rd grade teacher is now working with the 2nd graders and also went on about how polite and generous both boys are.
Math - managed to get lost once but I went into the school and found him. He had gone to the wrong place instead of coming out to be picked up. He was a little nervous and proclaimed that his "teacher had left him," not that he had gone the wrong way :) He is delighted that he got to get a library book and homework. He wants to be just like Josh and Hy.
Seth - has spent the last few mornings playing with all the toys he is usually forbidden by his brothers to play with.

On a side note...Holly, Josh's 3rd grade teacher, has always scared me. She even scares John. She is direct and intimidating and scary but after a year with Josh and now working with Hy, she apparently loves us. Last night she came up and gave me a big hug and told me how excited she was that we were having another boy. My due date is her birthday and she was sad we couldn't name it after her but when I told her our top name right now she got tears in her eyes and said that her great-grandfather, grandfather, father, brother and nephew had all been named that. She said if we use that name then she will feel like a little part of her is with us. Hmmm...no pressure. I just wish I could describe how frightened I used to be of her :) Life is funny...