Hogle Zoo.

It has been a long time since we went to the Hogle Zoo as a family. We had a annual pass once upon a time, but I always took the kids while Paul was working.

We were invited to go with friends, and that always makes things more fun. Also, the weather was absolutely perfect. 

Drake had obviously never been to the zoo, and was alert and looking at everything for most of the time we were there. 

I love that no matter what we do together, we still have fun!

#BYOC - 7 Eleven

Last year when 7 Eleven did the BYOC day, I wanted to do it. So this year I was not about to miss out. I started seeing the ads for it, and totally marked it on our calendar so I wouldn't forget. Turns out Paul was out of town on the day of, which made it more of reason to do it...because Momma needed to get her drink on.

We decided our container of choice would be our Easter buckets, which turned out nicely. We figured out we got close to 100 ounces in each bucket, yes that is an insane amount of Slurpee.

We carefully drove to the park so we didn't spill any of our liquid gold, and played and sipped on our deliciousness.

blessing.

We have blessed all of our babies at home, and Drake was no exception. We invited our good friend Delene to come and be with our family. She brought us a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her shop. 

Drake is all sorts of grumpy, all the time. So you can imagine that he cried for his entire blessing, which is a bit distracting. I know Paul struggled to find words while trying to bless this sweet thing.

The best we could get.

Even though he isn't always super fun to be around, we still had fun celebrating him. He did look absolutely adorable in his little outfit, which is what is most important. 

my partner.

*All photo credit goes to Kim Orlandini Photography.

This post is all about my better half. This isn't "normal" for me to get of mushy, but I want it documented.

Having a new baby is always hard for us, so much change and adjustments happen. We usually start moving in different directions, growing apart, and get short with each other. 

Drake so far has been our hardest baby, or maybe he isn't and one of us {me!} always just forget how hard newborns and sleepless nights are.

This go around has been so different for us, and not because of me. I am still the emotional train wreck I usually am, but Paul has been a total stud! I have had lots of days I want to give up, and Paul has been right there willing to pick up the pieces.

My favorite thing Paul has said since Drake is "We are crushing this 4 kid business!"

It really is the little things that Paul has done that have made me realize that he loves us, loves me. 

Vacuuming the stairs. Taking over the morning car pool. Offering and taking a shift at night so I can sleep more. Picking up the odds and ends we need at the grocery store without me asking. Taking me to lunch and dinner so I can get out, and don't have to do the dishes. Putting kids to bed. Gas station runs. Remembering things I said I wanted, and going back to bring them home as gifts. Listening to me cry, and snore from exhaustion. Finding a new pediatrician for Drake. Walking the halls during Relief Society so I can listen and love being spiritually uplifted. Oh, and there is so much more than this.

When I thank Paul for helping or doing something I would normally do, he always responds with something along the lines of, I don't need to thank him it is part of being a Dad.

Even though I have enjoyed the newborn stage this go around the least out of all of our babies, I love what Paul and I have this time. I am a very lucky to have his support. I am thankful to be in this parenting adventure with him, we make some darn cute kids together.

Drake's Birth Story

December 18th.

My scheduled induction date.

My appointment was at 6:15 AM, and I was suppose to call at 5:45 AM to see if they had room. I almost broke down in tears when the nice lady on the phone said "Come on in!". 

We wanted to keep everything as normal as we could for the littles, and Savannah wanted to still go to school. So, I set out on my own to the hospital with a plan to call Paul when things were progressing. 

Everything was smooth sailin' at first. Got my IV, pitocin going, and my antibiotics for Strep B. Had some good contractions on my own, and the nurse and I made a prediction he would be here before Noon. 

The one thing I wanted more than anything this go around was Kim to be there to do one of her gorgeous birth stories. After all, this really is our last baby, like really! Paul thought I was slightly crazy, but said I could.

Kim showed up nice and early, and I was glad to have some girl chat to pass the time away.

Around 9:30 AM I decided to get an epidural. First try, he hit a blood vessel. Second try, I remember getting some relief, but it didn't feel like my past epidurals. With a promise to come back in a couple of hours, he left. 

After this all happened, Paul showed up. Things seemed to be going pretty smooth, that Noon delivery was looking pretty good. They were rolling in the baby gear to the room, and I could see an end in sight.

Then here is where things get blurry for me. I love that Kim was there to capture images of things I don't remember, or have already forgotten {Yes, pregnancy/mommy brain is alive and well in our house}.

I started feeling lots of pain, not just pressure. I hit that little epidural button, I got nothin'. I start to feel panicked as the pain brings me to tears.

It seems like this was sometime around 11:00 AM, but I couldn't even tell you. Paul and Kim were crackin' jokes, and doing a great job at trying to distract me.

Nurse checks me...I am only a 6, holy crap. I need relief.

I ask for the anesthesiologist to come and fix my epidural. He comes in, put medicine in my line to test it, and I instantly feel really sick. I couldn't hear very good {which is a normal side effect}, and thought I was going to pass out. I do remember Paul and Kim talking about me, but feeling like I wasn't able to respond. It was an odd experience. 

They decide to sit me up to do a 3rd epidural. Paul on one side, Kim on the other I sit and wait, and wait, and wait. 

Paul jokes "It is 11:59 AM Evonne, doesn't look like you are going to have him before Noon!"

I am going through contraction after contraction. I am feeling the urge to push, I warn the anesthesiologist he better hurry. No luck in hurrying or the 3rd epidural.

I lay back in the worst kind of pain. They tell me to breathe through the contractions, and don't push. 

I have to push, I can't wait.

Paul and Kim are whispering "Just push, Evonne!" Gosh those 2 are the best birth coaches ever!

No Doctor yet.

I push, and oh man did it feel oddly good.

Doctor appears, I don't care if she is ready...I am going to push again.

3 good pushes, and our baby boy was here.

12:12 PM. 

Drake Lydon Sell

8 pounds, 2 ounces

19 inches long

They put him on my stomach, and all I could think of is "I did it! I did it, Paul!" I just had a baby without drugs! 

Something about having a baby makes me fall in love with Paul all over again. These are situations he isn't comfortable in, and he is always a total rock star! He held my hand, talked me through it, and will always be my favorite person to have by my side. The pictures of Paul during all of it are the ones that bring me to tears. I am so lucky to have him, our kids are lucky to have him. 

I am so thankful Kim was there to support us. Not only is she such an awesome friend, she is so talented at capturing the best of the best moments with her camera. Paul teased me about how these pictures would look, and I was nervous I would look a hot mess. But I took one look at the album full of photos, and instantly fell in love with all of them. I will never regret having her there to capture our last baby, and how special the event was. 

When I first looked at Drake, I saw Savannah. Then I look at him again, I see Devin. Then Bina. I guess that just means all our kids look similar. One thing is for sure, we all fell in love with him hard and fast. He is the perfect ending to our little family.

halloween 2015

This year we invited friends to come and trick or treat in our neighborhood. Then they invited us to their house for hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls after we were done collecting our loot.

My kids could seriously could go trick or treating all night, even sweet Bina was game to keep going. What can I say, we love our treats.

Savannah decided to be a nerd this year, and matched with her cute friend Brooklyn. It is sad to see her years of trick or treating coming to an end. Maybe in a few years, she can be in charge of taking all the little people instead of me. Pass the torch, if you will.

Devin is always wanting something different to dress up as, and this year he chose a clown costume. You never see him in a costume that everyone else is wearing. He has yet to dress up as a Ninja Turtle, or something that is all the craze with kids his age.

Bina girl picked out a ballerina cat get up, and although kinda weird...she looked absolutely adorable!

These are the kind of holidays I just love having kids. They make everything so fun! 

basement.

As soon as we found out that we were having a baby, we knew we had to finish the basement. Although this is something we have wanted to do for a long time, it wasn't something we had planned for 2015. The task seemed overwhelming in every way...money, time, and planning it out. 

There were lots of stressful moments, but overall I think the entire project went fairly smoothly. A lot of the people we hired came recommended from friends, and our good friend Lydon helped out immensely! I don't know if there is a lot that we would change looking back, so I think that says something.

playroom/family room

Savannah's room

We wanted to be finished by the end of Summer, but missed our deadline. There were only a few weeks where all 3 kids were sharing one bedroom, and I think they secretly loved it. It was a big slumber party every night.

We love the finished product, and definitely think the fun paint jobs Christy and I did on the walls really added to the finished product! One day when all the decor is complete, I will have to come back and add some photos of it.