4 Months Old

We just had Anne's four month check-up/vaccinations (boo!). She is doing so well and is our happy, chubby baby!

Weight: 15 lbs. 15 oz. - 93%
Height: 26 inches - 98%
And I forgot her head circumference, but it's in the 88th percentile.

I'd like to say she only gets up once in the night but, that would be lying. =) She eats every 3-4 hours and is such a happy girl! I seriously think she has been our easiest baby, or maybe we're just pros by now. Haha! Anne can now roll over both ways, loves to grab toys (or mom's/sister's hair), can babble like crazy, and laughs out loud.

I've decided to embark on the epic journey of potty training Jane. Heaven help me. I just need to start on a Monday, and not go anywhere for a week. Then I think we could get it. She's so, super stubborn though, but she's to the point that she tells us when she's gone in her diaper, so I think she understands the sensations. Wish me luck!

Olivia is still my sweet, tender-hearted girl. She is so loving to everyone around her (except when Jane takes her animals from her), and gives the best hugs. She's so obedient and is willing to help with whatever we ask her to most of the time. I'm so grateful to have her as my oldest child. She will be the best big sister ever.

Peter and I are still as in love as ever and are working hard at our prospective work sites. We're getting ready for a trip to Utah in a couple of weeks to see the Bensons (yay!) and for a Rec. Therapist's Conference for Peter. Life is wonderful and we are so grateful for our endless blessings.

New Adventures!

Peter just submitted his application to Pacific Lutheran University for Graduate School which is located in Tacoma, WA. This was the only one we got done before the deadline unfortunately, but we feel like the whole process was pretty overwhelming and now we definitely know what to expect for next year if we don't get in this year. He's working hard and still loving his job, which makes the prospect of not getting into Grad School much more bearable. Being 2nd Counselor in Elders Quorum is a great calling for him and is stretching him in all the right ways. Being in an area that allows for a lot of missionary opportunities and with a lot of new converts (we'll have 3 more baptisms over the next 3 weeks), has lit a fire in us to reach out of our comfort zones and play a more active role in the Lord's work. Peter's still an amazing husband and Dad and his little girls adore him and smother him with hugs as soon as he walks in the door. 

I have been doing Boot Camp since the beginning of the year two mornings a week and have been loving it! It's been wonderful to get active again and start to get back into shape. I've missed being able to play basketball and volleyball and hope to get back on the court soon. I'm still trying to get a hang of balancing three little ones and housework. Some days I feel like Wonder Woman and others...not so much. I've been released as the Nursery Leader (I have mixed feelings about this) and have been called as the Achievement Days Leader. I've only been to one activity so far, but we have about 20 girls so it gets pretty hectic and loud. I love being a mom and hopefully I'll find my stride with it. I'm still madly in love with my perfect match and thank the Lord daily for bringing him into my life. 

Olivia is a Sunbeam! I can't believe she's in primary already. It's been a rough transition for her,as was nursery, but hopefully she'll get used to it soon. She is still in love with horses, swords, and really any animal, but mostly horses. Her imagination is amazing, and I never get tired of listening to her dialogue with all of her animals. Livy loves being the "biggest" sister and she frequently reminds Jane about this fact. She's so great with Anne and helping to get diapers and throwing away the dirty ones. Olivia has learned most of the words to "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction and loves to dance and sing to that song. She also loves singing "I Am A Child of God" so at least we have some good balance =). All in all she's still my sweet spirited little girl and we love to see her growing up and seeing a glimpse of who she will become. 

Jane is still our little, spunky firecracker. She has really taken Anne under her wing and feels it her duty to make sure she has a toy in reach at all times. Peek-a-boo is also her favorite game to play with her baby sister. Jane is happy (most of the time) to go along with whatever game Olivia's made up, which most of the time, consists of Jane being Angus (my brother's dog) and fetching things or going for walks. Haha! It's so great. Jane is our little thinker and loves to read books and take things a part to see what's in them and how they work. I really think she's going to be a little smartypants, and not just in school. Jane can be the sweetest little thing, but her temper can get in the way of all that sweetness when things aren't going her way. She's learning to express herself better with words but we still have a way to go. Jane definitely keeps us on our toes and is such a bright light in our lives. 

Anne is four months old! Where has the time gone? Anne already fits into 6-9 months clothes and has now successfully rolled from back to tummy and tummy to back multiple times and is mastering the art of wiggling to get off of blankets we put her on. She has discovered her little voice and we get to have fun little "conversations" with her often. She's also starting to laugh and giggle frequently and Peter's the best at getting her to do so. Anne had a bout with RSV this last month and is finally over that and back to her normal smiling self. She's been such a wonderful baby and has made my fear of having more kids disappear (knock on wood). Our whole family is just so in love with her and we've been so blessed to have her sweet spirit in our home. 

In other news, we just got to visit Idaho not too long ago for my youngest brother's farewell. I can't believe he's leaving for his mission in just two days. I'm so proud to say that all five of my brothers have served missions. It's going to be sad knowing the next time we go to Nana and Papa's house, Tom Tom won't be there, but I know he'll be where he needs to be and where he's meant to be. So proud of you little brother and can't wait to hear about all your amazing adventures!

Best Friends!

How cute is Anne? And Livy of course...

I love this picture! He is the BEST Daddy in the world!

All of us together

Time Flies

Happy post-holidays! I'm sorry for my absence by life is pretty hectic with three little ones and the holidays. Hopefully, I'll get caught up.

Thanksgiving
This year we got to spend Thanksgiving with the Bensons. It was wonderful to see them. Living in Montana has doubled the distance to them so we don't get to see them as often or as easily as we used to. The Wednesday morning before we were actually in Idaho for the Mecham family photos, which turned out great. After pictures we made our way down to Utah, it definitely helps the girls to break up the trip this way. We had a smaller Thanksgiving this year with just us and a couple of our sibling's families. I love smaller Thanksgivings. Much more bonding and banter I think, which I love. We were able to stay there through Saturday and we got to play a lot of games and just hang out with family and we got to see our dear friends Doug and Molly which is always a bonus. Friends and family are such a blessing and one of my favorite perks of the holidays is being able to see so many of them.

Christmas
We spent Christmas in Idaho this year and had a blast! Before heading to my parents' house we spent a day up in Tetonia with some of the Bensons. We were able to go up to Badger Creek and see the Ashtons (Peter's former boss and his family) and do some sledding. Well, I watched and everyone else sled.

It was a momentous Christmas at the Mechams this year because it was the first that all of us were there and also the last one for the next two years because my youngest brother is heading out to the mission field. It really was such a wonderful holiday! We played a lot of games, stayed up way too late, and got up way too early thanks to my beautiful girls. Every Christmas Eve since I was little we have a shepard's dinner. We eat on a blanket with lantern light, and we eat bread, cheese, cold meat, fresh fruit, and have Martinelli's sparkling cider to drink while my dad reads the account of that blessed night so many years ago that an angel appeared to the shepards by night and announced the holy birth of our Savior. It's my favorite tradition and will be continuing it with my own family. It brings such a wonderful spirit into the home and puts into perspective what the holiday represents.

Like I said, it was an incredible holiday season with a lot of family time and the making of wonderful memories.

2013
The year of 2013 is the year that I am going to try and get back to healthy and able to play some volleyball. I miss that game so much! It was a release for me and somewhere I could go to recenter myself and feel confident in myself. In life it is so easy to focus on our failures. To forget all the incredible things we do in our day to day lives. I want to become healthy. Not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I am striving to focus more on the positive things I do and to build up my self esteem and become a bit more like the person my Savior and Father in Heaven knows I can become. As of today, January 10, 2013, I feel pretty good. Better than I have in, well, years. I have the most caring and loving husband, who each day has made me feel beautiful, loved, and desirable every day he has been in my life. And I am starting to feel all of those things on my own again; when I look in the mirror; when I find myself in the quiet moments of nursing Anne and reading the Ensign; of waking up at 5:30 AM to go to Boot Camp and get my booty kicked for an hour by a certified trainer; of centering myself with my Yoga video. I am finding myself again and it feels great! So, here's to a wonderful holiday season, to wonderful friends and family, to having the truth of the gospel in my life, and here's to a new year of finding me again to the journey it will take me.

Mechams 2012

Getting so big...and cuter!

So sweet!

First smiles!

Our big 2 year old!

Love my big girl!

 Sisters!

 Got a unicorn from Uncle Nick

She LOVES it!

The BEST biggest sister!

Summer of 2012 in Pictures

Ms. Jane 

 Ms. Olivia

Peter and a VERY pregnant Heidi

Anne's Blessing Day

Words may not be enough to express everything that I felt this last weekend. I have such gratitude and love in my heart for my wonderful family and for my wonderful in-law family. I started crying the moment all of the men started walking to the front of the the chapel. They almost didn't fit there were so many of them and there were some who weren't able to make it. I just kept thinking, "How blessed we are to have the Priesthood on the earth. How blessed my Anne girl is to have so many worthy men who love her. How blessed I am to have a strong, worthy husband who can bless his children and act as the Lord's mouthpiece." 

Peter did a wonderful job and Anne didn't make a peep. Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures right now but I'll post more soon. My amazing mother-in-law made Anne's dress and it is gorgeous. My mom took more pictures with her camera so I hope to get some copies soon to put up.  

It was so great seeing so many from our families. My whole family made it up along with my Grandma and Grandpa Mecham, which was an added bonus. Then we got to see Mama and Papa Benson, Michael, Tamy, Annalyn and Ryan and their kids, and Grandma and Grandpa Roundy. It was a short visit unfortunately but we'll get to see them in a couple of weeks for Thanksgiving. Super excited! 

Mom and Anne

Handsome Dad and Anne 

As a side note, my youngest brother received his mission call to the Louisiana, Baton Rouge Mission, the same mission that my dad served in. How amazing is that? Way to go Thomas! 

One Month Later...

 I can't believe one month has gone by already and honestly I don't really remember a lot of it. The days all seem to blend into each other. There have been a lot of pajama days at the Benson home and even more diaper changes =) 

 I seriously have loved having my three girls! Anne is such a wonderful baby and hardly ever cries and is starting to get on a pretty consistent schedule when comes to eating, which is much appreciated by me. Olivia and Jane have been really great with Anne and have become even better friends since she's come along. They run around our apartment all day playing what ever imaginary game they've come up with lately (usually it has something to do with horses, swords, and bad guys) or watching a show. Olivia's latest favorite movie is The Avengers (FANTASTIC!) which she calls "The Good Guys" and she goes around pretending to help the "green good guy" (aka The Hulk) get all of the bad guys and Jane tags along with her sword getting the strays =). It really is so fun to watch them and listen to them.

 In other news Anne had her 1 Month check up and she now weighs a healthy 10 lbs. 9 oz. She's getting more beautiful every day and is starting to smile. There are days that it still seems pretty surreal that I have three kids but I'm loving it and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. 

Jane's new favorite place

Proud big sister

Getting so big already

Thinking about smiling

 I'm finally feeling comfortable enough to take all three of the girls out by myself and we have gone for walks and to several play dates thanks to some wonderful friends in our branch. It feels good to get out of the apartment and into the fresh air. 

Here are just some pics of the past few weeks. 

FHE Activity

Life is great and we love being a family of 5!

Anne's Birth Stories....

From Peter's Perspective...

The end of this pregnancy was pretty tough. Heidi had a cold, a sinus infection, a root canal worked on and 9 months of restless legs. On the 22nd of September we went to the hospital to get checked because Heidi had been contracting. After an hour and no progress, the Dr sent us home. The following Thursday we had an appointment and the Doc told us we were a 2 and was willing to induce us the Thursday following that.... we were hoping for something much sooner so we left the Dr a bit discouraged. Saturday I caught a bug and was in bed all day... not fun. Then on Sunday Heidi was contracting again, hard enough that she had to stop and breath through them so we headed to the hospital. Once we got up to the Labor and Delivery wing, the contractions calmed down... disappointment again. Our nurse took pity on us and did some advocating for us so the Doc moved our induction up to Tuesday the 2nd. Tuesday morning, we got up bright and early to head to the hospital. Just before we left I decided I was still sick and threw up :). So Heidi drove herself and her sick husband to the hospital. They started her while I laid on the couch and tried to act like I wasn't sick. Heidi was a champ and made it through the majority of her labor with me on the couch trying not too move too much. The doc had a series of surgeries to get too before the birth could happen so in between each one he came and checked in. Heidi got an epidural when she was at a 7 and about two hours later her water broke and half an hour later we had a baby. The nurses and the anesthesiologist were all very impressed with Heidi and how calm and collected she was during her labor. I was feeling well enough to be up and about for the delivery. All in all it was a good experience and has been great timing. 
The girls came a little later with Heidi's parents to visit. Livy was too enthralled with the new surroundings to care that she had a new baby sister and refused to even look at her. Jane on the other hand wanted to hold her and unwrap her and look at her tiny sister. It was very fun to watch. 
Since we've been home they've both really warmed up to her and love to hold her and look at her and smile at her. It all makes me so grateful for families, the gospel and the plan of salvation. There's nothing in this life that has brought me more joy than my little family. 

I really don't have much to add to Peter's version. The reason we wanted to be induced earlier was because my mom had one week off from teaching thanks to Spud Harvest and was up to help us for a few days ease into this new life of 3 kids. I will also say that this was the longest I went without an epidural and I was pretty darn proud of myself. There were so many new things that I got to experience with this birth. My water actually broke on its own which I've never experienced, and I actually got to feel the moment Anne dropped (literally) into the birth canal. Both made me appreciate all the more, the miracle of birth and for my body and what it can do to bring children into this world. Anne weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 inches long. Right in between Olivia and Jane. My doctor and nurses were all wonderful and we had a wonderful stay at the hospital. We stayed one night and were lucky enough to get to go home the next day. Some people like to stay at the hospital as long as possible, not me. No judgment to those that do, I just can't sleep and I love being in my own bed with my own things and my family around me. 

Well, life with three little girls is certainly hectic. There are days that I want to rip my hair out or just sit down and cry (which happens every once in a while) and I know there are people who think we may be a little crazy for having our kids so close together, but I know that it'll be so wonderful in the coming years. My girls will have a best friend at home all the time and someone to play with all the time and hopefully they will be a wonderful support for each other and this is what we want for our family. Crazy, fabulous chaos. =)