kaul & jewls: 2011

9/1/11

Baby J

This is my sweet little baby boy!

Ohh how much our lives have changed. It revolves around this little guy. (Sorry Mr. Bentley!) They completely turn your lives upside down and teach you to forget about yourself and you wouldn't have it any other way! :)

My sister is amazing. She took all these pictures and was SO patient. She is just amazing with babies. Check her out at One Memory at a Time.

The first time we tried at 5 days old, it didn't work out. He cried the whole time. At 9 days he was a lot better. He was just so aware of his surroundings and very sensitive to things going on. She was so good to just cuddle and hold him until he was ready.

Thank goodness she was patient because it made for some adorable pictures!

Thank you lish!! I love them!!!

Warning: This Might Make you Squimish.

This story begins on a Wednesday night. My due date had come and gone, and I was 3 days over. You see, this little "home" I had made for our little baby must have been super comfy. Why? Because he hadn't shown even a centimeter of coming anytime soon. NADA. Not dilated, couldn't even strip my membranes because this little "home" was rockin' and he wasn't ready to say hello.

I was a little freaked out that I would need to be induced, so that night me and Kaulin did every thing we could think of to make the baby come. Clary Sage Oil, jumping, walking curbs... and finally around 11pm that night... the contractions started.

I hadn't ever had a contraction before. Not a braxton hick or anything during my pregnancy. So I didn't know what to expect. The only thing I knew is that I didn't want to be sent home. (Silly, I know... but it would have made me cry!)

They came on slow so I just tried to go to bed and sleep it off. Was this the real thing? I didn't know... Around 3am, I woke up thinkging I wet myself. But still not being sure, I went back to bed. Sorta... Finally 5am and I couldn't take it anymore. I showered, got ready and we went into the hospital around 6ish.

And sure enough, my water had broke, the contractions were getting stronger and the little one had out grown his love of his little "home" and wanted to come play. (Kaulin looks so calm....)

They got me all hooked up, and then it came to the waiting game. (Yes, I was sporting a purple manicure. That was about the only thing I could control and reach by that time. So I was a fanatic about making sure my nails were done before he came.)

Happy as a Hippo, Rueben... Then it came time to PUSH.

The thing about pushing with drugs pumping through you... You can't feel a thing. So you were exhausted, sweating and breathing hard but you couldn't feel or tell why. But because of it, I really enjoyed the whole process. I didn't want to hit or kill anyone like people had warned me about, and I got to watch the whole thing. It is amazing.

So when someone tells you to grunt, what kind of push would you assume? When I grunt I am exerting myself. Like a tennis player that grunts whenever they hit the ball. They hit it hard and a grunt comes out. So when I was told to give a "grunt" I gave one REAL big push. WHOOPSIE. I guess the version of grunt I was supposed to give was more like a sigh. I gave a big heave ho grunt and thank goodness Tracy was ready because my little guy literally popped out and she caught him.

Note to self: Grunt smaller.

My amazing aunt and my OB with baby J as he took his first breathe. Love this picture.

He was 7'11 and 19 inches long.

Cuddling with my sweet baby J for the first time.

It's amazing.

Make Way for DA HOUSE!

Ok, that is a little mean. But that is how you feel when you're pregnant!

Below is NOT to do if you are decide to take maternity pictures.

Well, as many of you know, my sister is an amazing photographer. (Click the link to see her stuff). So when it came time for maternity pictures, I wasn't too into the whole idea. Who decided it was a good idea to try and get your fat swollen house of a self ready and smiling in front of the camera? Crazy people. But with a little coaching I decided to go out. Problem is, I didn't go out when I was a cute pregnant. NO!!! I went out when I was almost due. I look at these the cringe a little, but I'm glad I get to look back at them now.

Isn't my hubby the hottest?

And of course Mr. Bentley had to get in on the action.

So although I am large and in charge, I really do love to look back at being pregnant. There was something comforting about it. And I loved that people always held doors open, carried my things and that I got to part in the expectant mother parking at Harmons.

NOTICE: NO BABIES WERE HURT IN THE TAKING OF THIS PICTURE

I just really wanted to belly bump with Kaul. :)

Thanks lishie for taking us out and convincing me I needed to do them!

6/15/11

Eternal Perspective

It doesn't seem like I don't get to teach as much as I used to in church, and I've missed it! I would rather teach and give talks all day long rather then pray in front of a big group. (I know, weird. It's an issue I need to work on...) Anyway, I get to teach this week and the lesson is on Eternal Perspective. I love it when you get to study a lesson that really hits home and makes you reflect on your life.

It's also neat that I am reading "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey and I am just to the chapter about having the end in sight. It all seems to go together just when you need it.

This is the little reminder I made the girls to remember to reflect on the were we want to be.

I thought this story by Dieter F. Uchtdorf was amazing and I wanted to share it.

(Full story at lds.org.)

The Story of the Lightbulb, or Losing Sight of What Matters Most

"On a dark December night 36 years ago, a Lockheed 1011 jumbo jet crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 people. This terrible accident was one of the deadliest crashes in the history of the United States.

A curious thing about this accident is that all vital parts and systems of the airplane were functioning perfectly—the plane could have easily landed safely at its destination in Miami, only 20 miles (32km) away.

During the final approach, however, the crew noticed that one green light had failed to illuminate—a light that indicates whether or not the nose landing gear has extended successfully. The pilots discontinued the approach, set the aircraft into a circling holding pattern over the pitch-black Everglades, and turned their attention toward investigating the problem.

They became so preoccupied with their search that they failed to realize the plane was gradually descending closer and closer toward the dark swamp below. By the time someone noticed what was happening, it was too late to avoid the disaster.

After the accident, investigators tried to determine the cause. The landing gear had indeed lowered properly. The plane was in perfect mechanical condition. Everything was working properly—all except one thing: a single burned-out lightbulb. That tiny bulb—worth about 20 cents—started the chain of events that ultimately led to the tragic death of over 100 people.

Of course, the malfunctioning lightbulb didn’t cause the accident; it happened because the crew placed its focus on something that seemed to matter at the moment while losing sight of what mattered most."

It's so easy to get stuck on the little mishaps and things that don't matter. They keep us from taking in the whole picture and realizing what matters. This week I want to work on not sweating the small things and focus on what really matters.

4/19/11

baby j's room.

It was so much fun working on our little guys room before he came. Everything just seemed to come together.

So, I'm probably a little too picky when it comes to baby room decor.

I looked and looked for little boy bedding and didn't like a thing I saw. So off to the fabric store me and my sister Andee went. I found these combos of super cute fabric in navy, apple green and aqua and decided, "Hey, I'm feeling ambitious. Why don't I make it myself?"

That thought will probably never cross my mind again... It took forever and cost just as much as buying one by the time you buy fabric, batting and all the foam for the bumpers. But I'm happy with how it all turned out! It might be a little girly for our little boy, but it's a baby, right? :) haha.

Here is a view of the overall room.

I love this crib. It was a gift from Kaulin's parents for all our future kids.

I also love the picture of Jesus with the kids over his crib.

It is something pretty special to our family since it is all my brothers and sisters in the picture. They stopped printing the picture, but luckily my grandma has the original and my sister Lisha is a pro at the camera and photoshop. I think I want to add some sort of vinyl quote later on under the picture about being a child of God.

We really lucked out with the glider/recliner. I really wanted one that wasn't wood and had a good look to it. I found this green one online, but they still wanted a lot for it. Well one night, me and Kaulin were just sitting in the living room surfing the web for rockers, and here the chair was again, but this time 50% off for 3 days only! WOOHOO! Luckily Kaulin's sister Kierston lives in Vegas where it could be ordered in at the promotional price to avoid the crazy shipping costs.

The curtains were store bought ones with matching fabric sewed on to match the bedding. The rug was from Target and seemed to go with the room perfect. And of course, a pillow owl! What would a room be without a pillow owl. :)

On the other side of the room are his dressers. One is for changing, one is for decor (thank you mommy for hooking a girl up with some dressers to re-finish. They work perfectly!). The bookshelf in the middle is just a $25 bookshelf from Wal-Mart with the back painted blue to go with the room.

I haven't had a chance yet, but these are the knobs going on the dressers. I love how different they all are. I know, the blue rose is REALLY girly. But again, it's a baby. I figure by the time he's 2 he will have something he is really into and I will want to change his room again to go with what he likes. :)