We're having a...

beautiful and healthy little BOY!!!
This is a little better shot. There was no question about it!!!
Here's my cute little baby's profile.
Here is a picture of his arm and hand.
I've never had 3D shots before, but she did a few for us and they were so fun. These aren't quite as clear as in person, but he looks JUST LIKE TALMAGE!!
Other info from the ultrasound, he is very healthy, all four chambers of the heart are working well, brain looks good, stomach and kidneys and bladder are all functioning. He is measuring right on and his spine looks perfect and beautiful and we couldn't be happier! One of his kidneys was dilated a little bit, which they said is very common in boys, so now we get to look forward to extra ultrasounds. I love ultrasounds, so no complaints there. They really didn't think it was anything to worry about, just something that they like to monitor. He is VERY active. I can feel him often now and he was moving around quite a bit for the ultrasound, which was fun!

And for those who are wondering we DO have a name picked out. We are going to stick with Church authorities surnames. So his name is Rigdon Lee Powell. Rigdon comes from Sydney Rigdon and Lee comes from Kendall's Grandfather, as well as Harold B. Lee. I've been in love with the name for a long time and I'm very excited to be having another little boy so that I can use it! And Kendall is excited to call him Big Rig. :) (He'll probably be a little squirt.)

Dutch Oven Cooking

Kendall has taken up a hobby over the past 6 months that I have really enjoyed (probably too much!). Every Sunday he makes something in the Dutch Oven. Sometimes it is a main dish so that I don't have to do any cooking. Other times he tries desserts, side dishes, or even breads. He's becoming quite the chef. I've decided I should put together a slide show of all of his yummy foods to document this hobby. (And it helps me feel more organized!)

I have a word document with all of the recipes from these delicious foods (and many more that we DIDN'T take pictures of. Anyone know if you can put a link or attachment of a word document? I don't know how to do that, but you can go HERE and see the recipes if you are interested. :) Enjoy, we sure do!

Baby on the Brain

It seems like the minute I find out that I'm pregnant all of my thoughts have some sort of way of getting back to the baby. With everything I do, there is this little thought in the back of my brain about "Will this be good for the baby" or "How will this be different in so many months when the baby comes."

Lately, I can tell that this is starting to rub off on the rest of the family. My belly is big enough now that it gets "in the way" when I give Kendall a big hug. The kids frequently come up to me and rub my belly and talk to the baby. Sadie asks to see the baby and I have to restrain her from exposing me in public. We are all excited about the baby.

Kendall's sister just had her first precious little baby girl a couple of weeks ago. Natalia Grace is her name and she is beautiful. The kids were so excited to see pictures of her and Sadie just oogled (is that a word?) over them going on and on about the pretty baby. Now they can't wait to see her when we go visit this summer.

Over Easter weekend I started feeling the baby move! I was 16 weeks, which was about a month earlier than I felt Avri or Talmage, and like 6 or 7 weeks earlier than I felt Sadie! It's been amazing to feel this little nudger get stronger and stronger every day. It won't be long before Kendall and the kids will be able to feel the movements. My ultrasound is one week from Monday, and we ARE going to find out the gender this time. So after that, I will put another post and I'll even get a picture of my already huge belly. So leave your guesses in a comment! What do you think we are having this time?

Random Stuff

Are these not the cutest kids? I just love it when they get along with each other!
Avri was cute a few days ago when she decided to get herself and Sadie some breakfast so that Mom could sleep a little bit longer. I thought the bowls of choice were a bit funny...a large serving bowl and a divided one that just doesn't work so well for cereal. It was the thought that counted. :)

Do "Knot" Comb Your Hair

Avri learned a valuable lesson last week. She tried to use this comb as a curling iron and had it so tangled that I was pretty sure we were going to have to cut it out, which was going to mean a drastic hair style change. Here is the mess when we started.
One half hour later...
An hour and a half later...
I had to cut the comb to bits and pieces and I'm sure there was some damage done to her hair, but you really can't even tell. I was amazed that it even came out. Avri was so upset by the idea of cutting her hair short, so she was glad that I got the comb out even if I had to destroy her favorite comb. I told her to stick to a brush from now on...

Easter Celebration

We've started an Easter tradition that the Easter bunny comes Saturday morning so that we can do all of the eggs and candy on Saturday and have Sunday to focus on Christ and the true meaning behind Easter. So here is the loot the bunny brought this year.
Oh, and as a side note, I thought it was funny that the kids were a bit nervous about some strange bunny coming into their house while they were sleeping. Talmage, who always insists that his bedroom door stay open a little bit wanted me to close his door and LOCK it so that the Easter bunny couldn't get into his room. haha. Funny little chicken.

The Bunny took all of the kids' yogurt cups that they love to play with (I'm telling you, who needs Toys R Us when you eat yogurt?) and built a barricade in the hallway so that the kids couldn't run into the living room and take a peek before Mom and Dad were up. I think this was the kids' favorite thing about the morning! They thought it was great!

Let the egg hunt begin...

Sadie got all of the ones up high.
The bunny brought bubble guns for the whole family. They are battery powered, so you pull the trigger and hundreds of bubbles come pouring out. They were a HUGE hit, until the floor was so covered in soap that the kids couldn't stay upright anymore. We had to take a little break to mop the floor before we could continue the festivities. Needless to say, they are outdoor toys now. :)
It was a fun morning. The kids got matching Easter outfits from Mom and Dad and we've been on a sugar high ever since that morning.

On Sunday (as well as Saturday) we had the privilege of watching General Conference from home. What a wonderful way to focus on Christ. The messages were so uplifting and inspirational. We had some wonderful discussions with the kids about what Easter is all about. Besides the fact that Talmage thought Jesus fell in a hole, which was his tomb, they really grasped the meanings quite well. They almost cried while we talked about His Crucifixion and Talmage and Avri both said "but I LOVE Jesus." This led to a wonderful discussion about how He loved us and that was WHY He died for us. They loved that He was resurrected and that we get to celebrate this happy aspect of that final week for Easter. They were amazed that Jesus was so forgiving of those who condemned Him. It is so astounding how much a 2, 3, and 4 year old can grasp. We underestimate children way too often. They are so pure and loving and understand so much more of the things that really matter than I think any of us know.

Mercedes Birthday!

So I posted a happy birthday to our little 2 year old, but I never put a post of what we did for the special day.
We opened presents throughout the day. She mostly got baby doll "stuff." She got a doll that giggles when you move in front of its face, and a high chair, diaper bag, bottles, baby food, spoons, bib, the works for that doll. She is such a little mother these days and hardly goes anywhere without a doll in hand. She got big girl undies, to encourage the hope that she will potty train before the baby comes. She had to put on 3 pairs at once. We also got her a little wooden table with chairs. They are nice and sturdy and have been put to many uses already, with all the "tea parties" and coloring that have been done at that table. The kids have even eaten at that table a few times during General Conference. It will also work well when I start doing a joy school co-op in the fall.
It turned out to be a cold day, but we took the family to the zoo. We decided that it made sense to get a pass. We only have to go 4 times to pay it off, and we're already half of the way there! Because it was cooler the animals seemed so much more active. The Rhinos were terrible show-offs, and that was fun watching them chase each other and play "king of the hill" and Sadie just LOVED the petty zoo. She was so brave. All of the kids were. Avri was actually petting the pony while she fed it. It was great!Sadie wanted cupcakes instead of cake, and I just realized I didn't get a picture of them, but they weren't that fancy. Just cupcakes with little frosted animal crackers on top. We had her favorite foods for dinner, rice and peas. I also made chicken which she likes, it just wasn't the part she was excited about. She sang the whole "Happy Dat-Day" song to herself and clapped when she blew out the candles. She is such a sweet little person and can always make me smile. Now when she sings the birthday song it end with a great big blow. (I guess you can't sing it without candles.) It was a fun day and she was so sweet. Sometimes all that attention can make them a little crazy, but she was a perfect little angel. The only company we had was my parents so it wasn't too crazy, but just a fun day.

Here is a great little video of her blowing out the candles and singing herself a song.

Spring has Sprung

This week feels like summer, but I am sure enjoying the spring. It seems to have come so quickly this year. One day the front flower bed looked like this...and then it looked like this...
Since this picture we now have tulips blooming and I've planted 3 rose bushes in this bed too. So I think it is pretty full. I had no idea how fun flowers and yard work could be. Yes, it's hard work, but so rewarding. The yard is looking pretty darn good considering that one year ago it looked like this...The grass is growing well, Kendall thatched and over-seeded the lawn so that we will hopefully get grass that is a little fuller and softer. I've been planting perennials like crazy and that has been fun too. It is back-breaking for the preggo lady, but I'm loving it!