The women in my life...

Tonight I am thankful for a wonderful mother, sisters, and friends. I have had a rough week. I will not go into detail now but things have just not gone my way the past few days. Luckily I have a great mom who always listens to me and 3 wonderful sisters! Renee has 4 kids of her own but will talk to me on the phone 10 times a day for as long as I need. I love it! Abbey and Kelsey are always willing to help with my kids and spend time with me and maske me laugh...even during finals week! I love them and am so grateful for the relationship I share with each of them!

Tonight my high school girlfriends got together for a Christmas party. It is just what I needed. A night hanging out with good friends, good food, and memories. It was so fun to spend time together and chat for hours! Thank you Linds for hosting! I am so glad we are all still friends after all this time. I feel refueled for the rest of the week! Tomorrow I will be a better mom, a better wife, a better friend, and a better sister!

Thank you to all the wonderful women in my life!

And of course, thanks to my amazing husband who was there today when I needed him! You are the best!

P.S. At some point I will get my camera charger from my parent's house and post some pictures!!

2 Month Stats

Luke is my chubby boy. When the doc walked in the room yesterday she said "Wow these stats don't lie, he is a big boy!"

Weight: 13 lbs 3 oz - 85th percentile
Height: 23.8 inches - 78th percentile

He is still an awesome baby! He gets a little fussy at night but other than that he is an angel baby! He sleeps pretty well most nights which is great for me. We LOVE our little boy and so do his brothers!

Dear Santa...

"I want a Spider with a remote that crawls and goes outside and tickle, tickle".
Love, Easton

"For Christmas I want a car with a remote...vroom vroom".
Love, Brady

This is all my kids want for Christmas. Is it crazy that my 3-year-old saw a remote control spider at Target 2 months ago and it is all he can talk about and all he wants for Christmas? I have tried to convice him he wants a car but he tells me that is what Brady wants and he wants a spider. Last night I went Christmas shopping and bought him his spider. My fear is that come Christmas morning he will be terrified of the HUGE spider and want Brady's car. I almost bought an extra car last night so we would have a back up if I end up being right but Kelsey told me that was stupid. Christmas morning could be exciting when my 3 year old opens a massive spider that says it is for ages 6+. He better believe in Santa after this!

They're Here!

Tavah Marie Hill
5 lbs. 8 oz. 17 3/4 in.
12-5-09 6:52 am

Thompson Steed Hill
5 lbs. 13 oz. 19 in.
12-5-09 6:53 amGeoff and Aleena had their twins on Saturday. I am already in love with them and I am ready to jump in the car and drive to Vegas to see them. Could they be any cuter? Thompson looks just like Geoff but I am still trying to decide who I think Tavah looks like. We are so excited for Geoff, Aleena, Aria and Laila! We can't wait to meet them!

Soup Recipes?

There is snow on the ground and I am freezing. None of us feel good and all I want for dinner is soup. Can you help? If you have a good soup recipe please post it so I can have it! I don't have very many but I love soup in the winter. Thanks for your help!

Brotherly Love

These two love eachother! I have always been told that twins share a special bond but it is so neat to see it first hand. They are always looking out for one another and want to be together all the time. I am so grateful they always have a playmate and someone to entertain them! I love these boys and feel so lucky to be their mom!

No Internet :(

Here is a quick update...
We moved into our new house and are loving it! One down side, last week we noticed a little visitor. He was very small, had a tail, and was super fast. Yes, we have mice! Don't worry, we think we got it out. Ryan found it in our new garbage can the other day. It is one of those that opens automatically with motion. Ryan shut the lid as quick as he could and ran out and put the garbage can in the street. My new garbage can no longer looks new and has a few scratches but at least we got the mouse out. Last night I went and bought mouse traps and something you plug into the wall to scare away the mice. I am hoping it will work. I can honestly say I have not slept as well or enjoyed my house as much as I did before we met our little friend. I guess that is what we get for building next to a field where construction is still going on.

The boys have adjusted well. They ask every morning if we can go to Grandma's house but have not had a hard time going to bed or adjusting otherwise so I am grateful for that!

Luke is getting huge! He loves his food and is actually rather chubby these days! We love having him in our family and can't imagine life without him!

We are getting the internet on Thursday so hopefully I will be able to post pictures then!

First Smile!

Luke smiled for the first time yesterday! He did it over and over and over. He is such a great baby and so much fun! In case you didn't know, I am famous! If you watch SYTYCD that was me next to Ashleigh in the picture! My mom is so funny and paused it and took a picture! Thanks Ash for getting me on national TV!We close on our house tonight! We are so excited! Wish us luck!

Tattoo

Today we were at shopping at Old Navy. As we were leaving the cashier was nice enough to give Brady and Easton tattoos. Of course they thought they were a sticker so when we got home they insisted I put them on. I started with Easton and he was so excited to hold the wet rag on it and count to 30. When we got to 30 and I took the rag off he burst into tears. He hates it. He keeps telling me it is hurting him and he has not stopped staring at it and crying for the last 20 minutes. We called Ry and he tried to convice him over the phone that it was cool but Easton did not buy it. Brady refuses to let me put his on. I had to take a picture because I think it is hilarious!Hopefully he will remember how much he hates tattoos when he gets older!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Our lives have been crazy this year. We have had so many exciting changes and have felt so blessed through it all. To add to the craziness, after 4 years as a medical transcriptionist for IHC, we have decided it would be best for our family if I stay home full-time with our kids. As crazy as it sounds, it is bitter sweet for me. I have worked in the medical field since I graduated from high school and have genuinely enjoyed it. I have loved being able to work from home these past few years and help support my family while Ryan was in school. It has been a great "mom job" which is exactly what I was looking for. It will be nice not to have to be up until 2 a.m. or jump on the computer every time my kids are asleep or napping. I am excited to be able to spend more time with Ryan in the evenings and have a little more down time. I am grateful for the skill I have and may go back someday but for now I am going to enjoy being a mom, wife, and homemaker!

Every Day Life...

Here are just a few pictures of what we have been up to.

My mom has a huge window in her family room that the sun comes through every afternoon. Luke loves to lay there and work on his tan!Ryan bench pressing the boys! Love it! I really tried to breast feed this time around but it just did not go well. I ended up with mastitis and could hardly get off the couch. Lucky for me I had my fabulous mother to help me out. Bad for me, my kids all still wanted me. We tried to have the boys have "quiet time" in their room. I gave them puzzles and books and thought they would stay in there at play. Instead they took every item of clothing in their room and destroyed it. This was taken after they had started cleaning it up. Daddy and Luke resting after a long day at work!The boys walk around the house all day and drink the drinks that have been left laying around. Sadly it is usually Dr Pepper, Diet Coke, or Pepsi. We are all addicted to caffeine. My mom thinks it is hilarious. The other day she found them in the kitchen sharing my dad's left over Pepsi from the night before. My mom loves to pop popcorn and share it with the boys. They each had to have 2 bowls full of it. Funny boys!This weekend my sister, mom, and I drove to Vegas and surprised Aleena at her baby shower. Michelle also flew up from Colorado and it was so great to see her! It was a quick trip but a lot of fun! Thank you to Ryan, Kelsey, Wes, and my sweet mother-n-law for watching Brady and Easton so I could go! I especially loved being able to see all my friends at the shoewr! I miss them so much! Aleena is on bed rest so it was fun to be able to help her out for a few days! Playing with Aria! I love those 2 girls!On our way out! Thanks for the great trip girls!If you can't tell we have kept busy but we are enjoying every minute of it!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween this year. It all started with the annual pumpkin carving. Ryan and my dad each helped one of the boys and they had a lot of fun!Every year on Halloween we have soup in pumpkin bread bowls. It is one of my favorite traditions! My boys were skeletons this year. Ryan really wanted to paint their faces which Easton wanted nothing to do with. Brady was a good sport and let him do his. Easton walked around all night telling everyone to look at Brady's "scary face." Brady thought he was scary so he walked around growling and trying to scare everyone. They were a lot of fun to take trick or treating this year.Baby Luke was one adorable little skeleton!Hope you all had a wonderful and safe Halloween! I am glad it is over for a year :)

Photo Shoot!

I am lucky to be living with a photographer who always wants to take pictures of my kids! Today after Luke's bath we decided to try a few with the boys. As you can imagine, this is not an easy task and it only happens with a lot of bribing. All you need is a few good ones and I think we accomplished that! Yes, my baby has a huge dimple in his chin and a nice double chin to go with it! Love it!They love to give Luke kisses all day every day! They have been so sweet with him!Brady and Luke!Easton and Luke!Brothers!

Thanks Mom! You are the best!

Coming Home...

Because of the swine flu the rules have changed dramatically at the hospital. Brady and Easton were not allowed to come see me at all. They knew they had a new baby brother but didn't really understand. My mom sent Abbey to the hospital with her computer so we could Skype and they could see the new baby! It was so funny! They just wanted to kiss me and Luke and were very sad when it was time to hang up. I have such great friends who came and visited me in the hospital. They are the best! They kicked me out of the hospital on Monday! It was weird coming home after only techincally being there 1 night. In a good way, this whole experience was very different from last time. I really did not know what to expect. Ryan came and picked us up after dinner and we headed home!The boys kept calling him Baby Summer (my sister Renee's baby). They were very confused and a little out of sorts but were still so sweet!Brady and Luke!Easton and Luke!Cute Aunt Kelsey!We are adjusting to life as a family of 5! Brady and Easton now know that he is Baby Luke and that he is their brother. I think they love him more every day and want to help feed him and bathe him! He is adorable and we are loving every minute of having him in our home!

What Do You Think?

At first I thought he looked like Brady and Easton but now I don't know. What do you think? By the way...I am in love with this baby! He is so sweet and so perfect! I cannot get enough of him!

Happy 3rd Birthday Boys!

I cannot believe Brady and Easton are 3! Time flies! These boys definitely keep me on my toes! They are 100% BOY and I love it! They are going to be such great big brothers and I cannot wait to see them interact more with Luke. They are off bowling with Ryan today and tonight we are headed to the pumpkin patch. Should be an exciting day!

Brady TraceEaston Gary Twins! Happy Birthday sweet boys! Thank you for being so cute and such good boys! I love being your mom!

Special Day!

Ryan worked on Saturday so my parents wanted to do something fun with the boys. We decided to take them up to Bridal Veil to see the waterfall. It was so cold and windy but they loved every minute of it. Little did we know this would be the last day before baby brother would arrive! Thank you Mom, Dad, and Kels for making it a special day for the boys!
We love Aunt Kels! My dad ran around with them and showed them the leaves and their different shapes and colors. The boys loved it!Brady!Easton!Me and my boys!

After that we went with my dad to get some lunch and headed to our new house. We walked all over the construction site, in and out of all the houses. We headed home and put the boys down and I ran some other errands. That night we watched the Utah State and BYU football games. About the 3rd quarter of the BYU game is when I started having consistent contractions that quickly became closer together and harder. About 4 hours later this perfect boy was born! The rest is history!

I am so thankful for my role as a mother and for these beautiful boys I have in my life! We are headed home tonight to let Luke meet his brothers. Wish us luck!

Luke Ryan McGiven

He is here! Luke made his grand entrace into the world at 2:56 a.m. weighing in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces, 19 inches long. I think he looks a lot like Brady and Easton and even has a little strawberry blonde peach fuzz to top it off. I was able to do a VBAC and it went great! We got to the hospital at 10:45 and 4 hours later he was here. It went quick and smooth and I am feeling pretty good today, just tired. I am so thankful for this new healthy addition to our family and cannot believe the love I already feel for him. He is perfect! More to come later!

Gotta Love It!

Brady and Easton love to help in the kitchen. They want to sit on the counter, crack the eggs, pour things in, and stir. They are so helpful. It usually starts out peaceful but by the time we are done they are fighting over something. The other day we made muffins. They were so good until I wanted to take a picture and then they started to fight over the beaters. One was not good enough, they wanted both of them. They crack me up! I don't know who named it the terrible 2's. The closer we get to 3 the harder my kids get. What was I thinking having a baby now...seriously?!? When I got pregnant they were still easy and pleasant. Don't get me wrong, I adore these boys but they are much harder now than ever. I am not sure if the baby will make them worse or better. I guess only time will tell.

Baby note: I went to the doctor on Friday and everything looks great! They scheduled me for a c-section on October 27 but they don't think I will make it that far. If I go into labor before that I am going to try a VBAC. It is looking promising so hopefully it will all work out. The doctor informed me that as of last week no children under the age of 14 are allowed in the hospital because of the swine flu. I am sad that Brady and Easton won't be able to come see us but I am glad that they are taking all precautions to keep kids safe. He also encouraged me to get the swine flu vaccine ASAP and to have my children get it. It could be a long winter but I am hoping we can get this baby here and all stay healthy!

Any baby boy name suggestions? This one is still nameless and we are running out of time!

Happy 5 Years!

Thank you for 5 wonderful years Ry! I love you!

Grandpa and Grandma Great!

Yesterday we had a big family get together at my parent's house. It was so fun to see all my cousins and their kids and spend time together. My mom thought it would be fun to get a picture of my grandparents with the 14 great grandchildren who were there. We had 14 missing and there are 4 on the way! That is a lot of great grandkids! We did the best we could and this is what we got! Please keep in mind I am 36 weeks pregnant and don't look at my chubby face in this picture! I love it though and I am so glad we took it! My grandparents are wonderful people who I adore! I am so grateful to be part of such an amazing family!

Thanks mom for being the best host (and cook) ever and not even stressing out! We love you!