Lately.

I'm starting to get a bunch of pictures that have no place again, so I decided it's time for another 'lately' post. About what we've been up to lately...

Jake:

    Jake is staying really busy with work. They had a pretty slow summer, but man business has picked up lately. He has been doing project, after project, and more than one at the same time. He moved up the chain a little bit at his company recently and that was opened some new doors for him and been really exciting. He is still trying to find time to study for the PE licensure exam, he'll be taking that hopefully this April, and then getting his actual license the following February! Yay! I can't believe it is finally getting close. Next spring he will also be taking the GRE and applying to Grad Schools to do his Master's Degree. He is looking at a couple programs, but it will be online so it isn't something he has to decide on until he is ready to apply. Right now we are leaning towards a Master's of Engineering Management at either Texas A&M or ASU. But again, it's online so we won't be going anywhere. He just got back from a business trip to Denver for Metal Con today. Yep. You've heard of Comic Con, my husband goes to Metal Con. He's the cutest dang nerd I know. Then he'll be taking off for the Elk hunt, but we might all be going out to that to camp. Haven't decided for sure yet! He is still serving in the Deacons with the Young Men. We were also called a few months ago to be on the Activities committee for the Youth Trek next summer, so we will be starting work with that soon that we are pretty excited about. In the middle of all the work he still finds time to work out in the garage building stuff and playing with the girls. They love when he comes home from work and Emery pretty much cries every morning when he leaves. She begs him not to go. It's heartbreaking! Anyone know of any work-from-home engineering jobs?!? They love when he is home at night though and jump on him, wrestle, and chase him around every where. He is an incredible dad and they love him more than anything. Whenever I saw anything to Emery about her being my little girl she responds, "No I'm Daddy's little girl." haha! Truer words have never been spoken.

Emery: 

    Busy busy busy as usual. She started dance and tumbling a few weeks ago and absolutely loves both. She is doing very well at them too. She is picking it up quick. She loves it. She loves ready and asks me all the time to read her stories. She has Jake reading to her every night for at least a half hour. She loves being a big sister and is so good at it. She is always looking out for Macie and Harley. If she is playing with a friend and they are ever mean to Macie she tells them  "Be nice to my Macie!" It's super cute how protective she is. Even if Jake or I punish Macie so get made at her Emery tells us we need to be nice. She get's worried if anyone ever jokes around that they are going to steal Macie or Harley and take them home with them. She will start crying and beg them not too. It's really cute, but kind of sad too. She gives them both hugs and kisses all day. Especially Harley since he can't run away from her like Macie does ;) She asks me multiple times a day to hold Harley and tells me constantly how much she loves him and that he is so 'tute!' She loves nursery so much. She asks me all the time to go to nursery. She is learning a lot of church songs that she walks around singing all day. We have also been working on learning the names of the First Presidency and Apostles and she is doing really well with that. I have been very impressed! She loves to sing. Jake and I joke around that her life could be a musical because she walks around singing and dancing all day long. The other morning Jake and I were cracking up because she woke up and went to the bathroom and we could hear her singing from the potty, "Let it go! Let it go!" An appropriate bathroom song I guess ;) She is full of energy and spunk and more personality that should fit into such a tiny body. She turns THREE on Sunday and I can hardly believe it. She is growing up so fast, but is growing up into such a sweet, kind, smart, little girl. We are so proud of her. 

Macie:

    Macie is my little bookworm. She loves being read to, but she also loves just looking at books by herself. If I lose track of her I usually find her just like this in her room flipping through books. Her and Emery are becoming the best of friends and I'm so in love with it. I love having my kids so close! I actually wish Macie and Emery were even closer! I wanted them closer but it took a little convincing for Jake ;) But I love it. They play together all day and although they do fight, they get along most of the time. Macie is such a sweet little girl, she always has a big huge cheesy smile for anyone and everyone. She is starting to sign, which has been really nice to finally know what the heck she wants, and she is starting to talk as well. So that is nice too. She loves to eat anything and everything. She eats anything Jake and I have for dinner. It is really nice to have such a good eater since Emery has been so picky. Luckily Emery is getting much better too, she will at least try pretty much anything I give her. She loves to dance as well. Her and Emery turn on all of Harley's toys that play music and dance around the living room. We frequently turn on you tube videos of music during the day and all dance around the living room. Macie just giggles and giggles. She loves to go to Emery's classes and watch her but it takes a lot of work to keep her from going out on the dance floor and the tumbling mats to do it with her! She is definitely going to want in on it next year! Her other love is necklaces. She always has a necklace on. She loves them. She also loves being a big sister. She always is trying to hug and kiss Harley. We have to watch her a little closer because she is rougher about it, but she loves him to pieces. 

Harley:

    Harley is CHUNKY! I love it! It's the sweetest. I won't say too much here because he is approaching his 2 month mark (way too quickly I might add) so I'll be doing an update with that soon. I will just say we adore him and are so glad he is here with us. He is the sweetest little spirit. 

And lastly, me! 

    I am staying really busy with these three little ones! Harley has started not sleeping as much since he is getting older and it is making for some juggling to get things done. He loves to be held. And honestly it is the easiest thing for me since I have to constantly be making sure the girls aren't mauling him if he is down. So he spends his days either asleep on my bed, or in the wrap with me. That thing is a lifesaver. I am loving being a mom to three though, and especially having a little boy now. It is so fun. I love that we have a little of both now. They are both so fun in their own ways and I love being able to experience it all. I love being a mom, even more that I knew I would my whole life. I have found that as much as I love being a mom though, I also love being a wife. Jake is incredible and I love that I get to be with him. I really have everything I have ever wanted in my life and it is so fulfilling! With Jake's decision to go back for his Master's Degree I have decided that I do need to get a new job. Master's programs are EXPENSIVE and we want to come out of it completely debt free. Meaning we'll need to pay cash for the whole thing. So after a lot of prayer and discussion we decided I would leave my on call job and go back to the hospital just part time. I wasn't planning on doing it for about another 6 months or so but I happened to get on and look at jobs and there was currently an opening in the Labor and Delivery unit and the NICU unit. Both of my dreams jobs. I went into nursing for a couple reasons 1: because it was the perfect mom job. I could work if I needed to and make really good money for not a lot of hours, and I could work at night allowing me to be home with my kids all day. and 2: to work in either Labor and Delivery or the NICU. So when I saw this I talked to Jake and we decided to just do it now. We had said that unless I could find a job that I loved and made it worth it we wouldn't accept it, so this was perfect. I applied for both of them and ended up getting an interview for both, which I was shocked about. Then I ended up getting offered both of them, I was floored. I had no idea what to do! After some discussion with Jake about what schedule was more conducive to what we had in mind, and our family life, and allowing me to be home as much as possible, we decided on the NICU job. I am more nervous that I ever have been in my life for a job, but I am super excited to work with those babies and their families! I really feel like it is a job that makes such a huge difference and that excites me! It is also for the Pediatric floor so I will work Pediatrics and NICU. I don't start for a few more weeks though. I will only be working 2 nights a week. I will leave when Jake gets home from work and get off at 4 in the morning and be home long before they wake up! So it really is going to be perfect. I am very excited (and nervous!) about it.  As always being a mom and wife will come first and foremost, and if it starts to interfere with that, I won't do it. But where it is only 2 days, and nights, I think it will be just fine. Besides Emery thinks it so cool that I am a nurse. Every time she sees me put on my scrubs she gets excited that I am going to give some one a check up! Aside from that my life is mostly diapers, puke, poop, and story time. Which I love, it is crazy, and busy, and tiring, but it's the best kind of all of those things. I am taking pictures here and there for people who ask, but I try not to do it too much. I have been really trying lots of new recipes and cooking techniques lately that I am having a lot of fun with. I would cook and bake all day long if I didn't have to do dishes and clean up afterwards. I hate that part! I have about 50 things I want to do with pumpkin these fall, the only problem is they all involve mixing it with chocolate, butter, and sugar...which makes it hard to lose baby weight. But I am thinking that can wait until after my favorite baking season of the year passes! I need my pumpkin dessert fixes! 

That pretty much sums up what has been happening around here the past few weeks! Most importantly we are all healthy, happy, and doing great!