A future in tile

About a month ago, we FINALLY put tile down in the kitchen/dining area, the bathrooms, and the entry way. This is a project that we have been wanting to do since we first bought this home 3 years ago. A good family friend, Ron, installed the tile for us and did an excellent job.

The boys were fascinated with the entire process. Ron was so good to the boys in letting them help. He let each of them lay down a piece of tile. They still point out their pieces that they laid down. So maybe, they found their future careers. Who knows.

Here is C laying down his piece of tile.

C helping lay tile

Here is S laying down his piece of tile.

S helping lay tile

The end result. Yeah--No more carpet in the dining area!

New Tile

The crazy thing about this project is that we did it 2 weeks before we had MK. So, instead of cleaning up the house like most nesting mothers, we tore our kitchen apart. All the appliances were in the garage along with our kitchen table and chairs. We had picnics on the living room floor, lunch in the garage, and too much Fast Food. The boys, who usually ask for Wendy's everytime we go out, were asking for mommy food after 2 days.

Yet another Birthday!

Me and MK

MK

R and MK

Welcome little MK!

We have FINALLY completed the Babcock Birthday Week with the birth of our newest addition on August 5th. She came in at 7 lbs 8 oz and 19 inches long. She is definitely smaller than her brothers who were 8 lbs 4 oz and 8 lbs 6 oz. R and I look at her like she's SO tiny because the boys were never that small.

I was induced with this one, just like with S, to control the labor and make sure I made it to the hospital on time. I had a new doctor with this one who wanted to play it very safe and started me with a VERY low dose of pitocin....so low that after 3 hours, there was absolutely NO progress. I was getting frustrated because with S, he was born after only 2-3/4 hours! They finally started to up the dosage and once they did, the family genes kicked in and I progessed REAL fast. Phew. After 4 hours, I was telling R that I was done. I hear stories of 24+ hours of labor and don't know how they do it. As with the boys, just pushed through 3-4 contractions, and we had a little girl. I had to cringe when my nurse told me that usually, on average, most women have to push for 2 hours. Ouch. All in all, the labor was 6 hours, a lot longer than we anticipated and pretty long for my family. Poor R! We expected to be done by lunch time, so we didn't bring any snacks for him. He was starving!

MK had to be taken to the NICU because she couldn't breathe properly. She had a lot of fluid in her lungs. They were able to clear out her lungs and send her back to me. Thankfully, she only spent a couple hours there. She's doing great, and we're very glad to be home.

A Week of Birthdays!

The Birthday Boys

Our Birthday Boys!

Well, it's birthday week at the Babcocks! We started with C's Birthday on July 31st. Next up, S's on August 2nd. And, we're still not done! Baby #3 is scheduled to make an appearance on August 5th! That is, if baby doesn't decide to come earlier. I've been so worried I'd go into labor on one of the boy's birthdays, but here we are--the day after S's Birthday--and still pregnant. Phew!

A fun note of Babcock Trivia. C and S are 2 years and 2 days apart. If everything goes as planned (I'm being induced on August 5th) S and baby #3 will be 3 years and 3 days apart. Didn't plan any of this, but it sure is fun how it's turned out. Baby will share a birthday with my sister Stephanie and an anniversary with my parents.

We've had fun celebrating birthdays with the boys. We can't believe how big they are! Nor can we imagine what life would be without them!

S's Birthday

 

Saturday, Aug 2 was S's Birthday. We celebrated by going to SLC and visiting the Children's Museum. It was a blast! R and I had just as much fun as the boys. Even though we were all getting worn out, no one wanted to leave. S's favorite part was the ball area. Kids were able to put balls in motion all over the area. The Museum had all sorts of fun things for kids to do and explore and learn about the world around them. There was a construction zone, a water zone, a media center, helicoptor, and much more. We will have to go back again another day.

The birthday boy

We also played music. Here is S playing a few different notes.

S and C

A LifeFlight Helicopter was on a balcony that kids are able to climb into and explore. That was pretty cool!

C's Birthday

The Birthday Party

C turned 5 on July 31st! We had a great day celebrating his birthday with his friends. We pulled out the pool. R set up the slip-n-slide as well. C had a great time celebrating with his friends. They played in the water, ate hot dogs, and had cupcakes.

That night, we went to Grandma's and Boppi's for a time with them. It was the first time we got to see Boppi since his return from Saudi. The boys played in the sprinkler toy given to C that day from a friend, played at the park, got to have tub time in Grandma's big tub, and spent the night, too.

It was a great day!

Turning 3 Means "I Love You"

S

Yesterday at church, I stopped and talked with a friend in the hall. While we were chatting, C interrupted and said he was turning 5 really soon. Not to be outdone, S said his birthday was coming up and he was going to be 3. He held up his hand to show 3 fingers. Instead of the traditional way of showing 3, he held up his thumb, pointer finger, and pinkie finger. I have no idea where he learned to do that, but it was too funny and too cute. He showed dad that night at dinner, and I snapped this photo.

8 Years in the Making

R and his new truck

One of the first things I learned about R when we started dating over 8 years ago was that he wanted a truck--not a little, dinky truck. A big, beefy truck. A man's truck.

He was patient with the list of stipulations I made that had to be met first before he got his truck. First, we had to get a family car, one a bit more reliable than "Dorcus" (the sedan I inherited from my Grandma.) Second, we had to buy a home. Third, we had to be financially secure and able to afford it (usually an important thing, don't you think?)

Well, after 8 years of patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) waiting, R got his truck. He did a lot of research and worked with different sales people to get the best deal and package. He knows me too well to know that if he hadn't done all that that I would be freaking out--well, I still was, but not so much.

We picked up "Big Blue" a little bit before his birthday. Can you guess what his present was? (And will be for a few more years.) On his birthday, I told him his present was in the garage. He played along and opened up the door to see his truck and acted surprised and thanked the boys and me. Good sport.

Congratulations R!

To answer your question--I sold Dorcus to Rachel and her hubby who loved her well for several years before selling her to a friend of his. We are keeping the little Honda, Stubs. Stubs gets 45 Miles per Gallon--not giving that up too easily.

4th of July at Mimi's Cabin

The Menfolk getting ready to fish

C with Papa and his catch

S and R fishing

S is excited about his catch. He clapped and laughed and kept
trying to touch it while still on the hook. I think he enjoyed himself.

S, Little K, Big K, and C at the S, Little K, Big K, and C at the Arts Festival at Brian Head showing off their pinwheels.

We got to go to Mimi's Cabin down by Cedar Breaks in So. Utah for the 4th. It was a great time. We got to spend time with Mimi, Papa, and R's brother and family. On the 4th, we all went down to Brian Head to their Arts & Crafts Festival. That night, we went back to Brian Head to watch the fireworks from the back of R's new Truck. The next day, the kids and dads went fishing with Papa. Both C and S caught fish, watched Papa gut them, and ate them with their dinner that night. We love going to the cabin. Always a good time. I have to admit--the trip was so much smoother in R's new truck.