We had our baby and it's a…..

GIRL!!!

We could not be happier!!

Ella Jane was born on January 7th @ 3:42 a.m.

She was 8 lbs 4 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long.

Born at Banner Gateway Hospital in Gilbert.

We were scheduled to be induced on Monday January 6th at 3:00 p.m.

Justin and I were eating breakfast at IHop that morning and got a call around 10:00.  It was the hospital and I was sure it was them pushing our induction time back.  But they were actually calling to ask us to come in early…yay!

We finished our breakfast and went back to our hotel room to get our bags. We got checked into our room around 12:00 and got one dose of gel to get things moving along.  I was at a 3 when we got to the hospital.  The gel helped a little and I got to 4 cm.  It was around 6:00 when they decided to put me on piton  so I got my epidural first!  Yay!  Thank heavens for epidurals!!!

I was progressing slowly but with the epidural I was able to get some rest.  We kind of just hung out and tried to relax as much as we could.  

I was trying to mentally get ready for the marathon.  I usually push for over 2 hours when I have a  baby so I knew I'd need all the energy I could get.  Although I was hopeful that things would be easier since I did CrossFit my entire pregnancy!

At 3:00 a.m. the nurse checked me and I was at a 9.  Dr.  Kudinski was called and she was actually already on her way to the hospital.  Once she got there she came in and checked me and I was at a 10 and ready to PUSH!

I started pushing!  My contractions were so spread out that I was actually pushing and then resting for about 3-5 minutes in-between.  I was so worried that it was going to take like 3 hours to get this baby out.  Usually my contractions are much closer together and I still am pushing for 2 hours.  So I was really concerned!!

I ended up pushing for only 30 minutes and baby was out!  We were all in shock!!!  CrossFit more then paid off!!

When Dr. Kudlinski announced we had a baby girl, we all just started crying!

I was just overwhelmed with PURE JOY!

A couple of years ago when Justin and I were debating having another baby we took a trip to New York City.  While we were there we did a session at the New York Temple.  During that session I was really praying for an answered to whether we should try for another baby or not.  

That was the question weighing heavy on my heart as we entered the temple.  

When I got the name of the person I would be doing the temple work for I knew I had my answer.  The name of the person was "Jane" and I felt an overwhelming feeling that there was a little girl up in heaven just waiting to come to our family!  The answer was as strong as I could have imagined!  

And so our journey to get this sweet baby girl began.

We were not prepared for the bumps in the road, but we wouldn't change it for the world. 

When Dr. Kudlinski was cleaning me up she asked me if we had a name picked out.  I told her yes "Ella Jane."  She then asked me if Jane was a family name.  I went on to tell her that it was.  I am the youngest girl and my name is Rebecca Jane.  My mom is the youngest girl and her name is Susie Jane.  My Grandma's name was Iva Jane and so Ella is our youngest girl and she's the forth generation of Jane as the middle name.

After I told her that she couldn't believe it.  She said what a coincident….her name is Susan Jane Kudlinski, her mother and grandmas middle names are also Jane.  Her only daughters middle name is also Jane.  So they have a four generation of Jane's just like us!

What are the odds of that!  Such a cool thing that just added to Ella Jane's birth story.

All middle name Jane girls!

Dr. Kudlinski has delivered all 5 of our kids!

As she was cleaning me up we talked about that.  I thanked her for being such a wonderful doctor!

She said how rare it is that she would deliver all of someones kids……it just doesn't happen that often.

We have been so grateful she was our doctor each and every time.  With Logan she wasn't the doctor on call but she came in to deliver him any way!  How many people can say that about their doctor?

I've known in my head and heart, my entire pregnancy, that we would have a girl.  I just knew it!  

Once she came out I felt such a feeling of completeness!  

Justin was such a great coach!

He just bawled when Ella made her arrival.

Grandma Boswell was also there.  She has been with us during each of our kids births.  It's been such a blessing!  She gives the best foot rubs anyone could ask for.  She actually stayed with us until we were released from the hospital.  It was so nice to have her be with us!

Huge thank you to my sweet mother in law, for keeping our kids.  It's so nice to know they are well taken care of!

Ella was my biggest baby and I pushed about a forth of the time.  That seems crazy!

What a beautiful baby girl we have!

OMGoodness!  I knew I'd be excited to have pink in the house again 

but I didn't know I'd be this excited!  Bows and bracelets….yay!

It's amazing that in an instant you can be in complete love with someone!

I am totally in love with this sweet baby!

Justin has already said, "Miss Ella has me whooped already!" She was only 2 weeks old when he said that.

What I Will Miss…..

There is not much I will miss about being pregnant.  I don't enjoy the process, I don't enjoy the nausea or the throwing up, I don't enjoy the part where you feel exhausted, I don't enjoy the getting kicked from the inside out, I don't enjoy all the heartburn, I just don't find pregnancy to be an enjoyable thing.

But there is ONE HUGE thing I will miss dearly from this pregnancy.  That is having this sweet boy constantly kiss my belly!  I have never had a kid so interested in kissing my pregnant belly or talk about the baby that's coming until Grant.

He tells me many, many times a day how much he "lubs my baby."  He wants to "tiss my baby" all the time……it has been such a fun part of this pregnancy for sure!

As excited as I am to have this baby, a small part of me will miss this sight!

Grant will often come up to me and tell me, "I'm doing a favorite for you…..I'm going to trach yo back!"  Then he will scratch my back…..it's been awesome.  He does it all on his own several times a day!  I love how he says he going to do me a "favorite"….it's so cute!

One day last week I had this funny conversation with Grant.

Grant, "Mom I tan't wait for yo baby to come out!"

Me, "I can't either Grant!"

Grant, "Why is it taking so long for yo baby to come? Isn't yo baby killing your belly?"

Me as I laugh, "Yes my baby is killing my belly."

Then he walks over to my belly and says, "Come out baby!"

So cute!  Grant is going to make a wonderful big brother!

I will also miss Grant sharing his favorite stuffed animals with me.  He places them by my bed and tells me, "Yo baby can sleep with these!"
I can only imagine how many toys will be placed in this babies bassinet!

Hands Up!!

These two boys sure have enjoyed playing together over Christmas break!

I was lucky enough to get held at gun point one morning as I was doing my makeup.

I will be excited for the break to be over for one reason………we'll have a baby, but other than that I am going to really miss the kids all being home.

Grant and Logan have just played and played together!  Grant is really going to miss all this kids being home, but he'll soon have a baby to help me take care of.  I think he'll like that job too!

These two boys can hold me at gun point any day!

Peppp

All we heard Thanksgiving weekend was questions of "When will Peppp, our elf, come?"

I told the kids usually not til we have our trees up and decorated.  So they were all eager to help decorate the house!

And sure enjoy Peppp came the next day after the house we ready for the holidays!

This was one of my personal favorite things Peppp did.  He cut out these cute mustaches and placed them on the kids pictures around the house.

The kids LOVED it!!

Of course Peppp left the mess.  That's the one thing that drives me crazy about Peppp is he always leaves the mess behind.

Peppp must have had a busy night back at the North Pole, but at least he found a comfy place to sleep once he made it back to our house!

We woke up to find this note on the kitchen table….

Along with these fun little Elf Donuts!

And what fun straws.

Peppp was found hanging from the chandelier.  Guess he wanted to see the kids response when they found the donuts!

We all loved the elf donuts!

One morning we woke up to breakfast already made by Peppp!

We were all impressed with the tiny little pancakes Peppp had made!

And Peppp even had an apron on and a chef hat.  And he brought an apron and chef hat for the kids as well!

I just love Logan!

He is such a sweetheart!

He has really LOVED Peppp!

He wanted to make Peppp a blanket so he would have something cozy to make him feel at home in our house.  So with Kiersten's help he got busy and made this adorable blanket!

He loved sewing the letters on the fabric!

He did a wonderful job!

I love this sweet letter Logan wrote to Peppp as well.  He wanted Peppp to leave the  blanket so that he could show it to Grammy Boswell.

Silly Peppp taking an Elf bubble bath!

He looks pretty comfy!
We love having Peppp around for the holidays.
All the kids loved finding where Peppp was hiding each morning.  One morning he even brought tiny candy canes…..Kiersten put those in her Little Things Collection!  They were awesome…..they were so tiny and made by elves for sure.

Christmas Continues for Some...

Both Justin and Hunter got tickets to a Suns game in their stockings.  I still think Santa meant to put Hunter's ticket in my stocking!!  But I was glad they were going to get to spend some time together.  It is so important for us as parents to make that time for our kids on an individual level.  So thanks Santa!

Hunter was thrilled beyond words!

He even caught a shirt that was thrown up in the bleachers.  That really made his day!

Now this looks like one happy kid!

Hunter just LOVES his dad!  And Justin LOVES Hunter!   Justin was super excited to get to take Hunter out of town.  They are a great time together.  They spend several hours in Harbor Freight……it's like a man's mall with tools!  Hunter thought that was super fun too and from the looks of all the stuff Justin bought so did he!  Most of it was for the shop but I did notice he bought other stuff as well.  I had to give him a hard time about that!

The Suns were playing the Philadelphia 76rs.

The Suns won and it was a great game I heard!  They also got bobble heads for free for being in the first 300 fans at the game.

After the game was over they let the kids go down on the court.  Hunter could have shot a free throw on the court but he didn't want to.  For once he was a little shy.  They ended up spending the night because the game got over so late.  They enjoyed sleeping in til 9:30!

It was fun to hear about their trip and see the joy in both their eyes when they got back!

Date with Kiersten

Since Kiersten was feeling sick on our other date to Gilbert,

 I decided she should come with me for my last doctor appointment.

We had such a great day together!

I love spending time with this sweetheart!

We decided to treat ourselves to pedicures……boy was that a good decision!

Being 9 months pregnant and all, I really enjoyed having my feet rubbed!  I was just what I needed!  We did a little shopping, ate yummy food and let Kiersten got to Extreme Air Jump!

All in all it was a fabulous day!

I got lots of complements on how good I look for being a week away from having a baby!  And when I told people I was pregnant with my 5th baby they just couldn't believe it!  It really has paid off to workout my entire pregnancy.  It wasn't easy but I am really glad I never gave up!  I'm sure it will help with recovery as well!

25 Days Closer to Christ

One of my favorite traditions is our 25 Days Closer to Christ Advent Calendar.

Every morning the kids get to open a door and find a little typed up paper telling them what we get to do that day.  Some days it's some fun activity, some days it's just saying we get to go to their performances and get a treat, and some days it's something spiritual.

Whatever it is, the activity helps us spend time as a family and helps us focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  It helps us to remember that receiving isn't what's important.

The kids were excited to find gifts were included in this days activities.

I found some cheap wise man costumes.  So I figured why not get them….we'll be able to use them for years to come.  Plus then I don't have to track down and borrow some.

So years I've made all kind of authentic food for our Jerusalem dinner.  But I have learned that just having a selection of meats and cheeses, with nuts, olives, flat bread with hummus and a couple of juices to drink is really what the kids enjoy.  Plus it's so much easier for me!

The kids walk through out the house with flash lights looking for the star to show them where to find the baby Jesus.  Justin and I are Joseph and Mary.

This year Kiersten and Hunter thought it would be cool if they each brought a gift for Jesus just like the wise men did.  It was pretty special!  They came in and presented us with the gifts by kneeling and everything.  I think it really showed the respect they have for their Savior even in a pretend setting.

This is one of our most favorite Christmas traditions for sure.

It was so cute while we ate dinner Justin read the Christmas story from the Bible to us.  We then discussed what it might have been like to have been there on that very special night.  And while we were doing this, Grant was so excited to hold the "baby Jesus."  It was super cute!

He just held "baby Jesus" and would look at it.  He told me he "tant wait for yo baby to tum!"

He is going to be a wonderful Big Brother! 

Look at how cool the kids decorated for our ELF party!

Hunter learned how to make these 3D snowflakes from Mrs. Kim Skinner.  He taught Kiersten and then they made a ton to hang up.  I love them!

Instead of eating cotton balls, like Buddy the Elf, we saw who could stuff the most large marshmallows in their mouths.

Grant was a trooper…I believe he got 2!

Logan did awesome…..he got 4!

Hunter was turning red as he tried to stuff #6 marshmallow in his mouth.

Kiersten has so serious skills!

She stuffed 11 marshmallows in her mouth!  It was crazy!

Then once Justin did 14 I realized Kiersten got her skills from her dad!

I seriously only got 4  and I was gagging :)

Don't the kids look cute in their Elf hats we made last year!

Yes we did it………..we ate cookie dough and the kids loved it!  Maybe not as much as Justin did though!

I picked up the scrap paper at Justin's office to have our own snowball fight!

Hey when you live in Arizona you have to improvise.

We had such a fun time running around in the basement throwing "snowballs" at each other.

The kids teased me that I wouldn't be able to run after them since I am 9 months pregnant.  But they were pretty surprised when I was running around pelting them with the "snowballs".

I was so much fun!

Christmas Eve day we made cookies for Santa!

Now doesn't this picture show Grant for sure had a good time making the cookies.

I think he got just as much flour on him as we actually put in the cookies!

The cookie decorating was a big hit with Kiersten, Hunter and Logan!

Here is our list of 

25 Days Closer to Christ

1.  Go to Grammy Cluff's for dinner and play with cousins.

2.  Go to Kiersten's and Hunter's piano recital and get ice cream afterwards!

3.  Read "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and have a treat.

4.  Learn of Jesus and begin our "Gift's for Jesus."

5.  Family Fun Night….meet at the temple to watch the Live Nativity then come home to enjoy hot chocolate and make smokes by the fire maybe play a game or two!

6.  Learn of Mary.  Decorate our "Uncle Doyle Tree."

7.  Go watch Kiersten dance before the Light Parade.  Get hot chocolate and then watch the Light Parade.  Then go to dinner with Tif and kids!

8.  Decorate gingerbread houses while watching the Christmas devotional on TV.

9.  Learn of the Angel and make an ornament.

10.  Learn of the Lamb.

11.  Go to the Strings and Choir Concert.  Afterwards get dinner or a treat.

12.  Learn of Joseph and start our "Large Jingle Bell Tradition."

13.  Watch a Christmas movie, like Home Alone, while having a yummy treat!

14.  Go to the dance recitals.  Eat dinner or dessert afterwards!

15.  Make a yummy treat and take it to our secret service, Sister Nettie Cluff and plan something else to do for her.

16.  Read Christmas stories while coddled up in mom's bed.

17.  Learn about the Innkeeper missing out on the chance of a lifetime.  Talked about how we are all like the Innkeepers and need to make room for Christ.

18.  Learn of the shepherds and make a its blanket for Sister Nettie Cluff.

19.  Caroling with violins and then learn of the Angels.

20.  Learn of the Wise men and boys make smores by the fire pit (Kiersten and I might not be back from Gilbert).

21.  Do a secret service for Nettie Cluff……rake leaves or something.

22.  Open the special gifts we have for each of you.  Have our Jerusalem Dinner!

23.  Have a  Buddy the Elf Party, watch the movie ELF!

24.  Go look at Christmas lights and deliver a few gifts to Nettie Cluff and make cookies for Santa, then watch a Christmas Movie.

25.  Give everyone in your family a hug and tell them one thing you love about them.  Show your appreciation for your Christmas gifts!  Remember to thank Heavenly Father for all you've been blessed with both physically and spiritually!

Notice the jingle bell above the 3D snowflake?

Our tradition of is called our Jingle Bell Tradition.  We have a this large jingle bell, we start by giving the jingle bell to someone.  They then perform a secret act of service for someone else in our family and leave the jingle bell for them to find.  I saw this one morning and just had to take a picture.  

Hunter had made a small #D snowflake for Kiersten!

And any tradition that gets your 8 year old son to make his older brothers bed is a tradition worth keeping.  Logan made Hunter's bed while Hunter was eating breakfast before school.

This is one of my favorite traditions!  I love hearing and seeing the sweet things my kids do for each other and Justin and myself.