Best friends

So, for the past month I've been trying to decide what to post about next.

Not that I don't have anything worth posting or writing about, cause I do.

It's just, well, I have 3 kids.

And I'm busy.

And tired.

And sometimes I don't feel very witty or clever.

But, it has been a month since I've posted so I kind of feel obligated to put something up.

We're almost into what I call

"Birthday Season"

at my house.

In the next 3 months, we have 4 birthdays in my own little Matern family, and 5 birthdays in our extended/in-law family.

Crazy.

Bubs will be 2 on March 31.

Monster will be 1 on April 12.

Goose will be 4 on May 2.

And mine is on May 29.

So much has happened this past year since Monster was born.

It has been amazing to me to watch the 3 of them bond and love each other so immensely this past year.

(Goose and I on our date to see "Beauty and the Beast" in 3D with

Grandma Wing.)

(My handsome little monster. It's been so fun to watch his little personality come out the past couple months. So funny.)

(This kid seriously kills me. He is beautiful, right? And he makes me laugh soo hard. His vocabulary has exploded lately and I love all of the little conversations we have.)

They truly love each other.

They take care of each other.

They are each others best friends.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

All 3 of them play, and laugh, and fight, and wrestle, and sing, and dance, and love.

And as much as they drive me nuts sometimes,

they are perfect and make me better.

PS, look what he can do now!



Look what my baby can do...

My little monster is offically VERY mobile.

A little backstory...

At his 6 month well-check, his doctor was concerned because his gross motor skills were lacking. He was behind developmentally.

So with help from a wonderful physical therapist and lots of working,

my little man has made so much progress!

He's gone from not putting or bearing weight on his legs or arms to crawling all over the place and pulling himself up onto everything.

This little kid is amazing.

He's gone from barely being alive, to being an active little monster that is into everything and loves his brother and sister.

It's awesome.

2011...I am so over you.

Dear 2011,

I am so over you.

You were not very nice to us.

Yes, there were a few good things that came out of you, like our baby boy being alive and well, but for the most part,

YOU.SUCKED.

So, if you could kindly let 2012 know that we would like a very uneventful year, that would be ever so kind.

Sincerely,

Casey 

I am so glad that this year is over. I am all about new beginnings and fewer hospital visits.

I'm not typically a resolution maker but, this year I want to make some goals.

Realistic goals.

Goals that will better myself.

Goals that will better my family.

Goals that will better my marriage.

Goals that will better my life.

Here goes...

1. If I don't get pregnant this year, I seriously want to loose 50 pounds.
2. Grow my hair out.
3. Be better about having regular FHE.
4. Have family scripture study.
5. Personal scripture study.
6. Be better at praying every night both with John and by myself.
7. Have more faith.
8. Keep journals for the kids.
9. Keep up on laundry.
10. Cook a homemade meal at least 3 times a week.
11. Be better financially by using a cash only system and put more into savings this year.
12. Audition more.
13. Sing more.
14. Count my blessings.
15. Take more pictures.
16. Do more to let my husband how madly in love with him I am and how much that love grows everyday.
17. Play with my kids more.
18. Attend the temple more often.
19. Try not to frequent the hospital/doctors office as often.
20. Just have a healthy, happy family. Period.

I know that unexpected things will happen this coming year and I am ok with that. I am just going to do whatever I can to not have a repeat of last year.

I have 3 amazing kids that make my life an adventure everyday.

I have an amazing husband who loves me and puts up with all of my craziness and the many things I know drive him nuts.

I have great friends, new and old, that are going to make this coming year great.

I may not be able to accomplish all of the goals that I've set, but I think that most of them are pretty darn achievable.

So, with that said,

Happy New Year 

from

The Matern Family 



Shcrap

S*&# + Crap = Shcrap

This week has been shcrap.

Like shcrappy shcrap.

The Monday before Thanksgiving,

I found out I was pregnant.

We were terrified. 

We were shocked.

We were ecstatic.

It was not planned...at all.

But we've learned over the years that we can't really expect anything planned.

Our kids like to do their own thing when it comes to when they join our family.

We had only told a handful of people because we knew what the common reaction would be from people. And it wasn't a positive one. I can't tell you how tired I am of hearing,

"Wow, you guys must be SO busy!"

"SO are you done now?"

"When are you guys going to make it permanent?"

 "Is John going to get snipped?"

 "Are you having your tubes tied?"

Frankly, it's none of their business. Our family plan, when we dcide to add children to our family is between me, John, and God.

Fast forward to Sunday night when I started spotting and feeling like something was wrong.

Monday morning I went in to have my blood drawn to check my HCG levels and found out they were lower than they should have been for how far along I was (8 weeks).

Fast forward again to Tuesday afternoon when I started having some awful, sharp pain so my doctor had me go into the ER.

They did an ultrasound where we were fortunate enough to see a cute little heartbeat and everything looked perfect. That was at about 6:30 PM.

We got home around 10 PM and that's when all hell broke loose. Literally the second I walked in the door. It was an awful night full of all sorts of details I won't go into.

Wednesday morning, I got in to do another ultrasound where they found that the perfect little peanut and heartbeat we had seen the night before, wasn't there.

Sometime in the 4 hours the night before from the ultrasound and when we got home, the baby passed away and my body took over.

I had a D&C done late Wednesday night and have been home resting since.

I'm not writing this post for sympathy and pity. While I am truly grateful for the love and support both John and I have recieved the past few days, I am writing to just simply let people know in a way that I don't necessarily have to talk in person.

Is that selfish or weird?

Maybe.

But I just really would rather not break down in front of you.

I'll be fine.

I am fine.

It hurts and will continue to hurt for a while. I know anyone that has gone through this understands.

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel and the Plan of Salvation.

I am so grateful for the 3 beautiful, amazing, perfect children I do have.

I am so grateful the love and support of my friends and family who have been there and let me sob into your shoulder and have helped with my kids.

I am so grateful for an amazing husband who has been my rock. I'm not the only one who lost a baby. He did too.

We know there is one more child for us to raise here on this earth. I don't know when that will happen or when we will have the blesing of doing so, but I can't wait.

I can't wait to have my enitre family here with me.

That will be perfection.



Why yes, it has been that long...

2 months.

Yes. It has been 2 months since I've blogged. So what have we been up to?

Lots.

 Lots and lots.

Shall we do this pictures?

Yeah, I think that'll be the best way to do things.

So here ya go, the past 2 months in the life of the Matern clan...

Someone got tired while they were playing.

Sibling love...no seriously. They adore each other.

Bubs on his first day of nursery...

Someone excited about being Spiderman for Halloween.



Daddy and his baby girl.

Rapunzel and her cousins... 

This little monster kills me. I adore him.

Helping Dad rake the leaves.

My adorable little bat.

Life has been super crazy the last few months, hence the lack of blogging. And it's only going to get more crazy. Life with 3 kids is an adventure, to say the least. But, I can't imagine my life without any of them.



The big 3-0

Today is the Hubs birthday. He's 30 now. Talk about old man. It's ok, he knows he totally robbed the cradle when he married me.

K, I actually hate that phrase,

"robbed the cradle"...

Anyways...

And since it's his birthday, that means that he's sick.

Yep.

 So sick.

 And I feel so bad.

But this honestly happens EVERY. YEAR.

Without fail, the week of his birthday, it starts with the kids. The puking, the vomitting, the diarrhea.

(Yep, I totally just said diarrhea on my blog...)

Then it's me, then him.

ALWAYS the week of his birthday.

(Sorry folks, he's taken.)

So, since Hubs is passed out on the couch feeling like death, my plans for today have gone out the window.

Sorry babe. We'll celebrate as soon as you can stand again.

(At the hospital when Bubs was born.)

I love you.

We'll aim for heathly next year.

Summer ramblings...

Sometimes life is crazy. K, maybe life is crazy ALL THE TIME.

Especially when you have 3 kiddos ages 3 and under, a husband who works 40-60 hours a week, and an awesome job teaching what you love twice a week. 

The Matern family is BUSY. I never would have thought we would be so busy when our kids are still so young. And it's only going to get busier the older they get.

I can't believe that summer is almost over. I feel like we haven't really done anything, but yet we've done so much. Dance classes for Goose are starting up in the next week or so, which also means that I will be starting my Musical Theater teaching gig here shortly as well. Goose is so excited to be doing ballet again this year as well as tap.

But enough of the boring stuff. Let's get to the part you really love, pictures. Cause let's face it, my kids are adorable.

(Don't mind the quality on some of these, they were all taken with my phone cause frankly it's very convienent.)



We chopped Goose's hair.

And we all LOVE it.

My crazies after church.

Camping with the fam over the 24th of July. This is the first decent family picture we have of the 5 of us...Can you say family pictures in the fall. Yes. Yes, you can.

This kid KILLS me. Kills me cause seriously the cutest darn thing ever, and kills me cause he drives me absolutely CRAZY. And I thought Goose was dramatic...

I have been sealed to this man for 4 years. It has been the most stressful, crazy, emotional, hardest, fun, life-changing, and the best 4 years of my life, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

(Yes, you read that right. We have only been married for 4 years and we have 3 kids ages 3 and under. That's how we roll folks.)

Do I weigh about 50 pounds more than when we got married?

Yes, I do.

Have I ever been more stressed in my life.

No, I haven't.

Has my house ever been cleaner for more than 5 seconds?

No, it hasn't.

Do I listen to crying children all day long?

You'd better believe it.

Do I get greeted each day with a huge hug and kiss from a man that I absolutely adore?

Oh yeah.

Have we created 3 of the most beautiful, crazy, hilarious children in the world?

Yes, we have.

Do I absolutely LOVE my life?

You know it.

And I have it all because I have a very strong belief that because I made the choice to be sealed for time and all eternity to the man I love, that I will be able to be with him and our children FOREVER. Like, forever forever. And I say that's AWESOME. Pure awesome.