6 months

My lil Pipes is 6 months already- Actin all grown up and trying new things like sitting up, eating a few solids, scootin round the floor and growling like a dinosaur. Yes, its sort of like having a puppy around here. We all sit and cheer for her as she does tricks for us. We are either really bored or really in love with this girl!
In other news, we are currently in unpacking mode as we moved houses...literally down the street. We like this house much better. As much as we are unpacking, we are packing up again for Utah. Home for the holidays here we come. Until then have a very merry Christmas!

snow canyon

The other weekend, a few friends and I packed our bags and headed to St George to run the snow canyon half marathon.
(side note)-Let me tell you something...moving to Vegas was hard at first.
It was hard to be away from family and start over with new friends, but it has been all worth it because the girls i have met are pure AWESOME-NESS.
We enjoyed training together once and awhile for our race by running stairs at the high school, doing cross fit at the park and some long runs.
It was a chilly race morning but beautiful and downhill! I scored a 1:31 and placed 3rd in my age group! yipee!

Happy Halloween

October flew by before my eyes and so our halloween costumes are a bit thrown together but as long as everyone is smiling, hey..thats all the matters right?!
...

Hope ya'll have a spooky halloween.
Much Love, Reggie- the ninja, Owen-the mummy, Piper- the cat and Tyson-Texas ranger fan

4 months

My little Pippa is 4 months 2morrow & obviously we have mixed emotions about it.
In other news, Owen turns 6 this week AND lost his first tooth at his birthday party this weekend (which consisted of 25 6 yr old...20 of which were boys!) CHAOS!
Reggie is now counting down the days till his party AS WELL as Santa coming.
Good things happening round these parts!
*A special thanks to "mi hermana" for capturing Pipers sad face with her deep scary voice.

love these guys

Now that Owen is officially a public school go-er, Reg and I are getting to know each other all over again. I feel bad for the little dude, always attending Owen's games, practices, school things ect...Now its time for him to shine. While Owen is off riding the bus and hangin at the Kindergarten playground, Reg and I and of course Piper will be attending story times, soccer classes, gymnastics and eating otter pops on the porch till our hearts content! (at least for 2 1/2 hrs). :-)

So im terrible at this blogging thing...or it could be the fact that i have 3 children that require much attention.
Here is what is happening lately-
-this pipes turned 2 MONTHS and continues to be a gem! She sleeps 6-7 hrs a night, eats like a champ and smiles like crazy, especially for Owen. (he's got awesome baby talk).
- We took a quick trip to Utah for Tyson so attend his cousins wedding in Idaho & it felt great to sit on the porch & do a whole lot of nothing in the 80 degree weather.
- Owen visited the dentist and got laughing gas for the first time and giggled the entire time. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!
- Been doin tons o swimming and park playing with friends (mostly in the morning or evenin hours of course). I realize Vegas in the summertime is like Utah in the wintertime...not a whole lot to do during the day unless you have plans to sweat to death.
- Owen finished up his basketball season and is now starting fall little league. Go White Sox.
- Reggie continues to keep us laughing with the things he says and does. Sometimes you love the kid, sometimes you just can't take him anymore. sigh....3 yrs olds! He is excited to start preschool next week and we are excited to have him go get some time away with friends.
- We pretty much live in St George on the weekends. With my family and some of Tyson's fam there most the time, its SO nice to play with them & get away here and there.
- Im starting my new calling as activity days leader this week and am super excited about it.
- Tyson is playing softball, teaching with the missionaries, visiting ward members and has actually took up a bit of running lately! its great to see him hooked.
-Speaking of running, im back in action, although slow and steady. Snow Canyon half marathon is in November & guess who's signed up??
-Anywho, life is great & with school starting we will have more to do! Hopefully i can stay up to date!

i couldn't resist

Lucky me...

Piper was blessed and in turn...so was i. How lucky i feel to have such a helpful hot husband, cute good boys & a healthy baby girl. I am truly blessed with the best family ever. I cant wait to have another (well...actually i can:-)).

1 month old + a few days

Piper is 1 month old (5 wks to actually). We like her. Ok...we LOVE her.

July

So needless to say this month has been a bit busy...between birthing babies, trips to St George and Utah County & keeping 2 active boys busy ide say we got a nice kick in the pants to start summer off!! Grandpa Dave LOVED all the attention he got from his grandkids and took advantage of the love with 4-wheeler rides around the neighborhood in St George.
Tyson already has a little problem with having his lil girl wrapped around his finger. Look how comfy she looks just layin with dad.
Tyson was super dad while i was down with the baby and took the boys to gunlock falls in st george. It was super awesome and apparently a favorite for the boys.
We have been doing alot of this....
and moments of awake time too...currently she has big blue eyes, olive skin and dark hair.
Owen shows his nurturing side (just like his dad) and wants to "babysit" Piper all day long. cute.
For the 4th, we headed up to Utah County and spent lots of time with family playing at the park, swimming, celebrating our freedom with parades, stadium of fire and BBQ's. Pics were taken by cousin Jamie...thank goodness because my camera is out of commission currently. Mom & Dad with all 10 grandkids!
My beautiful Grandma Thatcher with baby Piper. I love the generation pics. This one almost made me cry.
And of course, chillin pool side at Aunt Denise's pool with BFF Haley singin out lady gaga tunes and sippen on snow cones. There is nothing like summer in Utah. Im already itching to go back and escape the 100+ weather in Vegas.

Piper

It all happened on a friday morning. I had my regular 38 wk check up with my doctor in St George. (who by the way...i LOVE). I was dilated to a 3 & so he stripped my membranes. All day friday i pushed it pretty hard. Walked around 4 miles, up and down stairs, swam some laps, played baseball with the boys (in which tyson suggested i shag the balls...we were all very anxious for her to come that weekend) and got a pedicure. At dinner time contractions started coming every 8-10 minutes and by 11pm they were coming every 3-4 mins, although not too painful. Tyson suggested we go get checked and he made sure he made the ride there really bumpy while jammin to "apple botttom jeans...boots with the furrr". Upon arrival i was a 4 & my blood pressure was high. After an hour of monitoring, the contractions started becomming more painful. I was at a 5 already. I was staying to have a baby. Another hour passes & breathing becomes harder through contractions so i finally got my epidural. That is when the fun started. Immediately after getting my epidural my blood pressure dropped, the room was spinning and i passed out. I woke up with my head in a barf bag ghost white. Apparently it's a normal thing...would have been nice to know :-) because it scared the crap out of me! I was able to take a nice little rest for a few hours although i kept waking to a woman in labor screaming bloody murder next door & Tys and my mom cracking up. About 6am i started feeling pain again and then a "pop"...water broke and i was fully dilated and ready to push. She was posterior so doctor turned her a few times and she kept flipping back around. Stubborn girl already? I hope not. She finally stayed head down and was born at 7:27am. That is when tyson turned ghost white and had to lay down with a barf bag, a cold rag on his forehead sipping on apple juice. It was hilarious...i couldn't help but laugh. My mom took hiw job & cut the cord. He always made fun of those guys who passed out during labor. Granted, he hadn't eaten in 12 hrs. Anyway, i was grateful to go through labor on my own (with a little help with epidural of course). i always wanted to know what it was like to have contractions and water break and let my body do what it should instead of being induced like i did with the boys. It was an awesome experience. So happy to have Piper around. she is eating & sleeping like a champ. we love her and are excited to have her little spirit in our family!

Piper Capri Mackay

This is what our family looks like these days. (Puffy eyes and all)

We are so excited to have little Piper around.

She came 2 weeks early, born on 6/11, and weighed 6lbs 13 oz.

She is LOVED by her brothers and pretty much has Tyson wrapped around her finger already.

More pics to come.

Dear Aaron

Even though you are REALLY old now because today is your birthday, we think your moves are still very hip and young. You dance Aaron. You deserve too...because once again, today is YOUR day Aaron. I am proud to say i have the coolest Brother in law who is hip enough to throw dance parties on his street...just because, run a marathon just because HE can, Stock his garage full of corn chex cereal...because that's what cool people do when you cant have wheat, and buy endless amounts of cleats on ebay...because...well they were a good deal.
Happy Birthday big guy.

Friends

I have GREAT friends...what can i say. They imprompto loaded 4 small kiddos (under 3) total and headed to Vegas to see me & Meg and my huge belly for a few days! These girls i have knows since i was a small little lad.
We all looked at each other and shook our heads as ALL 7 of our kids ran wild through my house...look how far we have all come :-)
It is so fun seeing them and their kids. My all star husband stayed home with all the kids (minus cute little Ellery) one evening as we got a enjoy a little quiet time, grimaldi's pizza, cheesecake factory and a walk through pottery barn. They asked if Tyson was always this willing to take on 7 kids alone...i had to say yes... Because he truly is amazing and born to LOVE kidlets.
A highlight was watching "never say never"...it was like we were 14 again as we all developed little crushes on Justin Beiber. I hope my boys never grow up and learn how to flirt like him though.
Thanks for the fun girlies...cant wait till next time!

Today we ate strawberries dipped in powdered sugar in our swimsuits. Doesn't get any better than that!

some big things

So it's safe to say that our 2nd home has become St George. I have always loved this little town and since mom & dad will soon call it their home (oops, was i supposed to spill that news?) i'm sure we will be here even more often. I will delivering my baby here and LOVE my doctor so we have our fair share of commutes!

On one of our mini trips we took many zips around the block on the scooter. Reg couldn't get enough even if i made him stand because my belly wouldn't allow me to share the seat.
For our Easter this year, we took another trip to St George and met this famous bunny. Most awkward easter bunny ever. He wondered around and waited for kids to come up to him. Finally, i felt so bad for him we went and took our pic with him, even though his bow tie was crooked and his pants were accidentally tucked into his socks the whole time.
On abother occasion, i came up for a little girls weekend with my mackay girls. We pretty much laughed the whole time...im surprised my water didn't break. I love each of them and am so lucky they share their awesome-ness with me!
In the next month i will be there even more helping the parentals unpack their things and with about a month and a half left pregnant, i will be making lots of Dr visits. So exciting!

one of those days

I know this is nothing new but it has been so fun watching Owen play baseball this year....and he has caught on quite nice if i can say so myself. He looks forward to each game. Here is a little video for the grandparents of course who can't make it to the games. are you proud? :-)

In other news...
We had "one of those days" last week where i didn't get out of my workout clothes, we ate strawberries and grapes till our hearts content and we laid in bed and read books till we all fell asleep (it actually wasn't that glorious..but i was dying for a nap so a little bribe worked and we slept for hours).

I am trying to soak up all the time i can with life as it is with my boys. I will miss days when it is just the 3 of us hanging out together at home, although i am excited beyond belief to add another child to the family. The boys have been obsessed with the belly and tell me to eat less treats because im "getting fat". Gotta love em.

I just returned home from a little girls weekend with the Mackay girls to St George where we relaxed, played games and laughed until my braxton hicks contractions actually started to hurt! I had such a good time with them.

I also discovered this weekend i have I-15 on my left leg in the form of a vein. Baby must be relaxing on a nerve. Good times.

We went home to Ut County last week to sell our home and see family. On our way back we stopped in st George for a doctors appointment and swam and played in the sun!

I hope this update was a good one for the family (ive been instructed to post more and i feel like im improving :o)).

More to come...

miss this...

(This picture was taken last summer and makes me want to cry...for a number of reasons)-

1. It is taken at our first home in my hometown of Provo, Utah...sad because we just sold it last week and i have been emotional about the whole thing.
2. My garden is so green and flourishing! I miss my garden....here in Vegas i have 4 jars in my kitchen window with herbs planted. that is all...the afternoon sun is too strong for anything to flourish (so i have heard...i may try to prove them wrong.)
3. Im hungary and baked squash with brown sugar sounds Delish right now but NO way ill pay 4 bucks for 1 right now.
4. Owen and Reg loved to help take care of our yard & garden. I loved that it taught them with patience, everything grows!
5. I miss my neighborhood and letting the kids ride bikes in the road with the neighborhood kids all day long shirtless.

Side note- we really do LOVE where we are now, its just hard to let go of such a great chapter in life and start a completely different one...know what i mean?
We are very happy and love our new friends and park days and preschool and walks and picnics and sunshine and beautiful mountains near. Things are good but would totally be better with a garden :)

"Justin" Beavers

Does this picture make anyone else smile as big as it does me?? Owen has been growing up before my eyes and finally started little league. We are talkin...team uniforms and all...not that little city baseball stuff...this is the big leagues folks. I mean games twice a week and practice once a week! Hello!! Im officially a baseball mom who can't miss one practice or game and watches with my sunflower seeds in tow. It is SO fun to watch him and his favorite position is "hitting". The best about this whole ordeal is that his team name is the beavers and he tells everyone he plays for the "Justin Beavers". Love it...love him.
Game face= check. Enlarged hat that smoosh his ears like doopy= check.
Another great thing is most of this group of boys is they are all in the neighborhood/ward...makes for a fun and social activity for mom too.
Go JUSTIN BEAVERS!

Lady Luck

So i have been Lucky enough to meet some awesome gals here in LV who love running as much as me and who have lovingly invited me on some fun runs, swimming and frozen yogurt stops. I took on the challenge of putting together a Lake to Lake relay team in St George (Gunlock to Sand Hollow) and of course these girls were on it!! I knew i would be 6 months preg but luckily i was able to run my 2 legs without peeing my pants and pain-free (that night was another story though:O)) However we managed to finish 7th in the womens division!! Speaking of luck...our team name was "Lady Luck" even though i wasn't lucky enough to fit into my team tanktop...but none the less, i feel like one lucky girl who had herself a super good time!!
(me, Jenn, Denise, Alison & Jeanine).

Love

This is my mom...have you met her? She is super awesome and i wouldn't be anyone without her. I love our relationship and i love all the things we get to do together. She is like a young girl at heart. I am SO happy that in June i will have a DAUGHTER of my own to hang with, shop with, and have that little special relationship with too.
Im so glad my mom is my mom and that she'll be my mom forever and i will be her daughter forever. I love her to pieces and can't wait to love my little girl to pieces soon. (not soon enough:)).

exploring Vegas

We discovered 5 miles up the road from our house is red rock canyon..the boys were in heaven climbing on the rocks...and throwing them of course. We were lucky we had no trips to the ER that day with 4 active boys. Owen and Reg have some buddies in St George (Bridger and Roper) and we were fortunate enough to have Jenn and Kyle bring them and come and stay for the weekend... and they are pretty cool themselves! cards, homemade ice cream, banangram, newlywed game....It was good times!
Then...sister brought Will and Millie down for the day and we went and did some more hiking of course. It is so pretty up there! We visited the park, the M&M factory and cheesecake factory date with sister. It was just what the doc ordered for me. When im feeling a bit down or homesick, its nice to have sister a hop, skip and an hour a half drive away. Plus, these little rascals play NON Stop!


Discovering a really cool cave.
Hello chubby...whats your name? I'm not a big fan of pics of my pregnant self (even though i am grateful for this little bean growing inside) but since i am a big fan of my husband and think he is a hottie and makes up for my lack of... he deserves to make a debut on here once and a awhile right? Plus, it was a really pretty hike. :)

PS- If any of you Vegas runners (or any) out there want to to join me in the lake to lake relay happening on March 5th i believe... in St George, I would love to put together a team! It consists of 2 legs of 5 miles. Plus, you get to end at sand hollow and spend ALL day with me in a car. Its a huge treat! Warning: I will be slow but steady and i will provide yummy snacks. Think about it!

see...

Told you i would deliver more pics! This is the super awesome cake Kristen made for my Reg. Its a good thing she pulled through, otherwise he would have had some lame cupcake mix with a candle. After seeing his face, it was priceless!
i just about died...so cute right? Kristen is so talented, and im so happy she shared her talents with my family :) Thank you kristen!
happiest kid on earth.

In other news, i am growing by the day i swear and have my real ultrasound in 2 weeks. I have been holding a little secret as to what i am having because an earlier ultrasound identified the sex of this babe...but i will make you wait just so that im TOTALLY sure. I have found a great running route where i live now and am going to try super hard to run this whole pregnancy...even though i feel like i will pee my pants the second i start my jog.

Anyhow, Vegas has been good so far, but its killing me that noone is ever out...i know i know, its winter, but its making it really hard to meet friends and i am dying for some! do i sound desperate or what?! I guess the rock front yards aren't condusive for sitting and hanging out and meeting neighbors. And the fact that now we are now the majority around here when it comes to religion. That is hard to adjust to...but ill get there.

dont let him fool you

This little rascal turned 3 recently and is showing it well! In the midst of moving and traveling and packing and unpacking, we did manage to throw him a little party before we left Utah...then another one when we got to St George with more cousins and friends (which involved a Saweeet toy story cake made by sisters friend Kristen, AMAZING i tell ya...pics to come) and then yet another little party in Vegas which involved a visit to the mandalay bay shark reef and skinny cows (don't ask...the boys just love em!). Needless to say, Reg wasn't left behind....like most things in my life right now, including my blog. I make a promise to update more since we are away from family now, and i WILL keep my promise...starting like tomorrow or the next day. Speaking of being away from family and living in a new place, i am actually really liking it so far. I have costco and target down the street who provide ample comfort when im feeling homesick and lots of fun parks around every corner. The ward is super awesome as i can tell... And the weather...um hello...70's today. Is anyone jealous? I sat at the park with my sun glasses on while the boys rode their bikes for the majority of the day. heaven for January! I think i can get used to this...with ocassional trips to Utah of course. Anywho, more to come...of course, like i promised!