The Haas Fam

2012-02-18T23:56:00.002-07:00

Just a quick update since the surgery. I think he is feeling a little better. He had a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line put in so that he can start getting nutrition through his veins (TPN). Thank goodness! I feel like that alone will help him to start feeling better. No food by mouth for a while I think...

So that is pretty much it for now. Hoping he will turn the corner here really soon! Thanks for all of your support.

7 pound baby

2012-02-17T16:04:00.002-07:00

Hey all,

Where do I begin? So, Dad had a horrible night. The pain became so severe from the pressure in his belly that he was unable to sleep pretty much the whole night and this morning while we were waiting to hear the plan from the doctors he started spitting up copious amounts of bile. It was obvious that his stomach was not working AGAIN. Miserable man...

So, just before 10:00 this morning the doctor came in and told us that he would be going in for surgery as soon as possible to clean out the fluid with a scope. He said that the WBC count had gone up so they were worried about more infection. They put an NG tube down into his stomach and immediately pulled out about 1/2 liter of bile. No wonder his reflux was so bad. They took him to the OR around 11:20.

Here comes the 7 pound baby. Apparently when they got the scope they were unable to pull out any fluid because it wasn't really fluid, it was like a thick infected gel substance! Yuck! Sorry if this is making you sick... Anyway, they had to cut a 4 in. incision and literally pull out the gunk with their hands, 7 pounds of gunk to be exact. Then they flushed him out with saline and sewed up the muscle but left the incision open so as not to close in the infection.

Basically the doctor said that it was a very good thing they did this, it didn't happen a moment too soon, and that he was so surprised that Dad wasn't showing more signs of being sick with that amount of infected fluid. So, he is going back to his regular room and the gunk is going to the lab to help them know how to treat him better.

Whew! Sorry if I am sharing too much information. Thanks for all your prayers and loving words.

Love,
Darcy

February 16th update on Dad

2012-02-16T22:05:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone,

People keep telling me that I need to start blogging about my dad's battle with cancer to keep everyone in the loop, so I guess I am going to try. I am not the best at this, but I will try to keep you all up to date.

Here is a very long story shortened...

Back in September my dad, Jay, started feeling kind of off. His appetite wasn't all that good, he felt a little sick to his stomach, less energy, weight loss (he started at about 200 lbs and lost 12 pounds during this time) etc. After a couple of weeks of that he went in to his doctor to try to figure out what was up. After about a week, on a Friday, they decided to do a CAT scan and immediately found a 2.5 cm. mass on his pancreas. It seemed like our world was turned upside down in that moment. It was a LONG weekend filled with wild thoughts, tears, and anxiety. Early the following Monday he went in for an endoscopic procedure to biopsy the mass and a few days later we were told that he had adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

A couple of weeks later Dad started what they called the most potent and effective chemotherapy regimen available for pancreatic cancer. It was horrible. One treatment every other week for 4 treatments total. Doesn't sound like much does it? Within one week of his first treatment he went from 188 lbs to 168 lbs. 20 lbs in one week! I felt like he was dying right before my eyes. It was horrifying. He was so sick. Anyway, he survived the 8 weeks. They had to lower his dose after that first treatment, and he had to go in multiple times to get fluids and was actually hospitalized once for a few days to get him hydrated and his electrolytes stabilized. It was such a difficult time for all of us, but I am so glad that I had the blessing of being there to help take care of him. We are living with my parents right now while we both build homes so my family and I have been in the mix of all of this since it began. We broke ground on our house 3 days before dad's CAT scan that found the mass. Interesting how things happen the way they do...

So, he survived that round of chemo and in the end, the scan at the end of the treatment showed that the tumor had not shrunk at all, but that the activity of the cancer cells seemed to be decreased. From there he was given about 8 weeks to recover from chemo and prepare for a surgery called the Whipple. He had gotten down to about 157 pounds. Literally skin and bones. It took a few weeks, but he finally started to put some weight back on. He took the initiative to get himself into some physical therapy and ate really well and really started to feel pretty good. During the last few weeks of that time he was actually able to do some work on their house. It was pretty amazing. He got up to about 185 pounds, which we were so happy with.

On February 2nd dad went in for surgery, the "Whipple". It took 8 hours and they removed half of the pancreas, the duodenum (part of small intestine), and 28 lymph nodes. They also scraped the tumor off of his portal vein, but didn't have to resect this major vein that the tumor had been pressing up on. Dad did amazingly well. The doctors said that he was the best whipple patient they had ever seen! They did find in the pathology report that 7 of the 28 lymph nodes did have the same adenocarcinoma cells and if anything, the tumor had grown. This was so disappointing. At that point they told us that in a month, Dad would start radiation 5 days a week for 5 weeks as well as more chemotherapy. We had been told before the surgery that most likely he wouldn't have to do any more of this :(

After a week, they sent him home on a regular diet and some pain pills, but within an hour of being home he took a turn for the worse. It was late in the evening and his pain became very intense and then the sweating started. Mom was up with him all night changing clothes time after time, mopping up his sweat. The man that was doing laps through the hospital couldn't even walk from the bedroom to the couch. Sam and I slept through it all... The next morning, Friday the 10th, we called the Dr. and made plans to come in for a CAT scan at 12:30. By the time we started preparing to go, Dad couldn't even stand long enough to change his clothes. Skoby and I had to carry him through the house, down the stairs and out to the car. When we arrived at the hospital (Huntsman Cancer Hospital) we got him in the wheelchair and he quickly lost consciousness. Any nursing experience I have had stayed locked up in a box as I panicked and ran for help. It was so scary! He came to about 30 seconds later and we quickly made it up to the clinic where they efficiently got him going with some fluids and oxygen.

Anyway, sorry for all the details. He started feeling significantly better with the fluids and was able to do his CAT scan. Okay, I really am going to shorten some of this... Dad ended up being admitted back in the hospital that day. They did find infection in some fluid in his belly and started him on antibiotics, and put in an NG tube to empty his distended stomach that didn't seem to be working. He continued to get worse and ended up in the ICU Sunday night because of a rapid heart arythmia (Atrial Fibrillation) and low blood pressure. He stayed there for 2 days where they got his heart stable. During that time the infection was causing him to be VERY confused. He is much more with it mentally now and he is now back on the regular surgical unit, exactly a week from the time he went home from the surgery. He has gotten 4 units of blood in the last few days and he has gained about 30 pounds! Crazy when he hasn't eaten hardly anything. So today they did another CAT scan of his belly and found a very large amount of fluid, probably about 30 pounds worth between that and his swollen legs! So, we will find out in the morning what they are going to do about that. Most likely they will either place a drain with during a paracentesis or take him back in the operating room and use a scope to clean it out and place one or more drains.

SO, I am going to pull out this super comfy hospital couch and try to get some sleep now. My dear mother has been here on this couch many nights and I convinced her to sleep in her own bed tonight. Thank you to all of you who care and want to know what is going on with my amazing dad. And thanks to all of you who have helped in one way or another. We love you all.

Night.

Darcy

Early Mother's Day "Party"

2010-04-14T12:41:00.004-06:00

Dane and Peter so sweetly threw me an early Mother's Day party yesterday. Dane came up with idea and Peter was his little assistant. It included decorations, good food, a sweet card, and lots of hugs and love. I am the luckiest mom alive.

They did the whole meal by themselves, which included: peanut butter and jam sandwiches, caesar salad, and carrots with ranch. Dane said while we were eating "I love caesar salad. It is my favorite! Mom, whats your favorite salad?" I tried to tell him that I liked a lot of different salads, but caesar wasn't quite my favorite, he said, "Oh darn, I should have made YOUR favorite!" It was pretty sweet. Anyway, here are some shots of the party. The decorations were red paper hearts he had cut out and taped on the walls all over.

While I am here...I guess I will do a mini catch-up. Here is a shot from Easter.

An older picture of Andi flashing that beautiful smile.

But most important of all!!! Peter learned how to ride his bike without his training wheels! He learned about a week ago and he has spent every minute he could on that bike. He did awesome! The next day his legs had so many little bruises on them, but he never complained for a second. He was so determined to get it right. I have seen a new side of him for sure. Yeah Pete!

My Baby!

2010-02-28T21:43:00.004-07:00

Time is flyin' so fast! I feel like I am just holding on for the ride and I haven't even had time to look out the windows. So sad. My baby is 1!!! She had a birthday over a month ago, and here I am finally documenting it.

Since Christmas and now her birthday we have acquired our first "girl" toys. How fun. Our little Andi is definitely becoming a little girl, in more ways than one. I never believed it would really happen with my daughter. Dramatic, emotional, hair pulling, screaming, cuddly, sweet, heart melting angel. That's it in a nutshell. Oh do we love her!

Her hair is usually caked with some kind of sticky mess. She certainly loved her cake, although, unlike the boys, it wasn't her first treat of her life. She is spoiled already.

Rediculous, I know

2009-11-29T20:19:00.007-07:00

Yes, I am really bad at this. This is for my poor family that lives 2,500 miles away.

July

September

First day of preschool!!! Peter LOVES Miss Katie's preschool.

First day of Kindergarten for Dane. Yes, I cried. These last few months have been rough for me. My kids are growing up WAY to fast. I want to stop time.

October
Our annual fall family pictures. Thank you Anne! They are amazing!

Playing in the leaves

Never thought I would see this day. These are my favorite pictures from when I was a kid. In the tub with all my big brothers.
Surprise!!! My mom turned 60 this year so we had a big surprise costume party for her. She was totally surprised and it was a blast. My mom is the most incredible woman, mother, grandma. I just hope that someday I can be half the person she is. Love you Mom!!!

Inside out and backwards

2009-08-17T10:04:00.004-06:00

Sweet Pete has made us laugh again today. He has been enjoying dressing himself lately. Mostly because he thinks it is better to wear all articles backwards: shorts, shirts, underwear, etc. So this morning I come in the door from running and Sam quickly motions me to look up the stairs. There stood Peter with a sheepish grin. Shirt on backwards, pants on inside out, rolled at the top and open at the button, as well as wearing Dane's underwear backwards. I snatched a few pics as quickly as I could. It looked so terribly uncomfortable. But, he has been perfectly content all morning.

Thank goodness for Sassy

2009-08-03T10:55:00.003-06:00

I just had to say thank you to my friend Lynn for introducing me to the this baby feeder. It has been a lifesaver! Any of you with babies, you have to get one of these. You can put anything in it from ice, to apples, to green beans, to whatever is on your dinner table and your baby will suck out all the juice without choking! Andi loves it! And so do I. At our famiyl reunion it was soooo hot all day and I just kept putting ice cubes in it for Andi. It was great.
The one I got is made by Sassy, but I am sure there are others. I got mine at Babies R Us. It comes with 4 mesh bags, and you can buy spare bags too, which I suggest. For the feeder plus the extra bags it was about $11. Definitely worth the money.

The house wife gets out!

2009-07-30T15:03:00.005-06:00

So, I am still terribly behind, but I can't help post all of these fun pictures of when Nana and Papa Lauri were here almost a month ago. They definitely helped this house wife get out of the house. I guess I am just a homebody. Having them here made me wonder why Sam and I don't do these things more often, or at all :)

Andi's first time in the baby pool. Kai was there to distract her from her nervousness.

We haven't been to the zoo for a couple of years. The boys LOVED it. It really wasn't too bad. I might be able to do it on my own. Well, we bought a season pass, so I better be able to. I welcome any invitations for company to the zoo. I need a little encouragement!

Andi's experience at the zoo was limited mostly to the bike trailer. I thought she did pretty well, considering. I think she must have been looking up at the monkeys here. I'd like to think so anyway.

We had a blast out in the back yard having a water fight, which I haven't done in years, and playing on the slip n slide. Super fun.

On their last day here we went up to Cascade Springs and to Deer Creek. The boys had so much fun, and Andi, well she was a good sport. We had such a great time with Nancy and Lauri. We love you guys. Thanks for coming and getting this house wife out!

T-Ball, Jerry, and 2 fingers

2009-07-17T13:49:00.004-06:00

Wasn't quite sure what to call this, as I will be playing blog catch up for the next few days. So this will have to do.

Dane played T-ball in June and Sam was lucky enough to be his coach :) It was a bit painful for me as a parent, but I think Dane had fun.

His favorite part was running the bases. As you can see, he never watched where the ball went when he hit it, he was only focused on 1st base.

Sam wanted to grow a mustache to see if he looked like his dad. I told him he could grow a goatee (yes, I googled it to see how to spell it) and after it was long enough he could shave and see how it looks. Here is the result. Just as I expected, he looks so much like his dad, Jerry, who passed away almost 3 years ago. Oh, we miss him. It was fun to see Sam like this, but I couldn't stand it for too long. It was way to strange, and I am not a mustache kind of lady. He shave a few minutes later.

I just have to give a cheer for the 2 fingers. They are a lifesaver. I had to take of picture of this. Andi has been sucking on her 2 fingers of her right hand since she was about 2 months old. She almost always does it to go to sleep, and since she has started eating, she likes to follow up her bites with the 2 fingers. It helps the food go down I guess. So cute. I am sure I will hate it when she starts going to nursery. I am kind of a germaphobe. I guess I will enjoy it for now though.

Andi loves our big Kai Kai and he is so sweet with her. We love having our Kai. As I am writing this, the boys have built a fort for them and the dog and he actually quite likes it. He is laying in there chewing a bone while they have a little picnic in there. I love boys!

It isn't about the candy!

2009-06-23T21:40:00.008-06:00

I shouldn't say anything cause I will probably ruin everything, but I must give major credit where credit is due. Our boys have been so amazing lately. They have been playing together so well. Hours go by, the two of them playing and I don't hear a single peep. I must be the luckiest mom ever. It makes me so happy to see them love each other and love playing together. These pics were taken about a week ago one day when they decided to play "pinata" with a milk box from Costco. You know, come to find out, it isn't about the candy! It is all about breaking things with a bat! They were not happy until that milk box was in 20 pieces. They had so much fun. I am too lazy to load up the video I took, and I didn't get any pics of them in the act. Anyway, my handsome boys.

I had to bribe Peter with a popsicle to let me take pictures of him. This is Dane teaching him how to smile. UGH! Dane's picture smile was so bad (by that I mean fake) back when he was 3, that I told him to smile with his mouth closed. Big mistake. Now that is all he will do, and he his teaching it to his little brother.

Today Sam sat Andi down on the grass and she just sat there! For quite a while she sat up. I think she really enjoyed it. This is the first time she has done this for more than a few seconds. She will be 5 months in a couple of days. CRAZY!

Oops! Good thing Daddy was there.

It's done!

2009-06-17T14:45:00.007-06:00

Our piles of dirt and rocks are gone forever! This corner of our property has been such an eyesore for so long and I can finally say it is done, sort of. I love this picture of my boys. Sam is looking at the gravel in the truck wondering if it is ever going to be gone. Peter has quickly turned his back to the camera as always lately, and Dane is just being his happy helpful, smiley self. I must say our boys were big “helpers” through this whole process.

Andi and Dane in her crib. Dane looks so little in this picture. Maybe that is why I love it so much.

A fun FHE activity for all. Dane's new legos have provided a lot of entertainment for all of us. I think my favorite was Sam's snowboarding robot in blue and white. Clever.

Andi won't take a bottle, so Peter has been been exploring some options. She's not to fond of much but Mama's milk.

We had Ben, my parents dog, over for a playdate one day while they were out of town. He spent the day hiding in my bishop's weed under a bush, and then, my favorite, in the sandboat. Our dog, Kai, spent his time standing next to the sandboat begging Ben to come out and play. Sad I didn't get a picture of that.

Squishy baby

2009-06-08T13:03:00.003-06:00

Sam always gives Andi a hard time for being immodest. That dress is just the closest thing to play with. Besides, she has to show off those squishy legs.

Bushel of sweetness

2009-06-02T14:02:00.005-06:00

I was using this old apple bushel basket while I was weeding this morning and it made the perfect little seat for Andi to keep her upright. I just had to take some pics. It was getting close to nap time, obviously :)

Busy May

2009-06-01T21:37:00.005-06:00

Time is FLYING! I can't believe May has come and gone. I apologize for the massive post, but this is more for me than anyone else right? Anyway, here are some pics of our May highlights.

My only picture of Andi this time. I can't believe my baby is 4 months old! This was her at 3 1/2 months. She has found her voice the last couple weeks. Boy does this girl know how to scream. I figured she couldn't stay perfect forever!

Dane's preschool graduation. So cute. Wow, I am going to have a kindergartener. Weird.

This is when he said he wanted to be a doctor when he grows up. I tried to get him to tell me why today, but his answer was beyond my comprehension. Something to do with his imaginary games I think.

Dane with Miss Chez. We love you Chez!

My big Daner is 5! Wow!

Thanks to Martha Stewart. Stop and Goo birthday cake for our little friend party.

I can't believe how old he looks in this picture. I feel like he aged a full year in one day.

Our first family camping trip. We bought an old tent trailer a couple weeks ago and took it out for the first time up to Strawberry. It was so beautiful up there. We had such a great time. It was a great success, except for the fact it was 40 degrees that night and poor little Andi froze. We learned a few things that trip, most importantly that we need a little heater! She recovered and we can't wait for our next trip!

A bit of humor at 1:00 in the morning

2009-05-06T11:24:00.005-06:00

So, I admit, I am addicted to The Biggest Loser. We kind of are as a family, especially me and Dane. He has come up with some funny comments over the last few months as he has been introduced to the world of overweights. Anyway, last night was the funniest. I hear him at 1:00 in the morning crying. So I go in to check on him and after much prodding, "What's wrong!" etc... He says in tears, "I just really want to lose weight." I have ruined my child. I tried to reassure him that he didn't need to and finally, with Daddy's help, he went back to sleep. This is the one TV show we allow ourselves to watch each week, and it is taking over our lives! It took me awhile to fall asleep after that. I couldn't stop chuckling in bed.

So, a little apology to my boys. I know I have posted way more pictures of Andi but...

I guess this excludes Dane, but Peter's stubborn side has come to an all time peak lately. This is me trying to get a picture of him this morning to include in my post. His non-compliance with anything lately is driving me up the wall.

Anyway, I was feeling bad posting another darling picture of Andi without anything of the boys, but I just can't help it. She is so fun to take pictures of, and she isn't old enough to have an attitude about it. So here we go. This is Andi at 3 months.

And this is this morning, at about 3 1/2 months. So sweet.

The BIG 3

2009-04-23T21:02:00.004-06:00

I can't believe my little Peter is 3 years old. Time is flying and it is seriously terrifying. Before I know it my babies are going to be having their own babies.
Our little Peter has been so fun today. We tried to wake him up this morning with a Haas rendition of "Happy Birthday" and he slept right through it. It took a bit of nudging by Dane and more singing to get him to wake up, which he finally did, happily. The big scores of the day have been the new "running shoes" from Nana and Papa Lauri and the GeoAir set from us. The boys have been having so much fun all day. Peter wore those shoes the entire day, inside and out. I had to convince him that he wasn't old enough to go running out on the road like mom. He was pretty upset about that.
He is just such a big boy. Yesterday he got a special birthday date with Grandma. It just made me realize how big he is getting. He had such a great time, one on one with Grandma. Last night they came over with cake and he was so serious/shy through the whole song and when it came time he gave a quick little puff and all the candles were out. Hard to describe, but it was so funny. He's a natural.
Anyway, sweet Pete. I love you!

A little help from Dad. Ooo... got it!

"Nacho" average Easter

2009-04-16T17:02:00.004-06:00

Extremely corny, I know, but I was trying to figure out how to combine these two posts. So, I'm not particularly proud to say that my kids have watched the movie "Nacho Libre". Not that it is really bad, it just has some WWF type fighting in it. It is one of those so so stupid movies that it is funny. Not funny enough for me to watch more than once though. Anyway, the other morning Dane got up and said. "Mom, I want a mask just like Nacho's". So, here is our version of Nacho Libre. They have had many battles, which have resulted in the masks having to be taken away unfortunately, but it has provided some good entertainment.

Here are some pics of Easter day at our house and with the Downs cousins. So fun.

Sweet Blessings

2009-03-30T14:24:00.003-06:00

We blessed our little Andi yesterday. Of course our most mellow baby would cry her whole way through the blessing. Who knew? Anyway, it was a great day. Here are a few pics.

Sweet Baby

2009-03-26T14:15:00.003-06:00

I can't believe my baby is 2 months old already. Time has flown by with this little angel. Yesterday was kind of a rough day. I took Andi in for her 2 month appointment and was told that she had an ear infection. I was shocked since she has really shown no signs of sickness or discomfort beyond normal. So, my poor little girl is having to down quite a bit of antibiotics for such a little one. I don't know if it was the medicine or the immunizations or the ear infection, but we had a terrible day. She was so sad all day and then she threw up, honestly vomited. I have never seen so much come out of something so small. SO SAD! We were pretty worried about her. Thank goodness for the priesthood and a wonderful husband. Andi woke up today happy as can be and has been such a joy today. I couldn't help but do a little 2 month old photo shoot. I think I am getting a little better with this amazing camera. 200 pictures later, these are some of my favorite. We are blessing her on Sunday and I pulled out her dress, which is actually the dress I was blessed in 27 years ago. It is so beautiful. I had to included it in the background of the pictures. I can't wait to put her in it on Sunday.

In Good Hands

2009-03-25T16:06:00.002-06:00

I love this picture of Andi and Dane. It makes me think of me and my older brothers. I remember (at least when I was young enough for them to still think I was cute) my brothers seemed to have this protective side of them when it came to their little sister. Dane and Peter certainly act different with their sweet little Sis. This picture just seems to say to me, "Don't worry Mom, I'll take care of her." I love my kids! My mom called me today just to tell me she loved me. She said that she had such a warm, happy feeling inside and was overwhelmed by the love she had for me and my brothers. Oh, I love my mom, and I definitely understand that overwhelming kind of love. Being a mother is AMAZING!

Smiles!!!

2009-03-13T11:15:00.002-06:00

The smile reward is finally paying off. I feel like after that first month of newbornness, those smiles are so needed. I finally caught one on camera the other day. LOVE it! And the boys were being so irresistibly cute, I had a picture fest with them too. I love this one of them. I love having my boys so close. They are just best little buddies, most of the time.

Stubborn but Beautiful Children

2009-03-06T15:52:00.004-07:00

I just wanted one good picture of my 3 kids together to send out to family. Thanks to a very talented friend, this picture is as good as it is. We had a very unsettled Andi being handled by a bored and non-cooperative Dane and Peter. Despite my naughty children I think it turned out pretty great. This is Andi at 5 weeks old. I love my kids!!! (most of the time)

Yummy!

2009-03-02T15:54:00.001-07:00

So I had a few requests to post a recipe I made at a Relief Society activity last week. Here it is girls!

Fresh Tomato Soup with Tortellini

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 30 min

1 large onion, chopped (1 Cup)
2 Tbsp. margarine or butter
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 6 medium) I am sure you could use canned tomatoes to make it really easy
3 cups chicken broth
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh sage or 1 tsp. dried sage, crushed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 ounces packaged dried tortellini (I used the fresh cheese tortellini found in the fridge department by the cheese at Smith's, probably about 10-15 ounces)
¼ Cup Finely shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
6 fresh sage leaves (optional)

Directions:

1.In a large saucepan cook onion in margarine or butter until tender. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato sauce, sage, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly.
2.Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to package directions.
3.Press tomato mixture through a food mill or place 1/3 to ½ of the mixture in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
4.Return tomato mixture to saucepan. Add cooked and drained tortellini; heat through. Spoon soup into bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. If desired, garnish with fresh sage leaves. Makes 6 side-dish servings, or 4 main-dish servings.

Time is flying!

2009-02-26T21:39:00.003-07:00

I can't believe my little Andi is already a month old! Time is flying by wildly and it is so sad. I hate to see my little ones growing up so fast. Andi is growing so fast, as you can see by her little chipmunk cheeks. She is starting to interact a little bit, which is so fun. We are all so in love with her. Here are a few pics of her with her loving brothers today.

So Blessed!

2009-02-11T12:07:00.003-07:00

We have been so blessed these last 2 1/2 weeks. I have only had to cook dinner once! It seems like every day someone is stopping by with a meal or a gift, or offering to help me with the boys. I have such wonderful friends and neighbors, and family of course :) Thank you everyone, so much, for all the help. I feel truly blessed!

We have also been blessed by our little Andi. So far she has been such an easy baby. I usually only have to get up once in the night! Incredible, I know. She sleeps great during the day too, and is usually very content. Let's hope it lasts!

A sweet friend of mine crocheted this darling little sweater/hat set for Andi. I just had to take a picture of her in it before she grew out of it. She has already gained a pound! Thank you Katie!

Little Miss Andi

2009-02-05T12:44:00.002-07:00

I have 2 amazing friends that spent the day with Andi and the family capturing her in some pretty fun moments. Check out these beautiful pictures!

http://thepearsontribe.blogspot.com/

http://meansalot.com/blog/

Thank you Anne and Laura!

She's here!!!

2009-01-29T11:57:00.012-07:00

We are in heaven here at the Haas home. Our little Andi finally decided to join us.

Andi Lisbeth Haas
Born Monday, January 26, 2009, 11:28 a.m.
7 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches long

Like I said, I had been having false labor almost every night for a week, and so when these contractions woke me up at 12:30 a.m. Monday morning every 3 minutes and there was a terrible snow storm going on outside I was distraught. I figured it had to be real by the way I was feeling, so we decided to brave the storm and head to the hospital in Salt Lake. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there with our stop to pick up my mom. We got to the hospital at about 4:00 a.m. and my contractions were still going strong, until we walked in the door, of course :) I was only a 3 1/2 and after an hour of practically running the halls I was still only a 3 with weak contractions. I was devastated. So when the midwife came and saw me 7:30 and suggested breaking my water I quickly agreed. I certainly didn't want to drive home in the storm just to have to go through the same thing the next night.
So she broke my water at 7:30 and the next 4 hours were obviously full of excruciating pain. At last I went from a 7 to delivery in about 15 minutes. I was amazed at how fast it went there at the end. My midwife barely made it back to catch the baby.
Anyway, all is well. We are so thrilled to have Andi in our family. So far she has been an amazing little baby. She has been sleeping and eating great. We will see how long it lasts!

Question for all you moms of girls out there. I need some good tips on how to do her hair. I tried to spike it up this morning and it just looked terrible. I thought the nurses said they used baby shampoo. Any advice? Poor girl :)

Time to go home!

First family photo. The boys were thrilled.

She's in good hands right?

Maybe not here :)

Check out those eyelashes! I don't know where she gets them. Definitely not from me.

Better late than never

2009-01-10T17:20:00.003-07:00

Christmas at the Haas house. Yes, I know I am 2 weeks late. I have been suffering from a bit of the "nesting syndrome", and have been unable to do anything but clean and organize for the last 2 weeks. I think it was the little bit of false labor that kicked me into gear, and I just haven't been able to stop :) I must say, my house has probably never been this clean and organized. It does feel good, and now I have 2 1/2 weeks to wait and watch it get dirty again. Our little girl is due January 28th.

Anyway, we had a great Christmas this year. Thanks to Santa for the Geotrax train set and to Nana and Papa Lauri for the new sleds. We have had a very fun few weeks. Its great too because both kids are big enough to get themselves up and down the sledding hill, which is especially good for mom right now :)

Hope everyone had a great holiday season. I love the new year! It is always such a time of rejuvenation for me. I love having a new start to make myself better. Anyway, Happy New Year to all of you!!!

2 firsts

2008-12-16T19:27:00.004-07:00

The other day Dane experienced a couple of "firsts".

1: Very traumatic, Dane shut his own finger in the van door outside of Papa Murphy's. I was on the other side buckling Peter in when he let out the scream and I could see that his finger was stuck in the door. It seemed like it took 10 minutes for me to get around to other side to open the door and save my poor child. It was so sad. He was very upset to say the least. I feared the worst, but realized very quickly that the damage was very mild, only a bit of a skin tear. It took him until we could get home and get some neosporin and a bandade on it and a few minutes rest on the couch to get over that. Later as he told Dad the story he said, "Yeah, I shut my finger in the van door and Mom rescued it". Yeah Mom!

2: Dane learned to ride his bike without training wheels!!! We have tried off and on all summer with absolutely no luck. This last most beautiful day of the year and he wanted to try again. A kind neighbor stopped and gave me a very helpful piece of advice and within a minute Dane was off on his own! I haven't seen him have this much fun in a long time. He became totally obsessed with it. Sadly, 48 hours later there was 6 inches of snow on the ground with no hope of bike riding until spring. He has finally stopped asking about it. I think the reality of the snow=no bike riding is kicking in.
Here is the helpful tip, in case any of you will be teaching your kid to ride a bike. Lower the seat until both feet can be flat on the ground. Then they can just catch themselves easily and get the confidence they need. I can't believe how quickly it worked!

Making a gingerbread house with Grandma and Grandpa. Peter spent most of his time eating, and all Dane wants is for Christmas to be over so that he can start eating the gingerbread house. We'll see how that goes!

I knew this would happen!

2008-12-01T13:50:00.003-07:00

Well, I can't say that I am surprised, but I am quite disappointed in myself. It has been almost a month since my last post and I am trying very hard to muster up the motivation to get back on the wagon :)

First of all, I can't believe it is December and me and my kids are playing outside in the sunshine! It has been great, but I am getting a little anxious for snow. Favorite game of the boys, outside "aventures". This is one of my favorites.

Sam and I did get to run away to Oregon without kids! It was great. We visited Portland and went out the the Oregon Coast. It was cold, but oh so beautiful! Huge thanks to Mom for watching the kids! Gotta love the prego pics :)

Yes, you can laugh. I had to show off my birthday present and I am so mad at myself for letting my mom take this picture with me in it. I am normally not this self conscious, but at 7 months pregnant the odds are really against me. It turned out terrible of me so I put my amazing editing skills together and came up with this! I did want you to see the amazing sewing/craft closet my Mom built for me. I LOVE IT!!! I can now see all my fabrics at the same time, and everything I need is very organized and right at my finger tips! So happy!

It's Christmas!!! I live for the day after Thanksgiving. Too much, probably, that I don't enjoy Thanksgiving like I should. But, it is here and I am enjoying every moment of it. I did get a lot of help decorating. A little plug for our "tree guy". If you are in Heber and you want a great tree for a reasonable price, head out to 1200 S. 5000-ish E. Super nice people and way better than the other options in Heber, at least for my taste :)
Happy Holidays!!!

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-04T11:56:00.002-07:00

This year I convinced Sam that it would be much more fun for the kids if we dressed up too. He reluctantly gave in, but I must say I look much better than he does :) The kids did have fun looking at my strange face. But they forgot about me very quickly once they started trick or treating. We went with the cousins this year and had a blast! Once Peter started seeing the candy, he forgot all about the costume he hated. He had to work pretty hard to keep up with the older kids. He would get to someone's door and receive his treat and then stand there for another minute or so looking at the person. Sometimes he would get extra treats, but I think he was just trying to socialize and be polite! It was so fun to watch.

Trick or treating at Sam's work

Lovin' Fall!

2008-10-30T10:37:00.003-06:00

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful! I think I would like it to last another month, but then I would have to start watering my lawn again, which means mowing as well. Maybe not. But we sure have been enjoying it.
With my belly getting larger by the day, I decided after raking up this huge pile of leaves, that I didn't really want to bend over and shovel it into bags. So the boys decided to take care of it for me :)

Pumpkin carving

2008-10-21T12:37:00.002-06:00

I must say we grew some pretty nice pumpkins in our garden this year. FHE last night was carving with our friends, the Lundbergs. The most impressive comment of the night was on the way I held the knife, like I was "straight out of some serial killer movie". I guess I was doing okay because everyone was wanting me to do the cutting for them. Anyway, here are the pics of our masterpieces. That was before Kai (our dog) took a chunk out of one the eyes, making it all the more scary! Impressive, I know :)

Field Trip!

2008-10-10T15:25:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Dane's preschool did a field trip to Hee Haw Farms down in pleasant grove. Chaotic but fun. These are pictures of Dane and his friend Cole. Danes favorite part was driving the miniature pedal tractors. Tons of fun if you are interested in a good family outing. Here is the link to their site: Hee Haw Farms

Back to Etsy

2008-10-10T15:15:00.003-06:00

Well, for those of you who don't know, I have been selling my licorice and caramels on Etsy for the last year. I did take a little morning sickness leave for the summer and enjoyed it greatly. But, I couldn't stay away from the Etsy world for long. I started my shop back up a week ago and I have been quite busy already. Yeah! I love doing this, for the most part. Anyway, you can check out my shop at the link Darcy's Home.

Trip to Maine

2008-10-01T14:25:00.008-06:00

Well, I didn't give up on blogging that quickly. We have been back East for the last 10 days visiting Sam's Mom and Lauri (step-dad). It was a great trip. Maine is such a beautiful state, and they live outside of a town of 900 people in their own little wonderland forest. We spent a lot of time going on small hikes in the woods and playing card games at night while the kids slept. Gotta love bed time! Nancy was in a car accident and is temporarily bound to crutches and a wheelchair. So we enjoyed most of our time hanging out at home and relaxing. Hurray for vacations, but we are also happy to be home. Here are a few pics from the trip.

Helping me pack.

Beautiful woods of Maine. Everyone got a little tired of posing for me.

Catching crickets.

We went on a little train ride on the Sandy River train. We were the only ones on the train, so we got to do lots of fun pictures along with our tour.

Fun on Papa Lauri's tractor.

They caught this giant toad up by the house, and every day we went down to the bog to catch little frogs. What a life!

Poor Nana couldn't come with us on these bog adventures.

The start of fall colors in Maine. The picture definitely doesn't do it justice.

Just a plug

2008-09-18T15:57:00.013-06:00

Just a plug for our photographer :) Here is her photography blog.
You can see some more of our family pics there.

meansalot.blogspot.com

Sam finally gave in!

2008-09-17T22:05:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! We have finally joined the world of blogging :) I couldn't help it once I started reading everyone else's blogs. I have managed to avoid it for awhile, but realize that it really is very cool. We'll see how it goes anyway.

Quick update on us. Sam is working in Park City for the U.S. Ski Team as their Web Manager. He loves it and it is so great to have him so close to home.

Dane is 4 years old and loving life. He is so imaginative, most the time driving Mom crazy. He always wants me to play imaginary games, mostly pretending that includes any kind of animal, dangerous one especially. Thank goodness for play dates and preschool to distract him from Mom for a while. Frustrating quirks are having to wear socks with crocs ("Do sock and crocs rhyme mom?") and not eating any of the colorful "things" in food. I guess most kids are like that.

Peter is 2 and finalizing the potty training process, or so I thought. I just noticed he is out in the sandbox with Dane with soaking wet pants, darn. Most the time he does really well, hurray! He is going to be our little "baller", and I am recently finding out that he is quite the dancer too. He frequently follows me around and says, "Mom, doin?" So fun!

Next down the line is baby sister baking in the oven! I am 21 weeks pregnant, and we are thrilled to have a little girl. Dane is so excited for a little sister, "I love girls mom" is what he says. He was convinced all along that the baby was a girl, and at the ultrasound when we found out he said, "Yeah, that's what I've been figurin'" just as matter-of-fact as he could be. It was hilarious. All Peter knows is that his room is the baby's room now and he gets to be a big boy and sleep in Dane's room.

As for me, I am staying busy trying to forget that I am pregnant and keep up with all the normal things I should be doing. I can't wait to feel human again, and yet I am trying to enjoy/cherish these last few months of just having it be me and my boys. Life will be very different with a baby girl around. I am not sure I know what to do with a girl :)

Wow, I guess that was enough to start. Here is my very favorite picture of our boys that a friend took just the other day. I just melt every time I look at it. Thanks Laura!

Here's to happy blogging, and hoping that it lasts longer than this day!