Box Fun

What can occupy a child longer than any other toy? Well, the answer is a BIG BOX. I can't remember why we got this box, but when Darin emptied it, it became an instant toy for the girls. They played with it for hours and had a blast until it was completely annihilated.

New Dresses

Grand Nan sent these dresses a couple of months ago. This was the first Sunday that the grils agreed to wear them all on the same day. Little cuties! Thanks Grand Nan.

Technical Moves

On March 17th we headed up to Idaho Falls for a dance competition. DSDS did great and rocked the competition! I was especially proud of Abigail when the different age groups did a Dance Down. Her group had about 50 kids in it and Abigail was in the top 5 remaining dancers. Good job Abigail! She is a quick one and LOVES to dance. Abigail is above in the purple leotard and crazy socks learning the choreography for the dance down. Below Abigail is doing her World of Toys dance in the soldier costume. This dance won a Platinum award and the Judges Choice award for her age group.

Coming to the Ralphs family around 10-11-12!

So it's that time again! Since we've been married, we have welcomed a new addition (or two) every leap year. Abigail was born in 2004, the twins in 2008, so it only makes sense to welcome another one in 2012. Well, in some crazy way, it makes sense to us. Most people would think though that having four children doesn't make any sense at all. I figure that I have made it through twins and survived, what's one more baby to add to the chaos? That is one thing I am sure of, there is only ONE baby joining our family sometime in October. I am thinking though that next leap year (2016) one of my younger siblings will have to keep up with the tradition cause I am not sure I want to do this pregnancy thing again. So here are some details about the pregnancy thus far (not too graphic - I promise). I write this for the two people that may be interested, but mostly for my journaling purposes because I can't seem to remember anything these days.

*Finding Out
Darin and I had been talking about whether or not we wanted more children and we had decided that if we were going to have more children, better now than later. The twins will almost be 5 when this baby is born, a pretty good age gap if you ask me. I guess that answers the question, for those of you that were wondering, yes, this was planned and it not a "surprise" pregnancy. I actually found out that I was pregnant on my birthday (February 1st). Fortunately, Darin's birthday is on February 2nd, so I only had to keep the secret to myself for one day. I found a blue & pink gift bag and put some blue & pink tissue paper in it. In the gift bag I put a little sign I had made that said "Baby #4 - coming 10-11-12" (I had figured out my due date from a chart online). Also in the bag was the positive pregnancy test (I cleaned it off) for proof, just so Darin would know that he wasn't being punked. I presented the birthday gift to Darin after the kids had gone to bed and he told me that he was on to me cause he saw the box to the pregnancy test in the garbage can. I was disappointed that I hadn't totally surprised him, but we were both pretty happy about it.

*Telling Family
I wanted to make sure I had a viable pregnancy before breaking the news to family members, so I waited to tell people until I had had a couple of doctor's appointments under my belt. We told our parents by sending them a Spring-themed card with the above picture in it. We left it to them to figure out what was happening. We got a little more creative in telling the girls and Heather & Shane. We invited Heather and Shane over for Sunday dinner and on the menu was: Baby Back Ribs, Roasted Baby Carrots & Baby Cabbage (brussel sprouts), Baby Spinach Salad with Baby Oranges. To drink we had milk and for dessert we had Heather & Shane surprise. I got some cloth diapers to use as napkins and wrote the baby's due date on the inside of the napkin. I wish I could upload a recording of Heather's reaction, she sat down at dinner and said, "Misty, why are we using diapers as napkins?" Then she read the menu, jumped up and started screaming hysterically. She scared the girls with all of her screaming, so they ran out of the room and then came back when the commotion had settled and Abigail asked, "what just happened?" Pretty funny! Then Heather started mopping my kitchen floor because she said that I shouldn't be doing that. Silly Heather, life goes on when you are pregnant with your fourth child. I do way more than mopping every day and hopefully this baby is stronger for it.

*How I've been feeling

Compared to my other pregnancies, I have been feeling great! Don't get me wrong, I still have morning sickness every day, but at least it is just morning sickness and not all-day sickness. I think the worst thing is that I have been exhausted. I sleep for 9 hours every night (some times interrupted) and I am still dragging by the afternoon. I am pretty much useless after 8:00 every day. When I am pregnant, my immune system seems to go into shock, so I have had a few issues with strange infections and things, but I think we have those things under control so far. I don't really have any food cravings, but I definately have foods that sound and look totally disgusting to me. For example - I can eat chicken, but preparing it has sent me over the edge a few times. I also usually love onions and they totally gross me out now. I have really liked eating soup lately and Hot Dogs are not my friend. My memory has been terrible and I am constantly loosing things and forgetting stuff. I couldn't even remember my doctor's name the other day. I actually had to get on the clinic's website and look through all of the OB's pictures to jog my memory. I have lost my phone and camera, but my children may have helped me with that as well. Sometimes I will fix myself lunch and then forget to eat it. Other than those things, all is well and I can't believe that I am 1/3 of the way through my pregnancy already. Well, I will be next week. I can't wait to meet this little person and I am excited to see what their personality will be like. I can definitely tell this little one has a personality cause when I had my sonogram at the beginning of the week, it was fluttering around like a humming bird and would not be still for any measurements or to have it's picture taken. The baby may have been responding to my increased heart rate though cause I was really nervous they would find more than one baby in there. I am at ease though cause we are pretty sure that there is just ONE very active baby.

WIND

People don't believe me when I tell them how windy it can get here. Last weekend we had 60-70 mile an hour winds and our swing set and fence suffered the brunt of the storm. The wind literally picked up our wooden swing set (that was staked down) and dropped it about 8 feet from it's original spot. The swing set broke into about 3 pieces. Luckily when the storm died down, Darin was able to repair it. Our fence will have to be down for a while though because the ground is too cold to set posts. I don't have pictures of the fence, but these are pictures of the swing set right after the storm.

Constant Cardio

My little girls are in constant cardio mode from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed at night. Sometimes they even sleep in cardio mode. Well, Abigail decided to put some of her energy to use and create an aerobics class with Emily and Elizabeth as the student participants. Here is a video of her work-out routine.

Just click the link below to watch the video.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104112672894913333099/AbigailAerobics?authkey=Gv1sRgCJHvjryxrLKiHQ#5715325122608130098

Free Photo Shoot

I hope I win a free photo shoot with Heather Annette Photography. She is so talented that I am totally willing to drive 3 hours to get Abigail's picture taken. Here is the link http://heatherannette.com/photoblog/?p=598 for details.

Yellow

Abigail went to the Ogden Dance for Life competition. The name of her dance was called "Yellow" (I bet you couldn't tell by looking at the costume). The dance was a mix of different songs that had the word "yellow" in it for example "Yellow Submarine" "Itsy bitsy teenie, weenie, yellow, polka-dot bikini." It was in the category of Novice Character Lyrical and they took 3rd place for this dance. In the picture below you see a picture of Abigail in a soldier costume, this dance was called World of Toys and it was also in the category of Novice Character Lyrical dance and it took 1st place. We are pretty pleased with her first competiton performance and are excited for the three more competitions that we have this spring.

World of Toys

Yesterday, Abigail had a practice performance for her upcoming dance competition next weekend. Her group is dancing to the song World of Toys (The F.A.O. Schwartz song). The dance is so colorful and cute. There are toy dolls, ballerinas, teddy bears, jesters, and soldiers. Abigail is a soldier of course and she makes a pretty good one. I can really see how her technique is improving this year.

Loft Fort

Shane came over yesterday to work on his sister's van and of course Darin and the girls had to go outside and join Shane to see what all of the excitement was about. While Darin and Shane were chatting, the girls built a fort up in the loft in our garage. They told me that it was their secret hide out and for sisters only. I love it when they are so creative and get along with eachother.

Emily's New Haircut

After Emily's hair styling fiasco, I decided to take her to a professional to get it fixed. She cot this cute little cut and it fits her little personality well. She wishes it was longer, but at least her hair looks like it should be short.

Bowling

February 1st & 2nd are Misty and Darin's birthdays. We like to celebrate it for a week, so to kick of the week-long celebration, Heather took our family bowling at the ISU bowling center. It was the girls first time bowling and they had a blast. The good thing about this bowling place is that it was on the ISU campus, which made it totally smoke free.

They had this ramp for the kids to use. It was quite handy.

What's a birthday celebration with out food? We were able to bring in pizza and drinks to enjoy while we bowled.

Future Hairstylist

Well, it was bound to happen sometime. Emily found a pair of scissors the other day and cut the hair on the left side of her hair all the way to the back of her ear. Notice the difference in the length of ther hair in the back and in the front. Those are not bangs. she has one piece of hair by her ear that is about 1 inch long. It took Emily 4 years to grow her hair as long as it was and I am afraid it will take another 4 years to get it long agiain. I will take her in February to try to get the "layers" that emily created blended in to her hair. Silly girl

My Babies Turned 4!

This post is kind of in reverse order of events because of the way the pictures uploaded, but oh well, at least I am getting this documented right? The twins got bicycles and helmets for their big birthday gift from Daddy, Mommy, Abigail, Grand Nan, and Papa. They were thrilled because they have grown out their tricycles and were dying to ride as fast as Abigail. Abigail was excited to have some buddies to ride around with. We took the girls to the stake center parking lot cause I wasn't sure how the twins would do their first time on a bike. They did awesome and picked up riding very quickly.
Of course our resident fashionista, Emily, had to make sure that her outfit matched the bike so she could ride in style.
Elizabeth was more concerned with how fast she could go.
Emily picked up riding very easily, but was very willing to pose for a picture.
After about 20 minutes of chasing Elizabeth to get a picture of her, I finally got this one. She didn't want to be bothered with picture taking while she was having fun.
The twins chose to have Lunchables for their birthday lunch and eat a picnic on a blanket while they watched cartoons (please excuse the very messy playroom- the kids were making memories, right?)
For birthday breakfast we had rainbow pancakes (an idea I got off of pintrest) the girls loved it and I think these may become a birthday tradition.
I had to wake the twins up for their birthday breakfast, they were almost too tired to eat, but I couldn't wait any longer or Abigail would have been late for school. Abigail loved helping me prepare the breakfast. She is such a good big sister most of the time.
Notice the shirt that Elizabeth is wearing. It is a dinosaur shirt that Heather and Shane got her. Liz loves dinosaurs and the boys in pre-school thought she was pretty cool with her dinosaur shirt.
For birthday dinner we had Macaroni & Cheese, BBQ Hot dogs, Salad, and pink lemonade and for dessert we had donuts. Of course we had to eat the dinner on fairy plates. Again, notice Elizabeth is wearing a Cars shirt that Heather and Shane gave her for her birthday. She switched between her cars shirt and her dinosaur shirt every other day until I had to sneak them away from her to be washed in the laundry.

We are sure glad these twins joined our family four years ago. These last four years have been a blurr, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

A Rolling Birthday

Today we celebrated the twins birthday at the local skating rink. We just invited Heather and Shane and Grandma and Grandpa Ralphs and the twins very best friend from church Isabelle. The twins had a blast and I think that was the cheapest and easiest birthday party I have ever done. I am really into cheap and easy these days. Heather and Shane took Emily around the rink a few times so she could get the hang of things.

Abigail and Isabelle enjoy the cupcakes.

Make A Wish!

Getting practice with Isabelle in the little-kid area.

Grandma used to be quite the show-stopper on skates in her younger days and she gave Abigail some of her skating secrets, which helped Abigail gain confidence and improve by the end of the day.
Miss Independent
Opening Gifts!
Pretty Tinkerbell Cake from Wal-Mart
Happy 4th Birthday Elizabeth Claire
Always willing to pose for the camera - Abigail
Happy 4th Birthday Emily Celia
Best Friends Forever!

Too Soon

So among our many New Year's Resolutions is being more consistent with our family scripture study. I gave the twins their own Book of Mormon this morning on the way to church because they had their first day in sunbeams. We decided that Darin would be in charge of making sure that family scripture study happens every night as I am already feeling like my cup is full with other family responsibilities. Darin gave a nice kid-friendly introduction of the Book of Mormon and then we started at the beginning with 1st Nephi Chapter 1. Right in the middle of reading we look over and Elizabeth is "texting" with her scriptures closed. I didn't think I would have to impose a "no texting during scripture study" rule on a three-year old, but I guess I do. I had to snap a pic though before I asked her to put the phone away because I may not think this is so cute when she is 14. In the Book of Mormon Class Member Study Guide there is a quote from Marion G. Romney that I was really touched by. It says, "I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who swell theirn. The spirit of reverence will increase, mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom.Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity - the pure love of Christ - will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness." When I read this quote from president Romney, it was like an answer to a prayer. I have been racking my brain trying to think of a way for us to have a more peaceful home, and there was the answer. "Read the Book of Mormon, Duh!" Man, I am a slow learner. I hope to keep president Romney's promise in mind when I start to get a little distracted and make this the year we finish the Book of Mormon as a family.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

So, for our Christmas gift to each other Darin and I got a new bed. I am so thrilled. We have been sleeping on an old queen mattress on the floor for a while now and we were waking up every morning with a backache. We found this bed frame, night stand, and two matching dressers for a really good price. They were the perfect color and style! We found a new mattress at a Mattress Outlet and it is so comfortable. I have slept better in the last week than I have all year! My favorite thing besides the bed of course is the fire place / entertainment center that fits perfect in the little nook in our room. I love it! Such a wonderful thing to have during the winter time. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of good nights of sleep in 2012!!

Here's to a NEW YEAR

So, 2009 started off well, but quickly went down hill in a hurry. We had lots of sickness, and worst of all Darin was laid off in April of 2009 from IBM. There was also ALOT of extra drama that we delt with and it was a tough year. 2010 didn't get any better, in fact, it got worse, we moved twice across the country and delt with alot of emotional issues and adjustments. I was certainly happy to kiss 2010 good buy last New Year's Eve. 2011 started off with a bang with us moving into our new house on January 3rd of 2011. The year went well over all, lots of adjustments, but more stability in our lives. 2011 was not without it's stresses, but we still fared better than 2010 that's for sure. I feel like we are on our way up for 2012 and I am excited about it. On Friday, Darin got a full-time job offer with Salmon River Stages, a local trucking company. I think he finally feels like he has found something he likes doing, that pays pretty decently for this area of the country, and that works for our family. I am hoping that this lasts for awhile and we can have some job stability in our lives. We love our house, we are finally making some friends and feel like we are fitting in with our ward and community, and Darin has a stable job. Yippee!!! Here's to hoping that 2012 brings some peace and harmony to our lives.

I LOVE THESE IDEAS!

I don't usually like stuff like this that goes around on the internet, but I love these ideas. Click on the link below, moms, you won't regret it.

http://www.thedailybuzz.com.au/2011/11/25-clever-ideas_household-tips_storage-ideas/