Missing Brain Cells

It must be true! Pregnancy kills brain cells. After being pregnant 4 times, my brain is really missing some power. Case in point: My previous post speaks about "Reagan" and Bailey being 11 days apart when I should have said "Lyndsee". After all, that is what we named our most recent daughter. The really funny part about this is that my SIL Robin pointed it out to me on our family site saying "You did put that Reagan and Bailey were due at the same time. Just thought I would let you know." I questioned her saying that I didn't know what she was getting at and that Reagan and Bailey were due at the same time--right? SO I not only made the initial mistake of calling Lyndsee Reagan but a second mistake when I honestly couldn't see what Robin was trying to point out to me. Finally, I asked Eric what he thought Robin meant and it was at that moment that it all dawned on me and I couldn't stop laughing. I do call Lyndsee Reagan out loud all the time. I don't know if its because this is the first time I've had 2 girls in a row or because I have a cousin named Lindsay and so no one else in my brain can have that name except for her. Either way, I really wish a person could regrow brain cells.

Baby's First Month

Wow! Its been a month now since our baby Lyndsee was born. She's been an angel and a challenge all at once. We are still working on getting on some kind of schedule and she still gets me up at least a couple of times at night. We've been so blessed to be surrounded with lots of help from friends. We've been spoiled with lots of meals brought in as well as calls and visits from friends who really care. Grandparents came into town to see Lyndsee and play with their other grandkids. That was definitley a help as most days I feel like my older kids get neglected. Most of my time has been spent feeding a hungry newborn and taking care of 4 little kids. Eric had that first week off of work and he was great to keep the house under control as well as take care of all of us. I so appreciated his loving care during this first week. The house is out of control and I sometimes wonder if we'll get our Christmas tree up anytime before Christmas but I am starting to adjust and recover and things are definitley on the up and up.

Eric's parents spent a couple of days with us.

Eric and my dad took the kids to a Nellis air show while my mom and I hung out together with the baby. My parents came bearing gifts from family in Utah including these wall hangings that my SIL Nichole made to match the beautiful quilt my sister Dawn had already made. Aren't they so cute!
At the last minute, we decided to make a trip to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving. I was feeling well enough to do so plus we had our neice being baptized that same weekend and I didn't want to miss that. We also decided we wanted a minivan and there are a ton more of those on the market in Utah then there are here. It was nice for Lyndsee to meet her extended family as well.
Aunt Mary with Lyndsee

Cousin Anna with Lyndsee

Cousin Spencer with Lyndsee

Another really good reason we had to make the trip to Salt Lake was to see our new little neice Bailey. She was due the same time as Reagan but they ended up being 11 days apart. You can tell that Lyndsee is the bigger baby. It was so adorable to see these precious little babes together. I'm sure they will be good friends as they get older.

Uncle Mike holding both of his neices. Its hard to believe that he will be a grandpa to a new little baby girl in less than a month from now! Eric's parents will be great-grandparents soon!

Aunt Robin (the new mommy!) holding Lyndsee.

There is nothing more precious than a sleeping baby. Lyndsee is one month old now and in this picture. As challenging as this time is in our lives, I'm trying really hard to enjoy this time. I love snuggling with this little bundle! They grow so fast that I know this time is a rare opportunity.

Lyndsee Dawn Schroeder arrived to our family on November 4th. We had a scheduled c-section bringing her to us a week before her due date and a day after my birthday. We weren't scheduled to be at the hospital until 3:30 and I spent much of the morning trying to get ready and keep my mind off the fact that I would be cut open later that day and off of food that I wanted very much to eat but couldn't. I got so nervous that I started getting very emotional. Once we were on our way however, the excitement really set in. She was born at 5:25 weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long.This is Lyndsee right after being born. Not too happy about it.

Lyndsee

I had heard that in Utah hospitals the siblings of babies being born weren't being allowed to visit at the hospital so I was relieved that that wasn't the case here. The kids looked like it was Christmas morning as they came into the room looking for their new present (baby sister). This particular picture may not show it but Reagan was quite excited as well and hasn't shown any issues of jealousy.

All the kids checking out the baby. Will was so stinking cute with his new sister and every bit as nurturing as his sisters towards her. He kept telling me how cute Lyndsee was and he couldn't wait to bring her home.

Here is my helpful sister who was able to take a break from the kids to come for a visit and a cuddle with her new little neice.

Getting to know you.

Eric was able to bring both Taylor and Will both individually to the hospital and Will was the lucky one who was with us when we brought the baby home. He was so excited to take part in bringing her home.

Will and Lyndsee

Welcome baby girl!

Halloween with Cousins

We were lucky to have my sister Erin and her family come to town for Halloween and the week to follow to help with our kids while we went to the hospital to have a baby. Saturday morning of the 31st, we went to see Taylor dance with her dance group at a Nevada Day celebration. The weather was very warm and nice.

Aunt Erin with Reagan (who warms up so quickly to family when they come to town) and Adam and Noah.

Taylor dancing to Michael Jackson's "Beat It"

The weather was nice enough we had to do a hike. We took Kyle and Noah to one of our favorite hikes at Red Rock. It is so kid friendly and pregnant lady friendly that we had no problem getting this one done with happy smiling faces.

One thing kids love when they are hiking are rock stairs.

Erin and I comparing tummies. Erin is due the end of February and is expecting a girl as well!The board walk toward the end of the hike was just another point of interest for the kids and kept their little feet moving on their own.

Noah coming down one of the many stone stairways on the hike.

As if the hike at Red Rock wasn't enough, we also took a hike around our neighborhood that evening to trick-or-treat. Taylor is a princess (of course), Will is Darth Vadar, Kyle and Noah are Batman and Robin, and Reagan is a ballerina. Adam is the crazy guy in the mirror's reflection trying to get all the kids to smile and look at the camera.

Reagan was obsessed with her costume and insisted on putting it back on over her pjs and wore it to bed that night as well.

We loved having our cousins in town to go trick-or-treating with and Mommy enjoyed the distraction of having her sister in town while waiting for Lyndsee's birthday. Thanks for coming and hanging with us guys!

Will's Bad Day

What happened to my little sweet boy who could do no wrong? Today during the Primary Program at church, Will said his part (I don't think it was his part actually) in a high pitched squeal leaving the congregation in snickers. Eric thought he had said something about not wanting to be at church. Eric and I couldn't help but laugh but I don't know if it was more from embarrassment of our child who was acting up or because it really struck us funny. His poor Primary teacher had to wrestle with him much of the program because he didn't want to participate. When we asked him later what he said into the mic, he said "I want to go down the stairs". His part was supposed to say "(I love my daddy because) he's funny". He normally loves the op to speak in the microphone at church and mostly does very well. Today must have just been a bad day for Will.

Viva Bike Vegas

One of the main reasons I was really bummed when Eric came home with a spranged ankel was because he had been working very hard to get into shape to do Viva Bike Vegas with his brother Chris who was traveling from Maryland. We won't go into the other selfish reasons that I was disappointed (I'm supposed to be the gimp being in my last month of pregnancy and two weekends in a row of fun and adventure for Eric while I endure my last of pregnancy-whine, cry, sigh). Anywho...

We all really looked forward to meeting our new nephew Charlie for the first time. He is nine months now but this is the first time we've seen him. Such a cutie and a lot of fun to have around. He warmed up quite easily to Eric.

Taylor and Will really enjoyed having a baby around and getting to know Charlie better.

Chris and Charlie at mile 51 station break in this 62 mile bike ride.

Schroeder boys waiting for Chris to cross the finish line.Eric seems a little bummed that he didn't get to ride.

Hooray for Chris!They had a bike course for the kids where Taylor, Will, and Reagan all got free bike helmets.

Grandma and Grandpa Schroeder were down for the weekend as well. We really enjoyed having family come to visit. Thanks Chris for bringing Rachel and Charlie with you. It was fun to get to know my sister-in-law better as we don't get to see each other very often and of course seeing Charlie finally! Come visit again!

Hidden Falls Canyon

With the completion of their Canyoneering class last July, Eric and Marcy were ready to put their new skills to the test with some of their friends from the Canyoneering class. So finally they decided to check out Hidden Falls Canyon (also know as Long Canyon) in the Red Rocks National Conservation Area on October 3, 2009. Eric's friends Kirk and Pippa were coming down for the fun, A.J. from class was coming with his friend Ryan, Clark from class was coming, as well as Mark from Eric's work.

The first tragedy of the trip happened October 2, when Marcy informed Eric she was very ill, and would not be able to make it down for the trip. She was very conflicted about what to do, and was willing to try and drive down even though she was sick in hopes she would feel better the next day, but Eric talked her out of it, they would just have to plan another trip soon.

The second complication of the trip happened that evening when Kirk's flight from Oakland to SLC was delayed, and he missed his connecting flight to Las Vegas. Pippa had driven down earlier that day, and was disappointed Kirk did not make it down to meet her. Kirk waited to see if he could get on the last flight to Vegas, but it was full so he had to fly to St George. He arrived in St George just after 11:00 PM, got the last rental car in town, and finally arrived in Las Vegas around 2:00 in the morning.

Despite these hiccups, we got up at 4:45 to head out for our hike. We had to get all our gear organized in the morning since Kirk came in so late, and made it out to meet A.J., Ryan, Clark and Mark around 6:20. Luckily they waited for us since we hadn't really talked about how to get a hold of each other in case of a delay. We ran into another group doing the same canyon from the local Climbing Meetup group, and headed up the trail from the back side of the mountain.

The view going up the back side of the mountain was amazing, and it was a nice brisk hike up to a great view of the Las Vegas valley below. Here is a good shot from half way up the hill of the road below and the valley itself.

The trail into the wash of Hidden Falls Canyon started out with a bunch of rocks, which quickly smoothed out into a flat slick rock canyon. There was a short rappel to start the canyon as well.

After the first rappel, Eric led a small group off to the next rappel to get things setup while the rest of the group came down. The gully was filled with leaves, and as Eric stepped down a rock step about a foot tall, his foot caught the edge of a hole completely filled and hidden by the leaves. He sprained his ankle pretty bad (level II sprain), and rolled on the ground in agony.

After regaining his composure without crying, Eric tried to walk on his ankle, but it quickly gave way resulting in a new wave of pain. Eric's ankle had no strength. Luckily Bruce from the other group had some duct tape to tape up Eric's ankle, and Ryan was very generous to trade his hiking boots with good ankle support for Eric's Keene sandals. With these preparations, he was able to start limping down the canyon like a lame crab with only three legs (or two arms and a leg in this case).

While the going was slow, the canyon was still a lot of fun. Even though it was a super narrow slot, there were a lot of amazing things to see, and a lot of good scrambling. One of the fun parts was navigating over a really disgusting pool of stagnant water. Even though A.J. almost dipped in, we managed to get past with no casualties.


The final rappel was down the waterfall at the top of the Children's Discovery Trail, so there were about thirty people at the bottom. After finally getting everyone to move out of the way for the rope toss, Pippa made the first decent to a cheering crowd.


Even though the hike took about twice as long as it should have due to the injury, and Cydnee was very disappointed that Eric came home with a hole in the butt of his pants from all the scooting around, it was a good hike and everyone involved had a good time. And there are plenty of other canyons to explore in the area in the future as well.