Pure LOVE.

I love giving birth! I love everything about it, and this time around was no different...

I loved that I was able to share this experience with my mom and both of my sisters. (I was there when all three of Jen's kids were born, and she has been there for all of mine too. Since Emily no longer lives in Texas, she was so excited to be a part of the delivery. I called Em around 4 a.m. to let her know I was having contractions and she took all three of her kids to stay with Aunt Robin for the day, she also brought her breast pump to the hospital so she could have milk for her 4 month old, Olivia. She was so excited to be a part of the day and I was thrilled to have her there. I checked into the hospital around 6 a.m, my mom got there around 7 a.m. and Jen and Em arrived with bran muffins from Mimi's cafe around 8 a.m. ...so much fun!) Might I also add, I loved having an epidural, it makes giving birth so enjoyable.

I loved feeling so close to Adam as we anticipated the arrival of our new little one.

I loved that first look at my healthy, beautiful baby boy... fresh from heaven.

I loved seeing all that dark hair... totally explains all that heartburn I was having!

Nolan William Koch
born September 25th

@ 11:54 a.m.
8 pounds (even)
20 inches

"The best days are the days when babies are born." -Melanie Wilkes in Gone With the Wind

I loved checking out my little guy and talking about who it is he looks like.

I had the most amazing nurse for my delivery, Mary. I actually ran into her at a yoga class while I was pregnant. When I went to the class I knew I recognized her from somewhere but could not figure out where. After talking about it for a minute and finding out she was a L&D nurse at Hoag hospital, I realized she was the same nurse I had when I delivered Charlie. It was so great to have her again with Nolan.

The "meet and greet" with big brother and big sister did not go perfectly but it went as well as could be expected. Charlie just stood back and took it all in while June poked and picked and patted in order to thoroughly check out her baby brother.

It was instant love for June-bug.

I love that first bath in the hospital, it took Nolan a minute...

...but he learned to love it too.

Gotta love the swaddle!

I went to the doctor the week before my due date for one of my last appointments. She mentioned that she would schedule an induction if I wanted one for anytime after my due date. Well, both Charlie and June were born on the 26th (May/March) so Adam and I thought it would be pretty cool to have all three of our kids with a "26th" birthday. Even though I have preferred going into labor on my own, the thought of having an induction, coordinating babysitting, and the bonus of kids with "matching" birthdays started sounding pretty good. When my contractions stated on the 25th I was thrown off because in my mind I still had one more day to go. Adam was WAY set on the kids all being born on the 26th so he kept telling me "keep it in!" Well, the little man decided to come on September 25th, his due date! Welcome to the world.

I loved my hospital experience so much this time around because I got to share it with my amazing friend Sarah Hixson. She was also pregnant with her third and we were both due within a week of each other. She had a scheduled c-section for September 23rd, so we knew there was a chance we might be in the hospital at the same time. Given that possibility, we went out to dinner one night while pregnant, went shopping, and bought matching hospital outfits. You better believe all our wishes came true since we ended up delivering within days of each other. The night I delivered Sarah and her husband came down to our room and we ate dinner together, then we would hang out together during the day, it was awesome!

Matchy-match.

Sydney Jane and Nolan William

The kids came to the hospital for lunch right before I was discharged. They thought that was pretty cool to each lunch at the hospital. (People totally complain about hospital food, but I happen to enjoy it.) I love the cranberry spritzers they have at "hotel Hoag." I love having someone come and serve me breakfast/lunch/dinner in bed. I love that I am not the one who has to cook or clean-up. I could actually stay at the hospital for a week if they let me. I love my other kids but I also love that quiet bonding time with my newborn in the hospital. (The help from the nurses is pretty nice too, it is like totally being taken care of before you are set free into the great big world to raise THREE kids.)My boys!

Family of FIVE!

The kids loved moving their car seats to the back of the car, they think they are pretty big-stuff to be able to sit in the waaay back!

Words cannot describe how much we love you little Nolan. Welcome to the family. Hope you enjoy the ride because I have a feeling it is going to be quite an adventure!

Preschool boy.

My boy started preschool on Monday. Everyone we know started school weeks ago, so we have anticipated this day for awhile. Charlie was a superstar and fit right in. June was the supportive little sister and watched on while Charlie got acquainted with his new school and classmates.
One of the most exciting things about the day was he finally got to wear his "new fast shoes." They are still a size too big but he has begged to wear these shoes because they make him run super fast. His cousin Zachary had the same pair when he was four, so that makes them pretty cool too. Another fashion note: Charlie got a new buzz lightyear watch for his first day of school. It was a big hit and he has not taken it off since then.
It was hard for June to say good-bye to Charlie but she has quickly adjusted to having special time with just her and mommy!

Girls Weekend.

I told my unborn son that he was not invited to attend "girls weekend" since he was a boy, I am happy to say that he listened. I was a little worried planning this so close to my due-date but other than a few fat pictures and some seriously swollen feet, I made it! It was great spending time with the girls (we missed you Melinda) and we look forward to continuing this tradition over the years. In the past we have done a Glen Ivy spa-day, a trip to Chicago, and a trip to San Francisco. This year we went to Indio, just outside of Palm Springs. It was close-by (in case I went into labor) but it was the perfect get-away and break from motherly duties.

We were greeted with an editable arrangement from sweet Ryan Menlove that we enjoyed for the entire weekend.

We "crafted" until the wee hours of the night. We all read the book The Help before our trip and then we went to see the movie. It was awesome. And of course we shopped... in style! I have been dying to ride the "SmarttKarts" at Target because it is taxing to haul my pregnant body around any store. I could not bring myself to hop on one of those things by myself so having the girls with me was the perfect excuse to make a fool of myself.

Let's just say it was a successful shopping weekend for all. It even involved a little altercation over a rug between me and an angry menopausal lady at Target. I won... but I did jump off the SmartKart for that one!

Thanks girls for the memories. Until next year...

Corn roast.

One of our favorite ward activities is the annual corn roast. June-bug was a huge fan of the corn!

Labor Day.

Nothing like some good, clean family fun. We spent this HOT labor day selling lemonade (avocado and grapefruit) with the cousins.

Then we went swimming at the Menlove's.

...and played some Minute-to-Win-it games (thanks to Emily Martino, the activities coordinator). Thanks for a fun day, I am glad it was a relaxing labor day and not a day in actual labor.

So-long summer...

This has been one of the longest summers of my life! Summer usually flies by but this time it felt like it did when I was a kid, endless. We had a ton of fun and got to spend time with family and friends, but there was no traveling just lots of swimming, beach days, and laziness. I am so glad I got to spend such quality time with my kids, I will always cherish this time.