Blessing

Ashley was blessed at my parent's home while we were up in Utah. We decided to bless her in Utah at my family's reunion because all of my brothers would be there to participate. I have five brothers and I am the only girl. I realized that this was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of my brothers to be there since we don't all live close to each other. Kevin's mom and his youngest brother were also able to be there. It was a special experience and Kevin gave Ashley a beautiful blessing.
And of course, I have to post some pictures...



If anyone knows how to get an almost 2 year old to smile, let me know. I do have to give Katelyn the benefit of the doubt because she was tired and sick, but I don't think she smiled in any of the pictures I took while we were in Utah.










The grandparents.







My brothers.












The uncles and grandpa.

Family Reunion in Pictures

The kids were great in the car, both to and from Utah. The older two watched movies and this sweet baby stared and smiled at her toys and slept most of the time.

We went to Hogle Zoo and the weather was in the 60s with a little rainstorm. It was crazy wearing sweatshirts and jeans in June. The kids loved the animals, but I think they loved the playground the most. My brother thought it might be fun to see what a turtle feels like and Katelyn wasn't sure about the twisty slide.
(Plus we ran into a blogging celebrity(my sister-in-law)and her family. It was a great surprise.)

This little one figured out how to suck her thumb (with a little help from grandma). I'm not so sure about this. I am pushing for the binky instead.




We had so much fun playing in grandma and grandpa's backyard. We played baseball, drew pictures with sidewalk chalk, played with bubbles, jumped on the trampoline, ate dry cereal out of a cup (Katelyn thought that was so fun), and played on the swing set. There were also some basketball games and several rounds of horse shoes. Luke and his little cousin would swing on this glider forever. Luke called him "little brother" or "little bro." for short.


We also toured the Sweets Candy Factory in Salt Lake and sported some cool hairnets. I didn't have my camera with me, but if someone in my family wants to email me one, that would be great. :) It was a fun thing to see and we loaded up on the candy, especially the salt water taffy.

The kids had a fun time (even though Katelyn doesn't appear to being having fun in the picture) playing with their cousins. Katelyn is 10 days older than her cousin she is sitting with in the stroller. Luke and his two girl cousins were all born in the same year.

Yo Gabba Gabba and Almost a Smile

Have you heard of this show? Definitely not my favorite, but every now and then we come across it and my kids love to watch it. Well, today we came across it and I let them watch while I was feeding Ashley. (Katelyn actually sat and watched and didn't get into any trouble.) Anyway, there is this green, striped monster thing with really long arms that sings a song about a party in his tummy. When he is done eating his lunch the vegetables are left on his plate crying. (I know, it is a weird show.)
Okay, step away from the show for a minute. I have really been trying to get Luke to eat more fruits and veggies. He will basically only eat bananas(sometimes), carrots, and green beans(sometimes). I always put a little of the veggie on his plate at dinner hoping he will someday like them.
So last night we had peas. I made him eat two hidden in his mashed potatoes. It was torture for him, but he finally did it. But that was it, no more peas were eaten.
Return to the show. After the party in the tummy song I thought maybe I could use this song to my advantage. This is how the conversation with Luke went...
Me: Why are the veggies crying?
Luke: Because they want to go the party in his tummy.
Me: Why do they want to go to the party?
Luke: Because they are healthy and good for us. (He definitely knows the right answer.)
Me: Do you think the peas that you didn't eat last night were sad?
Luke: Yeah
Me: Will you try to eat more veggies next time?
Luke: I don't know.
Me: Why?
Luke: Because they do not have an invitation to the party.
Me: (laughing so hard)
My plan was foiled.

She was smiling at me, but I kept missing it. This was the closest I could get, a little half-smile.

What spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E?

KATELYN!


I love this little girl, but she is giving me a run for my money.
Friday night while watching a movie she decided the popcorn would taste better dumped all over the couch. She also thought she should eat the whole bowl of popcorn and almost did.
She knows that when I am feeding the baby I can't get to her as fast or at all. So, this is what has happened over the past week...

• coloring with crayon on the tile in my bathroom
• water spilled all over the kitchen floor and laughing while she is doing it
• climbing up on the chairs and then screaming for help to get down even though she can get down herself
• pulling all the kleenex out of the box to "blow" her nose
• using several wipes to also blow her nose (I don't mind if she uses one or two, but when she goes through 3 or more it bugs me because we go through wipes so fast at our house.)
• playing in the bathroom sink and coming away soaking wet
• I have tried giving her something to do like playing with playdoh or coloring, but that usually ends up with her throwing everything on the floor.
  

I realize that some of these things I can prevent by thinking ahead, but when I am sleep deprived and the baby is crying, all I can think to do is feed the baby. I have started locking the bathroom door and putting on a show for her or having her get some books and that has helped a little. I also realize that she is doing this because she needs more attention, I'm working on it.

A couple days ago I painted her toenails and she just loved it. It was so cute! Then on Sunday she wanted to have curlers in her hair like mom. I love these girly moments and she does too!
(She wanted the curlers, but she didn't want to take a picture with me. I'm pretty much holding her down on my lap. Anything for a picture!)

One Month Old

Ashley weighs 11lbs. 2.5 oz. and is 22 inches long.
She is now sleeping a 4 hour stretch at least once during the night. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is so much better than just a 2 hour stretch.
She is starting to smile and really follow us with her eyes.
She gets tons of attention from her brother and sister. Sometimes a little too much attention. :)

I can't believe how big she is getting. They grow so fast! I love her chubby cheeks in this picture. They are so much fun to kiss!

Feeling Very Grateful

I am so grateful for all the help we have received from friends and family since Ashley was born.
Thank you for...

• the visits
• the yummy dinners
• the cute outfits and blankets
• inviting my kids over to play
• the phone calls
• the yummy treats
• helping me with my calling
• the nice comments on my blog
• fun cards and gifts in the mail
  

It is overwhelming to me how much people have helped. I hope to be as helpful and kind in return.

I am also so grateful for my three kids who keep me going every day. They wear me out most days, but what a blessing they are in my life. I have come across a few blogs lately where the mothers of very sick babies have been documenting their experiences. The daily hospital visits, the ups and downs of their baby's progress, the surgeries, the yearning to hold their babies, etc. It makes me teary just thinking about it. I am amazed at the strength of these mothers and families. It makes me want to be more patient and loving to my children and to cherish them.

I don't even know if what I have said makes sense, but I just wanted to express my gratitude and type out some of the things I have felt lately.

Three Kids

Life with three kids is definitely an adjustment, but one I am very grateful to be working through on most days. :) This week will be the real test for me. The first ten days I had my mom here and then a couple of trial days by myself until Kevin's mom came for a few days this past week. So far Ashley has been a very good, sweet baby. Luke had a couple hard days adjusting at the beginning, but has really turned into a great helper for me. Katelyn was fine when we first brought Ashley home, but now is showing major signs of jealousy. She wants me to do everything for her or wants me to hold her right when Ashley needs to eat. If things don't happen Katelyn's way then the crying begins and lasts for a long time. It is hard to reason with a 20 month old little girl. :)

Here are some recent pictures...


My good friend gave the kids these cute "big brother", "big sister", and "little sister" shirts. I really wanted a picture of all three of them wearing their shirts to possibly use for a baby announcement, but not everyone was cooperating. This was one of the better ones. :) This was taken when Ashley was 9 days old.


Ashley at 11 days old.

I took this picture today. She is now 16 days old. At her first doctor's visit at one week old she only weighed 8lbs 14 oz (still not back to her birth weight). But at her two week visit she was up to 9lbs 10 oz. That's my girl!