Sweet Baby Boy

Life has been incredibly busy since Lennon arrived, thus the lack of pictures so far. Thank goodness my mom has put together some fantastic collages---you can check them out by linking to the Welchkin Wire on the right! I did manage to put together a few photos, so here you go! It's amazing how quickly your children grow! They literally change every day and I just can't seem to get enough pictures!






Me and my sweet boy at the hospital.

I absolutely adore these chubby cheeks!

Lennon Elias Welch Moore

Lennon Elias Welch Moore made his entrance into the world on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 3:21 p.m. He was born via c-section and weighed 8 lbs 7 oz, was 20 inches long and has lots of dark black hair.
We are so very glad he is here and love him more than words could every say. Aleece and Madelaine absolutely adore him and would hold him 24/7 if it were possible! They are such good big sisters!
We kept thinking Lennon would make his debut on his own, but once I hit 41 weeks my doctor decided it would be the safest option to take him c-section. I will admit this was incredibly hard for me, having had Madelaine vbac, and even up until the night before I was ridiculously emotional and couldn't seem to get a grip on the whole situation. I am so thankful that Val honors his priesthood covenants and was able to give me a blessing of comfort and understanding. I truly felt my Heavenly Father there with me at the hospital and know that it was meant to be this way. We arrived at the hospital at noon on Wednesday and I had been fasting since midnight--I don't think they realize this is a really long time to make a pregnant woman go without food! I was admitted and taken to an area where they could monitor the baby, put in my IV, fill out any needed paperwork, etc. etc. before the c-section took place. The hospital was really busy and so everything seemed to take longer than it should have, which didn't necessarily help my nerves, but it did allow me time to reflect on everything--especially my pregnancy and all of the love and support I had from my family. Once they got my IV in, things started to move a little more quickly. Luckily it only took one poke to get my IV in, unlike the 5 or 6 tries it took them with Lainey! Then they started pushing fluids to keep me hydrated and took some blood work and then we were ready to head to the OR. My sweet mother was watching the girls in the waiting room this whole time and has truly been a godsend to us during this time! My sweet husband was by my side the whole time, making sure I was being treated well. They wheeled me into the OR where they were going to administer my spinal and I couldn't help but start shaking, I was so nervous! The spinal was probably one of the most frustrating experiences I had through it all--apparently the anesthesiologist was "teaching" that day and so I got poked more than once. And let me tell a spinal is not the best feeling in the world! I do have a nice bruise on my back to show for it also. Once that was finally in place, it was the weirdest sensation to be able to know people were touching me, but not be able to feel it. I could feel the pulling and the tugging but it didn't hurt, thank goodness! When I had my c-section with Aleece, it was under emergency circumstances and it was quite traumatic for me, which is why I was so nervous going into it this time around. But my mind was clear this time and I was aware of everything that was occurring. Some of the first things that were said once cutting into my abdomen were "Wow, that is a lot of water" (I warned them!) and "that is one big boy!" I was so happy to hear Lennon's little cry and to see him for the first time. He melted my heart and I was so glad he arrived healthy and perfect! He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 7 oz, which may not seem huge, but you have to remember that is almost 2 pounds more than Lainey weighed, so it seems big to me! They got Lennon all cleaned up and gave him to Val and I was able to sit with my sweet boys while they stitched me back up. Lennon was born with my big chubby cheeks and had a hard time opening his eyes at first, but it was so sweet to watch him acclimate to his surroundings! When they finished stitching me up, they took us to our recovery room, where we stayed for about 2 hours while I got some feeling back into the lower half of my body. I kept trying to send signals from my brain to my feet to move, and it was so strange knowing that those impulses were being sent, they were just not doing anything! I was able to hold Lennon for the first time and nurse him and it was incredible. I love the mother/child connection and am so grateful for all three of my beautiful children. We made some phone calls to let people know Lennon had arrived and before we knew it, we were headed to the room where I would be staying for the rest of my hospital visit. The hospital I delivered in is pretty new and it is beautiful The rooms are huge and the staff is very nice. Well, they took us up to our new room and we were finally able to be reunited with Leecy, Lainey and Granny. Thank you again Granny for everything!!! It was so joyous to introduce the girls to their new baby brother. They wanted to hold him right away and it made me so proud to be a mother as I watched my 3 children together. Aleece is so tender with Lennon and really didn't want to have to give him up to anyone else to hold! Madelaine really wishes she could hold Lennon on her own. She wants to be just like her big sister! We got some really cute pictures, courtesy of Granny (seriously what would we do without her!) and got to really enjoy our first moments of being a forever family!
I could go on and on about everything that happened over the next couple of days, but instead of a novel, I will try to just give a few highlights! Pain pills are wonderful--the next day the pain was definitely stronger and they had me get out of bed less than 18 hours after having the c-section. It was difficult to walk/move but I knew that by getting out of bed and moving around, I would be able to heal more quickly. I had some "weeping" start midday from my incision and had the nurse check it. She said that wounds sometimes do that and left if at that. Well, by late evening I attempted to get out of bed for the 5th or 6th time and was in excruciating pain even after having had some pain pills the hour before. The night nurse came and looked at my incision again, only to find that there was a hole in my incision. It hadn't sealed completely. Soooo, she called the night resident, who came and took a look and after poking around, which did not feel good, she proceeded to pack the hole with gauze saturated in saline and let my doc determine the outcome in the morning. Sweet. So my doctor came in the morning and checked out the hole in my incision and determined the underlying stitches were still in tact, the outer layer had just not stayed glued shut. Yep, that's right, they use glue to hold everything together. Comforting isn't it! :) She reglued my incision and put steri strips on top of that, so hopefully I won't be popping open any time soon! Other than that my hospital stay was pretty quiet. I got to see my mom and my beautiful girls every day and Val was with me a great deal of the time. I got up a little more every day and was released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. It was so nice to come home to my sweet family and not have someone walk in on me every hour to poke and prod! Our ward has been wonderful, bringing dinner over for us and offering their support. As I said before, my mom has been a godsend--the girls adore her and she is so good with them! They have a very special relationship with their Granny! I still deal with the pain of having a large incision in my abdomen, but the pain pills help and getting up more and more each day, I believe, will help me heal quickly. I absolutely love being a mother and could ask for no greater calling in this world! My children bring so much joy to my life and I am so blessed to be entrusted with them! They are all so different, but my love for all of them is unconditional. They make my heart swell every time I look at them and I would go through anything and do anything for them.
I am so grateful for eternal families and the knowledge that I have that I will be with them forever!
I am so glad Lennon is finally here. I love every squeal, every sneeze, every cry, every look, everything. I am anxious to see what his personality will develop into and what each new day will bring us!

BABY LENNON HAS ARRIVED!

Steph went in for a c-section Wednesday and delivered a darling baby boy.
Hopefully she will be home Saturday and can post about sweet little Lennon.
If anyone is interested in photos before that
you are welcome to link to the Welchkin wire.

Everything...

I have literally now tried everything to naturally induce labor. I have tried the commonplace and the downright nutty in some cases! Nothing has worked thus far. We are now 3 days overdue....any other suggestions out there? I know they come when they are ready, but I think all of us are starting to wonder if he is planning on graduating high school in there or what!!! I am open to any and all suggestions--it doesn't necessarily mean I will try them :) but I will at least give it some thought!

It's official....

Today is my due date and we still don't have our little boy here yet. It's a little discouraging but I am trying to stay positive. I have to keep telling myself as long as he is inside of me at least I know he is safe, right? Our babies just like to defy the odds. They don't like to be born early and not even on time! We are still praying he makes it here within the week however, because I really am not wanting to do a repeat c-section. The v-bac for me was a much more pleasant experience with a much quicker healing rate. Two of my three amazing sisters fly in tonight, so I'm hoping that he has just been waiting for them to get here to help out--I know they have been praying him in as much as I've been praying him out! :) We'll see what happens I guess! We'll keep you all posted and post pictures and info as soon as our little boy makes his debut!

Baby Update....

No, our little boy still has not arrived yet, but I have been continuing to have my weekly appointments and am progressing. He is continuing to grow well and everything is looking good. I did find out this week that they will not induce me with a vbac. Apparantly this raises the chance of having a uterine rupture by about 5 %. I definitely don't want anything to happen to the baby or myself so we are trusting our doctor 100%. If our little man decides not to make his debut by the 16th of July (41 weeks--crazy I know!) I will be having a c-section however. This is quite discouraging, seeing as I've already done a vbac and it was so successful. But I am trying to stay positive, and my mom being here has been a great distraction for me. We love her so much and appreciate all she does for us! What would we do without her???

Happy 4th Bday Leecy T

Our sweet Leecy T turned four today! I can still recall every detail of her entering this world and don't know how the time passed so quickly! She has truly blessed our lives in every way imaginable and we are so honored to be her parents. She is a wonderful big sister, an amazing daughter, a music lover, an animal expert, a movie connoisseur and so much more! She is so smart and she makes us proud every day. We love her so very much and look forward to the coming year to see what new things she will accomplish! We love watching her grow and learn and know that she will succeed in all that she does! Happy birthday baby girl! We love you forever!!!

Baby Shower

My cute visiting teachers, Natalie and Jamie, threw me a baby shower last week for the impending arrival of baby boy Moore! We played games, ate lots of yummy food, opened presents and visited. It was a wonderful evening and I appreciated so much everything the wonderful women who attended did! I recieved some really nice gifts, including clothing, diapers, blankets and more! We are excited to be able to use all of them!

Nursery

I am thrilled to be able to say that Lainey made it all the way through nursery today by herself! Val dropped her off and she made it to the end! Hooray! This was one of our big goals before the new baby got here, and we made it! Also Aleece was the spotlight child today in primary and we are so thankful that she loves it so much! She loves her teachers, the songs, everything! It was a hard transition for her to go to nursery and then her first week into Sunbeams, but she loves every second she is in primary now! We are so blessed to be a part of the gospel in these latter days and to have such wonderful programs as nursery and primary!

Oh Baby!!!

So I have decided that I can no longer feel sorry for myself in my last month of pregnancy for feeling and looking so huge. Val was kind enough to share this article with me and it blew me away! God bless this woman for what she went through! It makes me extra thankful that I have blessed with good pregnancies, and nothing out of the ordinary like this! Here is the link!



Oh baby!

Leecy T's 4th Birthday Party

Leecy T had her 4th birthday party (Sleeping Beauty themed) yesterday and it was a big hit! She was so excited for it all week and she was not disappointed! Her guests included most of her primary class from church and they all seemed to have a good time. The kids got to make a craft--a princess crown for the girls and a shield for the boys. They ate lunch, played Pin the Rose/Spinning Wheel on Aurora, opened gifts, and had cake! Aleece loved all of her wonderful gifts and had so much fun playing with her friends. We are so fortunate to live in such a wonderful community and to have the friendships we do! Here are some picture collages of yesterdays events! (Note: Click on them to enlarge!) Enjoy!



Opening presents.....

Fun activities.....

The guests!

What a great day!

Videos

Here are some videos of the girls singing. The first one is them singing "I am a child of God". This is both of their favorite songs. Obviously Aleece is a typical almost four year old as she goes from her falsetto to no singing and then back to normal. She loves to ham it up for the camera. The second video is of Lainey singing the theme song to "Indiana Jones". All you have to do is say his name or show her a picture and she chimes in with her theme song music! It is really cute and funny! Enjoy!

The incredible expanding woman.....

Well, you asked for it! Here is a picture of me at almost 37 weeks. When I saw the picture myself, I was literally speechless! How could I possibly be this big with three weeks to go??? I've looked at pictures since, of me, on the day I went into labor with Lainey, and I wasn't even close to being this huge! The funny thing is I've only gained 11 lbs so far and this little boy I know weighs at least six of those!! So how is it that I look like I am carrying twins or even triplets? You know they say the camera adds ten pounds, but I'm hoping it adds more like 50!!! :)

To the man of the house....

As we have celebrated Father's Day today, it has gotten me thinking quite a bit. I am so thankful for my own father, and the example he has been to me my whole life. He has always been there when we needed him and he has always given us his unconditional love and support. I know that because of him I looked for specific qualities in my own husband. I am so grateful to have Val in my life. He has been my rock throughout our marriage and has been the best husband and father a woman could ask for. A lot of people wonder how we ended up together, being as different as we are, but that is why is work so well together. We complement each other's personalities so well. Val is eccentric. There is no getting around it. But I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. It definitely makes our lives more exciting! :) I love that he has taught our daughters that it is okay to be unique. I wouldn't trade my Indiana Jones loving, Beatles singing, Ipod listening little girls for anything in the world! I love that he has instilled a love of the gospel in our daughters. They both love to hear stories about Joseph Smith, the Nephites, Jesus, it doesn't really matter who--they are always enthralled with whatever story he tells them. And not only that, but he can make up stories at the drop of a hat. The girls absolutely adore when he does this! I love that he has taught our daughters a love of music--not just one type of music, but a love of all music. I love that he teaches our daughters right from wrong, and that he likes to tease and be silly with them too. There are so many qualities that make him a great father--it isn't just one specific thing that makes him so wonderful. I am so grateful to have a husband who honors his priesthood and makes sure the Spirit is felt in our home. I am so grateful for him on this day and every other day and I want him to know how very much I love him. Happy Father's Day sweetie!

When I grow up....

Aleece has been asking us lately what we want to be when we grow up. At first she said she was going to be a doctor, so that she could help people, but then her Aunt Mary suggested she be an animal doctor and she thought this was the coolest idea ever! She loves animals, no matter the kind, or how nice they are! She asked me what I wanted to be and I told her I love my job as mommy and she thought about it for a second and then informed me that I could be a zookeeper when I grow up too and she has informed her Granny and Lainey bug that they can be animal nurses. Daddy gets to be a firefighter. Apparently she has her mind made up, so if any of you need any help determining what it is you are going to be when you grow up, just ask Aleece!


Madelaine has developed a new love for drawing and coloring recently. She is so content to sit with a piece of paper and a pen and draw pictures. However, she can also climb onto just about anything, so she is definitely keeping me busy this last month of pregnancy. I'm just waiting for the day I walk in to kitchen to find her on top of the refrigerator, just like in all of the old cartoons!


Val has been in school now working on his master's for the past two weeks and is actually enjoying it. He has some really nice teachers, and the classes aren't too difficult. We have been enjoying the extra time he has been able to be at home. He does so much for all of us! He has even made it possible for me to squeeze in a much needed nap sometimes in the afternoons!


I had another doctor's appointment today. Baby boy's heart rate was good, in the upper 150's and he is still measuring right on track. I'm already dilated some, so things are progressing. We will hope he decides not to make me suffer through the summer heat any past his due date! But I guess if you look at my track record, that may happen! I am enjoying my last month with just my sweet girls and trying to get some last minute projects done before baby #3 decides to make his debut. (26 days and counting!) Life is busy, but good!

The countdown is on....

I had a doctor's appointment and ultrasound yesterday and thought I would give you all a little update. We had the ultrasound (no pics, sorry!) to make sure this little man of ours is positioning himself correctly and to check his size, to ensure I can do another VBAC successfully. Good news is, he is head down already (resting right on my bladder, of course) and he already weighs 5 lbs 14 oz. I'm not sure why that number surprised me so much, I have felt all along like I was bigger this time around than I was with Madelaine. But Lainey was only 6 lb 11 oz, two days overdue and I still have 32 days to go! But we are happy to know he is a healthy, little wiggle worm. His heart rate was about 145 beats per minute, and the girls always enjoy watching the pictures on the ultrasound machine. I've had two occurrences of extreme pain waking me up night during this pregnancy. It felt as though someone had kicked me right in the right kidney, but eventually the pain dissipated--both times within a couple of hours. I mentioned this to my doc, and she said it could be muscle spasms, or perhaps kidney stones. Super. This has never happened to me with either of my prior pregnancies, so I was quite surprised, but she said it's relatively common during pregnancy. At least I know it's nothing serious. When I am pregnant at least, I feel like my mind can turn anything from a minor nothing to a serious problem! Which is funny, because I honestly have textbook pregnancies. We have been very blessed! So the countdown is on. 32 days and counting people! We can't wait to meet our son!

Our big girl!

Aleece got her ears pierced today! It was part of an early birthday present for her, and she did such a great job! She sat super still for the lady piercing her ears, and we only had a few tears. Afterwards she did say it hurt, but just a little bit. Her earrings are daisies with each of the petals being a different color. They are very cute. She had called her Granny earlier in the day and informed her that she had dreamed every day this week of getting her ears pierced. This has been something she has wanted to do, for about a year now, and she proved to us she was old enough to do it! She had to have her ears done one at a time, because there was only one woman working, but we left the final decision up to Aleece. We told her she could come back when they could do both ears at once, or have them done one at a time, and she told us she was ready to have them done individually. Today was her day. As the impending arrival of baby #3 nears I can't help but think of both of my previous pregnancies. It seems like just yesterday that I was discovering I was pregnant with Aleece. Where does the time go? She has turned into a big girl, in what seems to me, to be no time at all! Here are some pictures of Aleece's newly pierced ears. Sorry the quality isn't great, I couldn't seem to get the earrings to show up very well! I'll keep working on it!




Aleece's new earrings.


What a big girl!


Sisters! Best friends!

Block Party

We had the opportunity to attend our first block party since moving to the Memphis area today, and let me tell you, it was quite the unusual experience! The block party started at 4 pm, and running on Mormon standard time we arrived about 4:15 pm. Well, apparently Memphians run even further behind schedule than Mormons do! :) People finally started showing up at about 4:45. There was lots of food and even more beer. The alcohol was definitely flowing freely! The weather was scorching, even with multiple fans on and the kids got to play with water balloons. However, I think the thrill of the afternoon for them was playing with all of the neighborhood pets. It doesn't matter if animals are stuffed or real, our children flock to them! They love animals and always have. You'll notice in the following pictures, that there isn't one without some kind of animal! The best was Lainey befriending the neighborhood rottweiler. Mind you, I kept very close proximity, just in case, but this dog was one of the sweetest animals I have ever met. It also outweighed Madelaine by well over 100 pounds. The one picture that I missed getting was of her riding the rottweiler (Yogi). It was so cute! Aleece took more to the little black dog, I think because he reminds her of Sully! All in all, we had a good time, and actually got to know some of our neighbors. We have quite a diverse neighborhood!

So proud

I just wanted to take a minute and say how proud I am of my sweet husband. For those of you that don't already know, he is starting up a master's program next Tuesday at a university here in Memphis. He will be getting his Master's in Education as well as his Educator's License. He had to take two separate tests about a month ago. One was required to enter the master's program, the other required before he graduates from the program. He was told the second one was almost never passed the first time, and not to worry, because he could take it until he passed. Well, he has been waiting all month for his test results, and we are happy to report that he passed both tests! He studied hard for them and his hard work paid off! We are so proud of him and are glad he has the opportunity to once again further his education. He loves to learn and he loves teaching children, and so we are thrilled that he has the opportunity to do so many things he enjoys! Way to go Val! We love you!

Memorial Day recap

It's always fun to have a few days where you can sit back, relax and enjoy one another's company! This weekend we were able to do just that as we celebrated Memorial Day and we got to do lots of fun things as well. I'm a little disappointed that we forgot our regular camera, and the little camera we had with us somehow deleted all of the pictures I had before I had a chance to download them! We got to BBQ with some friends from our ward on Saturday and the girls loved being able to play with their friend Corbin. On Monday we went to this great sprinkler park! It's pretty much a playground where everything sprays water! The girls had such a fantastic time, as did we! We picniced and enjoyed the coolness of the water, especially since it was so hot that day! Later that afternoon we got to go see the new Indiana Jones movie, which we also loved! It is very reminiscent of the past Indiana Jones movies, and anyone who likes those, is sure to like this one! It was so nice to be able to spend time as a family and enjoy the day together. We are so used to celebrating holidays with lots of extended family, and being out here in TN has definitely been a challenge in that regard. We have done a lot of firsts here for our family. It's nice to be able to create our own little family traditions as well as implement the ones from our own childhoods! We still miss family like crazy though and wish as every holiday draws near, that we were all together!

Pool Princesses

We bought a little pool for the girls this week and tested it out yesterday. They loved splashing around in the water and being able to enjoy this already humid weather! The water sure makes it easier to be able to do so! Here is a quick slideshow of them!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

This and That

This is all sort of random, but I thought I would recap our week! Lainey had a doctor's appointment on Monday. We were getting her rechecked because she had 2 sets of ear infections within a month and the doc wanted to make sure they were gone for good. Luckily they are and she has put on a little more weight. She is approximately 19 lbs, which is still tiny, but she is growing and so we are happy! Aleece has been my big helper lately. With as big as I am getting it's nice to have someone who is willing to help me out when Val isn't around! She rarely complains about it and is always telling me how she can't wait for her baby brother. She has even taken to carrying around a baby doll, saying it is her brother, and she is so tender and gentle with it! She is such a good big sister! Plus, she is a good example to Lainey, because Lainey also loves babies! It's always fun to see your children's relationships grow! Val will start up his master's classes in a couple of weeks and he went to an orientation yesterday at the university. The university he is attending is a Chrisian school and he was telling us when he got home that they opened orientation with a prayer, but that it was funny, because they just closed the prayer "Thank you". Aleece was shocked by this and said, "I guess I'm going to have to visit your class and tell them it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen". I got quite a kick out of this, but it's good to know she is learning and growing in gospel principles! I love to hear her relay stories that she has heard in primary. Plus Lainey has gotten really good at saying Jesus and can point him out in any picture! The gospel is truly a blessing in our lives! The girls and I went to Val's school the other day to hear his choir perform and we were so proud of him. It's easy to see how much the students and other teachers like him, and I was impressed with his choir. They are small in number but performed well. The students love having the music program back in there school. This job has also been a blessing in our lives--Val loves going to work and it has given him some great opportunities-like going back to school. I have less than seven weeks left in this pregnancy and am getting quite anxious. I had a doctor's appointment today and we got to hear the babies heartbeat. It was between 150 and 155 and I am measuring well. We are excited to have a little boy and can't wait to see what changes he brings to our household. Being pregnant is like having your own mini heater however and this week I finally succumbed and turned on the air conditioning. I seriously felt like I was melting! :)

Pregnancy Update

Here I am at approximately 31 weeks, on Mother's Day. Remember the old post about Aleece and the song, "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly"? Well, I look like that old lady, only imagine she just swallowed a horse! :) I honestly don't remember ever getting this big with Madelaine!

Ballerina's In Training

Aunt Mary made the girls the cutest tu-tu's ever and has Leecy and Lainey dancing around the house like crazy! They love to dress up and were thrilled with their gifts. Thank you Aunt Mary for all of the time and effort you put into making them! We love them and you!!!

Being a mom...

Being a mom is my greatest joy and I could ask for no greater calling in life. My sweet husband has allowed me the opportunity to stay at home and care for our children and I am so grateful. We have been blessed with two of the sweetest little girls and anticipate greatly our first son. One of my favorite quotes, (forgive me for paraphrasing) says something to the effect of "In 100 years it won't matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, or how much money I had in the bank, only if I mattered in the life of a child." I strive every day to make a difference in my children's life and to give them the best life possible. I know I have been entrusted with them by my Father in Heaven, and I am thankful for that every single day. I am grateful to have a mom who taught me how to be the kind of mother I am today and am so grateful for all she did and continues to do for me.

On Mother's Day I was spoiled WAY too much and thought I would share some of the pics!

Home again

We had a fantastic opportunity to spend a couple of weeks with family up in Minnesota and had a fabulous time! Here are some of the highlights! Sorry if some of it is a repeat from the last post!

-We were able to do things we had never done before, despite living in MN for 2 1/2 years! This included walking the sky way throughout Minneapolis, going to the Como Zoo and having the IKEA experience!

-The Como Zoo makes the fifth zoo we have been too over the past year with Granny! We have also been to the Hogle Zoo (Salt Lake), the Minneapolis/St. Paul Zoo, the Sioux Falls Zoo, the Memphis Zoo and now the Como zoo and conservatory. We had so much fun (as always) looking at all of the animals and learning new fun facts. We now consider ourselves zoo connoisseurs!

-IKEA is now my new favorite store. It's probably a good thing we don't have one within a hundred miles of us! You can seriously get everything you need there and for ridiculously reasonable prices! Plus they have great meatballs and there lignonberry jam is delish!

-We were able to see my baby brother Trey go to prom. It was so fun to see him all dressed up! He looked so grown up! Don't let that fool you however, he is still a kid at heart! :)

-We were also able to see Trey perform in a couple of track meets. He throws the shot put and discus and is pretty much amazing! They even wrote an article about him in the local paper, entitled "Trey's Anatomy".

-We had the best time spending time with family--Granny, Grampy, Trey, Patty and Eric. The girls had so much fun, despite being sick, with all of them and we created some great memories.

-Patty and Eric, our families political fanatics, taught the girls to say Obama. We are now the proud owners of a stuffed guinea pig with that same name. Seriously, what 3 1/2 year olds support politics? Apparently ours does! :)

-We were able to talk to Elder Bubba on the phone as he left the MTC and headed to Switzerland! It was so good to hear his voice! We also got to listen to the most amazing message on my parents answering machine. This sweet woman, whom met Clay on the airplane from SLC to Chicago called to inform all of us of what an amazing young man Clayton is and how strong his spirit is and how happy he is. All things we already knew of course! :)

-The girls did get pretty sick, but we were lucky to have Granny there to help out! She is truly an angel!

-We experienced winter in what was supposed to be spring! We had 6+ inches fall one day and Aleece was certain that that meant Santa was supposed to come that night! Minnesotans have been referring to the date as February 85th and so on! They really haven't gotten a spring at all because it has been so cold!

-Madelaine learned several new words, including several names. Some of these are Granny, Grampy, Trey, Patty, Sully, sit, chocolate, jacket, blanket, and several others.

-Granny and Grampy were so good to us--they took great care of us and neither the girls nor I wanted to leave.

Here are some more pictures from our wonderful trip! We miss everyone already, but are glad we will see them again soon!!! Thanks for all of the fun!

Click on the image to enlarge! :)

Trip to MN

The girls and I have had the great opportunity to spend the past week and a half up in Minnesota visiting Granny, Grampy and Trey. Val drove us halfway to Nauvoo (great half way point!) and we did a little sightseeing before Val headed back to Memphis to work and we continued on to MN. It was so nice to be able to show the girls where mommy and daddy got married. It's funny what a difference in temperature there has been. We were prepared for some somewhat spring temperatures, but have had to buy Aleece a new winter coat since we've been here! It even snowed 6 inches one day! We have had a great time visiting and are so glad we have been able to be here! Here are some of our picture highlights.....


the windows in the Nauvoo temple--we love this temple!!!

Leecy T by the Joseph and Hyrum Smith statue

the girls with their Granny and Grampy in front of the Nauvoo temple-having a great time, despite the chilly temperatures

Mommy, Daddy, Leecy T and Lainey bug--where our eternal family started almost six years ago!

Lainey bug and Grampy--she loves hats!!!


Leecy, Lainey and Uncle Trey at one of Trey's prom photo ops!

Leecy T staying busy during some of the prom festivities.

Aunt Patt and the girls having a good time.

Lainey playing peek a boo with her hat.

Trey at his prom, after the grand march, with the girls, Steph, Patty and Eric. In case you couldn't tell, Aleece was done for the evening!

We have experienced a bit of sickness while we have been here, which has provided for some orneryness, but the girls are beginning to feel better and they love every moment they get to share with their Granny and Grampy and aunts and uncles!

We have been having so much fun and we wish Daddy was here with us, but we know he is working hard at home, and we can't wait to see him. We will get to meet again in Nauvoo this coming weekend and still have an exciting week left here in MN! It's always a good time with family and we wish we lived closer so this could happen more often! It's so nice to see the special connection the girls have with their grandparents. They love them SOOO much! We love our family so much!

Amen

Madelaine seems to pick up new words every day. She loves to chatter and has picked up on various funny expressions like "Oh, man!". She even makes the different inflections with her voice. It is too cute. This week she has been listening extra close, and with every prayer that is said, she exclaims a boisterous Amen at the end. This occurred during church yesterday also. Every time amen was said, she would say Amen, just extra loud and cute!
I love to watch my girls grow and learn and it brings a smile to my face every time they do something new. I get to experience such joy on a daily basis and don't know what I would do without my sweet girls! It makes me anxious to meet our little boy and see what he is like!

"Knock, knock"

Aleece's new favorite thing to do is to make phone calls on her own. She likes to call her Granny and Grampy, and usually does this at least once a day. She hasn't quite figured out the answering machine yet and thinks she is being hung up on however! It's amazing to me that she can carry on 20 minute conversations without batting an eyelash! Mind you, there is generally some silliness involved, epecially today. Aleece and Granny were talking on the phone and Granny told her a knock knock joke. I believe it was,
"Knock, knock."
"who's there?"
"Olive"
"Olive who"
"Olive you!" (I love you, for those of you who didn't get it!) :)

Aleece than attempted some of her own which usually had something to do with oranges and banana pants.....who knows! I think she was trying to remember the knock knock joke where you keep saying banana, until you finally say "orange you glad I didn't say banana?" This produced much laughter from all involved and resulted in her laughing hysterically and trying to come up with more jokes. My favorite went like this...
"Knock, knock"
"Who's there"
"I love you, that's who!"

She is too cute! There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't make me smile!

Yesterday we splurged and took the girls to see the movie "Horton Hears a Who". Madelaine even sat through it (she did fall asleep at the end) and loved all of the animals! It was very cute and I loved the message behind it. I loved even more Aleece's comment upon leaving the theater---"You guys are the best mother and father in the whole world!"

My favorite quote in the movie was,
"A person's a person no matter how small."
We like this quote in our house especially! We aren't known for our height, that's for sure! :)
I think this world could be a much better place if we could remember this simple phrase! What a great way to teach children to have respect for everyone around them. I recommend you all go see it!

Projects

Here are the projects I have been working on! The canvases are for the babies room--it will be done in the John Lennon baby collection-- and the princess sign is in the girls room! I think they turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!

My little Einsteins...

The girls came across a pair of old kid's sunglasses this week, that have in the past been tortured and had the lenses removed. They now look like a red copy of Daddy's glasses. I love to see the two of them running around the house in them. I couldn't resist getting some pics of them like this! Enjoy!




My baby Einstein!


My little Einstein!

Sick and pleasant

How is it possible for such a little girl to be so sick, and yet so pleasant at the same time? Poor little Lainey bug has been sick this week, as has Leecy T. Fortunately Leecy T has gotten better (we were a little worried there for a while with her history) but little Lainey has continued to be sick. She has this horrible cough, which includes wheezing and a runny nose and we found out at the doctor's office, that she also has horrendous ear infections! The doc said they were bright red and that a normal antibiotic wouldn't solve the problem, so she is on a heavy duty one. She is also scheduled to have breathing treatments every four hours to help her lungs. Poor thing! Lainey has also had a fever and amazes us at how little she complains. She doesn't cry much and usually has a big smile for everything! And Leecy T has been such a great helper--she likes to help take Lainey's temperature and she always makes sure Lainey has the blanket, toy, etc that she needs. What a good big sis! So right now, we are crossing our fingers that this antibiotic works! I'll keep you posted!

Big girl beds....

In our attempt to get ready for our little boy arriving this summer, we decided to get the girls adjusted to new living arrangements. They already shared a room, but Aleece was in a toddler bed, and Madelaine was still in her crib. So yesterday we bought Aleece a new "big girl" bed. She is now the proud owner of a twin size bed, with lots of fun drawers and stuff! She was so excited to make this transition. We went to the store to pick out some new bedding and she had such a great time making her choice and helping us put her new sheets and comforter on when we got home. And of course, Lainey is thrilled with the fact that she now also has a "big girl" bed. She loves that she can climb in and out of it on her own. The best part is, night #1 in this transition period went fabulously! Leecy T even informed us when she was put to bed, that she didn't need her lamp on or even a story read to her. (I'm not sure how long the no story part will last however!) What a big girl she is! I love my girls so much and love watching them transition from one stage to another. They continually amaze me!!! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!




Leecy T on her new big girl bed!!!



Leecy and Lainey having a great time being silly!


What a big girl!


I'm a big girl too! :)

Leecy's Fish

Aleece recieved a fish tank and some fish from her Uncle Chandler an Aunt Jessica when they came to visit us last week, and she has been so thrilled with them! She loves to stand in front of the tank and watch them and even gave them all names (mostly princess names, but there are some other Disney characters thrown in for a little variety!). The other day one of her fish died, so we took it to the store to replace it. After we returned home and had placed the fish in his new home, Val heard Leecy talking to them. She was telling them that while this new fish wasn't the same as the old white fish, he was still very nice, and that the new fish was in a better place. How cute is she?

Easter surprise!

I guess I didn't get our Easter paraphanalia put away quickly enough, because this is what I entered the living room to find the other night! What a great after Easter surprise! How funny is it that at almost 17 months, she can still fit inside an Easter basket?!

Happy Easter!!!

An Easter Blessing

May your spirit soar on a joyful breeze.....
May your wishes fly to where rainbows begin.....
May your dreams take root in a hopeful heart.....
...and may happiness walk beside you always!

Happy Easter everyone!
Here are some picture highlights from our weekend!
We hope yours was as wonderful as ours!

Tagged

So I was tagged by Kathy to list 7 random things about myself. Here goes......

1. I love being pregnant. I'm in better shape when I'm pregnant than any other time, for some strange reason! I don't gain much weight and I don't have to worry about just being fat! Plus feeling the baby kick is such an incredible experience!

2. I absolutely love going to the zoo. Maybe more than my children! :) I don't know what my fascination is, but I always have such a great time!

3. I can totally tune anyone and anything out when I am reading. Blessing or curse? I'm really not sure!

4. I hate throw up. I will do anything in my power to prevent myself from doing it (even if it would make me feel better!), and I can't be in the same room as someone who has. I know it's my subconcious but I just can't help it! Baby spit up I'm fine with, but as soon as my kids have been old enough to have substanstial puke, it's Val's turn! Sorry honey!

5. The older I have gotten, the more fears I have developed. I think part of it has been in becoming a mother. I have such a strong need to protect my children that so many more things seem unsafe. Bridges collapsing, public shootings, flying, heights. Pathetic, I know. I really try hard to not let allow it to affect me too much. But I always have those underlying fears!

This is getting harder. I can't seem to think of anything interesting....let's see....

6. I'm never sure where to call "home" when someone asks me. I've moved around so much in my life, it's hard to pinpoint any one place. I resided the longest amount of time in Texas, and have so many fond memories from there, but I was born in Ohio, started school in England, moved to Utah after graduating high school, have also lived in South Carolina, Minnesota and now Tennessee. I guess I would have to say home is wherever my family is. One of my favorite quotes is "Home is not a place, it is a feeling." I 100% concur!!!

7. I love any and all holidays! My parents always made every holiday fun and it has made me want to do the same for my children! Any excuse to celebrate! I love all of our traditions and hope our children will pass them on also!

There you have it. Not necessarily interesting, but seven random things about me, nonetheless! :) I guess I am supposed to tag a couple of people, so I tag Patty, Katchie, Mary Rose, and Noelle!

Can I, May I?

The days all seem to pass so quickly, before I know it, it's been a while since I've had the chance to blog!

We have tried to get Aleece to start saying "May I?" versus "Can I?" Well, we've definitely succeeded in confusing her! Now she simply says, "Can I, May I, please......" It really is quite humorous!

The other day while the girls were taking a bath Lainey put her hand over her heart and Leecy says to her, "That's right Lainey. That's where the Holy Ghost lives!" How cute is that? I couldn't ask for two better girls! :)

We went to an Easter picnic/party for our ward this morning and the girls had such a fun time collecting eggs on the Easter egg hunt! It was supposed to take place at a really nice park in our area, but due to inclement weather it was held in our church building. Not nearly as fun of an atmosphere, but when candy is involved, what do kids care?

We are excited for this coming week because it is Val's spring break! That means we get him all to ourselves for one whole week! We can't wait!

Tribute

My sweet husbands birthday is today and I've been thinking all day about how very lucky I am to be married to him. This is the seventh birthday I will be celebrating with him--it's remarkable how quickly time passes us by. We have been through so many changes in our lives since we first met, but our love has continued to grow each and every day since the moment our paths crossed. Val is one of the most caring, passionate, loving people I know. He is an amazing husband and father and he works so hard to provide for our family and allow me to stay at home and raise our children. He is one of the most talented people there is. I love to hear him sing and play the piano. He is so passionate about the way he performs, and the way he teaches and anyone who has the opportunity to hear him is truly blessed. Sometimes when you hear people perform, you know they are playing the right notes, but there is no passion there. I love to listen to Val because he always brings something new to what he is doing. He loves it and you know it. I love that Val can make our girls giggle like no one else! They love to tease him and play games with him and I just like to sit back sometimes and watch. They are the moments that I lock away into my memory, so that I won't ever forget them. I love that Val is an incredibly hard worker. He has always been dedicated to his jobs, even when he hasn't enjoyed them. It's nice that he finally has been rewarded with a job he enjoys so much. What it all boils down to is that I love my husband with my whole heart and soul and I am so thankful to be his wife. He is an incredible spirit and he has touched many lives! Happy birthday sweetie! I love you!

Baby bump

Okay, I know I've slacked but here is a picture of the baby bump! I am approximately 22 1/2 weeks. I haven't gained any weight yet, yet am somehow still huge!

Frosty the Snowman

Aleece and I made a snowman this morning! The weather was so nice outside despite all of the snow! She affectionately named her snowman Frosty! Lainey wanted to be outside too so Daddy brought her out and we had a snowball fight. Madelaine would just laugh and laugh every time someone threw a snowball. It was so funny to watch! Here are a few pictures!




Aleece gathering sticks for her snowman's arms.


Aleece giving the snowman arms.


Aleece and Frosty holding hands!


Lainey and Frosty--she thought he was hilarious!


They are the same height!

It's raining.....it's snowing!

Who would think that there would be snow in Memphis in March? I mean, we didn't get any all winter long, but sure enough we have been in a winter weather warning since midnight last night, and already have several inches on the ground, with several more to come! The girls were enthralled with the snow and begged to go out. Aleece had a carrot all ready for her snowman that she was going to make (which we never got around to...it was just way too cold!). So we bundled them up as well as we could and they ended up looking like little stay puft marshmallow men! (Ghostbusters, anyone?) They were so fun to watch! Aleece just ran around the yard, made a few snowangels and enjoyed every minute! Madelaine had a hard time staying upright with as much as she was bundled up, but enjoyed it even when she was flat on her back! :) Here are a few pictures to commemorate this occasion---trust me this doesn't happen very often here! The whole city has pretty much shut down--nobody knows how to deal with this! It's actually pretty funny!




Aleece running through the snow!


Madelaine trying to stay upright! Loving the snow!


Our little snow angel!


No matter the temperature--she loves the outdoors!

Pet peeves and cookies

We took the girls to the most fabulous park today. It has several playgrounds, swings, plenty of picnic benches, and the weather was perfect. The girls had so much fun. Val and I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the girls and finally being able to spend some time outside. My only pet peeve when it comes to the park is children who are unattended. This doesn't always mean that there isn't a parent there, it just means the parent obviously has something better to do than watch their own children. Everything would go so much more smoothly if all of the kids took turns, instead of shoving other kids out of the way and blocking slides, etc. I know most of these parents probably have no idea what is going on because they believe there children are old enough to 1) hopefully know better than to bully younger children and 2) not have to be supervised at all times. Unfortunately that isn't always the case. I guess being a mother to younger children I notice more of this, and am going to make sure I never get included in the group of parents I mentioned previously!
Another thing I have noticed over the past two weeks is the sudden appearance of girl scout cookies EVERYWHERE! I can't leave my house without coming across a stand of some kind with cute little girl scouts pleading for you to buy there cookies. I was a girl scout myself and remember all of the drama that came with selling cookies. Knocking on doors and begging people to buy something was not my favorite part of being a girl scout by any means! I remember wanting to sell enough cookies to win certain prizes, but in reality, I don't know how ANY of those prizes where even really achievable! It has been enough years without having had a girl scout cookie, that I'm almost afraid I've forgotten what they taste like! And I have to tell you, that being pregnant, I have to try and steer clear of all of these stands, because I want to give in and buy a box of Samoa's so badly! But they now charge a whopping $3.50 a box! I just can't see spending that kind of money on a box of cookies, no matter how good I imagine they might taste! Plus, I'm almost certain they are better in my imagination....so why ruin a good thing? :)