Backing Up

Turns out I was farther behind than I first thought.  After going through some pics, I realized that I missed St. Patrick's Day and April Fools Day.  Oops.  Not huge holidays, but still, pictures were taken and a small post should be written.  St. Patrick's Day fell on a Saturday this year and so Brian was able to spend the day with us, which makes any day better.

A silly leprechaun visited during the night, sending the kids on a treasure hunt first thing in the morning.  The final treasure included rainbow licorice, a pot of chocolate gold, new shirts, and a box of Lucky Charms cereal (something I NEVER buy!). 

 

 

 

 

 

I was nine months pregnant at this point, so the rest of the day was pretty laid back.  I didn't want a St. Patrick's Day baby and was happy when the day passed without going into labor.  The only other fun thing we did that day was to have my parents over for our green dinner (spinach ravioli and broccoli), with pots of gold on the side (pineapple jello) and liquid gold to drink (lemonade). For dessert, we made green colored marshmallow pops.

Simple day, fun day.

For April Fools, I stole Mindy's idea from last year and made my kids a miniature sized lunch.  I called for them, saying that lunch was ready and when they saw their plates, they looked at me with complete confusion.  It was hard to keep a straight face, but Brian and I told them to, "eat up, this is all you get until dinner."  Well, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, right?  My little prank brought poor Trenters to tears, just thinking about how hungry he was going to be for the next five hours.  So, my one and only joke of the day ended rather quickly.

 

 

When we went to parents house later for dinner, my mom pulled the old jello-in-a-cup-to-look-like-juice trick on all the grandkids.  For dessert, Mindy brought minature donuts (cheerios with frosting and sprinkles). Those were quickly consumed and then we were treated to potted flowers. Yum!

April 1st also marked the day that Chase sported his first hair-do! Brian gave him a faux hawk and he looked smashing!

Easter?

I know, I know, Easter was like three months ago....ugh.  I really need to get my blog caught up, I am just having a hard time finding time.  I debated whether I should just do one huge mega catch-up post, but have decided against it.  First, because it just seems too daunting, and second, because there are just too many things that need to be highlighted separately.  So, I am once again attempting to kick-off a week of catch-up and I figured I should start with Easter. That is just how behind I am.

I was recently talking to my aunt Merry Lynn about how fast children grow up and she asked if I kept a journal - I don't.  This blog is the only form of journaling I do for myself and my children and I am realizing how important it is for me to keep it updated.  Already I have forgotten about the detailed events of Easter.  It seems like such a distant hazy memory now.  Luckily I do have some photos to jog my memory a little. 

One thing I failed to do, which I feel horribly about, was to take a picture of Chase on his first Easter.  Bad mom moment.  In fact, I didn't take any pictures of my kids in their Easter clothes on Easter.  I guess I didn't really worry about it because we had gotten their pictures done the day before.  Ah, yes, those pictures.  The ones where Luke was being extremely uncooperative.  So unlike him.

 

 Looking back at these pictures makes my heart ache a little because, time really does go by way. too. fast.

 

  

Since I don't completely remember all the events of the day, I'll give you a very simple rundown.  Easter in a nutshell: baskets in the morning, church, dying eggs, yummy ham dinner, egg hunt, and carrot cake.  Sounds pretty traditional, eh?  I like traditional. I like it a lot. 

 

 

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love living in Utah. I was just talking to a gal in my ward today about how I have no desire to live anywhere else. I love being so close to my family. I love that my kids get to see their cousins on a weekly basis.  And I love that their cousins are their best friends.  It's awesome. 

Blessing for Chase

On May 6th our baby Chase was blessed.  Most of our family was in attendance, minus those living out of state.  The Wright family also came and supported us.  It was a beautiful day and Brian gave Chase a beautiful blessing.  Once again, I was slightly saddened by the thought that it was the last baby blessing for our little family. 

Chase was a champ (once again) and didn't fuss or complain during the blessing or during the entire day for that matter.  He continues to be such a sweet and content little boy.  He looked super handsome in his blessing outfit - I just goofed and realized when we got to church that I had left his shoes at home.   Darn.  There was no time to go back home, so he was blessed shoeless, but I think it still counts ;o) Our families joined us afterward for a salad bar luncheon at our home.  We really appreciated all the support and love from family.  We are blessed.

 

  Chase with his namesake:

 The forgotten shoes!:

 My handsome boy:

 

Hooray For The End of May!

I officially declare May 2012 as the busiest month of my life thus far and am happy to see it come to an end.  I am in need of some serious R&R and am hoping for at least a few quiet days in June.  I have eight or more different posts I've been wanting to do, but just haven't managed to find the time.  I've missed my blogging, mostly because it's my only form of journaling and I feel guilty when I don't get to record the comings and goings of my little family.  Just one note - I love all my kids, but this little guy has sure been extra sweet lately with his hugs and kisses.  It melts my heart. 

  Stay tuned, more posts to come!

I Will Survive!

Wow.  Having four kids has been an adjustment! And when two of those kids are sick, I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. My 'to-do' list continues to grow - I cross off one thing, but add two more.  But, I'm not going to complain too much because I am also finding a lot of joy in this stage of my life.  Life really is good and I have four beautiful, healthy children.

I got their pictures done a couple weeks ago.  Both of Ashlyn's front teeth are loose and I wanted to get her pictures done one last time before those cute baby teeth are gone and she has big gaps in her smile.

Picture day is always stressful.  Just figuring out what they are going to wear is enough to make me pull my hair out.  The day after I made the appointment for the pictures, Luke had a run-in with a hot iron.  I kept the appointment regardless, and thanks to photoshop, no one is the wiser.

 My boys are so handsome.  Even if I am a little biased, there's no denying it.

Truth be told, I'm not thrilled with how the pics turned out.  They got some good individual shots, but I really wanted a group picture...Luke had different plans.  He can be a little uncooperative.  That first picture and the one below are the absolute best of the worst. 

The photographer was a little enamored with Chase and he received the most camera time.  I can't really blame her.  He was also the easiest to work with :o)

Chase has officially passed the one month milestone.  Last week I tried to put him in the outfit that he wore when he came home from the hospital and it didn't fit.  So sad.  People say it all the time, but I'll say it again - time flies!  He has proven to be my best baby.  He really is absolutely the sweetest thing.  Thanks to lots of kisses from his older brother, he caught a bug this week.  But even when he is miserable (fever, gunky eyes, cough, upset belly, runny nose) he hardly makes a fuss.  I have been truly blessed with this one.  He is a definite keeper!

2 Week Photo Shoot

My sister Mindy sent me a link for some creative pregnancy and newborn photos. I am by no means a professional, but I took her challenge and tried to recreate a couple of the ideas. Here is a sample of my feeble attempt at a photo shoot with my two week old.

Then I tried to do a little photo editing...I could use a few lessons, but it was fun playing around a little.

Chase had his two week appointment yesterday and he is growing like a champ. Already he is up 10 ounces from his birth weight and one inch taller. SLOW DOWN buddy!

Since I know he is my last, all I have wanted to do these past two weeks is sit and do nothing but hold him. However, with three other children and a household to manage, my desires are far from realistic. But I am trying to soak in this newborn stage as much as possible. He is such a sweet and content baby. He has added so much joy to our home in such a short time. His siblings all love him to pieces and have smothered him with hugs and kisses. We feel extremely blessed to have him in our home.

Presenting...

Chase Robert Smiley

March 19, 2012
1:20 pm
8 lbs 3 oz
19.25 inches

I went to bed exhausted on Sunday, March 18, at about 11:30 pm. It was a restless night and I woke up several times with strong contractions. At around 5:30 am, I woke again with a very strong contraction that would not go away. I got up and went to the bathroom and tried walking around, but nothing made it stop.

After several minutes, the contraction finally subsided and so I got back into bed, but the contractions kept coming. I decided to take a bath to see if that would make them stop (I wanted to make sure this was the real deal), but it didn't work. The contractions were consistently 3-4 minutes apart. Brian and I decided then that we probably needed to make plans to go to the hospital. I called my Mom and told her we would be dropping off the kids and then we flew into action. We woke up the kids, put the bags in the car, and we were off!

Before heading to the hospital, Brian and my Dad gave me a blessing, which gave me a lot of peace and comfort knowing all would go well. We arrived at the hospital at about 7:45 and things went very smoothly from there on out. When the nurse checked me, I was dilated to a six. I had to get hooked up to an IV so that I could get a couple doses of penicillin during labor, because I had previously tested positive for group B strep. I also got a epidural - thank goodness for modern medicine. I really admire those who can deliver naturally. I am admittedly not one of those women.

By noon I had started getting really nauseated and threw up several times. Another wave of nausea hit me around 1:00 and I began repeatedly throwing up. It was during this time that Brian actually heard my water break. He called for the nurse and she and the doctor both came in and found that I was ready to go.

The room became a buzz of activity. As soon as everything was set up and ready, I began to push. After pushing through just two contractions, Chase made his debut into this world. My water had broken at about 1:05 and he was born just 15 minutes after that. Crazy!

As soon as we could see how much hair he had, we were shocked and amazed! The umbilical cord was wrapped two times around his neck and it took a few seconds of vigorous rubbing to get him to make a sound. He scored an 8/9 on the apgar, but I gave him a 10. I thought he looked perfect. It was a remarkable experience.

We love you Chase! Welcome to this crazy world and to our crazy family :o)