Sunday, June 24, 2007

You know you need a new post when...

...you realize your last post was all about breastfeeding. :-) Sorry about that. Anyway, here is an update of the fun things my new "freedom" has allowed me to do.

1. Go to the park for many hours with good friends. (Does this surprise you?)



We also played a lot in our own front yard. I love that I feel comfortable letting Dallin just ride his bike with the neighbor kids. We live on a great street with many kids. It is so much fun, especially in the summer.

2. Chase a balloon festival with Suzie's daughter Wavy Gravy.



We bought passes to the balloon festival. On Saturday morning at 6am we woke up all the kids and went to see the balloons take off. We were disappointed when the weather kept this from happening. We had an all you can eat pancake breakfast and walked around an empty field. We decided to try again that night for the night glow. Still kind of a disappointment but we had fun listening to "Elvis." Sunday morning at 6am, Dallin, Wavy Gravy and I tried one more time to see the balloons launch, and again they were sidelined by the weather. We were lucky enough to ride in a tethered balloon and it was still cool to see all the balloons. The kids were great sports. I am glad Wavy Gravy could come with us. I have always felt a special kinship with her.

3. Spend time with my sweet, fun daughter Emily.



Dallin was in soccer camp this week at the YMCA, so while he was playing with his 2 good buddies,


Emily and I had some fun. We played at open gym time, went to see Clifford at the free movies, and just played with her friends. I love spending time with just her and enjoying her craziness. She loves to dress herself up(as you can tell) and she is still so sweet with Bryce.


4. Hang out with my cool sister Crystal and her boyfriend Tony while they came to visit for the weekend.




I love when Crystal comes to visit. We always have a fun time together. She is such a great aunt and the kids are always excited to see her. I am glad she was able to meet Bryce. We took the boat out which was a lot of fun. I was a little nervous to see how Bryce would like the life jacket, but he did really well, sleeping most of the time. I guess he has no choice in our boat loving family! We also went to a baseball game and rode the train downtown. It was the happiest I have seen Bryce and he was smiling a lot while Crystal was holding him. Unfortunately we didn't have a camera, so I have still not been able to catch a "real" smile. I will keep trying, I promise! We had a great time playing Settlers(a lot! Thanks guys, I will win sometime) and just relaxing. It was a perfect weekend. We even had visitors today, good friends from home and BYU. Then Suzie and her family came over for games and dessert. Whew! We feel lucky to have such amazing family and friends. Thank you!!



We were also able to have a wonderful Father's Day. I love when we have a chance to honor Jeff. I really do feel truly blessed to have a husband who is not only my best friend, but a great father. The kids love their dad! (Isn't Bryce's outfit adorable?! It was sent to us by my good friend, Angi, who just had a sweet baby girl. (Angi, start a blog so I can see more pics of your cute family!)

The kids picked out a present they could play with their dad. Dallin wanted to buy another video game, but I nixed that idea! So, they picked out rockets. They love playing with their dad.

I also feel grateful to have a great father. Bryce is named after him (middle name) and I can't think of anyone I would rather him strive to be like. He is kind, generous, thoughtful, strong and faithful. He taught me to love and serve everyone. He is my personal cheerleader and I never feel prouder than when I am able to share an accomplishment with him. I love you dad!!

Bryce is a month old and I can't believe how fast it has gone. I hope I am doing a good job and making sure all my kids feel loved. I am glad that we don't have school right now so we can all be together. I love reading books with the kids and watching them learn. Babies are such a miracle, and especially my little Bryce. What a blessing he has been to our family.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Let Freedom Ring...

No, I am not being patriotic, (I will post about that later, I promise), I am talking about the beauty of a bottle fed baby. All three of my babies have been pretty good nursers, and I expected to someday figure out how to nurse in public, but it is just not happening for me. I just don't have the ability to be discreet. First of all, I have never understood how some women can "hook up" the babies without looking. So, I look like a big dork as I put my head under the blanket to try and get the baby to eat. Meanwhile, I am sure part of me is hanging out that no one needs/wants to see. Then, there is always the problem of the baby falling asleep on the job and your milk continuing to accumulate. Oh, the joys of nursing.
So, for Bryce, I am determined to get the pump'n go skillz down. The first time I tried a bottle I nearly drowned my poor baby. So, Suzie gave us some bottles that have slower nipples and voila, we have a happy baby that can be fed on the go. The kids are also very willing to help.



Today was very relaxing. It started off with a nice run with my favorite marathon mommy, and then I spent the morning cleaning and dejunking. Then I went to a little party with said marathon mommy and her darling 8 year old. We then had a cleaning party at home and we all took naps. Our night ended with an exciting family trip to Costco and Target. I love days like this that don't feel crazy. Remind me of this please.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Back to life, back to reality...

Jeff went back to work on Monday, hurt knee and all, so it was officially my first week on my own. I am surprisingly pleased with how well it has gone. We are still being taken care of by good friends who have brought food and friendship to us, so that definitely makes life easier!

I was able to get laundry done on Monday, woo hoo! I tried to take it easy the rest of the week and then today I decided it was time to get out. We met up with a bunch of friends at the park. Dallin brought his bike and played in the sand and of course Emily played in the mud!

Then I decided to be very brave and took the kids strawberry picking. We again met friends there, which always makes it more fun. I fed baby Bryce while Emily and Dallin did all the work. They did a great job, and when I told Dallin that I was going to make jam out of them, he promptly replied that they were HIS strawberries! I guess we will just have to see about that, won't we?! It was a good day, but I am definitely tired (Emily was as well!).



In other good news, I went to the Dr. on Tuesday and he signed me off to drive and exercise, including running! So, I went for my first run yesterday, and I will admit I was very humbled. It kicked my butt!! It felt great to be outside, though, and I will continue running slowly. So, that is about it for now. Bryce is a doll, and the kids love him, but hopefully they will stop fighting over him so I can feed him in peace. :-) He does look cute in the glasses his sister put on him! She also loves to put shoes on him. I love it!