Kaiden's Graduation

Kaiden graduated from Kindergarten today. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments this year. Here he is with his teacher Ms. Healey. He is beginning to really read and spell letters which was hard for him at first. He is such a great little man!

They had a Hawaii theme for graduation and they performed songs.

Each child stood up and the teacher announced what they wanted to do when they grew up. Some kids wanted to be policeman, others doctor's, but not my Kaiden. He wants to be a garbage man so he can drive a big truck.

The entire morning class.

Yesterday when I got up from a nap Kaiden had created a police hat out of paper. He didn't like that it fell off so he asked me to find one on the computer. He cut it out and fit his and his sister's to their heads with tape all by himself. They also made money and tickets for "bad guys". They are so creative!!!

Some Motherly Thoughts...

I think there is a moment in every mother's life where she believes, "I can do this." I've enjoyed every minute of Seer's existance with us, but there of course have been some challenges. I don't remember being this tired with the other two. Although I was 22 and 23 then. I also had trouble nursing for the first few weeks which was painful and disheartning. Now that we have somewhat of a schedule going, she's nursing correctly, and I've been trying to take naps, things are getting into a groove.

We went to the zoo on Memorial Day with her and I'm amazed by how easy of a baby she is. I got a front pack for her and that kept her content the entire time. Then two days ago I put the pack on with her in it, was able to nurse her, and I was picking up toys with my feet so I didn't disturb her. Is this multi-tasking or what?

She smiled at me for the first time yesterday. I can't believe how something so small can feel so amazing as a baby's smile. Especially your own baby.

Kaiden and Daddy riding the quad. Don't try this at home. I trust Josh to keep the kids safe. Kaiden on the other hand was not so sure this time around:)

Kaiden and McKenna at the river. They remind me of Indiana Jones. They love to find bugs and make things out of nothing. Today Kaiden made a holster for his "valiant" sword I made him for a FHE lesson. So cute!

McKenna's Ballet Performance

McKenna participated in ballet again over the last few weeks. She still stuggles with not sitting down every few minutes from "being tired." But she looks stunning to me. She is a gorgeous little girl that I am very proud of. Even if I'm a little biased. Look at those moves!!!

Updated Seer and Family Pictures

Seer had some confusion as to who was holding her. But Dad didn't mind:)

I love this picture. She actually looks like she's smiling. And thank you to Melissa for the great booties (hand made).

Kaiden is very proud that he can hold his baby sister by himself standing up. He is very sweet and protective of her. He makes sure the blanket covers her toes, the sun is out of her eyes, and loves to try to make her smile.

Kaiden's Soccer

Kaiden played on a Kidsports kindergarten soccer team this season. He had a really fun time and did score a goal. We're very proud of his first season as an athelete.

Seer Isabella has Arrived

Words cannot express how incredibly grateful I am for the birth of Seer. She has brought so much peace and love to my heart. There was a rush of emotion when she was born and tears came to my eyes. I was so excited to meet her and because we had waited a year and a half for her the meeting was so much more intense and special. She is such a blessing and a gift from Heavenly Father that I hope I can live up to and be appreciative of always.

Seer Isabella Ellison was born April 14, 2009 at 8:01 PM. She weighed 6 Pounds 13 Ounces and 19.5 Inches Long. Here is what her name means from the Bible dictionary. "A seer is a revelator and a prophet also” (Mosiah 8: 15-16), and when necessary he can use the Urim and Thummim or holy interpreters (Mosiah 8: 13; Mosiah 28: 16). There have been many seers in the history of God’s people on this earth, but not so many as there have been prophets. “A seer is greater than a prophet . . . and a gift which is greater can no man have . . . “ (Mosiah 8: 15-18). Joseph Smith is the great seer of the latter days. In addition, the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Patriarch to the Church are sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators."

We checked into the hospital at 4 PM Tuesday April 14th at the new hospital Sacred Heart at River Bend. It was a beautiful resort style hospital. Our room was spacious and new with a nice view of tall trees and the sky. By 5 or so my doctor had come in, my IV was in with the pitocin and my antibiotics for the Group B strep. I had a student nurse along with the regular CNA so that made things interesting. The first time she tried to put the IV in she hit a valve. I think that hurt more than the labor pains. After minutes of that she redid it on my other arm. Ouch! They then broke my water and within a half hour my contractions (that I could feel) had started. Within the hour they got intense. Somehow it wasn’t as bad as I remember. I was able to breathe through them thinking about the reward of Seer and that got me through it. Having Josh by my side always helps. I had dilated 2 more centimeters by now. I was at 4 when I arrived. They called the anesthesiologist soon after that and I got my epidural. It took about a half hour for the pain to decrease and then it was smooth sailing. At around 7:50 PM I felt a lot of pressure. My doctor arrived soon after and after 3 pushes Seer was born at 8:01 PM.

The kids have really enjoyed her. I was suprised that the first couple of days I was taking turns with the kids to hold her. All I wanted to do was hold her. She is really a good baby and doesn't really cry. She just makes noises. I can't wait to raise her.

Spring Break Camping

"Happy" Grandma and Grandpa were also able to come. Rex taught Josh how to ride around the age of 3 so he loved watching his grandchildren enjoy his passion!

We also had Josh's sister come in from California with her adorable kids. Miss Bailey was great friends with Kaiden!

We were fortunate enough to have Josh's brother and kids come with us for extra play friends. They took turns riding the quads and being pulled by the sled!

We went camping in Florence over Spring Break. I was pretty hesitant to go being 9 months pregnant but we had a RV which worked out perfect! The kids of course had a blast. Within minutes they had found there weapons of choice (sticks) and Kaiden was doing his favorite pose...umm?