Good Buddies

The other day I went upstairs to grab some clothes for Ryan and came back to this:

What cutie boys...

Little Man

Look who's three(!) months old today...

Time is flying...and we're having SO much fun.

Ryan gave us his first laugh last Sunday. Nathan got it out of him. It's happened a few more times this week, but I have yet to get it on the video camera. We have plenty of smiles though. He's not stingy with those!

Ryan also loves to hear us sing to him...his current favorite is 'The Wheels on the Bus.' He lights up when we start the arm movements with him. Very cute.

I hear all of that time that he looks like a little man. It's true! He has such distinct features for a baby. When Scott is holding him I think they look so much alike. I love Ry-Ry's little dimples on the sides of his mouth when he smiles. Aimee got one, and he got two....luckies!

Everyday I pinch myself...we really get another baby to love! We are so lucky. Ryan has brought so much happiness to our family in the three short months he's been here. This is one child that will never wonder if he's loved. I think he holds a special place in all of our hearts because of the sacrifice all of us made getting him here. It was definitely a family effort!

Love you, little Ryan....Happy three-month birthday!

My Sweet Aimee

Today is a big day for this little girl...

...today she is EIGHT years old!

I can't believe how time flies...

and I also can't believe what a sweet, beautiful young lady she is becoming.

Aimee is eight years old....

going on twenty!


Eight things I LOVE about my Aimee-doo:


1. She is so generous. Aimee loves to share what she has to make someone else happy.
2. Aimee is very thoughtful and concerned about other people and their feelings.
3. This little girl is one of the most productive people I know. She can accomplish more in one day than most adults!
4. Aimee is an amazing sister. Her little brothers adore her, and she is Anna's best friend.
5. She is an awesome blogger. Last time I checked, she was keeping up four of them!
6. Aimee is very smart. Sometimes a little too smart...
7. She is hilarious. Aimee is always making up the funniest words or phrases (shubbs; S.O.F., S.O.F...) that we all catch on to. She definitely keeps us laughing.
8. Aimee loves to do "grown-up" things and is extremely ambitious. She wants to be a mom, a photographer, a teacher, a chef, and a hair-stylist. I honestly believe she could do them all if she decided to.

Love you, Aimers! Happy Birthday!

Sneak Peek

The kids in their costumes before the big Trunk-or-Treat:

Ryan dressed up as the puppy the kids have always wanted. I told them they got a baby brother instead, which really was okay with all of them. Baby brother dressed up like a puppy was even better...

He was so snuggly and cute....we didn't put him down all evening!

We always have to get a "crazy" picture of Nathan...


And the girls were so cute in their "50's" costumes. (I love their glasses!)

We can't wait to do this all again on Halloween!

Two Months

Sweet little Ryan is two months old today. Isn't he cute??? :) Two months has flown by, but we've enjoyed having this little guy here every second of it. He gives us lots of smiles and is starting to have 'conversations' with me, cooing when I talk to him. I never want these babies to grow up, but how can I complain when they get more cute and fun by the day?

I ran across a picture of me when I was pregnant, and it seemed like so long ago. (Funny how that is....some days I honestly thought it would never end...) I love to sit and just take this baby in. I can't believe he's mine. He seems so familiar to me, like I've known him forever. Maybe it's because he looks a little like each of my other babies, but I wonder also if it's because I spent so many hours laying in bed thinking about him. I imagined how he'd look (more like Daddy than Mommy), his personality (sweet and happy), that he'd love to snuggle (especially with me!), and of course how much I'd love him. He's just how I imagined him to be. So handsome, so sweet, so snuggly, and I just can't get enough of him. What a lucky mommy I am...

Happy two-month birthday, Ryan...

Flu Shots and Other Fun Stuff

Last week we took advantage of Ryan's well check and took the whole family to the doctor's office for Flu Shots. Fun stuff, let me tell you! The girls knew what was in store and were dreading the whole ordeal, but Nathan woke up that morning SO excited to go get his shots (he had to get a couple more because we missed his 4-year well check...oops!) The nurse took them oldest to youngest, but she probably should've started with Nathan. Anna wasn't too bad...she's our quiet one. But when the nurse stuck that needle in Aimee's arm, she let out an "Ouch!" and her eyes teared up immediately. We tried to downplay it since Nathan was sitting there waiting for his turn. His excitement was starting to fade a little. Aimee got up and came over to where I was standing and said "That really hurt!" I gave her one of 'those' looks and she corrected herself. "That was cool!" she said, looking over at Nathan. I think at this point he may have been doubting her sincerity. Anyway, he got his three shots, and then three suckers (one for each!) and he was a happy camper. Now I wonder how I'm going to get him back in for those Kindergarten shots in April! Lucky little Ryan got to go last with his shots. Poor little guy. He really wasn't happy about that. He was 22-1/2 inches and weighed 10 lbs. exactly....a pretty big growth spurt from 6 lbs. just six weeks earlier. Here we are, showing off our "Badges of Courage" (our band-aids...)

I love Nathan's face in this one:

Now on to happier things....little Ryan has been giving smiles out like crazy lately. I got my first real smile out of him at about five weeks (September 25 at 10:14 am, to be exact!). I was talking to him and he just looked up and gave me a huge smile...it was the sweetest thing. We had a few more over the next couple of weeks, but at seven weeks he started smiling all over the place. This little boy is way too cute. Here he is getting ready for his first bike ride. We love to go on rides as a family and have had this trailer since the girls were little! It's gotten a lot of use. Now it's Ryan's turn. He slept most of the time, but I'm sure he loved the parts he was awake for...

Here is one of those great smiles:

and another...

isn't he the sweetest?

The kids were so excited to take him out for his first ride...

We also had to record his height on the family chart....22-1/2 inches already!

He thought he was hot stuff getting measured like his big sisters and brother...

We love you, little Ry-Ry....just don't grow up on us too fast! :)

Brothers

I can't tell you how much Nathan loves being a big brother. He is so sweet with Ryan, always giving him kisses, telling him he loves him, and trying to make him feel better when he cries. Today Scott was holding Ryan and Nathan said "Daddy, aren't you SO glad we have baby Ry-Ry?" Too sweet. A little later we were all having some M&M's, and he wondered if we could give Ryan "a teeny, tiny" piece so he wouldn't be left out. Here he is, so proud that he got Ryan to sleep with the binkie:

and my boys looking too handsome in their "Sunday Best"

I have the feeling these two will be great friends...

Change is in the air...

Ahhh.....a new blog address calls for a new background, don't you think? The girls couldn't believe I didn't have a "cute" background for this blog, so they hooked me up. (Honestly, I tried to put one on a year ago and couldn't figure out how. It took a seven-year-old, who figured it out herself, to show me how.) We'll try it out....although I'm kind of partial to my old plain white one. I do love fall though, so I might as well be a little festive, right?

One Month Old!

Sweet baby Ryan is one month old today! Where has the time gone??? (It sure didn't go by this quickly when he was inside of me!:)) I love the fact that I can barely even remember what our family was like without him. How lucky are we?!

So, we decided to celebrate this monumental day with a "Happy One-Month-Old Birthday" party. Nathan picked out a carrot cake (?) at the store for him (I think he liked the carrots made of frosting on top...which was pretty much the only part of the cake he ended up eating.) We even had a candle they all took turns blowing out.

Here is our cute little man in his "Sunday Outfit." I love the onesie with the tie sewn onto it. We had to go find some newborn size cords to match!

The other day I read this quote...

"I truly believe that as low as you go, you bounce back up that much higher."

...and I really think it's true. The physical and emotional lows I experience while carrying these sweeties are amazingly low. It's kind of scary. But the high I feel when I hold them in my arms for the first time, and thousands of times after, is the most amazing and wonderful feeling. I am so happy and so grateful to be enjoying this special, unexpected season of my life. I'm soaking it in and loving every minute.

Four Weeks

Our little Ryan is four weeks old today. I'm a little sad to have him "growing up," but it is so fun to watch his sweet personality emerge. He is such a good baby, and loves to be snuggled (good thing, because we all love to snuggle him!) He's starting to get on somewhat of a schedule, but none of our kids have been very good sleepers, so I'm not expecting much sleep for the next several months! And, we are venturing into new territory...Ryan may be the first one of our babies to actually take a binkie. Which is WONDERFUL right now, but then again I've never had to wean one of my kids from a binkie, so I don't know if I should push it. (Any thoughts?) He also seems to enjoy our morning and afternoon walks to school, which is good because we have nine months of them ahead of us! :)

These are a few more of the pictures Christie took. They are so sweet, I just can't stop looking at them! She captured this special time for our family perfectly. Do you think this little guy is loved? I think he's going to be spoiled like no other...

First Day

Our first day of school went off without a hitch. The girls love their teachers, and are excited about their classes. Whew! This was our first "first day" without any tears of anxiety. When we got to school the girls both went off to find their class lines, and that was it! It was too easy...I guess they are getting older and much more independent. We are lucky to be at such a great school with amazing teachers and good friends. The combination made for a smooth transition to 3rd(!) and 5th(!) grade.

Daddy even stayed home long enough to see the girls off for their first day. Here they all are, walking to school (we've got quite the entourage now...)

Anna and Aimee on the blacktop.


My sweet 5th(!) grader...


My cute little 3rd(!) grader.



It really feels good to get back to school this year. Usually I dread the new year...the end of summer, my kids another grade older, etc. But this year I'm loving it. I think it's probably due to the fact that I'm feeling back to my old self (I can actually eat without feeling sick...I'm so happy!!!) I love the structure our family is settling back into, and I love that the girls are at school with their wonderful teachers. Ahhh, back to productivity. It's been a while since things have felt "normal" around here, and it is a good feeling. I'm so excited for everything we have coming up in the next few months. Stay tuned...we'll keep you posted on the fun. :)

Ryan's Newborn Pictures

A couple of days ago we got to have Christie come over for a photoshoot with the kids. She did an amazing job...she is so talented! We all had so much fun watching her little tricks with a tiny newborn. The kids loved her too. In fact, thanks to Christie, Aimee is now an aspiring photographer. She's done two "photoshoots" with Ryan since Christie left! Here is the link if you want to see the rest.

http://christiehobson.blogspot.com/2009/08/ryan.html

I'm in Love...

We all are. Completely smitten by this sweet little baby boy. He completes our family in so many ways, and I can't believe that we are lucky enough to have him.

I was thinking back to last August when I started struggling with feelings of wanting another baby. When I was pregnant and so sick with Nathan I told myself that it was the last time. That I couldn't do that to my body or to my family any more. I treasured each little milestone with him, thinking that it would be my last chance to have a baby at each precious stage. I was so sad the last time I nursed him, even when I changed his last diaper. I thought I was okay with three kids. I didn't really have a choice, I had to be okay with three because how could I go through all that again? But then, the aching started. I told myself that I would just have to get over it because another pregnancy just wasn't possible.

This went on for months, and although I tried to busy myself with other things, reminding myself often of how grateful I was for the three sweeties I had been blessed with, the feeling kept gnawing at me. I wondered why it was so strong, and how long it could go on. I prayed for an answer, but nothing seemed clear.

About a week before Christmas I started feeling so tired. For a few days I figured I had just completely worn myself out with all of the busyness of the holidays. But then I got really tired, and I started to be suspicious. On a trip to Target I grabbed a "test"...actually the 2-pack because it was a better deal. :) I was shaking as I waited for the results, so afraid either way. My mind raced with what one or the other would mean. I could hardly bring myself to look, but when I did I was filled with instant relief. Negative. I wouldn't spend the next several months in bed, excruciatingly sick. Then the sadness...we wouldn't be getting a baby either.

After a few days I forgot about it in all the craziness of getting ready for our big Utah trip. By the time we got up there I was exhausted, I and spent the entire vacation trying to rest and recover from our busy month. Every day I grew more and more tired. We all got a little stomach bug the day after Christmas, and my stomach never quite felt the same after that. By New Year's Eve I was worried. I felt awful. There was really something wrong with me, and I needed to make an appointment with the doctor. The next day the thought occurred to me that I should try the other "test." Again, the shaking, the waiting, but this time the result was different. And then I cried. I cried and cried and cried. I knew what this meant. Months in bed. Months of missing out on life. Months of being horribly sick. But it also meant that we were getting a baby. I knew in my heart that this was the answer I'd been seeking, and that this little baby was meant to come to our family. I was excited and terrified all at the same time.

The last eight months have been very hard. I knew it would be worth it, but I just didn't know how worth it until they laid this baby boy on my tummy just seconds after his birth. I cried again, so grateful for this last chance to have a baby in our home. He is amazingly sweet and so precious...straight from heaven. We are lucky to have you, Ryan. We love you. Thanks for coming to our family!

Baby Ryan

We can't get enough of him!!!

He's Here!!!

Ryan Blain Jones

August 20, 2009

5:11 a.m.

6 lbs. 7 oz.

17-1/2 inches

Super Cute....

Pictures coming soon!

Getting Close...

I've tried to be better about documenting this pregnancy than I was with the others. I don't really have any pictures of myself pregnant with the other kids...maybe two or three at the most. Let's just say that I don't feel super cute with all of the nasty stuff I go through, so it didn't really cross my mind to pull out the camera! This time I had Anna or Aimee take a picture every few weeks, just to remember. Regardless of how difficult they are, these pregnancies have brought me the sweetest kids ever. That's definitely something to be sentimental about! So, here is a "belly picture" of me at about 36 weeks.

I went to the doctor last Friday and I was dialated to a "3"....yay! I know we may have to wait for this little guy a while longer, but it's nice to know that things are actually starting to progress. I've had some false labor here and there, but nothing too crazy. I don't do well with the "having no idea when the baby will come" part of pregnancy. I am a planner, so the not knowing drives me nuts! I'm so anxious to bring our baby boy home. Feeling better will be a nice bonus too!

I am really trying to enjoy these last few days, trying to remember the aches and pains that belong only to pregnancy. I love feeling the baby's kicks and stretches. I love having Nathan run in first thing in the morning and give my tummy (baby brother) a kiss. The anticipation of it all is exciting and I know that, despite how hard it is now, when it is all over I will be sad if I haven't "lived in the moment" enough.

I read a quote the other day by Elder Maxwell that said "Faith in God includes faith in His timing." So, I'm trying very hard to have patience and faith in His timing! I was reading the August Ensign article by Henry B. Eyring telling about an experience when he in essence "left home" to become an adult. It kind of put the timing of everything into perspective for me. He says:

Parting can be hard, particularly when the parent and the child know that they may not see each other for a long time. I had that experience with my father. We parted on a street corner in New York City. He had come there for his work. I was there on my way to another place. We both knew that I probably would never return to live with my parents under the same roof again.
It was a sunny day, around noontime, the streets crowded with cars and pedestrians. On that particular corner there was a traffic light which stopped the cars in all directions for a few minutes. The light changed to red; the cars stopped. The crowd of pedestrians hurried off the curbs, moving every way, including diagonally, across the intersection.
The time had come for parting, and I started across the street. I stopped almost in the center, with people rushing by me. I turned to look back. Instead of moving off in the crowd, my father was still standing on the corner looking at me. To me he seemed lonely and perhaps a little sad. I wanted to go back to him, but I realized the light would change and so I turned and hurried on.
Years later I talked to him about that moment. He told me that I had misread his face. He said he was not sad; he was concerned. He had seen me look back, as if I were a little boy, uncertain and looking for assurance. He told me in those later years that the thought in his mind had been: “Will he be all right? Have I taught him enough? Is he prepared for whatever may lie ahead?”
There were more than thoughts in his mind. I knew from having watched him that he had feelings in his heart. He yearned for me to be protected, to be safe. I had heard and felt that yearning in his prayers—and even more in the prayers of my mother—for all the years I had lived with them. I had learned from that, and I remembered....

...We lived in [Heavenly Father's] presence before we came here to be tested. We knew His face, and He knew ours. Just as my earthly father watched me go away from him, our Father in Heaven watched us go into mortality.

This little guy is getting ready to take one of the biggest steps of his eternal life. What a brave little spirit! I certainly don't want to rush him away from Heaven before he is ready. These thoughts make it a little easier to wait. I know he will come when he is ready. I am grateful for all I have learned from the past eight months. And I am especially grateful to have another baby coming to our family. What a sweet blessing!

Dictionaries and Dresses

I'm wondering lately if Nathan has been reading the dictionary, because the past few weeks I've heard him spout some pretty interesting words including:

partially
comfortable
coincidence
disaster
frustrated
terrible
incident
wonderful
awkward
gorgeous (as in "Hellooo, gorgeous!"...he's such a little flirt...)
amazed
"I just memorized (realized) something..."

Maybe words like these are part of any typical four-year-old vocabulary, but I'm always so surprised when I hear him using them. I think it's because he's been my baby for so long, and I'm in denial about how old he is really getting. He also spends his days in a house of very verbal girls. I'm sure he picks up all kinds of great stuff from us.

Nathan is surrounded by sisters and girl cousins on every side (with the exception of 8-week old baby Gavin...), so he's never short on influence of the female kind. We were at my mom's last month and the girls were getting ready to put on a fashion show with their little cousin, Bella. I heard Nathan's distressed little voice calling me from the playroom, so I went to check things out. When I asked him what was wrong, he said "Mommy, I don't know which dress to wear for the fashion show!" Good thing Daddy wasn't around to hear that. I suggested that he didn't even need to be in the fashion show and that boys and dresses don't really mix, but a few minutes later he was overheard arguing with Bella over who was going to wear the pink dress. We promptly went outside to throw the "fetch" bone to Toolie and play in the dirt...

Good thing this boy is getting a brother!

The Cabin

One of our favorite places to be is up at Scott's grandparent's little cabin up in the mountains of Southern Utah. We were lucky enough to make it up there twice this summer. The kids were so happy to spend time with Grammie and Poppa. Anna loved the fishing, Aimee the 4-wheeling, and Nathan got to be "all boy" playing with lizards and bugs, all kinds of sticks and rocks, and getting super dirty! What a life!

Our little family at the creek.

Riding in Grammie's truck...luckies!


Nathan discovering the 4-wheeler...


The biggest dandelion we've ever seen!


A bath in the tin tub. (We had to at least try to keep this kid clean...)


Horned Toad #1


Nathan was smitten.


Horned Toad #2...affectionately named "Chubby" (this thing was HUGE!)


We had a big thunderstorm one afternoon...it was the best! The kids decided to write stories to pass the time. There is nothing like a rainstorm at the cabin.


Daddy and Aimee

Grammie and Nathan (is that a sucker in his mouth???)

Anna and Poppa

Fishing in the old boat.

Nathan was more interested in playing in the water!

The fishermen (and women!)

Fishing from the shore with Grammie.

Fishing takes lots of patience...Nathan is trying to decide whether or not all of this waiting is worth it!

Aimee had the first catch of the the summer...an 18-inch Rainbow Trout! Anna caught the second (and last) fish of the summer...a big 22-incher. Fishing was slow this year. We're just happy that each of the girls got one!