2 months

Elijah turned 2 months on Christmas Eve. He weighs 13 pounds 12 ounces and is 24 1/2 inches long. He is getting sooooooo big! We just moved him into the 6-9 month size (he really should still be in 3-6, but we did it because we are moving) and he wears size 2 diapers. He has super cute chubby cheeks and a huge second chin. He loves his mommy and gives her lots of smiles. In fact I get the most smiles. With our other two babies, Jacob got the most smiles. He is still our most high maintainance baby, but he is super sweet as well. He likes to be swaddled tight and he is starting to like to play peek-a-boo with a blanket. He absolutely loves bath time and when he is in the bath he will wiggle and wiggle and wiggle, and then afterwards he always takes a really good nap. He is a pretty good sleeper. He usually wakes up 2 times during the night but occasionally only once. I could go on and on about this sweet little one of mine, but we have movers coming today (aaaaaaaaaaaahhh) so I have to get other things done.

Santa

My kids sitting on Santa's lap for the first time ever. So we don't do Santa at our house. Sure we read books about him and talk about him and watch movies with him in it, but our kids know the truth. We decided to do that to keep the focus more on the Savior at Christmas. That didn't keep them from being super excited when they saw him at the ward Christmas party last week.

Kiss Me

Don't you just want to kiss this chubby face?

Brothers

Everytime I put the boys in the tub Kent says, "Wook! We are bwothers!" Aren't they just about the cutest brothers ever?

Elijah's Baby Blessing

Yesterday was Elijah's blessing day. My parents were able to come down for the weekend and it was really nice to have them here. I'm glad that they finally got to meet him, and Rachel and Kent were in grandparent heaven. They just soaked up all the extra love and attention. Elijah also liked all the extra snuggles and isn't liking to be put down at all today. 

Jacob gave him a super sweet blessing. I'm so grateful to my husband! I'm thankful that he was worthy and willing to give our baby a priesthood blessing! I feel so blessed! Here are a few pictures of my favorite blessings:

Gingerbread Houses

So this year we are simplifying everything. With moving coming up, and with a new baby that wants to be held all the time, and Jacob preparing for and taking his huge tests, we needed to simplify every possible thing. Every year we have the tradition of making ginger bread houses. This year that just seemed too daunting, so we made graham cracker nativities instead. Unfortunately we had to do it with out Jacob this year (which is probably also why they are so sad looking). They kids thought it was super fun though and got all hyped up on sugar  with they thought was super fun too.

Elijah had to be included too. He was only happy as long as he was on my lap. He doesn't like to be left out of things.

Funny kids

My kids are cracking me up this morning! Kent is pretending to be Mary and Rachel  is pretending to be Baby Jesus. They are going to Bethlehem so Jesus can be born and they made a manger out of pillows and blankets. I love these funny kids!

Kent is also tying a red ribbon on Rachel's door and saying, "Does it wook bootiful Rachel?"

Christmas Tree

This year's Christmas tree:

This year our holidays have been different. Having a new baby kind of threw off our normal holiday groove a little bit, and then add that to the fact that we are preparing to move. Elijah was born just days before Halloween. Thanksgiving was different because we didn't have anyone over this year (and our baby was only a month old), and we have movers are coming just days after Christmas. Because we are moving and all of our stuff is going into storage for 4 ish months we decided that for Christmas the kids are getting clothes to wear in the snow and one present that they can take with them. I haven't written much about this coming separation, probably because part of me is still hoping it won't happen. Jacob is going down to Texas for training and the kids and I are going to stay with Jacob's parents in Northern Utah til April. It's always so hard to be apart. No matter how many times you do it (and we've done it plenty) it doesn't get easier. Our last one was the hardest one I've ever dealt with, and so I'm worried about this coming one. Jacob's parents are so kind to open up their home to my wild family, I just hope they still like us by the end of it! My kids are super excited to go live with Grandma and Grandpa and to play with cousins and play in snow, and I'm glad they are excited. I am also grateful that the kids will get to build their relationships with our family. We have lived so far from family since before they were born so I'm excited for this fun and rare (for us) opportunity. Jacob had one of his major tests last week and has his other two major ones this week. These are the tests he has been preparing for for the last year and a half and I'm sure he would appreciate any extra prayers. He has been working so hard! This post hasn't gone quite the way I planned it. 

Anyway that is a picture of the Christmas tree the kids and I colored and put up this year, and they are super cute and happy with it. Rachel's been working on making decorations for it, and it will make taking down Christmas this year SUPER easy while we are preparing to move.

Smiles

Crying babies

What is it about pictures of crying babies that makes you laugh? Maybe because even when they are so sad and pitiful they are still so darn cute?

Getting Big WAY Too Fast

Seriously this kid is getting big way too fast! He is only 5 weeks old, but he is in 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers! AND he finally smiled today. His first real smile!! He has been so close for days, and today he finally did it. The circumstances were actually quite funny. We heard him poop so Jacob picked him up to change him, and anyway I won't add details except that it was a huge poopy mess. Jacob handed him to me and Elijah gave me a big grin and a little chuckle as if he thought it was soooo funny. I just love this handsome boy!

T 

I call this next look his smolder. Isn't he a stud?

One Month Old!!

Oh how I love this little one of mine!! I can't believe he is 1 month old already! It's been quite the month too! I wasn't prepared for how hard the transition to having 3 kids would be. I remember when Kent was born, the transition was super easy. Having two kids was WAY easier than being pregnant and just having one. Both Kent and Rachel were really chill babies. Elijah has been more high maintenance as far as babies go than the other two were. If he's awake he wants to be held, and if I put him down when he's asleep, he wakes up. He does not like tummy time, at all, and if I walk away from him with out picking him up, he gets really mad. 

He loves bath time (I still don't have any pictures of that). He loves baths in the sink or in the big tub with Kent, or he even loves to shower with Mommy. I'm convinced that his first real smile will probably happen in the bathtub because he is always so happy and relaxed there. 

Elijah is the still eat baby we have had. My other kids were (and are) wigglers, especially Kent. Elijah really doesn't wiggle much. He studies things and just sits still and watches them, but he doesn't just sit and kick yet like the others did. He gets more wiggly when he is mad. He straightens out his legs and does this thing with his arms that looks likes he's trying to swim. He is super serious, and I'm not just saying that because he doesn't smile yet. He gets these super serious looks on his face that are funny to see on such a little baby, occasionally though I see a look in his eyes that just looks happy and I know that if he could smile, he would. He still smiles and laughs in his sleep occasionally. I wonder what babies dream about, and how and what they they think about. It would be interesting to see inside their heads. Anyway, it's late and this mama is tired. Here are a few pictures of my little one month old baby.