charli's blessing

 we blessed charli in november, it was a perfect day.  she was so sweet.  as always, shawn gave her a beautiful blessing.  my favorite part was being surrounded and supported by all of our precious family.  we were so grateful that everyone came. 

 i am obviously not a photographer and didn't pose her in the most flattering position, but trust me, she was beautiful.

she has the fattest little legs and tiny, tiny, precious feet.  i just want to eat them. 

just pics

i have the hardest time keeping up with all the pics on shawn's phone.  it's a good thing he has it cuz i never take the camera anywhere.  the above is jack at school with his friends on dad's day.  he was pretty excited to have shawn there.

doesn't he look a little like urkel (sp?) in this picture?  i mean, aside from his whiteness.

at the dinosaur museum.

shawn sometimes worries about his special parts.  not sure how he fits it all in.

we got a new game.  basically 20 questions.  you have to figure out who or what is on the card.  they love it.

jack's rendition.

chubby charli.  just want to kiss her all the time.

jack

a couple days after jack started school, i asked him as he ate his lunch one day about his friends at school.  he listed a couple of his buddies and i asked if everyone in his class had a friend.  i really want him to be a good leader and friends with everyone.  he said "yeah, i think so.  wait, no, sydney n. doesn't play with anybody."

i said something like, "it's important for everyone to have friends. it makes people sad when they don't have anyone to play with.  and you are such a great friend and good example.  do you think next time you play, you could ask sydney to play with you and your friends?"

he looked at me and said, "mom, your words are so beautiful they make me feel like i want to cry."

so sweet.  we had a tender conversation about the Spirit, and what it does to our hearts, how we feel when He works within us. i felt very privileged to have that Gift and to help my child feel His gentle whispers.  what a blessing.

hallow's eve

 2 super heroes.

so a few weeks before halloween, i have this conversation with the boys.  i ask jack what he wants to be for halloween this year.  he looks at me with one of those "duh" expressions and says, "mom, i'm going to be a ninja."  then he turns to sam and says, "and you're going to be a turtle."  at this point i realize that he doesn't understand that you can pick a different costume every year because that's what the boys were last year.  now someone who enjoys halloween and likes to spend hours putting together costumes would say "oh, buddy, let's pick something different!  you can be anything you want."  as it were, i am not that person.  i said, "sounds awesome, buddy."  yes, i did.  totally took advantage of his sweet ignorance.

then sam says, "what is dad going to be?" 

jack replies,"he's probably gonna be that ugly guy again, you know, the one with the long hair and mustache."

sam says, "i wuv that guy."

we had a great time on halloween.  i went to jack's first halloween parade at school and it was quite surreal.  i remember going with my mom to watch my siblings, and here i was, the actual mom.  it was one of those crazy moments where you think "how did i get here?!?"  crazy.  that night we went to our ward's trunk-or-treat and had a great time.  so blessed to be surrounded by great people.

on to thanksgiving!

1st DAY OF SCHOOL

can't forget to document this day cuz it's the best one of both of our lives to date.  it was sooooooo time for jack to start school.  he's crazy social and extremely smart.  he was ready for something new and to be challenged.  i completely 100% stole this idea from my good friend, charlene, but her picture of her kindergartner was much much cuter.  but thanks, char, for the idea.  a fun way to document through the school years.  

so he's been in school for the last 2 months and is eating it up.  i went to my first parent-teacher conference and i walked out one proud mama.  if i may brag (cuz i don't very often), mrs. bowles said he was the smartest kid in the class and is very kind and OBEDIENT!?!?  imagine that.  he loves, loves, loves mrs. bowles, he's already written her 2 love notes. so cute.  love that kid.

miss charli's arrival

 she is here, people.  

announcing the arrival of:

charli sonny gibbs

born 5:00 pm, august 24, 2012

6 lbs 13 oz

19 in long

 i was induced the morning of aug. 24.  she was very excited to come out and DID NOT STOP MOVING through the entire labor process, it was a little crazy.  her heart rate did some funky things, but everything went smoothly and she was born at 5 pm on the dot.  the whole thing took about 6 hrs, same as sam.  it was kind of weird at first because she looked so different than jack and sam (who were identical coming out of the womb), but when my mom first came to see her, she squealed that she looked exactly like i did when i was born. 

 to say that jack loves her would be an understatement.  he ADORES her.  on one of his visits to the hospital, he literally held her for an hour.  AN HOUR.  to get him to hold still for an hour...i have no words.  but he held her and loved on her and was mad when he had to give her up to grandma.  still wants to hold her about 20 times a day.  so sweet.  she brings out his softer side for sure.

 this is the perfect depiction of how sam feels about her.  he's holding her but he's way more interested in the looney tunes playing on the tv.  he loves her too, gives her fabulous kisses, but is a little more oblivious.  he just rolls with the punches, this kid.

 first bath at home.  so teeny weensy.  she still likes the frog position best and it's like wrestling a bear to get her legs and arms straight enough to get her dressed.  she's a strong little sucker.

what i want to remember:
how jack WILL NOT touch her without putting on hand sanitizer first.  sam asking if he could poke her eye.  the awesome hospital visits from family and friends.  my visiting teachers taking such good care of me.  my dad stopping by after work almost every day for a week (he is also smitten).  charli's charm on everyone.  her calmness.  her first hair bow at the hospital - shawn picked green.

miss charli is healthy and happy and a very good baby.  and i don't feel like i've completely lost it yet, with 3 young 'uns.  i feel blessed.

ps.  it is charli, as in charlie brown.  not as in sharli.  many have asked. 

summer fun 2012

we weren't able to do anything too fancy this summer by way of vacations, but karianne and shaun were kind enough to invite us all up to bear lake to stay in their cabin.  and it was perfect.  a few days on the lake with the gibbs clan.  we all stayed in the cabin together, so it was the first time the cousins got to stay under one roof for more than a few hours.  they had a great time.  i think there were moments where all of the adults thought we'd go crazy, but the good far outweighed the bad. (no pics, no surprise.)

what i want to remember:
the warm water.  laughing and playing games with the adults.  being 8 months pregnant and sleeping in the freezing cold basement=heaven. randy passing gas and shawn making fun of him.  playing on the deck. sam being too prissy to walk through the muddy stuff to get to the good sand.  jack playing in the water all day long.  shawn weed-wacking.  the grill-master (shawn) fixing the best steaks ever.  corn on the cob.  playing skip-bo junior with jack.


OUR OTHER BIG SUMMER EVENT

mike and katie's wedding. 

such a great day.  they were married on the 16th of august.  one picture of the boys in their getup.

so dang cute.  it was good day starting with the ceremony in the salt lake temple, then the luncheon, and the reception outdoors in the sorenson's gorgeous backyard.  

what i want to remember:
katie being nervous and worn out the night before.  katie absolutely radiantly happy after the ceremony.  decorating for the lunch.  the awkward stories my mom told about mike at the lunch.  getting to know katie's family.  chatting with brenda at the reception.  the 80s dance.  my brothers playing guitar and singing.  my boys loving the chocolate fountain.  joking with larita about delivering my baby on the tramp.

WHAT I WILL FOR SURE NOT FORGET:
being 9 months pregnant, hot, and on my feet all day.

but we made it.