So much going on....

Welcoming a new addition to the family has been a fabulous experience so far. We aren't quite a week into the swing of things, but I think life will be good. I try to eat up as much time as I can snuggling with Hunter. He has been VERY laid back so far. We all really do love him to pieces. Melanie looks forward to coming home from school everyday so she can hold her little brother. She is fabulous with him, and Julia doesn't mess with him much. We hear her talking to him sometimes and trying to carry on a conversation (i.e "Hunter... we're going to the library, we're going to have fun.... right??) with him. I find myself trying to just enjoy this week with Jeremiah since he will leave once it's over. Then the fun begins. We haven't been crazy busy... just busy trying to enjoy each other. I think Jeremiah is just loving it up. Life without the belly bump has been wonderful. I enjoy moments of being pregnant - at the end however... I'm just miserable!! Bending comes easily, I can roll over in bed without problems, I can bathe the girls, and I feel like my energy is back! (still waiting on some of it though - gearing up for some workouts in the next few weeks) HOORAY!!

During the past few weeks, many of you know I have been called to serve with the Young Women of the ward. I am SO excited! I look forward to the activities and chances to get to know them (as well as the girls from the other ward). My first activity as a Young Women leader was to go crabbing with them. Here are a few pictures from that.




We're hoping to get a chance to head up to the temple this weekend as well. We aren't sure if we will be attending the meetings with our stake, but we look forward to partaking of the spirit there as a couple before Jeremiah has to start work ups. Hopefully our next duty station will place us MUCH closer to a temple so we can get there more regularly. I am so grateful for my family that is fortunate enough to be able to help us when we plan these temple trips. They normally come down to the temple as well and help watch the children while we go in for a session.

Melanie has also started school and has been enjoying it for the most part. It is sometimes crazy to think she is that big, but then she will do things that are proof she is growing up. Hopefully school attendance will help her with her listening skills. Since she is in school, it ties us down here in the area a bit more. I don't have as much freedom to just pick up and go out of town for a bit - most of my visits will have to be during the holiday "off days". I think it will make the holiday time off a bit more rewarding and special. We certainly can't be too lazy in the mornings now!

Pictures of Hunter's big Debut

 

(from left to right)
Top Row: Hunter's first bath, Mommy after delivery, Lying around
Middle Row: Hunter with his girls
Bottom Row: He fell asleep in this position today - too cute!, Daddy with Hunter right after delivery, Going home outfit

Pictures are In....

Well, Hunter finally joined our family on Thursday Sept 10. He weighed in at 8lbs 4oz and a length of 19 3/4 inches. It took forever to get him here, we had a lot of trials through the ordeal and overall, the blessings triumphantly dominated. We are so thankful for all that Heavenly Father did to help us welcome Hunter to our family that day. His face is a little purple/bruised because they told me I delivered him too quickly (two pushes). Because of his facial bruising, I waited a day to take most of his "newborn" pictures. He has made a lot of progress and doesn't show too much of his mother's early unintentional abuse. Here are a lot of them... with more to come as time passes.

Have I ever mentioned that I have wonderful friends?

I have the great blessing of having a lot of ladies from church that I consider my friends. I enjoy every chance I get to visit with them and hang out. The last Saturday in August I got to "hang out" a little bit with some of them. Only... there was a little twist, it was held to celebrate the upcoming birth of my first little man!! Brief explanation about that: I have ALWAYS wanted a male in the family....I begged my parents for a brother for years and of course I put in a lot of orders for a son before getting pregnant with him. As well as a lot of prayers that it was a boy up until the ultrasound day when we found out for sure. It's definitely been something that I have REALLY REALLY wanted for a REALLY long time. My friends wanted to help me celebrate that and threw a shower for me!

Upon arriving at my dear friend Allyn's house (she was gracious enough to let us borrow her house for the afternoon) I was totally shocked. There was tons and tons of delicious food and a beautiful cake (picture below) not to mention the super fun decorations in the living room (which I didn't get a picture of - I don't think). Well, needless to say, we had great fun, played a few games (I found out that I am 11 toilet paper squares around right now), and I think Hunter is set for the entire first year of his life!! The clothes were beyond adorable and I'm excited to see him in each of the outfits. Thank you guys for throwing the shower for me and going through all the trouble of planning and preparing. I love you all and am truly grateful for your friendship!! Hopefully I have the product that caused all of this celebrating REAL soon so you all can see him. My hospital room is open for visitors anytime!


Tara's beautiful cake. The top layer is coconut and the bottom layer is chocolate!

 

Some of the photos my friends took for me - all surrounding the notorious face shot of Deborah and Jenn!! A collage just isn't a collage without that kind of picture! Please don't mind the pregnant face - or belly for that matter!

Growing up?? WAY too fast!

So I hear that this time of year is like this for a lot of parents. I find myself being a little anxious and excited for Melanie this year. I think she will do great and have so much fun she'll forget about dear 'ol mom! To me, that is what being a little kid is all about though - enjoying yourself. I can't believe that come Tuesday.... my little girl will technically be a big girl. I'll update this post with some pictures of her first day and some of her own "quotes" as well. For now... enjoy the commercial.... a few friends told me about it.

And the Winner Is....

I remember a few months back, Vicki saying that her son would be on Wipeout. That episode got postponed and was scheduled for tonight. I decided I would watch (I do occasionally) and see how he fared. Low and behold.... he WON! He did a great job! Imagine that... someone we know (sort of) just made 50,000 on a TV show!! If you've never checked out Wipeout, you can catch it on the ABC website tomorrow. The episode should be available then. Congrats Travis!