Steveson Family

Maggie 6 months

2012-02-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Maggie is 6 months old!

Can't believe it!

She's little, 14lbs little.

But oh so cute!

She's going through a very clingy stage,

doesn't like to play alone.

I figured we'd take advantage of the time we spend together and do a little photo shoot.

tough

2012-02-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

I've been trying hard to stay busy and avoid the almost inevitable let down after the holidays,

but unfortunately it has hit.

We're fine, just trying to sort out our new life here in Houston and get used to all the new.

I know Layla has been affected the most by all the change and I've been struggling to stay connected with her and figure out her needs.

My four year old is proving to be a challenge.

A very strong willed, opinionated, creative, and imaginative girl.

She's learning more every day.

Testing boundaries and my patience ALL day long.

I know that she thrives while having adequate alone time and one on one time with me.

She gets easily frustrated when her ideas don't work out as planned or when unexpected challenges present themselves.

For example.

She LOVES art.

She colors pictures all day long, paints, plays with play doh, you name it.

BUT if a character she's drawing gets a little off center or she accidentally choses the wrong color, it can be detrimental.

If we plan to go to the library and then something unexpected arrises (baby blow out, 2 year old tantrum) it will be THE END OF THE WORLD to stay home.

This last Sunday we were getting the girls all bathed and ready to go and she picked out her outfit, got dressed so nicely and was ready for me to do the hair.

She is very particular when it comes to what she wants.

She very specifically asked for a pretty bun on top, just like a ballerina, and I happily obliged.

JUST as I finished placing the last pin, it was as if a volcano erupted!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I change my mind!!!!!!!! I actually hate buns and want something very very different!!!!"

Nice.

I know that she must learn that I cannot re-do every uncomfortable situation or always make it all better.

My first instincts of course are to do so and most of the time I can offer a solution that is received well enough, but I'm learning that disappointment is just something she has to experience.

Anyway, not sure where exactly I'm going with all this, but I know that other moms must be facing similar issues.

We love our Layla girl and appreciate her unique, lovely look on life. She has so much to offer and I hope that I can help her continue to become the special person she's meant to be.

And then there's Gwen...

but we'll save all that terrible 2 nonsense for another post.

Look at her pretty blues though, aren't they lovely!

Ovaly head

2012-02-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

Just a happy morning.

My sweets hanging out with me, while I pick up around the room.

I seriously can't get enough of this baby.

We went to Costco last week and were standing in line to get some smoothies.

A little girl in front of us, no older than 7, was starring at Maggie.

She wouldn't stop!

I'm used to it, having mega cute babies and all, but it was kind of peculiar.

Then, she finally spoke,

"Your baby has SUCH an OVALY head!!! (pause) But she still is cute."

hahahaha

Made me laugh.

I love her long oval head and pokey ears especially!

She's perfection.

Oldest and Youngest

2012-02-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

I need to make sure I'm staying up to date here, because I don't like falling behind!

These pics were taken last month, so Mags is about 5 months old here.

She's so sweet, very quiet, sleeps great during the day, and wakes once or twice during the night.

She's little, 13lbs (in January) with some cute chubby cheeks.

She is still completely taken by her sisters and has such a special relationship with each.

Layla is so nurturing to her.

Layla has been going through a rough phase and will be less than pleasant to me and everyone else, but when it comes to Maggie, she smothers her with love.

How can you not?

Layla will often say, "You love your Layla, don't you??"

She knows Maggie is amazed with her and eats it up.

More Ft. Worth...

2012-01-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

Joel and Sarah's family took us to a really fun Children's Museum on the second day we stayed with them. Unfortunately I forgot my camera that day, which may or may not have something to do with the incredibly large tantrums that both Layla and Gwen threw that morning.

They must have set some sort of record for longest, most drawn out, for no reason, fit ever.

I was so embarrassed.

But after everything was remedied with a pair of kitty boots (thanks Emma)

and another quick reminder that we'd be headed somewhere fun.

On the last day of our stay, we decided to hit the park for some play time, before jumping in the car for the 4 hour ride home.

It was a great idea!

The big girls LOVED it and still talk about the park with the pirate ship (which I'm not sure if I got a picture of...)

Anyway, we had a blast visiting with family and time flew by way too quickly, as it always does when you're having fun.

Next time though,

It's our turn to have visitors!

Layla said she was making Emma a Birthday cake.

(notice that once again they are semi-matching. One braid, plaid, sneakers)

Gwen has this obsession with finding her favorite slide and executing the quickest, most efficient route to it, and then repeating....

over and over again.

(She takes after Layla and would NOT walk across the bridge, only crawl. Weirdy.)

She loved that slide.

And went down it at least 25 times.

Here's Tanner trying out Isaac's Ripstick? Is that what it's called??

Well whatever it is, it was a hit with the big kids and by that I also mean the Dads.

Maggie was showered with attention.
Which was kind of nice break for my arms.

Thankfully she hasn't fully transitioned into the, "I only want my Mom." phase, so people were able to hold and enjoy my cute baby.

The always gorgeous Sarah and Maggie.

Joel's turn on the ripstick.

Their kids were so cute with the baby.

I'd lay her out on a blanket and they'd instantly be drawn to her, playing, and talking to her so sweetly.

Brothers

The boys

(minus Jordan, whom we're very excited to see sometime this year when we come up to WA!)

We sure do love that Grandma!!

And then Gwen randomly took off sprinting, in rainboots.

We were sure she was asking for a face plant into pavement, but no....

She had spotted something else...

Ducks!

A trip to the park just wouldn't be as entertaining without a good ol' duck or two.

(Thank you random old man who gave the girls his last piece of bread to feed the ducks. So kind of you)

Overall such a fun trip!

Can't wait to plan something else this summer with our fellow Texanites...

is that what they call em?

Ft. Worth Zoo

2012-01-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

2 days after Christmas we headed up to Ft. Worth to visit Tanner's brother Joel and his family.

Tanner's parents were also there visiting, so we got to see a handful of the Steveson family.

It was so much fun!

Sarah and Joel were so great, letting us use two of their bedrooms.

Way too nice.

They took us to the Ft. Worth Zoo and we all had a lot of fun.

Layla's favorite part was the train ride at the end and Gwen can't stop talking about the silly orange tiger that was shaking his head.

Maggie never made a peep.

Such an sweet baby.

Here, the girls were waiting for everyone else in our group to get tickets and come through the gates.

My kids never look directly at the camera anymore, such old news to them.

Layla told me that the monkeys, who were making these loud, high pitched shrieking noises were singing Christmas carols.

I think Gwen looks a lot like Tanner here.

While we were looking at the Rhino, someone commented on how Rhinos look a bit like Dinosaurs.

Our nephew Ethan (4yrs old) said, "Rhinos are a TYPE of Dinosaur."

Hehe... he's such a fun kid.

I thought this picture was funny.

Emma and Layla were waiting their turns to go see this kangaroo statue.

This girl looked like she was having way too much fun.

I think it's so fun how girls HAVE to match at this age.

Emma and Layla got along great and Layla can't stop talking about all the fun things they played.

When Layla was looking through these pictures with me, she said,

"I can't believe I stepped on the baby's head! I feel so bad."

haha

We were all getting a bit worn out at this point and ready to hop on the train to take us back to the entrance. It was such a nice zoo, with everything kept nice and clean.

Joel and Sarah's family took us out to this really great BBQ place afterwards and we stuffed ourselves silly. Nothing like good ol' Texas BBQ.

Christmas Morning

2012-01-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

Tanner sang "All the Bells..." at the bottom of the stairs

(a family tradition)

and there was nothing.

Layla had been practicing for a couple weeks and knew to spring out of bed when she heard the song, but was far too exhausted to wake up.

We went into their room and sat on their beds.

Layla was curled in a ball and Gwen asleep with her bum in the air (like always).

We sang at least 5 times, before Gwen finally sat up.

They groggily headed downstairs and then the shock and excitement of Christmas hit!

Children add a whole new element of fun to holidays, especially Christmas.

We were all too busy opening presents and setting things up to take pictures, but I did pull out the camera for breakfast.

Tanner made french toast with sausage and I decorated a couple pieces to create:

Santa face french toast!

The girls LOVED it!

Pardon the mess in the background.

The Christmas hurricane definitely hit our home hard.

Layla is in LOVE with her Belle nightgown.

She'd wear it all day, everyday if she could.

Gwen's favorite gift this year was her bike.

She's very protective of it, so don't get too close...

or even touch it.

I didn't get a picture of her in it yet, but Maggie got a new exersaucer, since our old one broke.

We got ready for Church later on that morning and had a tough time wrestling the girls through Sacrament meeting. I think their sugar high was starting to wear off, it was nuts.

I'll have to get a picture of them in their Christmas dresses sometime soon.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

This was our first Christmas away from Washington and extended family.

It was different, but very pleasant.

I tried really hard to plan fun things for the girls and I to do,

so we could make special memories of our own.

We made reindeer food

(Oats, sprinkles, and some spices)

and scattered (dumped) it on the lawn.

Layla said that one reindeer would get really lucky if he landed next to her pile of food.

Gwen took her sweet time.

We lit a fire.

(a first, since we've never had a fireplace before)

We made Santa and Snowman cotton ball pictures...

Here are Gwen's.

She insisted that I helped.

The feeling of the cotton balls freaked her out.

And Layla's.

She did it ALL by herself.

Cute.

Trying on her stocking.

Before opening Christmas jammies, we had a fun little family night lesson on the symbols of Christmas.

Nobody payed attention.

Too excited.

P.J.'s

We made cookies for Santa and then I took the girls on a drive around some local neighborhoods to marvel the Christmas lights.

They had their hot chocolate in hand and blankets tucked around them.

It was awesome.

Everyone fell asleep peacefully, happily awaiting Christmas morning!

One fine morning.

2012-01-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Practicing sitting in the Bumbo.

Mesmerized by jammies that have lady bugs on the feet.

"I'm going to get you!!"

"I got it! Did you see that Ma?"

Breaking the personal bubble rule a little bit...

the green finger is from marker.

The girls love to draw from the minute they wake up.

Proof:

Layla says this is "The Carol of the Bells" song going off in her brain, "OVER AND OVER AGAIN!"

She had a bit of an obsession with that Christmas carol this year.

A random view into our kitchen.

My cute baby

2012-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Sitting like a big girl

2012-01-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

She thought it was pretty special.

Maggie 2011

2012-01-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

Little Mags is such a sweetie.

She's 5 months old now.

That's just crazy.

But yes, she's doing all the normal 5 mo. things.

Rolling over both ways, since Christmas Eve.

Babbles a LOT.

Wiggles around, making me wonder how she gets in certain positions.

She naps pretty well and sleeps pretty average at night.

I think some teeth are trying to work their way up.

Excessive drool, fussiness, and chomping on everything.

Still not on rice cereal, I like to wait till 6 mo. usually.

She is highly entertained by her big sisters.

Layla plays on the rougher side.

Squishing her cheeks, tapping her feet to her face, shaking her hands about.

She loves it.

Gwen talks to her in a very high pitched, nasally voice.

"Hiya Baggie! You're so cuuuute. Silly Baggie, don't pull hair!"

It's so fun watching my girls interact together.

We sure do love our baby.

These pictures of Gwen just kill me...

And Layla,

picking her nose like a lady.

She's definitely got her father's ears.

hehe.

LOVE her!

Gwen 2011

2012-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

The thought occurred to me yesterday evening, that I needed to post all my pictures and info from the end of this year, that I've been desperately behind on.

Well, I sat down at about 11pm, realized my computer is too full of data to download anymore pictures, tried transferring them to photobucket, got really confused, then just gave up after 2 posts.

So...

Here I am again today.

A new day.

A new year.

And some old posts.

Oh well.

One of my new years resolutions is to be less hard on myself.

Who really cares if there are 2011 posts in 2012.

Okay, so it really bugs me badly,

BUT I'm letting it go!

"Gwennie Wynnie"

That's what I call her lately.

Not really sure why.

Layla Lou

Gwennie Wynnie

and

Maggie Baggie

Not the most creative nicknames... or cute.

Gwen calls herself Wynnie and she calls Maggie, Baggie.

That's probably why.

ANYWAY

My little 2 year old is growing up right before our eyes.

I feel like I've only blinked and she's not a baby anymore.

Talking up a storm.

Telling me her dreams

and funny jokes.

She has quite the personality.

Quiet, but so funny.

Silliest faces, and body language.

She knows what she likes and will tell you when she isn't impressed.

She can count to 10 and sometimes higher.

She can recognize and spell her name out loud.

Sleeps in a big girl bed, but not even close to being potty trained.

Loves hot chocolate, cheese, mashed potatoes, strawberries, chicken nuggets, and smoothies.

Tries desperately to do things just like her big sister Layla.

ADORES her baby sister Maggie.

I've never once encountered a problem with her and the baby.

She's so sweet by nature and doesn't cause much trouble, BUT I have a feeling she's busy taking inventory of all the naughty things Layla does and will try those things out in her own time.

STILL will NOT go to nursery by herself. AT ALL.

Still loves to cuddle and tell me how much she loves me.

Hope that never changes.

How can you not fall in love with this girl?

The tree

2011-12-31T21:36:00.000-08:00

Layla 2011

2011-12-31T21:30:00.000-08:00

This has been a year of change for my Layla girl.

She's becoming more and more independent every day.

You can do so much at 4 years old, yet still need a lot of help.

She can write her name beautifully.

Beginning to read well.

Has counted up to 100.

She is a great big sister to 2 little sisters.

Extremely imaginative, hilarious, sensitive, fun loving, stubborn, and sweet toothed.

Gets spooked pretty easily and has been known to visit time out often.

She can be your best, most sweet friend.

But also knows how to pick on you without mercy.

We love our little beautiful Layla

and wouldn't change a thing about her.

We made it!

2011-12-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this was in the midst of chaos, when we first got to our new house.

Unpacking is such a chore, especially when you're trying to get ready for Christmas!

Thankfully we have our little, dependable fake tree!

(Yeah, we know we need new furniture...)

The girls have been so excited to be able to play outside, in December!

Some days you need a coat, but most days you don't really.

(Today it was about 76 degrees out!)

Here's Layla showing me around our tiny yard.

It's fenced in, that's all that matters to me!

We really do love it.

More pictures of the place to come.

Texas

2011-11-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

We're moving to Texas!

Tanner accepted a job in Houston and we'll be leaving around Thanksgiving!

Exciting!

Maggie's toy

2011-11-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

My mom got Maggie this little play mat before she was born.

She LOVES it.

It's so cute to see her kick and squirm with excitement.

She grabs the little stars and holds on tight.

I love watching my babies grow.

Can't believe she's 3 months now!!

Halloween!

2011-11-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

This Halloween was fun, but wild at the same time.

Taking 3 little girls trick or treating, without Tanner's help is a handful.

Thankfully we went with our friends the Haderlie's around our block first.

They had fun trick or treating, finally getting the hang of it as we were finishing.

Then we decided to head over to Green Gables for some trunk or treating.

Not really sure why I thought that'd be a good idea, since 2 of my 3 girls were DONE with the wind and cold.

I don't blame them.

But we did it and had fun anyway and got lots of candy to prove it!

Here's Layla as Ariel the little mermaid.

And Gwen as Dora... although you can't really tell, besides the small picture of Dora on the front.

Oh well, she loves it!

And I bundled Maggie up in her warm suit and figured that worked well enough as a costume.

My little bear!

Gwen's Birthday!

2011-11-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

My little Gwennie turned 2 on Halloween!

We decided to celebrate on Sunday after church and a quick nap.

Gwen was so excited to see all the decorations!

She kept saying, "Gwennie's Birfday! Blow a candles! Suprwise! Pwesents!"

She loved it all!

My Mom came this last weekend to celebrate with us

(thank goodness, because Tanner had to fly to Texas to start his new job!)

She helped a LOT!

And Breanna was able to come over too!

I love Gwen's face in this picture!

Can you tell that she was excited about blowing those candles out??

Love it!

Happy 2nd Birthday Gwen!

We love you!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Layla wanted a scary pumpkin and Gwen wanted a happy one...

Hay Maze and Pumpkins!

2011-11-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

A week ago we went to fetch some pumpkins.

A tradition of ours is to pick up donuts and cider for the carving party.

Us girls waited in the car patiently, while Dad got the goods at Broulims.

I guess it was pretty crowded, because we waited for quite a while.

We followed some signs out to a pumpkin patch with a corn maze!

The girls were so excited.

They even had a few animals.

Layla and Gwen LOVED the kid maze!

Layla thinks this is the coolest picture of a "rainbow floating on her head".

We decided to try out the big maze as well.

It was fun, but we weren't having much luck finding the end, so we just picked an exit and announced to the girls that we made it!

They were happy enough.

I love our family outings!

Autumn Sunrise

2011-10-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I awoke to pink/orange light splashing across my bedroom wall.

I sprung up, grabbed my camera and beheld one of the most beautiful sunrises in existence.

I love Rexburg for that.

Sitting up?

2011-10-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

I took the bumbo out today and it was a hit!

Well, Maggie needs some more practice keeping her head up and all, but the big girls thought it was great!

Layla can barely get her bum out when she plops into that thing.

Can my baby get any cuter??

Yeah, I didn't think so.

I don't know what I'd do without my girls!

Family Pictures

2011-10-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Our little Maggie Moo

2011-10-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

She's such a sweet little charmer.

Smiles are an inevitable reaction to most anyone talking to or holding her.

There are still moments of seriousness though, while she checks out her surroundings.

Her cheeks are growing and so is she!

She's about 12 lbs. now and is 23 in. long.

I couldn't be more pleased with the interactions between my girls too.

They love her SO very much.

Hopefully they'll stay just as close through the years.

I always wanted sisters.

Maggie's Blessing

2011-10-03T07:29:00.001-07:00

We were fortunate enough to be able to bless Maggie down in Utah this Conference weekend, with a bunch of Tanner's family all together.

It was especially fun, because Maggie's little cousin Jackson was also blessed that same day.

The Reed's were so kind to let us take over their basement, make huge messes, and eat all their food.

Tanner did an amazing job blessing this little lady.

His words couldn't have been more perfect.

Here are a few cute pictures ...

Blessing Dress

2011-10-03T07:14:00.001-07:00

All 3 of my girls have worn the same blessing dress.

I suppose that's pretty special.

I'm so thankful that it fit!

I'm also glad I took a few pictures of her in it before going to Utah to bless her, because she was SO sleepy on her blessing day.

So sweet.

Loves

2011-09-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Fairy Party

2011-09-26T15:29:00.001-07:00

My girls were invited to a Fairy party this last weekend and were asked to dress up as fairies.

Thankfully the Dollar store had enough costume pieces to help us achieve the perfect PINK fairy look.

It was a bunch of fun!

To pass the time...

2011-09-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

We play with beans.

They seriously could do this for hours!

We usually only last 30-40 mins before Gwen turns into a bean thief and Layla yells at her.

But it's still a good time.

Layla explained that she was dying their hair.

Hope they're happy with it.

Expressions

2011-09-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

I am completely smitten with this cute face.

She loves her sister

2011-09-15T12:07:00.001-07:00

A better day

2011-09-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little nutty around here lately.

I keep injuring myself and girls like to take advantage of my weak moments.

I've finally had a few moments where all 3 of them are belting out their loudest screams,

all at the same time.

It's crazy.

But short-lived.

I keep trying to remind myself that all stages come and go so quickly.

Enjoy the happy parts and learn from the hard, and keep moving forward.

My girls were so cute this morning.

Layla got a few new clothing items and is SO excited to show off her outfit at preschool.

Gwen is equally excited about "bin shopping" as we call it.

Layla's old clothes are magically new again!

Okay, so this pose wasn't so successful.

Maggie is doing great!

She's finally catching onto the rhythm of our family life

and screams so much less.

Thanks baby.

Gwen is silly.

She has been expressing some "terrible two" like behavior recently

and I really hope it passes soon.

Yelling for a cracker, then throwing it at my face the next minute because it's "Uckkky!" is confusing.

She's extremely sweet otherwise.

Layla is my helper... with an attitude.

She likes her way.

According to Layla, her way is MUCH better than my way.

And so we disagree at times.

But we're learning to meet in the middle with most things.

She loves preschool.

And her new favorite activity is to draw pictures and make up stories to go along with the characters.

It's my favorite.

This is Maggie's happy face.

No more pictures please Mom.

As much as this stage of life drives me bonkers..

I love it so very much.

A sunny Sunday bike ride

2011-09-09T11:58:00.001-07:00

We took Layla (and the rest of the gang) to Nature Park on Sunday afternoon for some bike riding practice. It was a lovely day and so relaxing to just spend time with family.

And we fed the ducks, of course.

Although both our girls get a bit nervous when they get too close.

Layla always says, "If they get close, just clap your hands and stomp your feet REAL loud! Then they'll leave your feet alone."

Seemed to work just fine.

This duck thought he was the coolest thing.

Love those blues.

Layla really wanted to do this thing, so Tanner placed her on and handed her the handles.

The minute she grabbed them, the weight of it yanked her right off.

I guess Tanner thought it was pretty funny and she did not.

Hence the grumpy face.

Then a few minutes later I caught Tanner playing on it...

seems like a guy toy anyway.

Us.

Mags, fast asleep.

Gwen, doing what she does best.

Makes as many dirt/woodchip piles as she can.

Why is that so appealing to kids? Seriously.

Up in a tree!

Gwen kept saying, "Bike, Gwennie"

So we assumed that she wanted a turn...

Nope, she just wanted the snacks.

Such a great day!

I will miss summer.

1 mo. Maggie

2011-09-07T12:07:00.001-07:00

My little Maggie Pie is getting big!

She's starting to be more alert and engages in staring contests.

Her look is always evolving, still not sure who she favors most, but we say she's a perfect mix.

She's still eating every 1-2 hours.

(I rarely see a 3 hr stretch... yes, even at night)

She isn't as screamy, but still belts out some high pitched notes here and there.

She smells like Heaven dipped in sweetness.

and she loves ME most.

(okay, well we all know why, but it still feels nice to be needed!)

Her cheeks are getting quite large and we love it.

Can you tell she's bigger?

Can it be??

2011-08-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

My silly, spunky little Layla is almost 4?!

It's true.

This next week she'll be a year away from Kindergarten!

It's crazy.

This year she has some pretty specific Birthday wishes:

- To have a Ballerina cake with pink on the outside and red on the inside.

- To own a big girl bike, preferably with Barbie on it.

- And to own a Belle Ballerina dress (that's what she wishes to be for Halloween too)

Seems reasonable enough...

Although her great birthday ideas have changed from week to week,

I think this ballerina theme will finally stick.

Thank goodness.

I've heard everything from:

- A puppy cake, only the head. That looks just like her puppy, Heart.

- A Fresh Beat Band cake with her and Kiki dancing on top.

- Hello Kitty cake dressed as a ninja? That was a weird one.

I'm glad she settled on a regular ol' ballerina cake... with red inside.

She started Preschool this week too.

She loves it, as do I.

It's right in our neighborhood AND during Gwen's nap,

so that means if I'm lucky, I get a nap too!

She's already impressed her teacher by knowing how to write her name (quite neatly too)

We're so proud of her.

Couldn't imagine life without a our spy kid/strawberry shortcake/ninja/ballerina girl.

She's one of a kind.

First time to church

2011-08-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

And this is how she felt about it...

Baby and I only went to Sacrament meeting, where she slept most of the time.

Crying then followed

and by crying, I mean screaming.

Non stop.

(Maggie is so strong. She's always lifting her head and shoulders. Buff girl!)

All 3 of our girls have worn this dress on their first church visit.

I love it.

Sundays do tend to wear a person out.

Can't wait till the day when I have 3 full heads of hair to style.

That'll take all morning!

We sure do love our almost ONE month old!

Love them...

2011-08-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

And I love how they love each other.

Sisters in love

2011-08-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

How I manage...

2011-08-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have asked me how I manage with 2 littles and a newborn.

Well, it's only been 2 weeks, so I'm not really sure.

But I DO know that these 2 things have made a WORLD of a difference for me.

They have made my life much easier during this crazy time.

This heavenly swing that saves my life multiple times each day.

It is like my second pair of arms, when baby just wants to be cradled and rocked.

BEST BABY PURCHASE

hands down.

Slings are amazing things.

I have 2.

My favorite is in the wash, but this one is real cute.

Once again, I feel like it gives me extra arms to get things done.

And she loves going along for the ride.

Cute!

The biggest sister

2011-08-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

2 weeks

2011-08-10T21:08:00.001-07:00

Grandma Colleen

2011-08-10T21:04:00.001-07:00

We were so thrilled that Grandma and Breanna were able to make a quick trip up to see us, while visiting Sharsti in Utah. We love her so much and are so thankful for all the wonderful things she's done for us over the years. I know that Maggie will love her just as much as we all do! Thanks for the visit!

A lazy morning

2011-08-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

A bunch of pictures of sweet laziness...

I love my family.

Maggie's Story

2011-08-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

(it's a long post folks... feel free to skip to the cute picture at the end at any time.)

Okay, I've been meaning to document the WHOLE story somewhere and I haven't quite finished it all in my journal (writing takes a lot longer than typing!).

My sister in law Sharsti, just posted hers, and I figured since her baby was born a week later than mine, it's about time.

Alright...

It was a dark, stormy night...

No, it wasn't really.

But it was late at night on the 26th that I started noticing my contractions were picking up in intensity. I contract basically throughout my entire pregnancy, so I was really looking for a change, before getting all excited. I had just barely made it to 37 weeks and was thrilled that this baby could make her arrival at any moment, and it seemed like the time had come! It was about 11pm then, so I decided to hang out a while before heading up to the hospital, just to make sure it was real. 2 hours later I knew that they weren't easing up and it was time!

I told Tanner that I was going alone (he was in a deep sleep) and that I'd call him once things were progressing enough. I hopped into the van, carefully, and called the Labor and Delivery department. As I got to the hospital I was met by the wicked witch of Rexburg, who treated me with such disrespect and unkindness. She told me that I parked in the wrong spot (who cares, I'm in labor!) and that with this being my 3rd baby, I better know my body well enough as to if I was in REAL labor or not. SCARY! I wanted to cry right away, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe her dog died that day or she stubbed all of her toes on her right foot?

She wheeled me to my room, I got dressed, and she came back to ask me the bajillion questions they ask each time you visit. During a really strong contraction she asked if I had ever had a mammogram. I huffed a, "yes.... wait no." And boy did that set her off.

"Do you even KNOW what a mammogram is????"

Ummm yes, and please don't yell at me... I'm kinda in labor here.

ANYWAY....

The questions finally end and she checks me.

(okay, a little background is required here for you to understand my FULL frustration. I had been sitting at a 3-3 and half for the last 2 weeks. I had been checked by my doctor and 2 other nurses. I was pretty sure that I'd at least be at a 4 by this time...)

"You're at a 2. And I don't know WHO checked you before, but they're wrong!"

I may or may not have wanted to punch her... just a little bit.

So we decided it'd be best to wait there, considering my contractions which were clearly there, and were picking up in intensity. It would have been such a bummer to be sent home and then to head right back, so I was pleased (as pleased as I could be) with the idea of waiting there. I walked around, bounced, bathed, walked some more. Tanner finally showed up too, I'm guessing he figured I wasn't coming home anytime soon, but also knew that I needed better support than a witchy nurse.

2 hours later she checks again...

"Okay, now you're at a 2 and half."

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

But, since I had made SOME progress, they weren't sending me home yet!

So, what do I do??

Walk, rock, walk, lie down, and walk some more.

The nurse tells us that the doc will be in at 7am and we could wait to see him then. It was about 5am when she told us. So what do we do?

Walk, walk, wait, lie down, walk and wait some more.

At about 6:30 the nurses finally switch... or at least that's when I noticed SHE was gone! And a lovely nurse named Barbara was now assigned to me. By this point I was SO EXHAUSTED! I had been up ALL night, thinking my labor was progressing, but told it wasn't happening very quickly. My moral was low and I was close to ready to ASK to go home. The nurse assured me that the doc would be in soon, but asked if I'd like her to check me, since it had been a while since the last check. I was hesitant, because I was in no condition for bad news, but decided I was curious enough to find out now.

"You're about a 3 and half, almost 4!"

YAY!! Something had changed! She called the doc who told those nurses to finally ADMIT me! Up until this point I was still in the exam/waiting room! It was torture. SO, I get all comfy as possible in my new posh birthing suit. (Seriously, it seemed like the nicest place after spending so long in the other place) And a little while later my doctor came. He checks me too and says that I'm definitely a 4! YAY! It's real! This baby is really coming today!

I get an I.V. medication to help me rest a little, which helps a lot and then an hour or so later I'm at a 5. Doc is able to break my water then to help speed things up and I know at this point, that things are going to get tough, fast. Within an hour I'm contracting HARD and it's very painful, but I just go inside my head and control it all the best I can. I block everything, everyone, every sound out. And it works. No screaming or moaning from me. I'll just ignore you and maybe swipe your hand away if you try to touch me. A few hours later and I finally get the go ahead to start pushing. I'm told I'm not quite at a 10, but there's only a tiny bit of cervix left that Doc seemed confident that I could push to get rid of. With two strong pushes, that cervix disappeared (quicker than even he thought). It was baby time!

I gave it my all for about 3 rounds of pushes and her head was crowning. Now this is the hardest part for me, without an epidural. I feel EVERYTHING! I usually say something like, "Help, please, I don't know if I can do it." "Make it stop, please" and "I can't!" But moments later I'm told to push one more time and then it happens. She comes out! Her tiny little body is free and placed on my stomach. She's warm and crying and absolutely beautiful! That is by far the most marvelous, miraculous moment full of the very best feelings a human being can feel. I don't really cry, but I do laugh. I'm so overjoyed that I laugh. Weird, maybe, but that's just how I am. Tanner does too. We laughed the hardest when Layla was born though, I totally remember. It was great.

Then the moments after, when the baby is swept away and I lay there while doc does the rest. Well, it was a bit different this time.

Moments after they took her I hear, "She's bleeding out. I need pitocin."

Some yelling, from the normally SUPER calm doctor, to the nurse to get pitocin, "STAT!"

My head is slowly spinning an my vision is blurred.

I distinctly remember reading about a friend of mine who went through a similar, yet very severely different situation and had to be rushed to surgery.

I kept praying that it'd just stop NOW.

After the nurse ran in with the pitocin and squeezed the bag into my I.V.,

I could sense the atmosphere start to calm.

You know how the nurses massage your belly after delivery, and by massage I mean kill?

Well it was like a 100 times worse when they did it, because of the bleeding.

Thanks.

All in all though, It was great. I handled the pain well.

I never really freaked out.

Our baby was perfectly healthy and beautiful.

And it was just Tanner and I there to share the experience.

And now I'm just savoring all the sweet little moments with this pretty little girl...

Maggie babe 6 days old

2011-08-01T13:04:00.001-07:00

We love her to pieces.

She's a very feisty little girl, who doesn't like to be put down.

She eats around the clock.

And hates to be undressed.

She's been smothered with adoring kisses and pats on the head by her big sisters.

Layla always asks, "What is she saying, what is she thinking??"

Like I'm the baby whisperer or something.

She's cute as can be and manages to multiply that cuteness each day.

I'm anxious to hear how much she weighs tomorrow!

We love our Maggie girl.

Life would not be as sweet without you.

Maggie Lorelai

2011-07-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here she is...

Our third little girl.

Maggie Lorelai Steveson

6 lbs. 6 oz. 20 in.

July 27, 2011

We're always a little worried about our early babies, so that first cry is music to our ears.

There was a bit of a scare with me right after delivery.

I guess I wouldn't stop bleeding.

Thankfully they were able to get everything under control, but boy was it scary.

A couple hours after Maggie was born, the girls were able to come up to visit.

Layla was BEYOND excited to meet her little sister.

Unfortunately she had to wear ANOTHER mask while meeting a sibling, due to an AWFUL cough. Poor girl, although she didn't mind one bit and continued to wear it the rest of evening, so I was told.

Nonna loves her grandbabies!

Gwennie was just happy to see her Mommy.

Love that little rascal.

She has warmed up to the baby a bit more now. Loves to pet her head and give her kisses.

Second day of life.

Third day of life.

Ready to come home.

We love our littlest girl.

4th of July!

2011-07-07T07:05:00.001-07:00

Here are the girls, anxious for the parade to start.

(actually Gwen could kinda care less... and maintained that attitude through most of it)

Layla remembered a lot of fun things from last year, so she was genuinely excited.

Layla telling Gwen something.

We were so glad that our friends, the Marecles, could come with us. Briella and Layla had the BEST time getting candy and dancing to the music.

Briella was a crack up with all her moves and her determination to get all the candy.

Layla on the other hand was fine just watching it fall to her feet, while other kids snatched it.

Towards the end, she finally caught on.

I haven't made fruit pizza for a while and it sounded DELICIOUS, and it was.

Layla was a big help in placing the fruit.

Getting ready to do some fireworks.

Poor Tanner doesn't have any boys to get all excited about blowing things up.

Our girls are quite the opposite.

Gwen loves to squish bugs though...

A big one caught her attention.

This is what the scene looked like for the majority of the time outside...

The Marecle girls loving the poppers and sparklers, while Layla danced away on the sidelines.

Avery caught Briella with a confetti popper!

Those girls are so much fun!

Here's Tanner trying to talk Layla into doing a sparkler...

"NO, no, no, no!"

Is how she responded.

Until...

SUCCESS!!

She was concentrating VERY hard.

Did NOT want to burn herself, like last year.

We were lame and didn't want to stay up too late, so here are our "big"

fireworks, while it's still very light outside.

It was still fun though!

Then the girls played around for a while, before we went in.

For some reason Gwen was loving rolling around in the grass.

I love this picture below though...

Looks like she just passed out or something.

Hope you all had a a good one too!

Layla's Drawings

2011-06-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

This first one is really sweet.

It's her and Heavenly Father "up in Heaven watching out for her"

I love Layla and how in tune with the spirit is.

Okay so this next one starts to get a little interesting...

It's her and Heavenly Father again, PLUS Kiki from The Fresh Beat Band.

Nice.

Her favorite people.

And this last one is just insane.

It's a "big dance party with Heavenly Father, Layla, ALL the Fresh Beat Band, and...

Lots of happy faces floating in the sky"

Hmmm okay!

My Gwennie babe... 1 and a 1/2.

2011-05-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

After Gwen woke up from her nap I couldn't resist setting her down in my little make-shift

photo studio (blanket draped over backside of the couch).

I love Gwen.

She's at one of my MOST favorite stages right now.

1 and a 1/2 years old.

Independent enough, yet still favors her Mother.

Her personality has been bursting at the seams lately, as she is learning new things everyday.

Yes, she still drinks out of a bottle occasionally.

And we don't really have a problem with it.

She has always been a marvelous sleeper

and I'm really hoping that keeps up with this new baby on the way.

The minute she wakes up she starts asking for her favorite people, usually beginning with,

"Waywa??" (Layla)

"Daddy go?"

and then

"uh hi, Mommy!"

She's got THE best facial expressions.

Her scowl has been perfected, her smirk is the cutest thing,

her smile is SO contagious (and huge) and her pout/cry face is the saddest thing you'll ever see.

That mouth is still as big as ever.

She loves "nanas" (bananas)

"gurt" (yogurt)

"nacks"

(fruit snacks, although lately she'll only taste them and then spit them out.

Or just try to swallow them whole.)

"chiss" (cheese)

"Apoos and Gapes" (apples and grapes)

She'll still eat pretty much anything you give her though, which is nice. Although she definitely has dislikes as well.

NO meat! Nothing too seasoned or flavorful. And forget trying to feed her any vegetables... although I still try.

She's at the age where she's obsessed with "Outside!"

She'd play outside all day, rain or shine if we'd let her.

Picking grass and tossing it in the air, picking out rocks, and just sitting on the step watching Layla dance around.

It's the best.

The minute I finish fixing her hair she rushes to the closet and says, "Gacket?! Sues!" (jacket, shoes)

She loves Elmo "Emmo!" and Bubble Guppies "Bu-Guppies"

But kinda hates nursery still.

She gives the best hugs and kisses.

and when I ask her to say, "I love you", she always

puts her hands in fits and pats them on my cheeks.

Kinda strange, but I like it.

She can follow instructions quite well now, simple things like:

-Gwen, go get a tissue.

-Throw this in the trash.

-Pick up your toys.

-Close the door...etc.

AND she even knows how to blow her nose quite well.

I remember it took Layla forever to learn that.

Looking at pictures of herself and her family is one of her favorite things to do.

She'll say their name really loudly and give a little chuckle.

I love hearing her say, "Ninnie!" (Gwennie)

It's the cutest.

I couldn't imagine life without this cutie pie.

She certainly makes living a whole lot of fun!

Layla... where did the time go?

2011-05-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Okay this is definitely a picture OVERLOAD, but I just love her to pieces

and think she's the cutest thing.

So... I couldn't decide on a just a few.

This girl loves Primary, especially when her best friend Briella is there with her.

On Sunday, right after Sacrament, they ran to meet each other in the chapel.

Briella said, "Lets hold hands Layla."

Layla looks at me and asks,

"Can I hold her hand please Mom?"

She's so polite.

Her favorite t.v. shows right now are (sadly) Spongebob "Spunchbob" and The Fresh Beat Band.

We have to "play" Fresh Beat Band constantly, all throughout the day.

She's Kiki (and must be referred to by that name, or else she'll make sure to remind you)

I'm Marina.

Gwen is Shout.

and Dad is Twist.

She's very much a girly girl, although she's VERY loud and has an opinion about EVERYTHING!

And will tell you about 6,398 times, before she's finally satisfied that you've heard and understand.

When I tell her she has her Daddy's eyes, she says,

"I know, that's cuz we're best friends."

When I ask her what she wants to eat for a meal, and then give her a few options, she almost always will slip in a few not so healthy alternatives. Example:

Me- "Hey Layla would you like a sandwich for lunch?"

Layla- "Umm no."

Me- "How bout some oatmeal?"

Layla- "Nah... maybe marshmallows?"

Me- "Or maybe some chicken?"

Layla- "Okay... OR how bout an ice cream sandwich? Yeah, that sounds good."

She's flowing with helpful information and will give you advice for just about everything.

Like...

"You know that we eat food so we can grow big? And not just candy because that will make your tummy say... OUCH! OUCH! Feed me healthy food!!"

and

"Mom, you want to clean that mess with a towel, not your hand. That'd be gross."

Thanks Layla.

She has an obsession with her red puppy and must speak for her constantly.

When I was away in Utah this last weekend, I'd call home at the end of the day to talk to my family and would always be greeted with, "WOOF WOOOOOF WOOOFFF!... That's my puppy and she misses you a lot."

Then she'll tell you all the things the puppy likes to do (go to the park, chase people, lick her face) and the minute after you ask something similar, like,

"Does your puppy like to jump up and down too??"

then she'll quickly say,

"But she's not really real Mom."

She CANNOT wait till the day we go to Disneyland...

which probably won't be for a couple more years.

But she talks and dreams about it constantly.

We even "play" Disneyland and watch the rides on YouTube.

It's fun.

kinda.

She knows how to do somersaults, and jump on one foot, and do "ballerina twists", and write her name. She can count to 20, almost and knows how to copy most letters of the alphabet.

She loves to listen to Taylor Swift in the car and actually has been having a re-occurring dream about singing in front of Taylor Swift herself.

She says that Taylor loves her voice.

It's cute.

She's our funny, goofy, sensitive, great helper, big sister, considerate, princess loving, sweet little girl.

And I can't believe she's almost 4.

Happy Birthday to me.

2011-05-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

So, today is my Birthday.

No big deal really.

We aren't celebrating much, because I get to go on a weekend "getaway" with my Mom this weekend in Salt Lake.

We'll shop till we drop (or till the contractions get too strong)

and relax the days away.

Can't wait.

For now, I'll be perfectly content with eating pink pancakes,

sprinkling "bath sprinkles" in the tub, being "Marina" while Layla is "Kiki"

(and poor Gwen has to be "Shout")

Eating bunny shaped grilled cheese with a chocolate banana milkshake (soy style).

And call it a day!

Maybe I'll even get Tanner to pick me up some Thai food.

Something he hates, but knows I love.

Seems like a good Birthday present to me!

Beautiful firstborn... and her puppy

2011-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

"Duck Park" fav's.

2011-05-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the "Duck Park"

Layla has suddenly become very, VERY afraid of ducks getting too close.

She'll stomp her feet and clap her hands (what I told her to do, instead of kicking them)

and it's quite a scene.

Too bad I didn't get any pictures of it.

After a long morning of playing, picking grass, and chasing boys, these girls were tuckered out.

Sunny day in May

2011-05-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

And me, 25 weeks pregnant.

If this little girl is half as cute as her sisters,

she'll be a doll!

Can't wait to meet her!

Off to the zoo.

2011-04-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I took a million pictures, but I did.

Maybe because this is one of the first, fun outings we've gone on since the weather has started clearing up.

We were really excited!

Can you tell?

Gwen's favorite thing ever, ducks!

"Kack, Kack!"

One thing that was pretty funny, was Layla would ask if EACH animal would eat her.

Even the ducks.

I would tell her no, animals don't eat people and she'd then repeat it to herself the whole trip.

"Animals don't eat people. Animals don't eat people...."

Here... I asked Layla what a rooster says and she dramatically answered with a

"COCK A DOODLE DOOOOOOO!"

A few peacocks were scattered about the zoo

and every time Layla saw one she would yell,

"Show me your colors! Show me your REAL colors!!"

Then we had a nice little picnic lunch at a park across from the zoo.

I can't wait for more fun days like this!

Graduation

2011-04-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a bad wife and forgot to bring my camera to graduation.

But, my wonderful sister in law Sharsti was nice enough to snap a few pictures for us!

Thank you!

(Tanner and Bishop Johnson. Tanner served as second counselor with him last year in a student ward on campus)

(Tanner's parents)

(Our family)

(And us)

I'm so proud of this guy.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T17:11:00.001-07:00

I am so thankful for this special holiday.

A day to recognize the amazing life and message of our savior

and most importantly his atoning sacrifice for us.

He lives!

Here are my little Easter beauties all ready for church.

I am in love with their dresses.

Thanks Nonna!

My hair looks seriously red in this picture.

Weird.

I haven't colored it for YEARS, so it must have some natural red hue to it?

Happy Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-24T16:39:00.001-07:00

All ready to go!

Gwen found one and then was finished.

After seeing that candy, that was it!

Layla was a bit of an egg nazi.

Oh well, enjoy the perks of being the oldest while you can.

Okay, so I'm a little ashamed to say that this is the first egg hunt for BOTH of our girls.

As a kid we never did the big community hunts, or had a ton of family nearby to get together with. SO, that's made me a little less ambitious about making this holiday so huge,

in the "egg hunting" sense anyway.

I decided that it'd be fun and not at all stressful to have a little hunt here in our yard.

And I was right!

It was simple and fun.

A little bit of crazy

2011-04-24T16:13:00.001-07:00

(Not sure why, but most of the expressions that my girls made this day were like this. Blank and blah. Not in the mood for pictures I guess.)

We've been super elated and also so sad this last week.

Such a roller coaster of crazy emotions.

Tanner graduated 2 weekends ago and we couldn't be more proud of him!

He even got a really great offer from the company he's been working part time for, which is such an answer to prayers.

I also had a scary day when I wouldn't stop contracting. Thankfully those terbutaline shots work and I was sent home with a lovely bottle of those pills (that make me so jittery!) and haven't had any real problems since.

I'm only 24 weeks along, so I DON'T want this baby coming now!

We were so happy to welcome back Breanna (Tanner's little sister and the greatest babysitter) and our friends Derek and Taylor, who've all come back to school!

Hooray for friends and family!

But also sad to say that we've experienced our first E.R. trip with Layla.

Thankfully she was completely zonked out, slept the entire visit, so no scary memories.

She was completely fine one minute, then started vomiting and shaking the next, seemingly dying of pain in her abdomen.

Scary, huh?

Well after they did an x-ray (yes, she even slept through that), they found that she had a partial obstruction and needed to get on some "softener".

Thankfully it was nothing super serious, although I don't doubt she was in a lot of pain.

Poor girl.

The sun is finally starting to show itself for longer than an hour or two, which is SO welcome here in Rexburg! We're loving every second!

Going for walks, playing in the grass, not wearing big puffy coats.

WONDERFUL!

So, all in all, we're doing just fine. Super excited for everything that's coming around the horizon...

A REAL income.

Layla's preschool.

A weekend vacation for me and my Mom!

Dance class.

Baby blankets to be sewn.

SUMMER!

And a sweet new baby girl.

Life is good.

Cabin in Jackson

2011-04-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Cabin

My father-in-law's boss owns this beautiful place and let the Steveson's stay for the week.

It was absolutely gorgeous inside... as you can see.

We had a blast taking it all in.

(If you look real close, on top of the cupboards is a stuffed raccoon. Layla kept calling it a weasel.)

Downstairs Master Bath

(picture doesn't do it justice)

This is the room we were lucky enough to stay in.

It was just perfect.

Gwen slept in the big closet and Layla had a blow up mattress.

Our bathroom!

I loved the window... thankfully it was high enough :)

Here's the middle media/bedroom with a bathroom!

I didn't take pictures of the other HUGE bedroom, but it was nice as well.

There was also another little media room downstairs that had a fold out bed.

SO fancy!

Here's us...

Breanna, Colleen, and Larry.

The Reeds

(Brittyn, Neeley, Daryl, Max, Ruby, and Bayley)

Another family pic.

Grandpa and Grandma with the grandkids that were there.

They had a lot of fun playing with each other.

I really wish we could see them more often!

A timed photo of all of us!

(minus Josh and Sharsti, who came up on Thursday. We missed you guys!)

Overall it was such a fun and relaxing getaway.

We only had to drive about 90 mins to get there, which was great for us!

Now we get to switch gears and get ready to celebrate Tanner's Graduation!!

WOO HOO!

Gwenners

2011-04-02T15:37:00.001-07:00

Gotta love that goofy grin!

Ultrasound Baby #3

2011-04-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

So... this little girlie would barely sit still when it came to getting a profile shot.

One had kept going in her mouth, while other one waved rapidly in front of her face.

Silly baby.

So, the pictures are a lot less clear than ones we've had in the past.

Two things were pretty clear though:

- She's cute as a button.

-She has big lips like her sister.

A random arm/hand shot.

Me at 20 weeks.

The belly is popping out further and further these days.

Thankfully Gwen has started walking as her MAIN mode of transportation now too!

Definitely worth noting.

(It's only taken her 17 mo!)

She's been a knee walker, with a little bit of regular walking on the side.

Now it's the other way around!

YAY Gwen!

It's a...

2011-03-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

And yes, we're very excited!

This was exactly how I'd envisioned our family, full of beautiful girls.

Tanner is happy too, don't get me wrong...

but as we were leaving the ultrasound place, he did mention something along the lines of...

"We're done!"

We'll see about that.

16 weeks.

2011-03-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

Yep, there's a baby growing in there.

Kinda spectacular.

I feel like I need to SLOW DOWN and pay closer attention to this little miracle.

It's nearly impossible though, at the pace my life is speeding by these days.

He/she is already squirming around quite a bit, which is lots of fun.

About 3 more weeks and we'll know, (hopefully)

Him or Her.

Can't wait!

A Drink?

2011-03-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

That's one sad little girl...

and a happy one!

But why is she so blue?

Maybe she just wants a drink.

(this is her signing drink...)

And not just any drink.

A fancy, fruity drink.

Way too much fun.

She's serious about her drinking.

Now they're both just content.

And a little kissy.

And maybe a little burpy.

(seriously, have you seen a baby with a larger mouth??)

"oh, excuse me."

Oh, how I long for summer.

We've had about enough of this...

And that's the end of my pointless post.

Look what I found...

2011-03-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

Often times I will find Layla curled up, snoozing away, after I put Gwen sleep.

Usually it's on the couch, right next to her snoring Dad.

But...

This is what I found last week.

She had flipped the coffee table over and made herself comfortable.

Piggy nestled close by and everything.

What a silly.

I was able to do the dishes and pick up the whole house

before finally hauling her upstairs to bed.

It was amazing.

Diego or Violet

2011-02-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Those are both the current name suggestions from Layla.

Diego from "Go Diego Go"

And Violet from her little sister's puppy, Violet.

I actually like Violet,

too bad Tanner hates it.

Here's our cute little guy/girl at 14 weeks:

Here, you're looking straight at the baby's face and belly, and it's even waving a little!

This picture is a view of the top of the head and his hands.

Baby kept clasping and unclasping it's hands.

It was too cute.

Profile view.

Can't tell in this picture, but the tech made a comment about this baby having big lips.

Doesn't surprise me one bit.

Love this baby.

Amazes me every time,

how strong of a connection you feel at such an early stage.

Can't wait to meet this sweet baby!

Oh and yes, it was too early to confidently predict the gender.

I still think boy, and thought I saw a "bit more" down there, but who knows.

We'll be thrilled either way!