PICTURE FEST

Here's a bunch of pictures of what we've been up to.

Here is Travis sporting his BYU uniform. He still is pretending to play football daily.

Whitney and Travis waiting to play with Lindsay and Jared on Graduation day.

Smiles are starting

If she's happy - she's wiggling all over the place.

classic pic - right when she sneezed

Smiles and talking continue - I love when she'll recognize me and smile. Make my heart melt.

I swear we have a picture of Whitney just like this - mouth is always open! (not to mention they still look identical)

Whitney continues to amaze me with her creations. I was a little worried about this one - but thought it was pretty ingenious at the same time. I like the pose - she switched arm motions like a cheerleader for every picture. And, no, I didn't teach her cheer leading poses!

Whitney continues to be a little mom. Kind of freaked me out when she picked Hailey up and said "See mom, I told you I can hold her." It was cute, but still NOT encouraged.

I think Hailey recognizes and responds to Whitney's face just as much as mine. Whitney brags about it :)

Thank goodness Hailey will lay on this pad on the table so I can eat! Eating peacefully is a big priority in my life. I'll live it up until she starts rolling.

Well, that's all folks. Monday I reached my 6 weeks and got the clearing to exercise from the doc. I've lifted and run - and boy, can I say I feel like a blob attempting to move again! Still got a runners high though, so I guess the effort was worth it. Here's to working off all the junk in the trunk!

These last six weeks have been great. I'm loving every moment of it. Part of me wants to slow down time - but then again I've realized something - Time just brings more excitement and fun.

The thinker

I laughed at this pose of Hailey. . . it's the same my mom makes when she's in deep conversation with someone.

Baby einstein toy - don't let the label of 2 months to 1 year fool you. It's really 3 - 5 yrs.

Whitney's friends

When I saw this I had to laugh... and of course take some pics. Whitney has been amazing this last year. She always gives me an hour or so after our little "school" session to take a nap or read or whatever. During this time she has done some funny things - building bridges out of books, cutting all kinds of shapes. It's always entertaining to she what she does during the commercials of her beloved Tom of Jerry show. Today, she brought her friends to watch. For some reason it caught me a little off guard.
By the way - today I chose to read, finishing the last book of the Fablehaven series. It did not disappoint in the least bit. Loved it. Big fan of his books so far. If you like books written for younger kids (my level :)) give them a whirl. Great b-day present linds!

One Month!

We made it a whole month! Today Hailey is one month old. I can honestly say that this last month was a lot easier and went a lot smoother than I planned. It sure helps to have older kids that are somewhat independent and helpful. They have been so good with the change.

So far Hailey has such a great presence about her. I love that she is already trying to respond to people and trying to hold her head up. She seems very calm and endures a lot more without crying than her siblings did. The best part of it all - from day one she was making it 3-4 hours at a time sleeping during the night. That didn't happen until about 6-8 months with my other kids, so I feel like I'm sleeping great (most of the time :))!

Here she is taking a bath in the sink. Her face doesn't show the delight, but she really does like it - or endures it very well.

I'm really enjoying just holding and snuggling her. Although with the warm weather I'm starting to itch to go play outside. Two more weeks hopefully and I can start running. My mental health will sure appreciate that! Here's to Hailey, thanks for a great first month. I love my life and our family with you in it!

Just for kicks, here's the kids taking an intense swim in the bath. Notice they have their water toys to play with too. I wish my bath time was this fun.

Little Man

I think my favorite part about raising a boy so far is seeing him admire and want to be like his dad. This might be the case since Whitney is very much not like me (ex. : crossing her legs, wanting to be a ballerina, wearing "prissy things"). I love that he pretends to be "Aaron" going to work, playing basketball or football, or fixing things. Besides pretending to be a prince, Aaron is his #1 pretend to be person.

Travis' attire usually requires a football shirt and/or basketball shorts. I got a good laugh the night he insisted on wearing b-ball shorts to bed for pajamas, just like dad does. Every morning and evening he welcomes the sight of dad with bright eyes and excitement. So when I saw them both "working" together outside my heart had an "ahhhh" moment, and I to take a pic through the window.

In other news...Hailey had her 2 wk. check-up today. Weighing in at a little over 9 lbs. Way to put on that weight little woman! She has been so great, and hopefully the good-natured girl in her right now continues. I actually am getting some sleep and might remember the what the first month was like with this kid.

Happy Birthday Whitney

Happy Birthday Whitney!!!

Whitney turned 5 on Saturday. With Hailey's arrival - and her being a replica of baby Whitney - I am revisiting what it was like raising Whitney all over again. I have so many great memories of this girl already. I couldn't ask for a better helper around the house. She has been amazing these last nine months. How many kids will color and entertain themselves while staying by your side so you can get a nap in everyday? This past year has been another filled with princesses, dresses, dress-ups, friends, family, crafts and entertainment. I love that she is so prissy and yet is still very coordinated when we play sports.

After waiting for Travis' birthday, then Valentines Day, then Hailey's arrival, Whitney's b-day FINALLY came. She's been counting down for a long time. Thanks to family to support her in her birthday wish of going swimming. I'm still in lockdown, so it was so nice of family to come to the occasion and make it feel like a true party. Whitney was more than happy!

Here she is in her new princess nightgown, with all her presents. She has already played with every present multiple times - especially the crafts, this girl could color and cut for hours!

After the swim party we met at Aaron's office nearby for pizza, icecream and cake. And of course... opening presents.

Happy Birthday Whitney - you add so much sunshine in our home with your excitement for life.

She's Here!

I'm finally taking a moment to post about our Hailey making her grand entrance! On Monday we went to the hospital to be induced - oh, what a beautiful procedure. No pain on the way to the hospital, no pain while putting on the gown, no calling anyone at 2 in the morning. Grandma and Grandpa Rasmussen came down Sunday night and we had Lindsay and Jared and Bethany over for our last grand meal before the baby.

Everything went smoothly I endured a few contractions to feel like this labor thing was for real. About an hour into contractions I was at a 4 and got an epidural. An hour later - at a six, 2 minutes later - at a nine, 1 minute later - at a ten! And then..... an hour hanging out at a ten waiting for the doc. Thank goodness for epidurals! At about noon Hailey came out as a xerox copy of Whitney as a baby.

A highlight for me - watching my kids come to the hospital and see Hailey for the first time. Their eyes lit up like Christmas morning! And despite that excitement lasting maybe 2 minutes for Travis, Whitney still begs to hold her all day, she's already a mom in training - way ahead of me!

She is such a cute, good baby. We've all bonded pretty fast. I'm so excited to have her here. In the past I've counted down how long until they are one and can walk. But for now, I am completely content with my newborn. I want to freeze time.