Happy 9th Anniversary!

Now I feel really silly! I posted the two double layouts yesterday, but neglected to post anything about what day it was! We went out to dinner Friday with Scott's brother and his wife because their anniversary is the day before ours. Happy Anniversary Todd and Laura! I think that's why I forgot to post anything, yesterday we just hung around the house and did regular Saturday things: shopping, folding laundry, and making the kids clean the upstairs. Scott also has another brother who's wedding anniversary is the 27th of December. Happy Anniversary Brian and Jenni! Anyway, I must say that marrying Scott nine years ago yesterday was one, if not the best, decision I've ever made. He has taught me alot. We have both grown, and together we are almost a normal person! We have five wonderful children and a lot to be thankful for!

Double layout #2

Here's the second layout I did. I didn't think it was possible to have too much pink in girly things, but I think this layout just may prove that theory wrong. I love the brown and green with the pink though.

Hadley's Scrapbook

I finally found some "free-time" to do some pages for Hadley's scrapbook. I finished two double page spreads. This is my favorite one of the two.

Merry Christmas

If any of ya'll out there are feeling bad that you haven't received a christmas card from us, don't. It has been an ugly process this year. I have been foiled at every turn. First, I was trying to wait for Hadley to get a little bit older so she didn't look so funny in the picture. Newborns look like little frogs in pictures. Then, every time I tried to get a family picture taken it didn't work out. The one time I asked a friend in advance to come over on a Saturday and take it, Haddie ended up in the hospital :( Finally, a couple of days ago when Haddie was actually awake, I just walked over to the neighboors across the street and begged for help. I was so happy to have gotten the pictures done. I immediately downloaded them and went to open my adobe photoshop, but it wouldn't open. I have spent the last couple of days playing doctor to my computer so that my program would open. Today, I finally had success, and I was over-joyed because I actually had a printer again. I could just throw a cute card together and print them out. I don't know how many of you know, but before Hadley was born Emily pushed our printer off of the countertop with her bottom :( Today I opened up my printer from Santa Claus only to find that they neglected to put in the cord that plugs the printer in. I am peeved. So, I figured I'd just post it on my blog. I do plan to still send them out, so if you want one leave your address in the comments. Wish me luck as I keep swimming against the tide to get these done!

O Christmas Tree!

Here is our christmas tree in all of it's splendor and glory! I put on the lights, the garland and the angle on top. Then I let Emily and Julia put on all the other decorations. It was the funniest thing. Most of the ornaments are in the front middle section of the tree. Julia and Emily had a little system going. They would set a bunch of ornaments onto the bar stools and make a little waiting room. Julia was quoting from Dr. Suess' Oh, The Places You'll Go (one of her favorite books). The section about the waiting place, where people are just waiting. She would keep telling the ornaments they had to be patient because it wasn't their turn yet. At one point, Julia cupped her hands around her mouth to make a general announcement to her ornament public. "Attention, attention," she said, "we'd like to announce that there is no more room at the front of the tree. Again, there is NO more room at the front of the tree. Better luck next year folks!"

The best sleeper ever!

Yes, I think I can safely say now that she's officially sleeping through the night. For the last four nights Hadley has slept at least eight hours in a row! Usually she goes to sleep around 9:30 pm and wakes up around 5:30 am. Not bad for a one month old baby. This was her first time to go to church. You can see a little sliver of the red velvet top of her christmas dress. I totally meant to take a picture of her, and didn't. I'll make sure to next Sunday.
Thanks goes out to my friend Kristi! Hadley loves this little bassinet that Kristi donated to our cause. She sleeps like a little angel in it. Scott is especially happy. Usually our new babies sleep with us the first couple of months so that I can get some form of sleep. And that is definitely not one of the most comfortable ways to sleep. Two adults and a tiny baby in a queen-sized bed.

She's SO cute!

Isn't she just so precious?
She's getting bigger and bigger. It's NO fair! I wanted this babyhood to go slow for me so I could enjoy this last one. She's a month old now. I wish I had updated stats:( I think I'll at least go to the store and buy a scale so I can figure out how much she weighs. When we left the hospital she was just over 8 lbs.

A cub scout!

A cub scout is loyal, thrifty, brave, true. . .or however that goes. Where has the time gone? We have a cub scout in our midst! Ryan turned 8, and is super-duper pumped about scouts. He loves going, he feels old and important, but most of all I think he likes being goofy with all the other 8, 9 and 10 year old boys! And they are goofy! Heaven help me so that I am NEVER the den mother!
Ben, of course, had to be in the picture too! He loves having his picture taken and looking at it on the little viewing screen immediately afterward.

My kiddos!

Here is Ben, our computer game junkie. He spends more than half of the day right now playing on Nick Jr. and Playhouse Disney internet sites. His mommy is just tired and worn out. I know I need to get creative and get him off of the computer. He loves it a lot! His hardest day is Sunday when the computer is resting and no one is allowed to play games on it.
Emily always wants to feed Haddie. I don't let them feed her a lot, because she has a drinking problem! She drinks too fast, gulps too much air, has to burp all the time, chokes herself--it's not very pretty. On Tuesday she was drinking more calmly so I let Emily have a go.
The middle kids were hanging out on the floor together. They are pretty cool!

It's Super Baby!

Haddie accomplished an amazing feat last night, especially considering she is only 3 wks. old, she slept for 8 hours! Unfortunately, I was sure when she stirred around 3:30 that she was going to wake up, so I got up to pump, by the time I was done she was completely asleep and didn't wake up until 6 after going to sleep at 10!

Haddie in the hospital!

On Thursday night, Haddie started to run a fever. By the time we got to the pediatrician's office she was a green goopy mess and her fever was up to 101.3! They sent us right over to Cook Children's Medical Center, to the Emergency Room where she was promptly hospitalized!
I was told numerous times that when a baby younger than two months has a temp over 100 they are automatically hospitalized for at least 48 hrs. They also pull out all the stops. She had blood work, they took a urine sample, an RSV test, a spinal tap and her mucus cultured. They put in an IV and immediately started her on two antibiotics.
The thing on her arm is a little cast like thing to keep babies from pulling the IV out, since it is incredibly difficult to get an IV needle into a little baby in the first place. The paramedic had to try twice.
She was such a sweet girl even with the stinky needle in her hand and in the weird smelling hospital being bugged endlessly by paramedics coming to take stats (oxygen, blood pressure, rectal temperature :( ) nurses listening to heart and lungs and coming every 8 hours to administer the 2 antibiotics through her IV line.
We are home now and SO glad. They tests for bacterial infection all came back negative. They are assuming she had a viral infection. That was an experience I NEVER want to have again!

Tummy Time!

Here is Haddie having tummy time! She made it five minutes before she started crying!
Ben, of course, came right over to give his sister some love!

SLEEPING!

Since most of what Haddie does is sleep, that's really all the recent pictures I have of her. She is so cute! and nice too! If she's tired I can lay her down in her little beddy with her binky and she'll fall asleep all by herself!

Gingerbread house

I was trying to be a fun and festive holiday mommy, so we constructed a festive gingerbread house! The roof only fell off once, and then I was actually patient enough to hold it until it dried.
I think they ate more candy than actually went on the house, which is scary looking at how much candy is on the house. They are also "slyly" picking the remaining candy off of the gingerbread house and it's looking less and less festive.
Daddy even got involved in the construction. After all was said and done he was wondering why anyone would make gingerbread houses for fun.

Happy 8th Birthday Ryan!

We had Ryan's 8th Birthday party on Saturday. It was a lot of crazy fun with five 8 year old boys there.
It's weird to have an 8 year old. Ryan will be baptized January 5th! Before we know it he'll be off to serve a mission!
We're glad you came to our family Ryan!

Precious!

She is just the sweetest baby! She rarely cries, and she's just happy to be alive!
Here's Julia holding her sister. Once again one of the cutest things I think I've ever seen!

Daddy

We all loved having daddy home this week! Here he is wrestling with the kids.
Giving Julie some hugs.
Reading stories and holding Haddie.
The boys looked cute in their matching pajamas sitting together in the recliner and Ryan reading stories to his brother. Oh, so cute!