So Much to Share. . . Part VI

It's been almost 6 weeks--5 weeks 2 days to be precise--since Leah graced us with her presence. So much yet so little has happened during that time. I'm slowly bouncing back into the haphazard routine of yore. This baby has really humbled me. I've had to ask for more help with Leah than with Isaac and Benjamin put together. She has grown. She's now 20 inches and almost 9 lbs. She's still beautiful and her personality is coming 'out of the wood works' now.

Here's the last six weeks in picture form:

I could not have lasted without the help from Tom (He is so patient!), my extended & immediate family (I have a fantastic family, FYI), my friends (without them my mind surely would have gone loco), my ward (I cannot express how grateful I am to be a part of the Canyon View First Ward), and my Heavenly Father (He truly lightened my burden). Thank you everyone!

I'd write more, but if you haven't noticed, I'm suffering from blogout. . .

Cannot

type


any




more .......

So Much to Share. . . Part V

Benjamin ended his first year of preschool.

He loved it.
He made many new friends: Connor & Tatiana to name a couple.
He learned some of his letters and numbers.
He learned about nature, occupations, pets, almost anything & everything under the sun.
But most of all, he gained confidence, self-reliance, and a love of learning.
Thank you Ms. Bev & Ms. Becky!!!


Little Learner's Preschool

So Much to Share. . . Part IV

The picture says it all. Tom's high school, middle school, and elementary closed its doors at the of this school year. A moment of silence please. . .






Don't be sad! Meridian is just moving. No worries. No tears.

It was fantastic touring the school Tom went to for eight years. I can't imagine going to the same building, seeing the same teachers for that length of time. I am grateful for the long-lasting friendships Tom made while attending there. I would not have known the wonderful and good friends we have now.







The old gang minus only few (from the left): Andrew, Tom, Cam, baby Gabe, Francoise, Jim, & Rachel.

So Much to Share. . . Part III

I'm always Bursting at the Seams, Laughing Out Loud, Rolling on the Floor, etc when I see a video of a toddler falling asleep at the table while eating. Now I have a video of my own. :P

All you have to do is turn your screen counterclockwise 90 degrees to get the full effect.
Prepare for a laugh attack!



For archival reasons this happened May 15th.

So Much to Share. . . Part II

Two weeks after Leah was born, we were at Sunday family dinner. The topic of Family Home Evening activities came up and Uncle Jay (Tom's uncle) suggested that we go bowling. Benjamin, being a 4 year old with ears, overheard this part of the conversation. The next day all I heard was "Mama, lets go vowling for 'amily home ebening." Ben was so excited, we couldn't disappoint him.

I thought I'd change it up a bit.
Here's a crude and horrible put together clip of our Family Home Evening.

So Much to Share. . . Part I

There's so much to tell. The past 2 months have been a blur.

*swish, zoom, vroom!*

Where did April and May go? I vaguely remember living those days, but like I said, it's been a blur.


Lets rewind to a few weeks--ahem, that's 3 or more weeks--before Leah truly became a part of our family unit.



*whirl of a VCR*



One of the great things about having your own yard is the potential of having your very own, one of a kind, garden! Not only does a garden save you money when it comes to fresh fruits & vegetables, but it teaches our kids (and reminds us parents) how to work. It also, hopefully, teaches them that with work there comes rewards. The old but true scripture comes to mind: Enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Last year we planted some tomatoes, ONE zucchini plant (one is enough; any more would definitely be zucchini overload!), a cucumber, and some bell peppers. We didn't really enjoy much of our garden. Benjamin would eat the 'fruits of our labors' before we could harvest them properly. Side note: I am so thankful and proud of my veggie-lovin' Benjamin.

This year we added to our small garden. Tom and Benjamin took on the somewhat large yet fun project of putting in another garden box in our yard.

Unfortunately, the garden still looks the same now as it did when these pictures where taken.

We also put in our very first tree. It's a plum tree with 4 varieties grafted on. Don't ask me what the varieties are because I don't know.

But the greatest thing of all is this: Despite my very brown thumb, the plum tree is thriving. Our tiny tree is still alive!

Introducing. . .

On the 29th of April, we welcomed into this world a beautiful baby girl:

LEAH KAY BROWN

7 lbs 13 oz

18.5 in




Mom & baby are doing wonderful.
The boys are ecstatic about their baby sister.

Daddy is surviving.



I'm sorry about the woefully lack of posts. I'll do better promise. But you're not here to read about my lame apologies. You want to read about Leah. . . okay you asked for it. :P

It was a fairly easy delivery thanks to Mr. Epidural. The doctor wanted to induce me Monday due to my elevated blood pressure and protein in my urine. I had two doses of Prostin the night before. It really didn't do anything. Doc said I was suppose to be in hard labor after the second dosage. Yeah, right. I woke up rested and feeling great. I thought to myself, "So if this is what hard labor feels like, then the delivery will be a walk in the park" :P We arrived at the hospital around eight in the morning. They started me on Pitocin around 8:45. Mr. Epidural and I became great friends around 10:30. (After going through induced labor for 7 hours with Benjamin, I vowed never to go through that kind of pain again. If I was in natural labor, I probably wouldn't use the epidural.) At 11:30, I was at 5 cm. 5-8 minutes later, I was at full dilation ready to push. After 4-or-so pushes, Leah came into this world.

Besides being a bit jaundiced, Leah is doing great. She sleeps well. Eats well. Poops well. Cries very well. Benjamin and Isaac are adjusting well. . . as well. Benjamin loves giving her kisses and calling her "so cthute". Isaac is obsessed with her feet and hands. Any chance he gets, he takes off her socks to play with her feet.

I thought adding another addition to our little family would be a piece of cake. I was so WRONG! It was so much easier having Isaac (family wise) than it is with Leah. Keeping 4 busy hands away from her at times requires 6 hands on my part. :P I'm sure I'll get over this learning curve. It's well worth the work and effort. I'm very grateful to be a mom and be able to stay at home with the kids. Not many families have that luxury.

How blessed we are.