Creed's big day

Now before you look at these pictures I do want to say that Creed did not really spend his whole day crying...He was just feeling a little overwhelmed by the camera...I hope it doesn't last.

On March 3rd Brent blessed Creed. He was officially named Creed Lewis Weight on the records of the church. We were really lucky that Brent's parents were able to come down and support Creed on his big day since his mom has been so sick so much of the year.

Other than them it we just had the in town immediate family there so it was a small party but it was nice to be able to focus on Creed and make it a day about him. We are so lucky to have Creed as part of our family. The girls all love him-honestly they all fight over who gets to hold him first every day. Creed has such a loving and patient little spirit. He loves to be held and hates to be changed or get naked...He is the wiggliest baby ever but he is really content even in all his wiggling. Anyway, we were thankful to be able to bless him and name him and claim him as ours. Pray that we don't screw him up. Love this kid!

Creed and Daddy-I just couldn't do the white baby tux thing...finally I found a sweater and pants online and it was perfect. Not goofy or uncomfortable.

Creed Brent and Papa...my boys!

One of Grandma too because she sacrificed a lot to travel down here and we really appreciate it.

Brent and I and Creed because I sacrificed a lot to get him here.... ;) He is mine after all! :)

Our whole little family and now Creed is definitely done with pictures!

Just FYI

Hey to all our friends and family!

I know it is usually done more formally with a beautiful picture and invitations but since we aren't remotely formal at our house....

Cami has decided to get baptized as a member of our church. Her baptism will be February 4th at 10 am at the church building across the street from the temple. A baptism usually lasts about an hour and is a wear a dress event.... If you are available she'd like it if you came. Thanks!

The way Creed went down...

So we proudly welcomed little man Creed last Sunday. If you want to know how the whole birth went down read on-if not scroll to the end and enjoy the pictures...

Just before church I thought hmm that was a contraction...By the time we got to church they were consistently every five minutes but not horribly uncomfortable...At least I didn't think it was SO bad...apparently they were strong enough I was walking funny and people noticed. But I wasn't feeling like man I need to go home or go to the hospital etc...Brent was camped outside the primary room where I was just in case and was keeping an eye on the situation not really believing I was just fine.

By the time we got home 3 hours later Brent was on his high alert mode and was ready to go...I on the other hand just wanted to take a bath and relax. After about 30 minutes of pacing and stress for Brent while I relaxed in the tub, he convinced me it would be good just to go get checked-that way if it was the real deal we could get checked in without all the annoyances of Jocelyn's birth admittance...

So he had all ready called my mom who took the girls to her house (like before we had even left church) and he got the bags in the car. When we got to the hospital around 5 pm I explained we might be in labor and the nurses got me into a room and said why don't we just check you or do you want us to hook up the monitors...I said check me please and surprisingly I was a 7+ and completely effaced...You should have seen Brent's face...I would say it was total relief we were there mingled with a very small I told you so and then a lot of adrenaline...

Well the staff started hoping-like literally there were about four nurses starting an iv, monitoring the baby, calling the Dr (who luckily was there and on call as the hospitalist anyway)...By about 6 things had settled into a good routine and the nurses this time were really supportive of natural childbirth. They helped Brent with a knee trick thing that was amazing but probably gave Brent sore biceps... So it was good.

Apparently I was Strep B positive so I needed to wait a half an hour for the antibiotics to run in then I could have the baby according to the Dr. (Although he said don't worry though if you need to have him sooner that is OK...) Because of the strep B and the preterm timing they told us the baby and I would have to stay for 2 days.

By about 7 Dr came in and checked me and I was still only an 8 (shocking since I usually do the birth thing pretty quick). He broke my water and waited a little longer. Things definitely got more intense. The nurse felt like maybe the baby was posterior and stuck. I confirmed that every contraction he was getting mashed into my pelvic bone and was definitely stuck-the perk of a natural birth is you can feel what the heck is going on.

Finally I decided it was time to push and the Dr agreed that Creed was posterior. He manually got him to flip his head half way but I couldn't wait and popped him out shoulders side ways and all. Apparently not only was he positioned funny but the cord was around his neck (which Brent conveniently didn't tell me until a couple days later)...No wonder Brent was worried that he wasn't pinking up fast enough.

So Creed Lewis Weight joined the family January 8th at 7:47 pm weighing 5 lbs 15 ounces, 19 inches long. He has chicken wrinkly legs and stinkin' long fingers and toes. He is darker in color like Taryn was as a baby although he did rub his dark hair off the front/top of his head on my pelvic bone....He loves to be cuddled and held, especially while he is sleeping. Luckily his three sisters love to love him and so far they have been gentle. He seems to be a pacifier baby like Cami and Taryn which we are thankful for. His belly button is funny and gives him character as it will definitely be an outie.

We are thankful that despite his "preterm" entrance and his low birth weight entrance he eats like a banshee and breaths great on his own. Basically we are so in love with our little man. What a spirit of love babies bring to a home. My favorite quote of the day was when Brent said "Wow you look good. You don't even look like you just had a baby!" Luckily when you are dressed up for church with make up on you can greet your child looking like you combed your hair and put make up on that day....Brent was so supportive and helpful-natural child birth wouldn't be half as much fun without a helper like Brent. I just would glance at something and without talking or thinking he would get it for me (ice, chap stick, etc). Seriously couldn't have done it without him.

He's here!

He's a boy and he's small but very wiggly! When the nurses were trying to measure him he wouldn't hold still and she said "wow he's a wiggly one" and I said "yup he has been for 9 months..."

Cami meeting Creed the next day-smiling and excited but trying to act grown up...She was so excited at school that her teacher had all the students write Creed little letters and they made him a book. My favorite letter said "What are you going to name him? I think you should name him awesome!"

Taryn meeting Creed-She begs to hold him every chance she gets and hasn't stopped smooching him yet...I hope the affection and gentleness lasts.

Jocelyn meeting Creed-she calls him Baby Brother and it is the cutest thing in the world! She is really into babies right now so thankfully she can play with her babies while I take care of mine.

Ready to come home-luckily he passed his car seat test and we didn't have to hang out at the hospital any longer than the 2 days we had to...

Creed's first bath at home-not such a fan- but maybe that was because of all the commotion from the helpers that went along with the bath (one to take pictures, one to help with soaping, one to help with lotion and a grandma to prevent anyone getting over zealous)...

Look at all the hands trying to get in on the action....Creed should never have any doubt that he is a VERY loved little boy.

Christmas came and went in a hurry...

December was kind of a crazy month and somehow very few pictures were taken despite all the activities. We did video Christmas morning but didn't take too many actual photos. I am happy to say that Jocelyn's tubes work and she speaks so much better now. I am happy to say the flood didn't ruin too much and that the house has new plumbing. I am happy to say the dry wall is patched and repainted. I am happy to say the new washer and drier work like champs. I am happy to say the bronchitis has resolved ish and that no one coughed out the baby. I am happy three little girls had a memory making Christmas.They were so excited and believing. I am happy we got the new expedition and have seat belts for everyone. I am happy we could go to Heber to visit the Weight family and that we could meet new cousins. And I am also happy it is now January...

Decking the halls...Every year there is a debate about whose turn it is to place the angle on the tree and last year we got smart and started taking pictures of the event so we can bypass the debate....

Big girl Bed or the floor?

Just before Christmas Taryn taught Jocelyn a new trick called dive in and out of your crib head first. Since we like Jocelyn's head just the way it is (and her neck) we had to get out the toddler bed...She was not impressed and it has been a rough transition...The first week or so she was frequently found like this....poor kid. Nap time has also taken a direct hit. She still really needs a nap but it is amazing how quietly she can sneak out of bed and play...or unload all the clothes in her dresser....We love this girl and hope for more sleep and less refolding soon...

Piano Recital

Cami started taking piano lessons last summer and has seemed to really enjoy it. Her first piano recital was the week before Christmas. She played I saw three ships come sailing in and a duet of Jolly Old St Nicholas. At the recital she wanted to sit in the front row but Jocelyn had other plans. Brent went and sat with her and we were surprised that she didn't seem nervous at all; however, in her prayers that night she said "And thank you for helping me do good at my recital even though I was so nervous I just wanted to cry." You really can't ask for a better kid...And she really did do an amazing job.

Probably as good as it gets this year...

So I was really hoping to do Christmas cards this year but this is probably as good as it's going to get this year. There just has constantly been something going on as is the case in everyone's homes I am sure but I have just been slow getting life taken care of. So here's an annual top ten ish list...

1. We got a new car and have seat belts for all the kids-our current ones expected one and neighbors and carpools etc...It is a Ford of course and we were pleased to still feel a lot of brand loyalty.
2. Jocelyn got tubes in her ears and can speak in sentences now. It's great!
3. Taryn started kindergarten and has thrived! Her handwriting and math skills are amazing!
4. Cami started second grade and has become a HUGE reading fan. Currently she is addicted to some books called Fablehaven but has also LOVED the Harry Potter series and the Gregor Underlander series...
5. Brent got released from the Young Men's program at church after 3 3/4 years and has been home the last few Tuesday nights. Bed time is so much more peaceful. We are looking forward to lots more family time in the summers for boating and camping and hiking since he won't have to take boys camping hiking etc every weekend.
6. Amy enjoyed a 10 year anniversary trip to Hawaii now that we have been married 12 years (with Brent). It was so relaxing we brought home a great souvenir-a baby boy due in a few weeks.
7. Brent's business has taken off more and he now officially leases out office space instead of a bedroom at grandma's...
8. Cami started piano lessons and has her very first recital this week. She is playing I saw three ships come sailing in and maybe a couple others?
9. We took our first family trip to Disneyland and had a very magical time.
10. The girls had a great summer of swimming lessons and two great soccer seasons and a great year of dance.
11. Jocelyn is still in one piece despite her mad climbing skills which Amy claims as a personal victory-knock on wood.
12. Taryn has a loose tooth and is almost done with speech therapy after almost 3 years..She just needs to work on Rs and Th.
13. Cami got braces and lost several teeth and has been an amazing trooper over the whole process...
14. Brent has continued to sing in his boy choir and has had several great concerts. It is fun for him to fill some time with community service (lots of concerts at nursing homes and community events) and to learn more about singing.

Obviously I still can't count and the year has been full and we feel very blessed. We are excited for the little boy 2012 will bring and all the next adventures life has to offer. We hope all of you have a great 2012 and a fabulous holiday season!

Hiking with the Cousins

Because I have totally slacked at blogging lately, I have neglected lots of fun memories...BUT when Brent downloaded his pictures and I saw these I had to post because these were great memories. In October we went on a hike with some of the cousins who were down visiting for the weekend. We found someone's impromptu tomato garden off the trail and lots of bees. The kids got a kick out of hiking up a crevasse and I was encouraging them until I realized that it was kind of steep and I should probably be nervous. Luckily no one was wounded in pursuit of the crevasse including the photographer...Anyway, it was just a fun laid back hike so here you have it...

An up close look at the crevasse-they had to shimmy a ways to get to this point...

A fence by the random tomato garden...All the kids taking a break while the Dad's got the group picture in...

Not sure the instructions the kids were given to get them to make these faces but they were great faces.....

Soccer Girls

This year soccer season was so fun. It never ceases to amaze me how much growth a year makes. For example Taryn's team actually followed the ball this year and scored goals. There were probably only a hand full of dandelion picking/cloud watching incidents. It was great!

Cami's team was actually purposely passing the ball and throwing the ball in to their own players.

Taryn's team didn't actually win any games but Taryn did score a few times when she hasn't ever even been interested in scoring before. Cami's team won all but the last heart breaking game and routinely I had to tell them not to score unless they had passed at least 3 times or that it was so and so's turn to score so everyone pass it to this girl until she scores...I felt guilty running the score up to high...

Yes, I did get to coach Cami's team thanks to Grandma who watched Jocelyn during practices and Taryn who was my assistant coach. I know it is weird but coaching little kid soccer is so energizing to me. I just love watching kids feel proud of themselves and I laugh so hard at the funny things they do....Anyway, here's a few highlights of the season.

Jocelyn learned how to say soccer, soccer ball, soccer practice, and genuinely had fun watching the girls and playing on the side lines.

Cami taking a goal kick. I love her action shots because she is totally concentrating all the time.

Me and Cami mid play-They have the coaches ref the games on the field and sometimes it was seriously hard not to step in and play myself.

Taryn and her team-I think the highlight of the season was they got the pink polka dotted uniforms...Taryn was VERY pleased that they got the pretty uniforms....Has anyone read Fancy Nancy about how ruffled socks really do help her play soccer better? That was the case with this team for sure...

Taryn sporting her purple sweatshirt over her pink uniform but she is going the right direction on the field and kicking the ball so the season was a total success....

Taryn about to score. I love pee wee soccer and my kids are great to humor me.

Jocelyn turns 2!!!

Can you believe she is two?! How did that happen? Seriously? Although she had a surprising and semi stressful entrance into this world she has been a bundle of joy from day one. She was a pretty laid back baby. She endured all the hands on lovin' and has turned into a busy, curious, silly two year old.

She is talking more each day and the words she does say are actually very clear. My favorite is "Yes, please." She can say every one's name except her own and even calls the baby "baby boy." She can often be found in the closet tearing down the new jammie's to check them out, the whole time saying "Baby boy...Baby boy..." I hope she is as excited to see her new little buddy as she has been his jammie's.

She is so attached to her lady bug blanket or bug bug bankie as she calls it. Now whenever she is wounded she begs for it and tries to constantly sneak it out of her crib....She also loves teddy bear, duck duck, and minnie but really they are a distant second place. Yes she is still in a crib because despite her proclivity to climbing she hasn't tried to climb out of it. I still occasionally need her to be somewhere that she can't escape from yet....

She is a FAST runner and has a really great bum shake action when she dances. She loves throwing food almost as much as she likes eating. Her current favorite food is granola bars but she eats pretty much everything (especially if it is served with dippy-ranch). She finally broke 20 pounds at her last well child check (21 pounds) and got to flip around in her car seat. (Which is good because she was getting quite a lethal kick that Cami and Taryn weren't enjoying). She is still following the 3% growth curve in head circumference and weight and the 15% in height.

She has loved watching the girls play soccer and cheering them on this fall (talk about cute when she says soccer). She has started singing when we play music and has a really soft but high pitched voice. In contrast we finally have a kid who has a good hardy laugh-it shakes her whole body. (Cami's is silent when she is really laughing and Taryn's resembles a scream.)

We couldn't be luckier to have her in our family. She is seriously so cute-her smile and her mannerisms-when I can keep up with her. If I could kiss her forever I wouldn't be able to kiss her enough.

The first sister love for Jocelyn

The first mommy love...on the outside atleast...

Checking out the world after her exciting surprise entrance...

Opening a present on her big day with crazy hair.

Blowing out the candles on her lady bug cake...mom accidentally caught giving the assist...

Her birthday crown that stayed on about 2 seconds...

Taryn ready for a fall day of school...

I love this kid. I really do. She is the most spirited fashion conscious unique girl I have ever met. On the first day that it was below 80 degrees this is how she dressed for school (and lunch). Pictures speak a thousand (or more) words so enough said....

Before and After minus the before....

So Cami got braces in September and we were more than a little concerned it would be traumatic. Turns out it was no big deal.

I took her to the dentist last summer and while there I asked if he thought she should see an orthodontist. He said "I doubt it. She is still really young and has several baby teeth to lose."...then she opened her mouth and he said, "hmmmm... let me give you the names of several good orthodontists and you can see who can get you in."...

So her permanent teeth were coming in so far back in her mouth (crowded out by the others) that the gum tissue wasn't forming around the new teeth. In an effort to try to avoid gum grafts in a couple of years we are trying to pull those teeth into a position that the gums can properly form around the teeth...hence braces on our 7 yr old. She'll have them on for a year ish then off until the rest of her baby teeth are out and then probably have them on a while longer...

In the mean time we get to decorate her mouth with holiday colored rubber bands and see and fantastic smile emerging...

Cami in her Halloween Bands.

Taryn's Big 6 Birthday Day

She started out so tiny. Brent was scared to dress her because he literally thought he might break an arm off. There's no denying she adds a whole lot of flare to our home even in her pint sized body. Her zest for life is unbeatable and she loves so passionately. So here's to our beautiful 6 year old-she's amazing!

THE butterfly cake WITH eatable glitter....of course because who on earth could enjoy a cake without glitter? And look at that smile! Yes she really is that happy most of the time....especially on a day focused entirely on her.

For her birthday party she requested (and was REALLY serious about it) a Barbie rock out party...Thanks to all the kids that indulged her...It was truly a rock out.

The fancy cup cake decorating station courtesy of Aunt Rebekah's gently pre used decorations...It really wasn't as crazy as I was imagining letting 16 little girls decorate their own cup cakes...We of course did the traditional scavenger hunt to find the pinata and also pin the horn on the unicorn. And since this was Taryn's day face painting was an absolute must (I figured it was a better choice than the make up make overs she really requested.) We also had a get the Barbie dressed relay and a make the Barbie purse craft during which I was impressed no one got glitter glue or puffy paint on furniture or floors...Afterwards I found myself very thankful that birthdays come only once a year....

Super Scholar

It's nice to start the school year off right. At the end of each month Cami's school awards a kid in each class with a super scholar award. She was awarded super scholar the first month. She really loves to read and does it faster than myself or Brent (honestly). She got sick last June (yes right after she finished 1st grade) for a couple of days...She read the first Harry Potter the first sick day, the second Harry Potter the next sick day and by the end of two weeks had finished all seven books. At first we were like no way she is just skipping over parts but then we'd ask her questions and she'd know everything we were talking about and ask us really thoughtful questions in return. I think she has read them all at least 3 times if not 4 by now...Now if we can just slow her down enough to write legibly we'll be in business!

Traditions...Family Game Night and Taco Tuesdays/Thursdays or whenever

So this year has been crazy busy between my job at church, Brent's job at church, the work situation, and girls with dance, soccer, and piano...We felt like we were just rushing around and not exactly having fun as a family, although individually lots of things were fun. SO we made a change.

Brent knew of this family who for years and years has a had a family game night. No matter what they all drop other commitments and hang out with each other. They seem to be a close nit family and we really want our kids to like us and each other.

We do spend every Monday night together as a family but usually we are working on "learning" things. Thursday nights were open and we decided to institute family game night. The first one was a hit and ever since the girls remind us that it is game night and get all excited to choose out a game. It actually has been really interesting to see game strategies of a 7 yr old and 6 yr old and 2 yr old. Cami's favorite game is battleship or the balloon game while Taryn prefers Fancy Nancy build a parfait or Don't Eat Pete. Jocelyn likes anything she can sabotage....It has just been really nice to take some time and shut out the world and make it a focus to have fun and enjoying each other. I hope it lasts.

This is the balloon game and Cami is actually good at whooping us on this one-and Taryn always begs to be on Brent's team for some reason....Maybe she knows he doesn't get as distracted by Jocelyn as I do....

Jocelyn swiping the game cards....

We also started a Taco Tuesday tradition. Who knew the girls would like hard shelled tacos so much?! Easy for me to prepare and I don't have to talk anyone into eating. YEA!!