Happy birthday new one!

Today has been, as mom white would call it, "a heaven day." We welcomed our newest little girl into our family. 

She was born at 2:24 pm (although they mistaking my wrote 2:34 on all her papers) weighing 6lbs 13oz and 18 inches long. She's perfect, and she has dark hair and eyebrows. And long fingernails! :) rich is amazing. I love watching him hold our little ones. He went and got the rest of our kids who were staying with mom/dad arnell and brought them to meet their new little sister. They were so happy. Ben even wanted to touch her, although he made sure mommies lap was still available to him at all times :) rich brought me flowers and a sweet note, and Jane drew me pictures. This is my new favorite family drawing:

Looks just like us!

I love my little yet growing family. I am cross-eyed from lack of sleep....

This boy.... 

Family.

Family. Honestly and truly the greatest blessing one can have is being with those who they consider family. Last Tuesday the kids (Jane, ally & ben) and I traveled to Farmington to enjoy Lillian Jane's (lillers) birthday party. Jane and ally love their cousins and love swimming so this was a heaven day! I love spending time with Julie so it was a win for me too. Ben LOVES the water, we've just discovered this. The pool party was the third time he'd been in the water and he loves to be dunked under. He is a little too confident in the water for my liking so he has to be watched really close, even with floaties on. We stayed until the pool is getting ready to close, and even then Jim is asking if they could camp outside the pool gates. 

On Thursday Rich took me on a date to dinner and a movie (morty's cafe and Jurassic park) and then we even treated ourselves to some frozen yogurt ( yogurt land). I don't know what it was, but i was really needing a date with Rich, and I got it :) summertime we spend a lot of time in the backyard in the evenings, and don't seem to go out on many "dates." Maybe it was the fact that we're going to have a baby in a little over a month and I know that I won't be getting much alone time with Rich, whatever it was it felt good to go out and be together. I'm a lucky girl to call him mine. 

Over a year

Sadly, it's been a year or more since my last post. So much as happened. Ok not really, but, just life. The most exciting news is we have another girl on the way, due in just under 2 months. Holy Hannah is it a hot summer already :) this photo is from our 20 week ultrasound in April. 

Ben just turned 17 months last week and will be 19 months when the baby is born. It will be a busy time of life but we're looking forward to the adventure. Jane completed her first year of school. Kindergarten! I am so sad that she'll be going to all day school in just a couple months she is my right hand helper and such a sweet girl (even though we bump heads a little) there is no doubt she has a heart of pure gold and just wants to be helpful. She is still our happy girl- always has been. 

I was lucky to be able to help in janes class at least once a month, usually at Janes table (center group). She loved her teacher, Mrs. Archibald, and so did I ! She was very organized and structured which Jane and I need. Jane is looking forward to first grade although I know it will be a long day for her. 

Jane also completed her second season of soccer! She is a goalie champ (even though they aren't supposed to guard the goal) and plays defensively without anyone having taught her how. She naturally defends the goal and stopped many goals from going in. Her team was almost undefeated and her daddy loved being her coach

Ally is our little goose. She loves her big sister Jane. They do pretty much everything together. I thought it would be difficult for her to have Jane be at school but surprisingly she enjoyed the time with mommy and ben and her confidence in speaking her mind when Jane IS around definitely strengthened. She wants to go to school and even more wants to play soccer just like Jane! She could go to school this coming August, but because she would be barely 5 (and because I want my children home as long as possible) we'll keep her home for another year. 

Ally is a good little helper- she does a really great job of picking up the living room and her bedroom when motivated. She loves playing with Ben, especially if she can get him to chase her around the house. She was also the first to go down the slide in our backyard with him, although, Jane will claim she taught him how to slide. 

Ally used to be a mommy-exclusive girl, but so far this summer as soon as daddy gets home she is vying for his attention and begging for him to work in the garden with her. Here is a picture of them right now, as I write. 

Jane loves daddy time too, but usually begs him to play steamroller on the tramp. 

Ally is obsessed with finding soda cans. She and Jane recently spent a fewontha collecting them from nearby fields and park garbages and turned them in to earn over $5 each! They used the money to purchase two bouncy slides that were put up in the mall parking lot and the rest went into their piggy bank- they will be paying their tithing on it this Sunday. Jane wanted to give ALL her piggy bank money to the church but we settled on $3. She has a generous spirit. We haven't gone out collecting since because it's gotten very hot but she still spots them on the side of the road and checks the garbages whenever we're at the park. Her best friend is still Lucy Brandt. They are bosum buddies, but she has also become good friends with Leah Francis who moved in across the street on the corner. 

Ally loves being outside. She goes out first thing in the morning to pick a baggy of peas that she will usually (sometimes begrudgingly) shares with the rest of us. She and Jane have days (more often then not) that they wear their "twin swim suits" all. day. long. Wednesday, irrigation and flooding of the yard day, is one of those days. Jane and ally love to pretend play and run and jump in the water. Ben loves to watch and tries to play along too. 

Ben is my buddy. Ok, he's daddy's buddy too, but I get to have him all to myself while Rich is at work. We spend a lot of time watching the girls play sitting in the shade on this bench. 

I treasure his sitting still because I know those times are getting fewer are farther between. Rich recently got the fence back up which makes it easier to keep Ben (and the dogs) in the backyard. Ben would spend all day, everyday, outside. His new obsession is going down the slide, although he gets discouraged when the slide gets hot during the day. 

Bens favorite person is definitely daddy. He wants his attention whenever daddy is home. Monday mornings are the hardest as he's had daddy all weekend and then scream-cries when daddy walks out the door to head for work Monday morning. But then I take him back to bed with me and we enjoy our morning ritual of snuggles. It doesn't get much better. 

I'll have to write more about Ben later. One thing for sure is he loves his drink (dee) and loves being outside. He loves his daddy and only recently started saying "maamuh" on a more consistent basis and I know he is talking to me when he says it. Before you would ask him to say mama and he would say "daaduh." We sure love this little man. 

Trying to catch up

JanHow sad that it's been three months since my last post. That just goes to show how quickly time flies. We have had incredibly warm spring. Temperatures are warming up,some days it feels like summer. 

Here's a quick little catch-up. 

First of all, I fall in love with Benjamin more and more everyday. 

We have been making good use of the sunshine. when it was still a little chilly, we brought out some blankets (or towels) and the girls made themselves picnics. 

Who needs a pair shades to block the sun when you've got two hands?

Spending time at the zoo with their cousins. 

After the zoo weenjoyed a lovely trip to get some cupcakes and chocolates from aunt Maren's sweet tooth fairy shop. Yum!!

Jane is quite the artist. This is her picture of kites. 

We love our little man.

His funny faces make me smile. 

Benjamin loves the sunshine. We put him to sleep by her big windows where the sun shines through and he sacks out. 

Jane has been such a good helper with Benjamin. If he starts to fuss she comes to let me know and sometimes she'll even try to care for him herself, and she does a pretty good job at it. After patting Benjamin's back for a bit she let out a big sigh and said, "mom my patting hand is getting tired."

She'll even change his diaper! This could be good or very messy. 

We are all pretty much in love with him. 

Sneak peak Spring

Today is beautiful. Windy with a little chill , but beautiful. It feels as though spring is right around the corner. Rich has been working on our laundry/mud room on his day off today. He took a break to do some spring cleanup with Ally under the pine trees. Ally said they were doing "hawd wook."

Oh Jane, she is such a good little helper. I love her stunning blue eyes. She loves to draw and asks Ally if her pictures look "beeufidull."

Mom and baby Ben. 

Yesterday we headed up to liberty to have Sunday dinner with Rich's siblings. Everyone was able to be there, it was so nice to visit.