My Family

Family pictures are hard right now with a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 month old.

Brooks most certainly does not want to participate and Charley is too little to pay attention. 

Because of this, I refuse to pay someone to take our picture.

So instead we had my sister-in-law snap a few on Thanksgiving.

They aren't great, but I'm ok with that.

Potty Training

Potty training is certainly no walk in the park.

It is frustrating and exiting all at the same time!

But I must say, Brooks has done pretty well with it all and for that I am fortunate.

And in the end, it was all worth it.

My boy is officially 100% potty trained,

and I could not be happier!!

A father's blessing

My baby girl received a blessing from her daddy on Sunday September 30.

She looked absolutely beautiful in her dress.

Which, by the way,  my amazing grandma made for her out of my wedding dress. 

What a talented woman!

I am so grateful that my children have a father who has and can use his priesthood powers to bless them. I hope one day they come to realize how fortunate they are to have him for their dad. 

And this is what big brother was up to while we were attempted to get a family photo. He was NOT interested in participating.

Charley Kate

So I kept telling myself that I would find/make the time to write a really good, detailed post about my baby girl's arrival. 

Obviously that is not happening.

Time is just not something I have a lot of nowadays. 

So here is a quick version of my day on August 27.

I was scheduled to be induced on August 27 if my baby dad not come before. Sure enough, August 26th came and went with no baby. So the morning of the 27th I called the labor and delivery unit at 6:00 a.m. to see if I could come in to have my baby. Unfortunately for me, they were too busy and said I would have to wait until later that afternoon. I cried when I hung up the phone. There was no way I was going to be able to fall back to sleep, but the thought of just sitting around all morning waiting for a phone call from L&D was unbearable. But wait I did. Three hours later the coveted phone call came in. I was to be to the hospital at 10:00 to start my labor. So we got ready, dropped Brooks off at the in-law's and were on our way to have a baby. After arriving at the hospital and getting checked in, my labor was induced. It was probably around 11:00. My doctor came in around 11:15 to break my water. Five minutes after getting my water broken, I was dying. My contractions were crazy hard real quick!! I got an epidural soon there after and from then on it was quick quick quick. I was complete and ready to push around 2:00. By 2:15 my little GIRL was born! Even though it was much faster than Brooks' delivery, I was so much more exhausted after. It was like my body had expended every bit of energy getting her here so fast. But she was so perfect and I was immediately so in love!

We all love our baby girl, especially her older brother! He is constantly getting in her face, kissing her and talking to her. It's pretty cute, but kinda not cause she's not the biggest fan. At least he doesn't dislike her like so many people told me he would.

Charley Kate

7 lbs 9 oz

19 in 

baby?

Baby update:

I got my membranes stripped yesterday.

NOTHING!

Looks like we will be meeting this babe on Monday (4 days!!)

Wish me luck!

And another thing;

Isn't this boy so adorable?

The closer we get to having our baby

the bigger he seems to get.

It makes me happy and sad all at the same time. 

I love to watch him learn and grow, but it kills me to watch him learn and grow.

It happens way too fast!

I can't wait for him to meet his new sibling.

I hope he is nice!

Trip with the boy

My sister lives in Pennsylvania.
I hate it!
I miss her!!
And she misses me, I think.
So Brooks and I went to visit her. Just Brooks and I.
The traveling part of the trip was rough, as I assumed it would be. It turns out my sweet little two year old is not fond of sitting still for four hours straight.
(I knew I should have drugged him)
No matter how many treats I had to offer or books to read or movies to watch he was DONE two hours in. And he would NOT sleep, even though it was during his nap time. He cried for an hour straight asking to "get out". It was awful, embarrassing, and frustrating! And to top it all off, the woman sitting right next to me, like touching arms next to me, vomited all over the place right in the middle of the plane ride. So there I was, sick with pregnancy, trying to get my two year old to calm down with someone else's vomit on me. And wouldn't you know, the little stinker fell asleep as we were taxiing down the runway toward our gate. Awesome!! To say I was done by the time we got to my sister's house was a huge understatement.
But we had a great time otherwise! Brooks enjoyed getting to know his aunt, uncle, and new cousin. And I enjoyed some Annie time. We ate out, got mani/pedis, watched trashy television, shopped and ate a bunch of junk food. What a great week! But we definitely missed the dad in our family and were ready to get home after seven days.
The plane ride home was much better! I was more prepared. And I think he was too.
I became that mom who puts their kid on a "leash" and have absolutely no shame about it. That thing saved both our lives.
We had a great time, but I'll tell you; being a single parent for a week was ENOUGH! I have never appreciated Carson more. To all the people who
parent alone, God bless.

Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

Hilarious and True

Welcome to the family little one!

The past fourteen weeks have been some of the hardest weeks of my life. The main reason for the hardship being this....

This pregnancy has been VERY different from my first. And in different I mean harder. Maybe its because I have a two year old to chase around now. Maybe its because I am not really in a position to be resting right now. Or maybe just because it is. I have never felt so tired and run-down in my entire life. I hate to admit it, but Brooks has spent many a days in front of the television because I have absolutely zero energy to even get off the couch. My mood has been all over the place as well. You could probably use the word crazy when referring to my emotional state recently. It can be a little embarrassing at times. Add in the gross, disgusting, constant sick feeling and you have a pretty good idea of how I have been feeling as of late. I have a good friend that once said that pregnancy brings her to her knees more than anything else, and I have to say I completely agree. I have come to find out how reliant I am on my Heavenly Father's assistance. What would I do without him and his blessings? It probably sounds like I am an ungrateful complainer. The complaining part might be a little true, but I assure you that not a day goes by that I don't thank my Heavenly Father for being given the opportunity to bring another one of his choice spirits into my family. I love this baby so much already and look forward to seeing Brooks with a sibling. He will be such a great big brother!