Service

Our family has been very blessed the past SEVERAL weeks. For the past month and a half on Tuesdays and Fridays the sweet, compassionate Sisters from our Relief Society have provided us with meals. Yummy, yummy, yummy meals. It inspired me on several levels. First, it was good to have such yummy food in OUR HOME. I am not the best cook. Actually, I'm not very good at all. I cook very bland, easy food. For a few weeks my family actually ENJOYED dinner in our home. It inspired me! I am going to learn to cook YUMMY food. Not just healthy, fill your belly food. Yummy, ENJOYABLE food. :) It was very hard for me (and Ray) to go to the Relief Society President and declare "defeat". I have always had a very hard time asking anyone for help. I have several theories as to why this is... I won't list them. Just know it was hard to ask for help. Upon asking for help the humility set in. (am I still humble admitting that I was humbled??) I have never in my life experienced such service... in person. These wonderful Sisters gave of their time, money and efforts to provide nourishment for my family, and for that, I am forever grateful. The following picture is an example of some of the yumminess we have had in our home. This was bean soup, corn muffins, bran muffins, crackers, cupcakes, taffy and, of course, jello jigglers. MMMMMmmmmmm. We have been blessed.

Locking Eyes

I LOVE the way Abbie and Kayla look at each other!!

Sister Love

My friend Linda made the girls "Big Sister/Littlest Sister" shirts and I made an attempt to take pictues of them in them. Well, I took the pictures.... they just didn't all turn out... BUT THESE DID!!!!

Melissa has a "baby"

The day after we came home from the hospital Melissa had a baby of her own! She turned Grandma's air mattress into her hospital bed in room #360 (just like mine) and had nurse Kayla taking care of her. Daddy went to visit with and share in her joy...

Nurse Kayla welcoming Daddy to room #360:

Melissa showing Daddy where the unborn baby's head is: Showing Daddy unborn baby's feet:

She would not permit us to take pictures of the baby after she was born, just know that she is healthy and doing well. :)

I am getting a kick out of the things the girls are learning and adding to their play. They have babies, change their diapers, give them baths WITHOUT getting the umbilical cord wet, they pump breast milk, nurse their babies... etc. I am loving it! I read an article several months ago about homeschooling and a stressed out mother trying to homeschool with a young baby. She said one day it hit her... she needs to MAKE the BABY the Lesson, not try to teach around the baby. We have embraced this idea and it is working to our favor. These girls already want to be Mommies. We are doing something right. :)

Abbie's Beautiful Smile

When I say Abbie is a complete joy, I mean it. She is SUCH A JOY! She smiled for the first time at one week old and has been smiling ever since. She isn't a spontaneous smiler... she only smiles when she is making eye contact with us and we are talking, playing or singing with her. TRUE smiles. :)

Her eyes were open here, but she closed them for the flash. Such a doll...

Grandpa's crazy dancing skills...

The girls and Grandpa practised and practised for this performance... hope you enjoy!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Introducing Abbie Rae!!

I have been completely enjoying time with our little Abbie and have neglected sharing pictures of her on the blog... and I don't feel bad about it at all! This little bitty girl has our entire family wrapped around her every whimper. She is the tiniest little bundle of joy. The girls are in love with her and can hardly keep their hands (and kisses) off of her... Neither can Ray or I! She has a very calming, sweet spirit and it is amazing to be able to feel the spirit of someone so fresh from heaven in our home. We have been blessed.

Daddy and Abbie's first kiss:

Daddy, Abbie and the most amazing doctor I have ever had the privilege of knowing, Dr. Partridge: Looking a bit drugged, but enjoying these first few moments with my baby girl:

Kayla first kisses Abbie (the first of MANY!!):

Proud big sister Melissa with Abbie:

Grandpa holds Abbie:

Grandma, Grandma and Melissa coo over the baby:

She was very alert her first few hours of life. Here she is looking into Mommy's eyes:

Our first Family Photo:

Abbie was born July 8th at 1:35pm. She was 19 1/2 inches long and weighed 7lbs4oz.

Hospital Food

The hospital food is a little less than desirable... My breakfast a few days ago consisted of this:

1 piece of bacon, 1 boiled egg, 1/2 English muffin, Special K cereal, juice, milk and coffee.

Not exactly diabetic friendly.

Yum

Beautiful pictures

These are some of my favorite pictures from the July 4th Celebration:

July 4th Celebration

The girls had SO much fun during the family July 4th Celebration. Mommy was still in the hospital but the rest of our family enjoyed time with Grandma and Poppa, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jer. They cooked hot dogs and roasted marshmallows that were literally bigger than their hands. Uncle Jeremy provided fireworks and sparklers for everyone. AND, Mommy even got to watch through the miracle of Skype! Enjoy the little video!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hospital Fun

Who says you can't have fun in the hospital?? My girls prove that you CAN, in fact, have fun while being at the hospital! The following pictures are proof of their creativity in the fun category.

Testing out Daddy's Hospital bed:

A Sunday afternoon picnic in room 337

WITH games:

They beautified my room by providing me beautiful pictures to hang:

Playing Battleship with Grandma:

Playing Connect Four with Daddy... playing by Kayla's rules, of course!

Playing Hide-and-Go-Seek in Mommy's TINY room. Melissa was the hider.

Kayla and Uncle Jeremy hiding from Melissa during Hide-and-Go-Seek

They are such a joy!

Mommy's Birthday

My birthday started out pretty normal. The girls made me delicious M&M pancakes and sausage for my breakfast in bed. They then showered me with presents of yummy goodies that they selected themselves. (I am SOOO lucky!!) Then we played a bit and Mommy and Daddy went to Mommy's Perinatal Doctor appointment where our Doctor decided to admit mommy and Abbie to the hospital until Miss Abbie makes her grand entrance. WHAT? We were FLOORED and caught completely off guard. We were not prepared, though we should have been. So, the rest of Mommy's Birthday was spent in the hospital in a tiny, tiny room. Grandma brought Melissa and Kayla to the hospital with my birthday cake and MORE presents and we enjoyed our time together. I am so very blessed to have wonderful, cautious doctors, but more than that, to have a wonderful, supportive family that will bend over backwards to help us out and nurture our children. I have been blessed beyond measure.

Helping Daddy-O redecorate the Birthday Cake Mmmmmm.. Chocolate with fluffy white frosting. It was SOOOO delicious! Grandma is the BEST!!

Me and my girls... the best present of all!

The girls performed a WONDERFUL puppet show for my entertainment right there in the tiny room. They are very talented!

Happy 34th to me!!