The Allen Family Happenings

New Years Eve

2012-01-10T13:56:00.001-08:00

Our New Years Eve plans were kinda all over the place this year but really turned out to be such a fun night!! To start off the evening Mark's family came over and we all hung out and ate yummy appetizers.

One of Jaxon's favorite thing to do with his cousins when they come over is listen to their IPOD's with them. Jaxon love his Sara!!

Isn't Robyn adorable? I love when the family comes over cause we don't have to worry about our kids. Everyone else takes care of them:)

Can you tell they were excited to take a picture?? I tell the to say cheese and this is what happens....

Nick, Me, Jenny
One of the things that I love about living here is that I get to see so much of my family so often. For dinner Mark and I went to dinner with Nick, Jenna, and Trever at my brother-in-law's restaurant called Stack Burger Bar downtown. My sister was there for the night with a friend too. Love them!

One of the few pictures we have of us we realized!

When we left the restaurant to head back to the King's house, we were by the river and they had an amazing firework show. So of course we pulled over in the parking lot and watched. We got dinner and a show. Awesome!!

Trever and Jenna standing in sewage while filming:)

Nick got a good view!

To end off the evening we headed back to the King's for dessert and games to ring in the new year. Jared and Juliet joined us and we played this awesome new game that my sister-in-law gave us. Thanks everyone for such a fun night! And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Allen for watching our kids for the late night! Love you guys!

The Climbing Queen

2012-01-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Goin' on a Bear Hunt

2012-01-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

These kids adore grammy! She is so good at capturing their attention with activities. In the first picture they are Going on a Bear Hunt…even Miriam was joining in. In the second one it was The Button Factory. (Gotta love Jaxon in the background picking his nose!)

Austin Zoo

2012-01-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

So we are horrible parents and have never taken Jaxon to the zoo. He is THREE! On a whim, wanted to go to a zoo this week but didn't want to drive far with our kids who hate the car. The austin zoo was perfect. We had heard really bad things, but decided to give it a shot. We went with Octavio and the kids and had a blast. The Lions and Tigers were amazing. They were so huge and just majestic. It was the perfect size for us because by the time we saw everything it had been two hours and the kids were ready for lunch. Such a nice morning!

Lots of Christmas pic's with more to come...

2011-12-30T11:27:00.000-08:00

Jaxon "water skiing" with Stephen

Craziness opening presents at Mark's parents Christmas night

putting ornaments back on grandma's tree

right before she crawled under the tree!

My sweet boy Ozzy always has to get comfortable:)

Christmas dinner

Gotta get some wrestle time in with Uncle Nick

Only picture I have of us at my mom's before my battery died. My sister is gonna send us more. We had so much fun though eating appetizers, caroling, and opening presents:)

Mark's parents joined us Christmas morning and Jaxon had to help everyone open their presents

Tired girl snuggling in her new blanket Aunt Tami made her:)

The Tree!

Looks like Santa came

For some reason Miriam liked standing and sitting on top of all of her presents instead of actually playing with them....

Jaxon's Christmas Program

2011-12-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

Jaxon has been strutting around the house singing "Jump for joy", (part of one of the songs he learned for his school Christmas program.) The program was so adorable! All of the little 3 year olds stood on their little name tags and sang songs about Christmas and Jesus. After they had their pictures with Santa taken and here is his new cheezer smile!

Groundhogs day revisited.

2011-12-13T00:16:00.000-08:00

Lights dim.
Warm and cozy in my home.
Babies sleeping safe and sweetly.
Tears of joy, not worry.
One year old today,
walking
"talking"
breathing
eating
LIVING.

It has been quite a year for this little lady and our family. It is 2:30 in the morning, and even while writing this, Miriam wakes up screaming (as she usually does) and I go make her a bottle to put her back to sleep. I couldn't be happier. Today my baby girl turns one. Even though she still struggles every now and then, she is here! I am so grateful to be her mother and watch her grow into the sassy little diva that she is. I am especially grateful to have her this time of year when I reflect on all that I am blessed with. I am grateful to my Savior for walking this path with us. My heart goes out to all of the many families who have lost, or are fighting for their babies lives. We are so lucky to have you Miriam! We love you!

Family party for the little lady!

2011-12-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun morning! We celebrated Miriam's first birthday (which is on the 13th) with the family today. We decided to do it brunch style. It worked out perfect. She just woke up from a morning cat nap and we ate home-made cinnamon rolls, breakfast strada, pigs in a blanket, and fruit. Of course followed by more sweets, cupcakes! She was smiles all morning! Excuse the poor picture quality! Another post for birthday soon! Thanks family for being here today. We love you and this sweet baby Miriam!!

Letter to Santa as follows:

2011-12-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,
I like an IPad game thing. Also a Mater Car. And cars are great. Um, a toy. Mommy, Daddy, Miriam. And for love. And a gift card. And, um, a drink. And um, everything. I'm just done today for those. For a lot of presents.
Love,
Jaxon

(photo by: jenniferpolson.com/blog)

Eternity

2011-12-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

I love this girl! My friend Taylor got married this last week and Mark and I were able to travel to Houston to attend her and Matt's sealing in the temple. What an amazing place to be. Mark and I were married in the exact same room as them almost 7 years ago. It was so beautiful to see them kneel across the alter and be sealed for time and all eternity. It was such a sweet reminder of why we are here and what is important in this life. I am so grateful to Taylor and the constant example she has been to me ever since I have known her! What a beautiful bride! Love you!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

This year we went to my sister's for Thanksgiving along with my parents and Octavio's parents. Mark's parents were going to join us too but got food poisening the night before, how awful is that?!! It was an evening full of wonderful food, relaxing, and watching the kids do what they do best…play like wild little yahoos! This is pretty much what eventually happens every time we get together. Love it. Nothing like cousin wrestle time.

This year we particularly have so much to be grateful for. We are healthy, happy, and chugging along. I am so proud of Mark for starting his new job this year. He moved to a completely different feild and is thriving there. He has always been an amazing provider for our family and is always looking for ways to improve and succeed. Miriam is walking! She has quite a personality and lets us know that she likes to be heard. Jaxon is the sweetest big brother we ever could have asked for. We both have amazing families both near and far that we love and are so grateful for. We have a knowledge of our Savior and his love for us. What more could we ask for????

I'm a big kid now….

2011-12-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

The day has come. Jaxon started Pre-school. This little man started getting pretty bored around here, but luckily he loves school! He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the Fellowship Christian Academy just down the road from us. Such a great program! It is nice to know that while he is learning and playing, he is also hearing about Christian themes and values.

Of course this is how our photo shoot went his first morning….Not surprised!

Little Lady

2011-11-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

Holy Crap!!! Miriam is 11 Months old today!! How is this possible??? I wish they could stay babies forever sometimes...it just goes way to fast!

Just wants to be with the big kids

As usual...any adorable picture I have of my children come from friends...Jessica took this hanging out one day:)

LOVES
patty cake
wheels on the bus
standing
clapping
waving bye bye
shaking head no
meat
walking around everything
being the loudest in the house
HATES
when she doesn't get what she wants(imagine that)
baths (which stinks cause she used to love them)
car seat
most foods
when her mamma leaves

She has so much personality. I can't believe it was almost a year ago already that she was lying in that sad little incubator in the NICU. Now she is a little mobile machine! Happy, Healthy, and Thriving! So grateful for her! Love you Mim!

"Skortball"

2011-11-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

That's my boy kicking a goal during sportball! It is such a great program. He is really too young to play an organized sport yet, but with this program they take one sport a week and introduce them to different concepts like dribbling and trapping. He loves going every week!!

Spiderman!

2011-10-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

I pretty much had to force Jaxon to put on his costume for the library Halloween Party. Of course he ended up having a good time with his buddies. Miriam was quite the stink but at least she looked adorable in this outfit I got for her from Once Upon a Time. We love our weekly story time!!

Our Sad Attempt at Pumpkin Patch Pictures....

2011-10-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

The problem is two-fold.
One...we don't know how to use our camera.
Two...our children could not sit still to save their lives.
The end.

Worth the wait

2011-10-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

We sold our kitchen table to some friends for a number of reasons; it was too big for our kitchen dining area, it was hard to get in and out of, and we wanted one that was not counter height. After it was gone I started my craigslist search. The search lasted about a month, but here is what that wait got me. The perfect table! I love it!!!! I am so glad I waited for the right one:)

Stuck….it's a good thing.

2011-10-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Mark and I are both from here. His parents live 10 min. down the road in Round Rock and my parents live 15 min. down the road in Austin. As a result our children have been raised seeing their grandparents ALL the time. I realized lately that I totally take this for granted sometimes. There are so many of my friends that live here with no family by them. My kids usually see both sets of grandparents at least once a week…not to mention the nice perk of babysitting for us all of the time. Growing up I did not live close to either set of my grandparents and I ached for it all of the time. After having children and being close to mine, I really don't think I could EVER move away. We are totally spoiled and I love that my kids have been able to form such a special bond with each of them at such a young age. We love grammy, grandma, papa, and papa!!!

Canadian Thanksgiving:)

2011-10-11T04:36:00.000-07:00

Oh my word we had so much food!! Ham, Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cream corn, stuffing, salad, funeral potatoes, rolls, and fruit salad. And that was just dinner...

For desserts we had a HUGE pumpkin pie with pumpkin pie ice cream, lemon tassies, chocolate raspberry tassies, mint cookie tassies, and a score bar cake. It was all sooooo good. We definatly started out the holidays with a bang!

My mom has a flat stanley from my adorable cousin, so of course we had to get a picture with the kiddos. My kids are never too good at that.

Layla is the best little "babysitter". She always loves to play with Miriam and "take care" of her. Miriam of course loves it too.

I love that I have Canadian heritage. My mom is Canadian and so every year we get to start off the holidays celebrating our Canadian heritage. I am so grateful for my family and where I have come from. I am grateful for my grandparents and the examples they have set for us and all that they have done for us. I am grateful for all of my family and for the bonds that we share and the relationships that we have even though we live so far away. Love you guys.

On the go

2011-10-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Bet you can't guess what the title of this post means! She isn't literally running or walking yet…but I'd say she is getting pretty darn close. She basically sprint crawls and climbs up on EVERYTHING!!! She can even stand on her own for a few seconds. My little girl is getting so big!

These two munchkins play so well together that is seriously makes me melt. Jaxon is the best big brother and she just adores him!

Halloween Decorations

2011-10-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

I got the craft bug and made this on girls night last week. Forgive the picture….I never know how to use my camera. I just used yarn to wrap it and then made little black rossettes. The letters I got from Hobby Lobby and just painted and added glitter. Tada.

Smiles

2011-10-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

What a nice day!! We started off sleeping in until 7:30 !!!!! Yes you read that right! That never happens!

We headed to Old Settler's park to join in an ultimate frisbee game...only the boy was REALLY wanting dad time so we ended up just playing around outside and chatting.

Mark took Jaxon with him to Home Depot to get wood to make a workbench and they ended up staying for the kids class. Jaxon got to make a helicopter. He has been playing with it all day:)

The best part of the day was conference. Let's, be honest....with kids it is pretty hard to listen to all of the sessions, but today we were pleasantly surprised. Jaxon played nice and quietly and asked random questions here and there while Miriam entertained herself on the floor for the WHOLE time! Mark and I actually got to listen! A miracle! The two topics that struck me personally today were geneology, and families. If I have enough time to sit and write a blog post then I have enough time to do a little family history work. I was also thinking alot about families and the world that we live in. Now that we have a little boy and a little girl I have had many people (most of them strangers) say "oh how perfect...now you can be done". It is really sad to me that we live in a world now that looks down upon having children. Believe me when I say I do not plan on having 7 kids, but I do want to have more. I think it was nice to be reminded today that traveling, jobs, money, etc.... are not more important than families. Anyways, just a few of the things that I have been thinking about:) Can't wait to hear more tomorrow.

On a roll!

2011-09-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

So of course I can't find my before picture, but here is a chair that I finally redid. I bought it at a garage sale with Jenna months ago and it was a piece of crap. Scratches all over, ugly brown, and the seat was just wicker. So, I sanded….then primed…spray paint, and spray paint laquer. To add the finishing touches I covered the wicker seat with foam and pretty fabric. Not too bad for my first furniture re-do????

Cheap is my middle name!

2011-09-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

I was about to toss my old crappy throw pillows in the trash…then I decided to just recover them myself and save a pretty penny. I am doing it slowly…one at a time, but here are three I have already done. The second picture is what they used to look like. Such an easy beginner sewing project…and I did them as pillow pockets so I can take them off and wash them!!!! I tell Jaxon to smile and this is what I get:(

Alive Again

2011-09-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

NINE MONTHS OLD!!!

Finally sleeps through the night!! It only took nine whole months!!

Finally eats more than 3 ounces at a time

crawls

pulls up on things

got her first tooth!

starting taking toys and chasing her brother around

So much more happy now that she can eat and sleep like a normal baby:)

Thank you insurance!!! This just arrived in the mail today. This only cost us $62 instead of a whopping $600!! So grateful for insurance!

It's all I talk about, but it's my life...and I love it.

2011-09-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

hanging out with Papa:)My kids. Those two little beautiful blonde hair, blue eyed babes are my life. I wouldn't want it any other way.

UPDATE: Little Miriam is on the up and up. Grateful for so many thoughts and prayers that have come her way. After many doctors appointments and switching to another Pediatrician she was put on an amino acid based formula called Neocate. We are thinking she has a milk protein allergy. She was also put on two new medications. One of them, a strong antacid, and the other is used to coat the lining of her stomach; both for her severe reflux. I think between these three things, she is starting to recover. Today was the first day I felt like I had my baby back! She was soooo happy and she actually wanted to eat. I know it sounds like something silly, but it really is a HUGE blessing!! We still meet with the GI specialist on Wednesday, but for now, we are enjoying watching our munchkin be able to eat and be "normal".

A hint of understanding.

2011-08-26T20:39:00.001-07:00

It makes my heart ache to think of how our Father in Heaven must have felt as he watched his son in pain, wanting to take away Christ's suffering, but knowing it was something that Christ Himself must endure.

It is so hard for me to watch as my sweet baby girl struggles with her reflux and being allergic to milk. I know it may sound silly to some, but it is awful. It just keeps getting worse and worse. I would give anything just for her to be able to drink a bottle, eat, or sleep like most babies can. She can't because it is so painful and uncomfortable. It is so hard to stand by, knowing that you are doing all that you possibly can at the moment, but it is still not enough. I'm emotional. I'm struggling. I'm exhausted. Some days are better than others, but I am doing the best that I can and literally trying to take it one day at a time.

I'm grateful for sweet baby Miriam. I'm grateful to be entrusted with her care, to be her advocate, to be her mother. I'm grateful that in spite of all she struggles with daily, she is still able to smile:)

Gotta Love Kid Parties!

2011-08-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Layla turned 5 this year! The kids had a blast at Capital Gymnastics. Isn't my niece the cutest little girl you've ever seen?!! Hope you had a fun birthday Layla! We love you!

Surprise visits always a treat!

2011-08-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

We thought we weren't going to be able to see Uncle Nick until Christmas, but as luck would have it the doctor he was working with went on vacation for a couple of days so he got to drive down and surprise us! Miriam is usually has a bit of stranger danger with men (even her own grandpa's sometimes) but ended up loving Nick! Can't wait to see you again!!

The only thing that you can do outside...

2011-08-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Is hit up the splash pads and pools around town! Mark's sister Tami and her four kids have been in town for a couple of weeks and we have been busy having lots of fun.

Tyler and Jaxon on the little natural slide in Cedar Park

Adorable Audrey!

Austin is always such a trooper playing with the kiddos

And of course Tami getting in some Miriam time:)

That little girl loves the water!

The great things about 8

2011-08-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

This little beauty turned 8 months on the 13th!!!

LOVES:

to do pushups

moving all around by rolling and the new bear crawl

to scream all the time (a happy scream believe it or not)

to watch crazy kids play

her exersaucer

to say "dadadada"

the wheels on the bus

books

baths

to sit up on her own

etc.

HATES:

to sleep

eating

drinking bottle

any new foods that have texture

bows ( I am awful and make her wear them anyway)

etc.

It has been quite a month for this little lady. We are going to be taking her in for more bloodwork, GI imaging, and to a GI specialist. She is still dealing with reflux issues etc. But other than that, she is doing great:) We love having this sweet little smile light up our life!!!!

Not Formula

2011-07-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

When Mark and I are talking about Miriam's formula whether it is with each other of with other people, we can never just say formula. We have to refer to it as Alimentum. The reason being, this is not just any formula, it is liquid gold formula. This little can right here cost 25$!!! That is for a 16 oz can folks! She has been doing pretty well on it for a while now, so we thought we would give it a shot switching over to soy. Big Mistake! The girl didn't eat for two days! Long story short we ended up back at the doctor and he said not to try again until she is one year old. That is 139 more days of Alimentum until we can try again to switch her to something. Gotta love how baby stuff costs an arm and a leg!

Birthday Bash

2011-07-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

This handsome little devil turns 3 tomorrow!!! To celebrate we had a pool party with family and friends on Saturday. We had so much fun! Thanks everyone for making his day so special!! I cannot believe it was already three years ago tomorrow that Mark and I were able to welcome our little Jaxon into the world. Words truly can't describe how much you mean to us little man! We love you!!!

We did it!!!

2011-07-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

It only took us SEVEN, yes SEVEN whole months to get this little lovely lady to sleep a six hour stretch at night without waking up. Granted, it has only been two days in a row, but we'll take what we can get!! Our sweet baby "Mim" turn 7 months old tomorrow. So bitter sweet. It is such a fun age, but you know how it is....sometimes you wish you could just freeze time (during the day:))

Loves:

her brother

when daddy come home

bananas

any baby food

puffs

electronics (of course she is mark's kid)

baths

rolling around to get where she wants

sitting up (almost on her own)

Strongly dislikes:

when you take something from her (especially food)

sleep time

putting her in the car seat

She really is such an amazing baby! We love you Miriam!!

Uncle Nate!!!

2011-07-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

We love when uncles or aunts come into town! The kids want to spend every waking moment with them because they are so much cooler than mom and dad:) Thanks for the visit Nate! We love you!!

Wanna know what's important to Jaxon?

2011-06-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

"Mim! She so cute!"

"There's sippy...and yeah...I still poop my diaper."

"Wanna see Mr. Froggy?"

"Chicken nuggets! Rock and roll!"

"Where'd daddy go??"

Great Guys

2011-06-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

I know I am a day late, but this weekend was a little crazy. Thank you to all of the wonderful dads in my life for the wonderful examples you are to me and my children. We love you!

Who needs baby food?

2011-06-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

When you can go straight for the good stuff??
(also doesn't she look adorable in her swimming attire??)

Make yourself at home

2011-06-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

When we went bed shopping for Jaxon, I turned around for a min. and when I turned back this is how I found him. Silly kid.

Half Year!

2011-06-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

My teeny tiny nicu baby is now 6 MONTHS OLD!!! If I didn't have the paperwork to prove it I wouldn't believe it. This little girl lights up my life. Love you Mim.

*rolling all over the place!
*giggling at her brother all the time
*finally on the right formula(found out she has a milk intolerance and is on Alimentum, AKA: liquid gold!)
*sleeps without being swaddled now and generally goes to sleep on her own
*mostly 2 naps a day
*started baby foods but not the biggest fan(which is surprising because her formula tastes AWFUL!!)
*Still gets up for 2 feedings at night(BOO) but will at least go back down
*loves to grab anything in front of her, especially our food
*likes to splash in bath and enjoys the pool
*Such a happy baby:)

Not recommended

2011-06-03T17:31:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you try to use up the swim diapers from last year before opening up the ones I just bought...

Jackpot!

2011-06-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

It is pretty sad that we have only lived in this house for 3 years and we have filled EVERY nook and cranny possible. I decided it was time to clean house. Yes....I was crazy and had a garage sale. It was sweet success.
Highlights:
-getting rid of our crappy IKEA bed. (don't get me wrong, their beds look really nice, but not so comfy)
-Crazy lady showing up the day before giving me a sob story, so I lied(sorry) and told her that our sale was to pay off our daughters hospital bills. I totally would not have done it but she tried to run off taking extra stuff and not paying me!
-Jaxon spraying people with the hose
-Thinking a lady was saying "fa chipa" but really saying "for cheaper". It only took me like 5 tries.
-feeling like I accomplished something:)
-my mom helping out with it and the kids!

Still a little ol' thing!

2011-05-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

There is no way that five months has gone by already!!! That is how I feel anyway. This little munchkin is such a joy to have in our home. I love to snuggle her every chance I get!
Loves:
baths
diaper changes/being naked
getting her nose suctioned
(I know! Crazy kid right?!)
smiling
giggling
cooing (she just might possibly be louder than her brother soon when she's talking)
tummy time
anyone who will give her attention
chewing on fingers
excersaucer. She actually smiles at it when I put her in
hates:
going to sleep
her medicine
when she is not getting someone's full attention constantly
eating. Doesn't want to sit still long enough to drink a bottle.
having a dirty diaper
most baby toys
car rides

Love you Mim!

Happy Birthday Babe!

2011-05-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I know I am a lucky girl to get to be with you forever! I really don't tell you enough how you are most important person in my life. I have loved growing "old" with you and feel blessed everyday that I have with you! Happy Birthday Mark Allen! I love you!

Could have been bad...

2011-05-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were at my sister Jenny's house to celebrate my mom and Kaiya's birthday. The kids were having a blast as usual playing outside. Jaxon found one of Hayden's helmets and became quite attached. He looked like such a space cadet we kept making fun of him (not so that he could hear of course) and I kept trying to get him to take it off. Even after we came inside he insisted on keeping it on. Good thing he didn't listen to his mom because he fell of the papasan chair and hit his head right smack on the corner of the sharp brick fireplace. That goofy little helmet saved me a major trip to the emergency room!!

Best Job in the World

2011-05-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

At the end of each day, I feel physically, mentally, and emotionally drained....in a good way. Taking care of my kids takes everything in me, but at the same time, it is the best part of me. Being a mom of course is harder than I ever imagined, but it is also more beautiful than I ever imagined. I cannot picture my life without these two little munchkins. At times during the day I run out of patience, get frustrated, or simply feel like I have given all that I can give, and then I put my babies to sleep. They are so beautiful, peaceful, and perfect. I feel so blessed to be entrusted in the care of these children. At the end of each day, Heavenly Father reminds me how blessed I am and I look forward to each and everyday that I have to stay at home with my children.

Gonna be a great weekend; Great life!

2011-05-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

I count my blessings everyday for being raised by my angel mother. I don't know where I would be without this woman. She is the ultimate example of someone with unconditional Christ-like love. I love you mom.

Mark is also blessed to have been raised by such a wonderful mother. Happy Mother's Day Mommies!

Out of comfort zone

2011-04-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am so far from crafty but sometimes I try anyway.....
after and before.
And as you can see I am no photographer but you get the point...

Life

2011-04-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Does it get any better than this?

April Festivities

2011-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Allen are going to be out of town on Easter, so we had an early celebration at their house last weekend. We enjoyed family, good food, dying eggs, easter egg hunt and yummy dessert.

Correction...

2011-04-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

She is 9 pounds 14 ounces!!!!! The doctor gave us the go ahead to go out in public! (Even though we already went to church Sunday:))

Look out guys, we're back!!

Unbelievable!

2011-04-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our little miracle baby is already 4 months old tomorrow! Isn't it amazing how time can go so FAST and so slooowww at the same time?!! Miriam goes in for her 4 month check up on Thursday so I'll update more then....but for now here she is:

Pardon the crappy picture, but my camera battery is charging at the moment and did the best I could with a wiggly baby and a delayed phone camera:)

*loves to smile and giggle
*LOVES her lovee when it is time to sleep
*always watching her brother run all over the place
*eats about 5 ounces at a time
*still struggling with sleep at night. Some nights are good....some not so good!
*about 9 1/2 pounds
*Her chicken legs have just the tiniest bit of baby chub on them. Still have a long ways to go!

Love seeing her personality come out more and more every day!

Big Brother, Little Sister

2011-04-04T11:11:00.001-07:00

We had these cute shirts for the kids so I wanted to take a picture.
(never works out how you picture it!)
But as a result Jaxon wants to hold Miriam every morning now and tells me to take a picture. Silly kid.

From the little guy

2011-03-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

view from Jaxon's perspective:)

Double

2011-03-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Miriam has finally doubled her birth weight! Of course that isn't saying much! She may still look like a newborn but this little girl is a firecracker!

Blessing at home

2011-03-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Bishop came to our house last Sunday so that we could bless Miriam. We figured she is already 3 months old, and she still can't go to church...so we just did it at home. Mark gave her a beautiful blessing and she was surrounded by people who love her. We love you Miriam!

Night at the movies

2011-03-17T19:38:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, we have never tried to watch a movie with Jaxon before, so we thought what the heck? We popped in Cars, blew up the air mattress, popped popcorn, and had a blast. He loved being able to jump around while watching at the same time. (and yes that is baby lying on the couch in the background....don't worry, we're really good parents!)

young pups....

2011-03-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

6 years and two kids later......we are happier more than ever!
Love you sweetie!

Newborn/3 month old

2011-03-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

If you can believe it this little beauty is three months old today! She is over 7 pounds now so she has officially reached the size of most people's newborns! Don't be fooled though...
This little girl:

LOVES attention (pretty much an attention hog these days!)
discovered her hands (so funny how they go crossed eyed sometimes when they look at them)
enjoys diaper changes ( I know, weird)
will be awake up to two hours at a time now
rolled over twice during tummy time in the last week
hates being held forward or the bijorn but loves to be held over the shoulder
fights her sleep!!
sleeps better when it is noisy (thanks to Jaxon and daddy)
Coos and smiles all day long, love it!

In Jaxon's words,"she so cute!"

I'm addicted

2011-02-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

to this smile!

No words

2011-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is what I walked in on.........

Newborn

2011-02-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that Miriam is two months old already. I have a feeling she will be my "baby" for a long time because she is just so tiny! She now weighs a whopping SEVEN POUNDS, and is 19 and a quarter inches long. It makes me feel like she is my newborn still, and then she starts cooing and smiling and I remember what a "big" girl she is. She has put herself on a schedule(for now of course, bound to change when I just get used to it)...she eats at about 6:30 pm and then is out by 7:30. She will then stay asleep until 12:30 or 1, eat and then go back down until about 4 to eat and then go back down again. It started this week and is sooooo much better than being up all night every night. However, I am still looking forward to her being able to go all night, no matter how far ahead in the future it might be.
She loves:
to be free
changing her diaper
baby talk (which I hate doing but do anyway to get a smile)
binky
bouncer
her pepsid (I guess it tastes good compared to formula)
and anyone who gives her attention.

She hates:
her carseat
being swaddled (even though she won't sleep without it)
any other binky than "her" binky (I've tried to switch her to a cuter one, it ain't happening!)
going out
quiet( she is already used to the loud boys in the house, if it gets too quiet she wakes up)

We love this little angel!!!

V-Day Family Style

2011-02-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

Our Valentines day consisted of:

making a heart attack for daddy,
a sweet baby girl
and a big brother,
leftover lasagna (the best, from my mom),
a blanket and a patio,
And my BEST friend.

Perfect Valentines Day.

Sweet Innocence

2011-02-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Every night part of Jaxon's bedtime routine is to read a verse with us from the scriptures. It really is cute. He started saying things like "and behold"...adorable! We realize that he doesn't understand the words we read, but it is good practice. Last night Mark pulled our Bible Story Illustrations book (a series) out of the attic so we could start reading it with Jaxon. We read these as kids and my mom recently gave them to us.

A flood of emotions poured over me as I opened the pages to a familiar smell from my childhood. And here I was about to share this with my own son. We read a page or two as Jaxon looked at the pictures and then it was off to bed.

Today while we were playing cars on laundry basket, Jaxon spotted the book under the couch (where we keep it for easy access for our nightly routine). He grabbed it and asked me to read more. We snuggled up on the couch and started looking at more of the pictures and stories while I tried to explain what was going on as simply as I could put into words.

As we got to the part where Jesus was on the cross, I hesitated to show and explain only because he is so little and I didn't want him to be scared. My hesitation was quickly replaced with a sense of peace about teaching my son. So I told him that Jesus died on the cross for us. He looked up at me and said, "why Jesus die on the cross?" It was such a beautiful moment for me to look down at him and tell him that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected so that mommy, daddy, Jaxon, and Miriam could all live together again with Him and our Heavenly Father in Heaven.

Such a beautiful teaching moment.

I LOVE snow!

2011-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

I was totally disapointed that we were not going to get to play in the snow like last year.....BUT I was wrong!!!! I was patiently waiting for Mark to wake up this morning...Jaxon and I already dressed and ready to go. We had to take turns since it is WAY too cold for little ol' Miriam to venture outside yet. Some pictures of our happy outing...

Living in Texas

2011-02-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

I always thought I wanted to move up north and live in the cold. I really do HATE heat. But then I sit back and think how I would miss out on things like this. I love that my sister and I live so close and that our kids get to play together and that we get to be there for each other. I just wish that all of my brothers and sisters lived close enough to enjoy it with us.
Love you guys.

My New Life

2011-02-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

I love this boy.
I love this girl.
I have TWO children.
WOW.
I am a lucky girl:)

A visit from Jessica:)

2011-01-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

One day when Dave and Jessica came to visit she showed up with her camera and snapped a few photos on a whim. She is great!! jshumwayphotos.com

Our Perfect Little Miracle

2011-01-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

It is crazy to think that without modern medicine our little girl would not be with us today due to the complications of my pregnancy. Today she is one month old.

5 pounds 4 ounces
17 1/4 inches
eats every 3 hours
noisier than ever....sounds like a mosquito/goat
sleeps with her eyes open half of the time
has a love/hate relationship with swaddling
still in premie diapers and clothes

Little Miriam,
You wanted to come into this world showing us who was boss:) From the very beginning, you were perfect, just tiny. The NICU nurses told us that you are a little girl who thinks she is big. Because you were so little you should have had more difficulty breathing, eating, etc. However, you proved to us all that you were ready to take on the world; you continued to make huge progress each and every day and were able to come home after 12 days. You have not been here long, but so many people love you and have been praying for you already. We are so grateful to have you in our family. We love you sweet Miriam.

Heaven Sent

2011-01-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

We are so grateful for all of the meals, thoughts, prayers, favors, help, and love from so many people since Miriam has arrived. I cannot begin to thank everyone enough.

Especially this angel here. My Mom. I could not have handled things as well without her.
SHE.IS.AMAZING.

At the ring of her phone she dropped everything and was here for us 110%. She was there for the birth. The joy. The fears. The tears. Everything.
I didn't even have to think twice about Jaxon being cared for and all of day to day things like laundry, cleaning, errands, etc. Without being asked, she is always there DOING. She is also there when I need to just be sad and cry, or laugh and smile. She is always serving, and never complaining. She is an example of what I want to be. I hope one day I will be like you Mom:) I love you. Thank you for all that you do, not just during this crazy time for us, but always!

Brotherly Love

2011-01-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

Jaxon:
"I hold 'baby mim!!!'"

Christmas Bundle

2011-01-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

We got to bring this little bundle of joy home on Christmas Eve.
BEST
CHRISTMAS
PRESENT
EVER!!

I never thought I would be so completely happy to stay up practically all night with a newborn. But every time we were up with her that night, Mark and I would just look at each other with the biggest smiles ever. It felt so GOOD to have both of our children home with us.

***New Years Eve we had to take her overnight to Dell Children's Hospital because she had two choking/not breathing episodes. They came to the conclusion of reflux. Now she has medicine and we keep her upright practically all of the time and we have not had any more episodes since:) We look forward to keeping her home and watching her grow now!!!

Groundhogs Day (NICU Parents)

2010-12-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

Night time:
Wake up. Pump. Sleep. Wake up. Pump. Sleep. Wake up. Pump. Sleep(sort of).
Day time:
Steal a few snuggles with your first born before you head to the hospital.
Drive next to crazy holiday shoppers on way to the hospital.
Walk through maze of hallways and doors to NICU.
SCUB hands RAW. Distinct soap smell that you associate with your daughter.
Buzz in.
Doors open and there she is.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Tiny.
Perfect.
Quiet all around even with babies quietly crying and machines beeping.
Nothing else matters.

I am beyond grateful for another perfect baby wrapped in swaddling clothes...lying in a manger. My Savior. I am grateful that he is here with me. That he knows what we are going through and that he helps me wake up every morning and be grateful for all of my blessings. I am grateful for all of you and your kind deeds, thoughts, and prayers. Our sweet baby Miriam is growing and progressing. For that I am grateful:)

D Day

2010-12-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

The pictures in order are:
Me in my hospital bed right before it all begins, and then Mark and I right before it begins. The two after of Miriam are right she is all hooked up right after before they take her to her incubator.

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been around here!! After countless trips to the doctor for ultrasounds and tests the day was Monday, December 13. During our ultrasound it showed that Miriam was only the gestational size of 30 weeks even though I was 36 weeks along. My amniotic fluid level was also down to a four. My doctor sent us right over to the hospital. I was already at a two on my own so they started me on Pitocin. After about 30 min. I got my epidural so they could go ahead and break my water. It was all so fast after that! I went from a 4 to a 7 in 4 contractions. My nurse said it was pretty much time. So she called the doctor and Mark called my mom to tell her she better get there fast. A couple of min. after that it was time to push...my mom got there about 3 min. before and my doctor got there literally about a min. before. One push and she was out! My sweet little 3 pound 15 oz baby girl. She was 15 1/4 inches. She was born at 4:32pm. I got to hold her for a min. before they whisked her away to the ICU. It turns out that my placenta was not developed properly and the umbilical cord was on the outside of it instead of the inside of it. She was not getting all the nutrients that she needed and that is why she was so small. It was such an amazing delivery that I have been feeling wonderful! It is a night and day difference from what I went through with my complications after delivery with Jaxon. This time I know what it feels like to have a "normal" recovery I guess. Not too bad:) Just tired mostly.....The next post will be all about baby:)

Photos by Jessica:)

2010-12-11T13:47:00.001-08:00

jshumwayphotos.com is her website if you are interested in using Jessica as a photographer. She is great!!!

Spoiled Rotten!!!

2010-12-10T07:24:00.001-08:00

I cannot even begin to tell you the amount of time and hard work my dear friend Jenna put into throwing this baby shower for me and Miriam. She is such an angel and I cannot thank her enough. It was absolutely perfect! Every little detail was done to perfection and I can't wait for little Miriam to see pictures of it when she grows up:) Love you Jenna!

It was so nice to spend the afternoon celebrating this little girl with so many of my dear family members and friends. Miriam has no idea how lucky she is to come into this world with so many people in it who already love her and she isn't even here yet. Thank you to everyone who made the day so special to me. I feel...yes......SO VERY BLESSED!!!!

Little Miracle

2010-11-30T07:23:00.000-08:00

No doubt thanks to fasting and prayer from many of our family members and friends, things are on the up. At my doctor's appointment yesterday the ultrasound showed that my fluids went from a 7 to 9.9 which my doctor said was great. (so the torture of drinking and peeing more than humanly possible payed off!) I also did a NST and her heart is doing great. Of course the little lady chose to be stubborn and didn't take her "practice breaths" during the super long ultrasound so I have to go back in for another one today, but I'm sure everything is fine. The plan now is that I also go back next Monday and do all of this all over again to see where I am at. BUT in the mean time....NO BED REST or hospital!!!! Assuming everything is still okay Monday, I will go back at the Monday after that (36 weeks) to measure her belly and if she is still measuring too small and not getting enough nutrients we will set a date for the following week (37 weeks) do induce. So we will see. We are beyond grateful that things have improved and that she is able to stay inside that much longer to mature and grow before she joins our family here. I am so grateful to all of you and for all of our blessings:)

33 weeks 5 days

2010-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

We were hoping for a normal labor and delivery this go round with our sweet baby Miriam....and hopefully we will still be able to. HOWEVER...because I was measuring small my doctor wanted to do an ultrasound on Wednesday. Baby Miriam is looking good but the two problems are her abdomin is measuring too small (which means she is not getting quite enough nutrients) and my placental fluids were a 7 on a 5-25 scale. She is giving me the weekend to rest and DRINK DRINK DRINK and hope the fluids go up (and that I don't have a leak) by Monday otherwise I will have to be admitted. So we'll see Monday.... Other than that, since she is not getting quite enough nutrients my doctor will deliver me at 37 weeks. LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN! CRAZY!!!!!

Pure Fat BLISS

2010-11-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

If you have not had one of these
PLEASE
do yourself a favor and go get one!

Randall's
Apple Fritter

When I used to work at the Randall's Bakery (at 3 am I might add) I got to make these puppies everyday and refrain from eating them. Now when Jaxon and I go on our morning walks every once in a while we'll stop in and get him a muffin and an apple fritter for me. Good stuff!

"Daddy no work day"

2010-11-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

This is what Jaxon says every morning when he comes to see his daddy. He loves it when he stays home and gets to do awesome things like play ghost in the blanket.....
or football...
or eat fruit snacks for BREAKFAST!
or throw balls against the wall...
or eat popcorn while watching soccer and football together...

The list goes ON and ON.

Mark is just so much cooler than me:)

Picaso Potato Head

2010-11-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

I like to think of it as creative genius.

What is it about being a parent that makes us think everything our kids do is cute?

Crazy weekend....

2010-11-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

We started off the weekend in heaven! We love taking Jaxon camping! Mark was able to take the day off so we could head out early and set up camp. Everybody had a good time even though it got really COLD. It was nice to relax the next morning before heading back home for a long nap. That was the good part of the weekend.
The not so good part:
-Jaxon getting a really hi fever
-not getting to go to church
-Mark being on call and hating his job
-feeling super crappy (probably from all the inhaled smoke while camping)
-our brakes needing to be fixed
-having to spend the morning at the doctor
-being cooped up not able to be out enjoying the beautiful weather

Hopefully Jaxon's fever will stop coming back so that we can enjoy some part of this week.

On that note....planning Thanksgiving menu and Christmas baking list!!! So excited!!!!

31 weeks

2010-11-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

Slowly moving along. I hit 31 weeks yesterday. Everything is going relatively well. I had to go to the endocronologist this morning and turns out I probably have hypothyroidism now, but will know for sure tomorrow. It this is the case...I'm not surprised and I have to admit it would make sense to me because I have gained much more weight with this pregnancy than Jaxon's and have been SUPER tired lately. I know that comes with pregnancy anyways, so either way...fun fun. I love that Miriam is becomming so real to me more and more everyday as she is moving around and growing. I love her already. Crazy how that happens!!

Continued

2010-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Halloween!!!

2010-11-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Blogger will only let me put four pictures at a time that is why I always end up having to split up....so here goes...
We went to my sister's on Halloween. All of the kids were so cute but of course we couldn't get them to all look at the same camera at the same time! Jaxon was a ninja, Hayden was Harry Potter, Layla was a kitty, and Kaiya was a Ladybug. Jaxon always has soooo much fun with his cousins!

Trunk-or-Treat

2010-11-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

Our pictures from trunk-or-treat didn't really turn out...but here are a few. Mark's parents were able to come and enjoy it with Mark and Jaxon while I was busy helping since I am on the activities committee. I was so pleased with how many people from the ward came and how much fun every one had. Mark made white chicken chili that was delicious and I made pumpkin cheesecake. I was really excited because I won first place for dessert this year:) Our little ninja was pretty grumpy most of the night but was excited to have Grandma and Grandpa there to play and go trunk-or-treating with. He even said "trick-or-treat" to most of the people we went up to. Fun night!

Sewell"s

2010-11-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

Some good friends from the ward had a couple of families over for a Halloween Party and it was so much fun. There was great food and awesome games. Here is Mark bobbing for apples....pretty funny to watch!

Finished Products...

2010-10-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Halloween Festivities

2010-10-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Halloween just wouldn't be complete without a little pumpkin carving so we got together with some friends and got to work! Caleb and London loved watching their daddies carve their masterpieces...Jaxon....more interested in Caleb's cool toys of course. I was determined to have a good looking pumpkin this year so I bought a little carving kit complete with pictures you can use and they all turned out great!

The beginning of her room

2010-10-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the new crib and bedding! Love it! We got an amazing deal on the bedding through a seller on ebay called JoJo Designs. Next on the list...glider rocker:) And here is another one of me at 29 weeks for record sake.

From the backseat...

2010-10-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

This morning I had to take a quick left at the last second before I missed my turn and from the backseat I hear Jaxon say, "Wo there!" Wonder where he got that one from??

29 weeks

2010-10-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

You know you are in your third trimester when:
-you wake up every hour at night
-it is hard to reposition and get comfortable
-you start to have a harder time shaving in the shower
-you need bigger (Yes, even BIGGER) maternity clothes
-have a harder time bending over to grab things
-you eat about half of what you used to but you still pack on the pounds
-go to the doctor every two weeks instead of four
-you can see baby moving around just looking at your belly

*Can't wait to meet this little one!
-

Those moments...

2010-10-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Mark and I were doing family home evening with Jaxon tonight and while we were looking through the ensign talking about how Mark and I were married in the temple Jaxon said, "and baby Miriam". I was almost in tears. Just reminds me how close little children are to Heavenly Father. Such a sweet moment!

"Bave's" Blue Motorcycle

2010-10-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have to say I think this is the cutest thing ever! Dave pretty much made Jaxon's dreams come true when he let him sit on his cool blue motercyle. He always talks about "Bave go work on motorcycle....cool motorcycle" every time he sees one out and about. And now he loves to look at these pictures too. Thanks Dave!

more Pace Bend

2010-10-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Pace Bend

2010-10-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

We had sooooo much fun! Of course we didn't pull into the park until dark so we had to drive around with our brights and a flashlight out the window to find the perfect spot. The spot we usually set up at was taken....so we did a little "off-roading" and found another place that we like even better. It was up on a hill filled with yellow flowers right next to the water. It was beautiful. Mark got right to setting up the tent while I manned the boy. Poor guy! We always forget to bring things like a hammer for when he is putting the stakes in. So after having the tent collapse more than once, he was able to make it work when our friends got there. We were a little hesitant about taking Jaxon since he hadn't gone since he was a year old. We were soooo glad that he did. He had so much fun skipping rocks, roasting marshmallows, running around playing ball, and playing with our friends who he calls Bave, Chessca, La, and Jim. My favorite was when he woke up in the morning to the sound of boats and repeating over and over "lawn mower!". Silly kid. Anyways...we can't wait to go again!!!

Gotta Love Gatti's

2010-10-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

I fully intended on grilling dinner last night but of course my pork ribs did not cooperate and weren't thawed enough to marinade in time. So I quickly called Mark with a solution: Gatti's coupon for free adult buffet and Jaxon eats for free!! What better way to spend the evening than stuffing our faces with yummy pizza and playing games with the boy??? Of course the guitars and the motorcycle were his favorite!

making progress...

2010-10-12T11:23:00.001-07:00

Miriam's room is all cleaned out and the new crib is on the way!! Can't wait to get things rolling in there!

Big Boy Bed!

2010-10-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

We did it!!!
Jaxon loved helping us take apart the crib and setting up his new "big boy bed". He is doing amazing!!
Bye crib! Now to order the new one for baby Miriam:) And next up for Jaxon....POTTY TRAINING. Bitter sweet.

*picture of jaxon in the new bed coming soon

Canadian Thanksgiving

2010-10-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Every year our family continues the tradition of having not only our regular Thanksgiving, but also celebrating our Canadian heritage at Canadian Thanksgiving. This year it was last min., we were small in numbers, but we still had a great time.
Of course I hardly took any pictures (because I always forget) except for these of the kids having a pretzel pajama party with Grammy....the kids eating at the "kid table", Mark getting the turkey ready, and Jaxon's crazy hair after playing outside with the kiddos.

Highlights:
*Grammy showing up with her adorable Canadian Flag ready to sing the anthem
*Delicious Thanksgiving food
*Family and friends
*stuffing ourselves silly and then sitting on the couch watching the kids play
*Dad talking about all the "ladies" liking his hair
*making pie for the first time:)