Welcome, Baby Parker!!

Parker Stone arrived healthy and strong to us last Wednesday. I went into the hospital Wednesday afternoon around 12:30 dilated to almost 7cm. I was determined to try this birth without an epidural. About 3 1/2 hours later, I was fully dilated and ready to push. After 5-6 contractions of pushing, the doctor tried to turn the baby's head (ya... OUCH!). At that point I became hysterical and demanded medication... so 4-5 more contractions later I got a spinal (immediate relief) with an epidural (delayed relief).

6 1/2 hours later... pushing on and off...

The baby was showing signs of distress while I was pushing (he was fine when I wasn't), and I was starting to get a fever. Both bad signs... The doctor said the baby kept turning his head the wrong way, plus my pelvis was a little oval-shaped (vs. round). The baby seemed too big to come through! So... at 10:20pm it was decided to do a cesarean section to make sure the baby came out safely. An hour later, Parker was born and started crying - a healthy baby boy!!

I guess in our house there's no such thing as a normal birth. Something always happens, but thankfully we have been blessed with 2 healthy boys. I feel extremely lucky to have them both in my life!

February 23, 2011

11:22 pm
8 lbs, 2 oz
21 1/4 in long

More Cousin Time

Lincoln & Flora May... Best Friends. :)

(January 17th, 2011)

Enjoying Ring Pops while watching us play XBox Kinect

(January 25th, 2011)

Swinging at the park

And a movie of them swinging at the park (thanks, Ash!).

Costco Shopping Trip

(January 7th, 2011)

The poor little guy couldn't wait another minute...

He was doing this the whole time (6-7 minutes) I was in the check-out line... and a LOT of people were laughing, including me!

Pretty darn cute, Lincoln.

Snow!

(January 3, 2011)

Early January it snowed and maybe a couple inches stuck to the ground. I woke Lincoln up, threw a coat, sweats, and shoes on him, and rushed him outside. That will probably be the last time he sees snow in a looooong time... especially in St. George!

He didn't want to leave the porch. I think it was a combination of him being half-awake, the bright whiteness, foreign looking white stuff on the ground... so I started making balls (which he usually loves) and tossing them up to him. Then I tried to get one of the snowballs to hit him (gently, of course) which is when Ashley & Kurt drove up. They thought it was pretty funny.

I eventually forced him off the porch, and tried to get him to play in the snow and help me make a snowman. He just kept tripping and crying and wanting to be held. Little baby...

Lincoln with my snowman (that melted FAST)

Lovin' the Stroller & Bike Trailer

(December 29th, 2010)

Lincoln LOVES LOVES LOVES to go on rides in his stroller and the bike trailer. If I need something from the garage, he insists on going with me, just because it may mean he gets to go on a ride. One day, after being in the garage for less than a minute, this is what I found:


He can get in all by himself. He even tries to buckle himself in. Pretty funny. And cute.

Ever heard of Groupon?

They have a sweet** deal going on... and it ends in 4 days. (Monday night, Feb. 7th)

Buy a $20 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble for $10.


Yes, $10!!! As long as you use it (in store OR online) before April 11th it will still be worth $20, and on 4/11 it will only be worth $10. (Limit 1 per person.. bummer.)

**Maybe I think it's such a great deal because Jesse & I love to buy books, especially children's books since Lincoln LOVES to read so much!

If you want in on the deal, go HERE: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu6863931

and look on the far right for the Barnes & Noble deal ($10 for $20 Worth of Toys and Games, Books and More at Barnes & Noble)

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UPDATE: They have fixed their login issues... so now you can log in without problems.
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I've gotten a few things from Groupon.. a 16X20 canvas print, a Winder Farms gift certificate, and now this Barnes & Noble gift card. I have been very happy with my purchases.

If you have never heard of Groupon before (or know how it works), here's a little explanation. You buy the coupon for a good deal. They email you a confirmation and charge your card IF enough people decide to buy the coupon. Once the coupon is available (usually the next day or two, this case maybe four), you visit the link that gives you instructions on how to use it. It is pretty straightforward.

FOR EXAMPLE:

These are my instructions on the canvas print, without the ID#.

______________________________________________
Your Groupon ID# is *******-**-*.

1. From 1/29 - 5/30, visit www.canvasondemand.com/groupon,
select the 16" by 20" Thick (1.5") option and enter your Groupon #
at checkout.

2. Enjoy!
______________________________________________

Any questions? Email me or leave a comment. I'd be happy to help you!

Christmas!

(December 25th, 2010)

It's pretty fun having a little kid to share Christmas with. The only big surprise is how LONG he slept in until!! Jesse and I both slept in past 8am, took our time getting ready, only to still wait for Lincoln to wake up! We ended up waking him up at 9:15am or so... since we were having breakfast over at Kurt & Ashley's.

Jesse helping Lincoln figure out how to tear open that paper

Playing with a couple of new cars

We also went to the family Christmas party earlier that week and Lincoln got to see Santa (I don't have the picture yet... I'm not sure who has it..).

And here's a video of Lincoln on Christmas morning (kinda long... 3 min)

The balloons are a tradition from Jesse's family... they mean that Santa has arrived! It's a pretty fun tradition (and kind of difficult to make happen when you are pregnant and blowing up balloons is extra hard!) and they stay around for a long time. Lincoln really enjoyed them! :)

Flooding in St. George

(December 21, 2010)

Back in 2005, St. George was on the news for their "100-year flood"...where houses were literally falling off the banks and floating down the river. This river is usually a little CREEK! Well, it happened again this past December. A lot of bridges were ripped up, but thankfully no houses this time (I think...).

Just down the street from Jesse's office

Lincoln enjoying the car ride as we drove around looking at the raging river.

You can see a few more pictures of the flooding HERE. (I only had my camera phone, so the pictures I took were pretty disappointing.)

Lincoln at the Park

(December 15th, 2010)

There are so many nice days in December in St. George, that I had to take Lincoln to the park as often as it was warm enough.

Here he is at the top of the slide

...and wandering off...

Busy, busy, busy!

Lincoln LOVES the outdoors. He is generally very happy if we go outside, even if it is just out in the front yard or to get the mail.

6 & 7 Months

(November 26th & December 26th, 2010)

Pregnancy #2

Pregnancy #1

I am OBVIOUSLY bigger this time around. A lot less swelling, sure, but my belly is getting big!

If this pregnancy was the same as with Lincoln, baby #2 would be here tonight at 7pm! (I would have been in the hospital for a couple days already.) My doctor says "You are at a high risk to go into labor early, only because you have before." So... my guess was sometime at the end of this month, but I'll be happy if baby stays put at least a couple more weeks!

Cutting Down the Christmas Tree

(November 27, 2010)

Just like our first Christmas together, Jesse & I cut down a tree (pinion) for our Christmas Tree this year. Kurt & Ashley invited us to go along with them. Thanks, guys. :)

Kurt figuring out the best side of the tree to cut from

Jesse's cheesy smile after cutting down our tree

Ashley next to their tree

Kurt sawing the tree

Kurt & Ashley had their little girl on November 2nd - Amelia Marie. Such a beautiful girl!!

Here is Amelia helping out...

Jesse, Lincoln, & me..
You can see how much Lincoln helped out, too.

After all the decorations were put on (thank you, Mimi!!)
over the course of a few weeks... here was the outcome:

(This was taken the day after Christmas)

After the tree had been up for a few days, one morning we awoke to a "crash!" Me: "Was that the Christmas Tree??" Of course it happened on a really busy morning.. but thank goodness it happened while Lincoln was not around!!! The tree must have settled into the stand and gradually lost balance. There were pine needles, sap, and sticks (of course, right?) and spilled water... Jesse was not happy with the tree. He told me that when we were done with the tree, he was going to throw it off the balcony.

And what do you know... he kept his word.

Turkey Day!

(November 25th, 2010)

First of all, I just want to thank everyone for all their help in the kitchen. Although I had a schedule to help keep me on track... I would never have been able to do it all without you!!

After the food was ready, we did toasts with Martinelli's and said what we were thankful for. I feel like this past year, Jesse & I have been so incredibly blessed that I couldn't help but choke up during mine. There's Jesse & Lincoln, the new baby coming, the new home, Jesse's job, family, FAMILY!!!, friends, the restored gospel, our Savior, Jesus Christ, pregnant sisters, safe travel, and SO many more things that I am thankful for.

Terrel about to carve the turkey

Jesse with his "masterpiece" - a "Good Eats Roast Turkey"

The kid's table (clockwise starting with Lincoln in back)
Lincoln, Matthew, Hailey, Jackson, Lily, & Hannah

The parents (Craig & Mary, Terrel & Janet) & Jesse

Jesse, Craig, Mary, Terrel, & Patience (in the back)

Darrin & Rachel

Adam, Sabrina, Jack, & McKay
(BTW... you are all so photogenic...!)

Angela & Tom

Adam, Tom, Darrin, Rachel, Patience, & Tom

The company was excellent, and... the food was delicious! I'm glad I saved the recipes.

Pie-Making

(November 24th, 2010)

My sisters (Angela & Rachel), cousin (Patience), mom, & I made the pies for Thanksgiving. All of them turned out pretty well! There was pumpkin, pecan, blackberry, peach, and chocolate mousse.

Here's everyone after-the-fact (except Rachel...)
Me, Mom, Angela, & Patience

A couple weeks before... the ladies in my ward did an activity involving making your pie crusts ahead of time and freezing the dough. That was sure nice!!! If you want the recipe, let me know! (It makes 20 pie crusts, and they last for at least 6 months. I halved it and have a couple left in the freezer still.)

Hosting Thanksgiving

(November 19th, 2010)

I invited my parents, cousin, and brother and sisters to come celebrate Thanksgiving here in St. George this year. I was a little nervous to travel at all because of the pregnancy (and how early Lincoln had come...). So I knew that I wouldn't be traveling over any of the holidays... and all but my brother came! That was a wonderful surprise! Since we have a lot of room in our new home we could even have everyone stay at our house comfortably (hopefully it was, anyway...). We also invited Jesse's parents & a couple brothers to join us.

Hosting Thanksgiving... first time... with a 16-month-old... 6 months pregnant... new house... was I crazy?? Well... before the big day I was thinking "YES!!" But seeing how well it turned out, I'm really glad we did it.

So how did I not get totally stressed out? Thank you, Martha Stewart and Alton Brown (and of course Jesse and everyone that helped out)! I made a schedule of what needed to be made, and when, and it worked! (If you click the link, you can see what my schedule sort of looked like.) And since Martha suggested deciding upon a centerpiece 1 week before... I actually made one. Ambitious? Yep.

Gabe & Anna

(November 17th, 2010)

Congratulations, Gabe & Anna! It was a beautiful wedding and you two look great together!

Flora's Birthday Party

(November 4th, 2010)

Lincoln's cousin turned one last November, and she got a little scooter from Mimi & Papa. Of course Lincoln wanted to ride it.

So... here's Papa pushing them both!

Pushing the buttons that make lots of noise

Trick-or-Treat!

Happy Halloween!!!

We took Lincoln to a few houses to go trick-or-treating. His favorite was when the people would let him choose the candy himself. That's when he wanted to keep getting more and more and more... and they usually let him. :) He was not really into putting the candy in the bucket, though. He wanted to hold the candy and run off to play with the other kids he saw. Next year he should understand a little better... right?

His first house: Nathan & Audrey's

Cousin Charlie as a lamb - so adorable!!

Mimi with Flora May as a Garden Gnome

The only thing he wanted to do... get that candy out of the bucket!

Finally got a decent picture of the costume...
Grandma Noma's house

Flora & Lincoln enjoying their Tootsie Pops

I would like to take credit for making the costume... but I bought it. I thought it was one of the strangest costumes I had seen and it turned out really cute.

Halloween Costume

Friday morning we went to the TCN Halloween Breakfast... I thought more kids would be there in their costumes, but basically it was Lincoln, Flora, and Lola. It was fun and the pumpkin pancakes were delicious!

I wasn't sure if Lincoln would tolerate the hat (with attached beard) much longer than the car ride... so I got a picture on the way there.

Flora & Lincoln
Both are Gnomes

It was hard to get a good picture of them... so here's what I got:

We'll see how Trick-or-Treating goes tonight... if the weather cooperates for us. We may just go to the homes in our culdesac... I guess it depends on how Lincoln does!