We're Still Around

So... it's been awhile. But good news, we're getting internet next week after almost a year of not having it! So I just might update my blog more often. Or maybe no internet was just a good excuse, we'll see. It's been a great year full of fun. We love our new house and area. So great to be "home". Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last 6 months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chad took Jayci on her first fishing outing this summer. She loved it and caught this huge catfish. Chad was quite proud. She wanted to take it home, so he told her that if she held it she could take it home. She brought it home and put it in her little swimming pool for awhile- till Chad gutted it and we ate it.

 

 Jayci loves me to straighten her hair. She looks like a different girl when it's straight.

 

 

Jayci loves tagging along with her Dad on his hunting adventures. She especially loves holding the things he kills.

 

 

Jayci turned 5 last month and had a fun Pinkalicious birthday party with some of her cute girl friends.

 

Hunter is 6 months old now and still sweet as ever. He is quite hyper lately and always moving and grabbing and wiggling. He's sitting up really well these days.

 

We went to Idaho falls on our way home from a friend's cabin. It was beautiful with the falls and temple in the background.

 

 

 

Chad and Cody went to Las Vegas in March to watch Monster Trucks. Cody loved it, and is quite obsessed with monster trucks these days. They went with Chad's sisters- Megan and Michelle. They all had a blast.

 

 

 

They loved the face painting this fourth of July

 

 

 Cody had yet another accident that landed him in the emergency room one Saturday night. He tripped into the corner of my parents brick fireplace ledge and cut a gash through the skin under his bottom lip resulting in stitches inside and out. He also knocked out one tooth with the root, had one tooth brake off at the gums, and 2 teeth so loose that they pulled them out. Now he  is missing FOUR bottom teeth! He was a trouper, and once the ordeal was over he didn't complain once about the pain. In this picture he is showing off his teeth in the cup. He was pretty proud of them!

 

 We had some fun boating with Grandpa at Bear Lake.

 

. This was at a fun reunion we had with Chad's family this summer. Jayci enjoyed the humming birds that would land near her finger

 

Cody loved "driving" this tractor at a pumpkin patch this fall.

 

 

We had fun at Grandma's decorating haunted houses.

 

This year Cody made a great Batman for Halloween. Jayci joined him as Cat Woman after dressing up for a super hero party and deciding being a cat is more fun than being Tinkerbell.

 

Chad dressed up as himself- adding only a cardboard sign to finish his costume. The sign read "Anything helps- God bless"

 

 

 

 Chad's been on quite a few bird hunts with his dogs lately and been quite successful.

 

 

 

Baby Hunter

Baby Hunter Chad Baxter is here! Born May 7 at 3:58 pm. 7 pounds 10 ounces, 20.5 inches long. He has been such a great little baby, so much less fussy than my other babies, which is wonderful. We are loving him. Labor went quite well. I went in at 7:30 am and had him 8 1/2 hours later, which was a little longer than I was hoping, but it really wasn't too painful till the last hour or two. I succeeded in having him natural- no epidural. That was my goal, but I wasn't sure I would make it. Fortunately I had great coaches- Michelle and Leslie. They supported me through it all, and Michelle and I had a great time the first few hours, laughed a lot! I'm glad I did it natural, but am not sure I'll do it again :) There were some great benefits to having him natural, but it made it a little more intense and painful (okay, much more painful) in the end and afterwards. Much more fun with an epidural.

Ready to get this little guy out (though at the time I didn't know if it was a little guy or gal)

Proud father...

...and mother

The kids were excited to come visit and find out if they had a little brother or sister. Jayci was really hoping for a girl, but could tell it was a boy by looking at him. I asked, "Since he's a boy should we just leave him here?" She said no, she still wanted to take him home. She thought everything he did was so cute and just giggled over everything.

They love holding their baby brother. Unfortunately we've all been sick with colds the last few weeks so I try and not let them get too close too often, which is practically impossible. I think Hunter has a cold now, and eye infections the kids had. Oh well. It will be nice when we're all well again, but are you ever all well with 3 kids around??

so sweet! we love baby brother

Fun with baby at home

The kids sure are loving having a little baby around... sometimes a little too much :) They love to smother him in kisses, "pet" his head, and fight over who gets to sit on the side he's eating on. It's been pretty good having my three, a little wild and crazy at times, and mom is TIRED, but all in all we're doing great. I enjoy my sweet little babies more and more each time I have one. They are so tiny, cute and sweet, and I guess now I realize how quickly they do grow up! I love little Hunter, he's so precious.

My all time favorite picture! Look how happy Cody is, he has the best smile! He always asks "Can I hold him?" He just loves to be up close to this little one.

"binky buddies"

Good thing I got a picture of it because this last week I finally got rid of Cody's binky for good- yay!

This is how he sleeps half the time at night- in his baby seat. He's not a huge fan of his bassinet, and this seems cozier. He usually goes about 2 1/2 hours between feedings at night, but he has gone as much as 5 one time, which is always a huge blessing. 4 hours of sleep in a row? What a difference it makes! Lack of sleep has always been a huge challenge for me, but on Mother's Day after feeling angry about being woken up prematurely, then feeling awful about the way I was acting, I decided it was finally time to face the fact that I'm just not going to sleep as much as I'd like anymore. And fortunately, since that time, I've done much better at being kind, even when I am woken up prematurely.

Rumor has it that he looks like his big sister. She sure loves her little brother!

Hunter's blessing day

Today was Hunter's baby blessing. It was so wonderful. Chad always gives the most amazing blessings. In fact, I have to admit, I'm always surprised at how amazing his blessings always are. He truly lets God speak through him. How blessed and fortunate I feel to have a worthy priesthood holder in my home. Thanks Chad. I was also very pleased at how well the get together afterwards went. Usually I am disappointed with the poor job I did as a hostess, but this time I think it went quite well, and didn't look back on it realizing what I should have done, but didn't. Of course, that is mostly credited to family who helped me plan and carry it out. Thank you family. It was also awesome having it in our new home close by, and in the spring. The other two blessings were both the first week in January at 9 am in Tooele. This time was so much better. I am grateful on a daily basis that this baby was born in the spring rather than late fall.

Our happy family, aren't we cute?

It seems crazy to me that we are a family of 5. Am I really a mother of three children? I feel like I'm still just 20 years old, not the ripe old age of 28.

The party guests

kids table

Baxter family

Proud grandparents

Other proud grandparents

Joel, Kalli, and Blake hanging out on the little kid bench. They just fit on it! Not that I'm poking fun, being small is great.

Happy mother

Hunter is in the same outfit his dad and brother wore on their blessing days.

We love you baby Hunter!!

Pregnancy Update

 Valentine's day photo of baby belly at 6 months :)

My growing belly at 7 months

So, before this last month I wanted to post how much fun I'm having being pregnant. Unfortunately, the last month hasn't been quite so much fun. I forget how uncomfortable it starts getting towards the end: back pains, other pains, belly getting in the way, etc. Plus on top of that I've just been sick one thing after another for the past month or so. The kids and I have passed around colds and flu and I've had an infection and it's just been no fun. Despite the complaints, and really feeling ready to be done being pregnant, I still have to say that I love pregnancy as a whole. It is such a miracle to have this little body growing inside of me. I always just feel special being pregnant. Plus, I feel I have an excuse to sit around and relax more :). Besides some minor nausea the first few months, and the sicknesses of the last month, I've felt quite well. My baby is very active and always moving around. I am due in about 5 more weeks, May 10. We did not find out this time if it's a boy or girl which has been really fun. I really don't have much inclination, one way or the other, which it is. Lately I'm leaning more towards girl, though Chad's holding out for another boy (always :). Either way, I'm happy. I have both, so either will be great. I'm getting excited to have this little newborn to hold (and be able to stop referring to the baby as "it"...), but I am nervous, also, since my two babies were quite fussy and difficult. I am very excited to be having this baby in Spring rather than the late fall, that'll be so nice!

Accident Cody

My little Cody seems to be quite accident prone, or maybe it's just that he's VERY active and always climbing, RUNNING, and jumping. My dad nick-named him Tip Over Cody when we lived there because he was constantly falling off stools, tables, etc. So a few weeks ago he was running from the end of the hall to the end of the family room where the fireplace is and tripped and cut his nose on the edge of the bricks... ouch! I'm always worried about what might happen on those darn bricks. There's a ledge about 5 inches off the ground and he's been awfully close to hitting it many times and finally did. It is moments like this that I wish I wasn't the mother who has to witness and figure out what to do about it. Injuries and sicknesses are not my thing! I always wonder if I should take them to the Dr. or wait it out, etc. this one was bad because more than just the cut, he hit his nose so hard that it started swelling between his eyes and bruising. He is quite a tough little guy and acted fine (his usually running, jumping self) so I waited a few days, but just kept worrying it was broken and wouldn't heal right, or would affect his sinuses for years to come, etc. So I called the Dr. and of course he wanted me to bring him in to check out something or other that could be a problem and cause his nose to grow crooked. I was worried after that of all the bad things that could be wrong, but fortunately the Dr. reported everything was fine, and he didn't have to go to a specialist to get the bruising sucked out (gag). Yay. My prayers were answered once again. So now he just has a nice scar across his nose that matches the scar across his forehead that he got in Dec. Another story: The kids and I were at Arctic Circle and he tripped and jammed his head into a step on the play place and blood gushed everywhere. I decided not to take him to the Dr., though now I think it probably should have had stitches; it was pretty deep. It makes me sad to see his once perfect face all scarred, but I guess that's just part of growing up :( (me and him). I'm slowly being strengthened as a mom with each, not so fun, experience. I'm finding out I am quite a wimp, but am getting tougher!

Day 1

Day 3

Day 5

It really healed quite fast and looks fine now. Just a little pink scar.