Taylor the Babysitter

I was desperate to blow dry my hair this morning, so I enlisted the help of little Taylor. I told him that he was the "babysitter", which made him so proud to be the big brother. He stood next to the changing table and talked to McKenna and waved things in her face to keep her happy. He ran to tell me that she spit up, I cleaned it up, and then he ran to tell me that he wiped drool off her face. It was fun to see him take such responsibility and it was great to have a hair-do today! :)(Like his forehead wound?? He fell off a picnic table last week.)
Taylor requested that I put this headband on her.
McKenna is one month old! I can't believe how fast it has gone by. :(

Grandma Judy is Here!

Grandma Judy arrived this weekend to meet McKenna and await the arrival of another grandson (Dave's sister's baby). Here's a picture of McKenna and her proud grandma!
Derek and Taylor are finally over their colds. It took 3 1/2 weeks, but they are healthy! So they've been taking every opportunity to hold their sister.

There are some things that money can't buy...

baby swing and free umbrella stroller: $89

a clean kitchen

dinner made with both hands

an extra two games of Settlers of Zarahemla with husband: priceless.

We finally broke down and bought a new baby swing. We LOVE it! She doesn't hang out too long in it, but just long enough that I can get a few things done around here. My other new favorite toy is a baby monitor. We've never owned one, but after a couple times finding her crying when she wasn't due to be awake made us think it was time to get one. I can't emphasize enough how much I love it. The monitor lights up when it senses sound, so I can make all the noise I want and just look over to see if I see any lights. I can take a shower, blow dry my hair, wash the dishes, etc. and not worry that she's crying without my knowledge. And I'm not sticking my ear to the door every two minutes to see if she's crying. I LOVE it!!!

Another Milestone

I have been taking baby steps toward running errands with three kids on my own. Tuesday was the first time in public with them...okay so it was just a trip to the post office, but I did have to wait 30 minutes in line. Everything went well, the boys behaved and McKenna slept. So I thought I would try my luck again today, but this time we went grocery shopping!! Yikes! I've always tried to picture how that could even happen with three kids. By the time the shopping cart is loaded with the kids where could the groceries possibly go?! Thank heavens for those little fire truck shopping carts. The boys took the seats in the truck below and McKenna sat in her car seat in the top. We made it in and out in 30 minutes and the boys stayed in the cart the whole time! (Okay, so I had to threaten them a few times that I would take away their "kid yogurt".) I think I'm developing a false sense of security though. I'm sure one of these times all heck will break loose! I'll just be thankful until then. :)

Our Pretty Girl

Yesterday (Sunday) McKenna and I were left home alone while the boys were attending church, so I had some fun pampering her. First, I gave her a bath, which she loved. She literally smiled while I washed and brushed her hair. It was so cute! Then, she got all lotioned up, which she didn't love. Next was monumental for both of us...she wore tights for the first time and I put tights on a baby for the first time!! This is the first dress she's worn (thanks aunt Traci) and it was so fun to see her so girly. Dave told me the other day, "you know, there are other colors besides pink". And look Dave, she's wearing green...not pink! (Although, I still just had to add it in as the backdrop. He he he.)

She's so pretty!

This is one of my favorite rewards for taking care of a newborn. I love to hold her and see her so relaxed on my shoulder. This picture was taken over my shoulder, so it's the view I get to see everytime I burp her. I would just sit and hold her all day if I could, but other daily duties won't allow that. I did literally hold her every minute during the second day in the hospital. It was such a quiet peaceful time for us. She's such a sweet baby and I love the spirit that she adds to our home. I can't help but smile back every time she gives me a grin. I love you McKenna!!

Our Valentine's Day

I feel like our Valentine's Day was a bit of a rerun this year...I guess that's what traditions are! Poor Dave had a horrible day. He woke up with a stomach bug and had to miss work. (Don't worry, I told Dave that he can make-up for missing Valentine's Day any other day of the year. I didn't let him off the hook that easily. :) By the way, he's doing much better today.) Anyhoo, the boys woke up to these hearts on the outside of their door. Derek woke up pretty grumpy and saw the hearts and said "where's the trail of hearts to candy?" (Last year I cut out a ton of hearts that led to a bag of candy for each of the boys, but hey, they were lucky to get these hearts I saved from last year.) :) Later, Taylor came running out and found me in the kitchen. He yelled "Happy Christmas Valentine's!" Now that's the response I was looking for.

I made sugar cookies and I must say they were amazingly moist and soft! The boys decorated them and had fun making a sprinkle mess.

Don't they just look so yummy?! I think I'll go eat one now. :)
McKenna spent her first Valentine's Day doing what she does best...eating, sleeping, grunting, pooping, and spitting up. She's a pro!She was our little red hot!

Later in the evening we honored a long tradition of delivering valentine's and doorbell ditching. Every year we took valentine's to our next door neighbor and doorbell ditched, over and over and over. We took valentine's and a plate of cookies to my sister's house and tried to get away without being caught. Taylor was quiet for the whole 10 minute drive. I asked him what he was thinking about and he said "I am thinking about ringing the doorbell and where I'm going to hide". He was really into it. We dropped the goods and Taylor rang the doorbell. We made it as far as the driveway and Dallin (my nephew) yelled "I see you!" We were busted. I told Taylor to "run, run, run", but he stopped and protested, that "this is no fun". He was very sad that we didn't complete our mission. I gave him a pep talk and told him "only Dallin caught us, no one else, so we better run". That did the trick and we made it back to the van. I hope this wasn't one of those "you had to be there" stories. It was really cute in person.

I hope you all had a wonderful day!

Just Some Random Pictures

We've never had a digital camera with a baby before. It's been so fun to snap picture after picture. McKenna is definitely our most photographed baby! Derek adores his little sister. He still says "I can't believe our sister is here!" OR "I was right and the doctor was right that it was a girl."

The boys want to help with everything. They both have colds so I've been pushing them away. But I let them watch the diaper change this one time.
It's hard getting a picture of a newborn with their eyes open. This was the best one where she didn't look scared.

Taylor getting in on the fun. He's a goof.
This was the end of a cute smile. I don't believe that babies smile because of gas. I think they know what they are doing. It's imitation if anything. She gives us big adorable smiles.