Tribute to Summer Vacation

This is the only picture I took of our last cousin party of the summer. It was so much fun. We played at the park and then brought the party back to our house because we just didn't want it to end!

First Day of School

It's hard to believe that the summer is already over. It's gone by really fast. Just a few weeks ago we found out that all of the kids got into our local charter school. It's called Excelsior Academy. This morning after the girls got all dressed up in their uniforms Shari said, "Mom do I look too fancy?" I said, "That's the point of uniforms." Hopefully she'll feel comfortable once she sees how everyone else is dressed at school. I think they all look adorable.

I can't believe Rebecca is in 6th grade. She is growing up so fast. She was so nervous this morning. I hope she has a good day.
Charlie is ready to rule the school. He wasn't the least bit nervous.
Adrian is excited and he was so proud of the way he put his feet in this picture. After I took it he said, "Did you see how cool my feet looked?"
I just woke Donald up and he's already smiling. However, he wasn't to thrilled when the kids all jumped out of the van and left him behind. In fact he cried most of the way home because he wants to go to school now. I'm sure it will take some getting used to but once we get into a routine we'll have fun.

Pioneer Children

Our last days in Virginia were busy with packing, preparing to leave, and taking care of baby Jared. We were super busy and I kept thinking I should be taking pictures but never had the energy to go and find the camera.

This is our last picture taken in VA. It's the kids watching fireworks from the roof for the 4th of July. Even though we didn't go to a fireworks show we still saw quite a few just from our yard.

In order to all make it back to Utah we had to go our separate ways. Charlie flew back to Utah with his Grandma Weir and stayed with my sister Jessie while we were finishing getting everything packed. I flew back with Donald and Jared and my friend Roni, for help and moral support, on the 10th. Dan took Rebecca, Shari, and Adrian and drove across the country. They really felt like pioneers, except they had Nintendo DS, restaurants, and hotels. Not to mention it took them 5 days instead of months.

In Nebraska they made a stop at the Winter Quarters Temple and Visitors Center. Here are my pioneers.
Here they are at the Steak and Shake.
Adrian was trying to look like Brigham Young because of course some day he's going to play football at Brigham Young University.
I'm so thankful they made it home safely.

One Week Old

Jared Jay was born June 17 at 1:20 p.m. He was 7 lbs 10 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. He seems so tiny compared to my other boys. Things went really well for labor and delivery. I went in the night of the 16th and they started me on a low dose of pitocin so I could still sleep through the night. By mid-morning the Dr. came in and broke my water and it was just a few hours later that Jared made his appearance. He barely cried at all and that made me really nervous. He just kind of whimpered off and on. He has since impressed us with his big voice whenever he feels like it.

My hospital stay was less than wonderful. The nurses didn't really have time for me and I didn't get my pain medication on time once. In fact, I had to call every time I needed medicine and then it would take them anywhere from an hour to 2 hours to get it to me. They also didn't help at all with Jared. I loved the Tooele hospital because they'd just come and get Donald whenever he was done eating and I needed sleep. My second night in the hospital here I didn't get any sleep at all until about 4:30 a.m. and a nurse came in to wake Jared up and take his vitals at 5. When she asked me what was wrong I said, "I'm exhausted" and she said, "Oh, you're just tired?" and went on to wake my baby up and tell me I had to feed him immediately.

I was glad to leave on Saturday afternoon. I was worn out and ready for Dan and my Mom's help since there was none at the hospital. Right as we left the hospital and headed for Stafford a black van turning onto the main road ran into our car! It was terrifying. I couldn't believe I had this new little life right next to me and he was already in danger. I am so thankful I was sitting beside him, and I am so thankful Dan is a smart careful driver. He really is the reason we stayed safe. He was paying attention and reacted quickly and calmly so we didn't veer into oncoming traffic or hit anything on the median. As soon as we pulled over to the shoulder Sheriff's lights came on behind us! I was so thankful an officer was right there behind us. He took care of everything really quickly and the car only had minor damage so we were able to drive home. It made me even more thankful to get home safely!
The kids think Jared is wonderful and they've all been cheerful and helpful. Every time Donald sees Jared he says, "I need to hold THAT baby." It's so sweet. His greatest temptation is he wants to touch the baby's eyes. I don't know what it is about eyes but he just can't keep his fingers away from them. We have to watch him close. The other funny thing about my Donald baby is he doesn't want much to do with me these days. Now that he has Daddy and his Grandma Weir what does he want with his mommy? He likes to tease me because I'm always begging him for kisses and hugs now and he always says NO! He's a big brother now, so I guess I shouldn't treat him like he's still my little Donald.

Jared has been enjoying quality time with his Grandma as well. My first night home she kept him for me for the first few hours of the night so I could get some rest after my horrible hospital stay. Here he is getting his first at home sponge bath from his grandma. He doesn't have much hair to speak of but it was still fun to wash.
Here he is all clean and cozy with his grandma.
Here he is today, one week old. For his birthday he gave me 4 hours of rest last night right in a row! It was so wonderful. It's the most rest I've had together for over a week.
He's so handsome and sweet and cuddly. I could fill up pages with how much I love him!

Charlie's Birthday

Last Sunday we celebrated Charlie's birthday. We thought we should do it early because we didn't know what the baby's schedule would be. We talked it over with Charlie, and he assured us that he wouldn't be upset at having to do his birthday early.

You can see from this (and all other) picture that he is happy to be six. Rebecca actually made the cake pretty much all by herself.

Here's the before picture:

And after (the toys in the back-right corner weren't presents):

One of the only things he'd asked for a lot was a scooter. Charlie rarely asks for toys on his birthdays, instead he always wants things like flashlights or umbrellas. This is the first birthday in 3 years that he hasn't gotten a flashlight. He likes riding the scooter around the neighborhood, but the combination of the heat, humidity, and helmet make him very sweaty.

Our Newest Member

It's Great to be 8

Adrian was thrilled to get scriptures and clothes. For fun he got an XBOX game based on the Nickelodeon series Avatar, not the blue people.

He didn't wear this combination to church, this was just to see if his new clothes fit. He's so handsome.
Adrian's favorite birthday food is brownies!
We're all looking forward to his Baptism on Saturday.