Explanation

So in the last few months I have been having problems with pbulishing my posts. I can either post pictures or text but it won't let me do both in one post. Thus I have posts with pictures and the explanation is above it.
We had our family pictures taken by a dear friend in Twin Falls, Jillyn Moon. We went to Shoshone Falls for the outdoor family shots and then to her studio in Eden to finish. We are so happy about the results and wanted to share some of our favorites with you. At the time of taking these pictures Kendell was 1 month old. He has changed so much since then and is such a joy to have in our home. Piper loves to help with him and says multiple times each day that he likes her. Kendell loves to smile and talk to us. He also gets overwhelmed easily and enjoys being able to sit in the bouncer or high chair to have some alone time. In the last few weeks we have been able to put him in the swing and he slept for 2 hours in it yesterday.

Family Photo Shoot

 

50 free holiday card

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to share with you what a friend shared with me. If you go to here you could enter to win 50 free Holiday Cards from shutterfly. Seriously try it out. I have loved what I have seen from shutterfly and I am positive you will love it too.

Piper and Kendell

The story to go with the pictures.

I tried to type in around my pictures and for some reason it posted instead of letting me type. then I tried to edit the post and type around the pictures. I was able to do that but then it would not publish what I had changed so here we are trying again to get the story to go along with the pictures.
We blessed Kendell a couple of weeks ago and were blessed to have my parents and unmarried siblings join us for the day. We also had the pleasure of Wes' Aunt Bonnie and her family along with some of our dearest friends come to support us and Kendell.
Kendell was perfect angel on that day. He slept through the blessing, and most of the rest of sacrement meeting. Then when he woke up he was content to lay on my lap. At home with everyone there he as you can see in the pictures slept some and was calm and content. This was completely opposite from out expereince with Piper's blessing. We have a very enjoyable day spent with loved ones and missed those who were not able to join us.

The day after the blessing I was informed that I my application for additional time off work had been denied and that if I stayed out longer I would be doing so without pay. If we could afford to stay home without pay I would not be working. I would quit my job and stay home full time with my kids. Unfortunately we cannot afford to do that so I went back to work on Oct 12th. The other pictures are of Kendell's first day at school. 6 weeks old
I cried when I was told the application was denied, again when I called Wes to tell him the news, and again when Leslie stopped by. The sign of a true close friend is someone who cries with you when you are sad and offers to take your newborn for a while until he is a little older while you go back to work. That is what Leslie did, she cried with me, comforted me, and expressed concern about my infant going to daycare. Thank you Leslie for being you and for being my friend! We love and appreciate you and your family, as if you were part of our family.
I have been back to work for 8 work days. Of those 8 days the teacher in my classroom has been gone 2 days and the other classroom aide gone 3 days. Wes has been in Seattle for 2 1/2 days. Wes goes to work by 6:00 am, leaving me to pack lunch for Piper and me, pump milk for Kendell, get ready for work, get 2 kids dressed and ready for daycare and leave the house before 8:00 am to get to work on time. That truly is no easy task. So far I have been able to do that everyday except one. On that one day my alarm went off, I snoozed it, it went off again, I turned it off. Then fell back to sleep until 7:30 am. I woke up and rushed to get everything done. We left home at 8:05 am.

Blessings

Getting Older by the minute

So, we have had some fun in the last month. We all have gotten older and maybe a little wiser. Piper has been going to school a couple days a week. She loves going to school and playing with her friends. She has also figured out that Mom is not back to work yet so she likes to stay home with us too. From our last trip to Twin Falls we got a picture of Piper that looks alot like one of her Uncle Troy when he was around her age. She had not had a nap Saturday so when we sat her down for dinner she ate a few bites and the next time we looked at her there she was, asleep.

Kendell is one month old today! I layed him on my scales this morning and it said 9 pounds. I am not sure how exact that is but I figure it is pretty close. He has been a joy to have in our home and Piper just loves to help take care of him. Every time he needs a diaper change she will run into the bedroom and get him a diaper and a wipe. She also likes to help with the bum cream that gets slathered on him during every change, this is due to a nasty diaper rash/burn that we can't seem to clear up. I think I have finally decided to cut out alot of dairy from my diet to see how that does. The pattern I have noticed is that he a more fussy and the burn redder after I drink alot of milk. :( I have put him in the bouncer, the swing, and the high chair just for different heights and such depending on what I am doing. He seems to prefer the high chair. Weird I know but my high chair is a space saver one that reclines quite a bit. In the bouncer he will sit or sleep for about a half an hour. The swing maybe a few minutes before he starts fussing. The high chair he will sit in for a long time and frequently he will fall asleep in it. I thought the kids weren't supposed to fall asleep at the table until they were at least old enough to eat the food.

Wes is back in school and gone 2 nights a week. Our FHE Monday night consists of bath time, scriptures, prayers, and maybe Pipers favorite song. Latter Day Prophets. Wes' classes are Monday and Wednesday and if I am lucky both kids are in bed before he gets home. He is still loving his job and is excited about an upcoming business trip they are sending him on. He is going to Seatlle for some training over his birthday, leaving Oct 25th coming home Oct 27th. Since he will be gone for his birthday does that mean I don't have to do anything for him? Just kidding, we will probably do his birthday before he leaves.

I have enjoyed my break from work and am adjusting to being a mother of 2. When I am home alone with the kids I juggle them just fine and am able to take care of each one's needs I think. When Wes is home I am happy to let him help and only focus on one child at a time. I am still hoping to be able to take a full 12 weeks off from work to stay home with Kendell. That way he will be almost 3 months old and have some immunities built up before going to daycare. That is atleast what I am praying for. We are still waiting to her back from the school district if they will allow me that much time off. Okay, well Kendell just woke up and I still have to pack for the next 5 days. Until next time!