Chris Turns 30

Chris turned 30 on August 3rd. Unfortunately Penny was only about two weeks old so he had a pretty lame birthday. But we did go get his free birthday meal at Joe's Farm Grill and I made him a triple chocolate mousse cake, which was pretty awesome. There was also noisemakers and party hats, so it couldn't have been too bad right?

First Day of School

Molly is going to the same preschhol she went to last year, but now she's going three times a week instead of two. She was really excited to go back, and she and Claire were doing some impromptu first-day-of-school dancing.










This is Molly's teacher, Ms. Nancy.

Some of Penny's Firsts

First day at church. The first two weeks we went back Chris was working. It wasn't fun, but we survived.




First "swim." We went to a ward swim party and it was the perfect excuse to get Penny in her new suit. She didn't get in the water but she looked adorable!



First bath. She was at a doctor's appointment at 2 1/2 weeks and her umbilical cord still hadn't fallen off, so the doctor ripped it off. I wasn't too happy - it seemed a little aggressive to me - but at least she could start taking real baths. She hated the sponge baths but is pretty happy about her new fishy tub.

Claire and Penny

The transition to being a family of five has out a strain on us all, but I would say no one more than Claire. These are a few of her interactions with the baby:

-Smothering lip gloss all over her face while she was in the swing
-Tripping and falling on top of her during tummy time (at least that wasn't one purpose - so I think)
-Lifting her out of the swing and dumping her on the floor (I had to go upstairs for just a second and didn't realize the baby would be so unsafe without me there)
-Sneaking into her room while she was asleep and covering her face with her thumbie (think animal head with a blanket attached)

I know there are so many more but I can't think of them right now. I really hope this is just Claire behaving like a two year-old and not her trying to actually injure Penny! Things can only go up from here...

Penny

Penny Elizabeth finally decided to arrive July 16th, 8:57 pm. Eight days late! She was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long.


We had Penny at home in a birthing tub. When we blew it up the kids thought it was a playground until they got kicked out to stay with Papa for the night.


Some pictures from the labor. I like the first one because I don't remember doing much smiling but this proves that I did, the second one is a little more accurate of things getting more serious (luckily Jessie didn't get any pictures near the end, those would have been frightening), and the third one captures my feelings at that moment exactly: I was so glad it was over!




The beautiful newborn!





Taking her first bath in the bathroom sink.


I know this seems a little strange, but to weigh her my midwife tucked her inside this blankie and hook it up to a fish scale. A little funky but accurate!


Molly and Claire came home for a few hours the next morning to visit. They absolutely adore her, sometimes a little too much!



These pictures are all a little more recent. She's two weeks old now and starting to look more like herself and less like a newborn every day.



Sarah and I tried to take pictures for an announcement but she was awake and not too cooperative. She didn't cry, she just wiggled non-stop.



I don't know if this picture does them justice, but her feet are like little planks! They're long and narrow with super long toes.

Crazy Claire

I was at a doctor's appointment yesterday while Chris was home with the girls. He lost track of Claire for a few minutes, and when he found her she had colored all over her body. This is fairly normal behavior for a two year-old left to markers and their own devices, but what was not normal was that she had given herself armpit hair as well. It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but both armpits are covered in green marker (as well as her belly, legs, and arms).

Crafts

For the past year I've been taking classes online to finish up prerequisites for the nursing program. I did all my schoolwork in the evening when the kids went to bed, which left no time for me to do anything fun. I finished my classes about two months before the baby was born and spent my new-found evening personal time on a serious crafting kick. Here are some of the major projects:

New skirts for the girls



A carseat canopy for Penny


A quilt and matching throw pillows. I started this quilt about two years ago when Chris's aunt Sally was in town to help and just now got around to finishing it. There are lots of things I would do differently with it in hindsight, but mostly I'm just glad it's done!




Fourth of July shirts and bows for the kids

Goodbye Clarks!

My sister Sarah and her family moved to Indiana yesterday. This is a real tragedy for us because they've lived three miles away from us for two years now and Molly and Max are best friends. I know they're on to bigger and better things, but it sure will be sad around our house without them!


One of the favorite pastimes, dressing up at Grandma's house.


All the kids in line waiting for their turn to help make cookies.