The First Few Weeks

I wanted just to take a few minutes and document how I've felt these first few weeks with Levi in our home.  I have to admit that the transition from a party of 4 to a party of 5 has been smoother and more wonderful than I could have imagined.  I anticipated a postpartum funk, but things have been going quite well.

The kids love him so much and frequently want to pet his head, hold him, and kiss him.  They've both repeatedly told me how adorable they think he is.  One day Wyatt was holding him and Brandon asked Wyatt if they were going to be best buddies as they grow up. Ruby piped up and said, "No, we're all going to be best friends."  I hope so... :)

Levi, is by far, the easiest baby we've had.  Let me be clear, no baby is easy.  He still cries, blows out diapers, and takes an hour to eat; but other than that he's pretty easy to take care of.  He actually sleeps in his cradle and will let me put him down while he sleeps, so I actually get daily showers and have a moment here or there to pick up a little around the house or read a book.

By body is still a work in progress, but it will be and I'm trying to keep that in mind.  In the past 10 months I created life and birthed a baby.  That's amazing!  My body needs time to recover and I'm trying to be patient with myself.  Eventually, everything will get slimmer and firmer, but by then my last baby will be a toddler; so I'm trying to embrace these fleeting moments even if my pants are huge.

My husband has been a gem and frequently does sweet little things to help out around the house and kids.  The big kids play together nicely and will let me nap here and there when I need it, so I really have little to complain about.

We are all a little sleep deprived, but we have a happy peaceful family and I couldn't ask for more.  These are the days that we'll all look back on fondly.

Delicious Newborn Pictures

Newborn pictures have become one of my favorite traditions.  It's one tiny way for me to preserve the littleness of my babies while they are fresh from Heaven.  This time around my friend Jess Curren is traveling the United States, so I had to find a new photographer.  I found Lori Cramer through some mutual friends and I LOVE her work.  She really captured the essence of my tiny, precious, 8 day old Levi.  Here are some of my favorites...

Halloween

This year our Halloween festivities were a little scaled back since we had a new little babe in the house.  Nonetheless, we carved pumpkins a few nights before and still had our traditional spooky dinner on the night of.

This year I made chili topped with ghost shaped cheese, franken-cups (grapes that in cups that resembled Frankenstein), jack-o-lantern oranges, and spooky soda.

This year I failed to get them to "theme it up."  Ruby insisted on dressing up as Elsa, Wyatt was a dragon, and Levi was a little fox.  They were all adorable and enjoyed wearing their costumes-- although, Ruby wasn't a fan of her wig and only wore it for a few pictures.  I should have guessed that would happen...

In the morning both kids had class parties and got to wear their costumes to school.  Ruby even had a costume parade that Brandon attended.

In the afternoon we had a play date with my friend Jamie and her cute littles.  We took all 5 kids to The Sweet Tooth Fairy for Halloween cupcakes and then hung out at the house.  Ruby and Charlotte were both dressed as Elsa.  (They really are two peas in a pod.)

In the evening Grandma Penny joined us for dinner and trick-or-treating.  I stayed home to pass out candy with Little Levi.  After the crew had been gone about 45 minutes they came back to use the potty and take a rest, then they went out for one more short round!

By the end of their adventure they had enough candy to make your eyes pop out of your head.  We finished off the night by snuggling in bed and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Cornbelly's

A few days before Levi's birth we took the kids to Cornbelly's Corn Maze.  It's one of my favorite things to do during the fall in Utah and last year we didn't make it, so I'm glad that we went-- even if I was gigantically pregnant!

 There were lots of fun things to do-- playgrounds, slides, corn mazes, hay rides, and what not.

The wagon ride was a little bumpy.  I was kind of hoping to induce labor....

These cool dudes melt my heart.

The kiddos had fun shooting baskets with Daddy and going for rides on the farm go karts.

 It was a beautiful sunny Saturday.

The corn beach was the hit of the day, though.  We must have spent a half hour there playing.  (And they probably would have spent more time there if we didn't suggest that we try something new.)

Rubber duck races and rat wheel races were also a hit.