Grandpa Nelson

On November 28th my Grandpa Nelson passed away.  It was a blessing, the last few months he really hadn't been doing very well.  I am currently collecting pictures and memories from my family for a book I am making my Grandma for Christmas.  It is a great way to remember what a great man he was.  He would do anything for you, and although he was stern and gruff at times, he had such a special place in his heart for his great-grand kids.  When Allee was 2 I worked one day a week, and Great and Grandpa would babysit her.  Every morning my grandpa would bring her hot cocoa from the coffee shop where he would be having hot chocolate with his friends.  It never failed just as I was saying goodbye in he would come with a mug for her.  Pierce loved Grandpa and was never afraid of his gruff voice and was ever curious about  his oxygen hose.  The first thing he would do when we walked in was go over to Grandpa's chair and give him a hug.
Grandpa was able to meet Layla about two weeks before he passed away.  What a blessing.  He commented on how beautiful she was and was able to hold her for a few moments.  I could tell at that time that he wasn't doing very well because he let her keep her pacifier in her mouth (Grandpa despised pacifiers!)  It was always a joke that you had better take the paci out before you handed the baby to Grandpa or he would pull it out himself.
I will miss my Grandpa so very much.  Hopefully I can share all my memories with my kids, and keep theirs alive so they will always remember what a great man he was.

Family Pics

Our good friend Cindy took these for us (that way I have something to put on our Christmas cards!)  These are the ones I didn't use, but they were too cute not to share.

Visitors

 Papa

 Uncle Dave

 Aunt Christy

 Great

Gra
We were so lucky to have so many people in our family come to visit us when Layla was born.  My sister Christy came out when Layla was one week old.  A week later my Mom and Grandma came out and then in November Dave, Steph, Livie, and Emmett along with my Mom and Dad came.  We are so lucky that our family sacrificed so they could come and see our new little girl.  What a blessing to be surrounded by family!

A Name and A Blessing

On November 6th we blessed our sweet Layla.  We were so excited that both of my parents and my sister Stephanie's family came for the occasion.  My mom helped me make Layla's dress and she looked absolutely beautiful.  Derek gave her a wonderful blessing that included the blessing that she would be a good example and a light to all those around her. 

We had a luncheon afterward with our family and those from Missouri who have become our family. 

What a wonderful day to celebrate the gift of Layla Claire in our lives.

Halloween

 I have always wanted to dress the kids up in coordinating outfits, and this year was the perfect opportunity.  Derek and I even got in on the action at the ward trunk or treat.

 The kids were so proud of their pumpkins this year.  Allee gave hers missing teeth because she has lost so many teeth this year.  Pierce was just excited that we actually let him draw on the pumpkin with a Sharpie!

 Our tough little football player.  Derek has already taught him that we LOVE the Bears and we NEVER cheer for the Packers.  Aahhh. . . Nothing like teaching them while they are young!

 This is the first picture ever of little Layla smiling.  She was so cute all dressed up and it was warm enough we were able to take her to a few of our close friends homes.

 And then there is Allee.  Poor girl was sent home from school around 1 o'clock because she was throwing up.  She came home, slept, threw up once more around three, slept some more, and finally about 5 o'clock perked up.  She was heartbroken that she might have to miss trick or treating and I told her if she honestly felt better and could keep some Sprite down we would let her go around the block.  We waited until the last minute, and let her throw on her costume.  How can you keep a kid from trick or treating, isn't Halloween a kid holiday anyway?!  She was all better and come to find out it was just a 24 hour stomach bug (which I managed to get the next day). 

Our little Bears Fans.  What a crazy Halloween!

Soccer Champ

This was Allee's third season of soccer, and her first year out of pee-wee.  Her team was amazing and they were undefeated, they even got their picture in the newspaper!  Allee improved every game, and loves playing defender and taking on all the boys.  We are so proud of her and how hard she works at running fast, beating the boys, and putting her all into whatever she does. 

1 Month

How is my baby 1 month already?  Layla is growing so fast!  She is a great baby and I can't seem to give her enough kisses.  Allee and Pierce love her so much and have been so helpful.  Not a day passes when they don't ask to hold her even if she is crying, it doesn't bother either of them.  It is awesome when I just want to change the laundry or do the dishes quickly.

Happy 7th Allee

 The night before Allee's party Aunt Christy headed back home so she gave Allee her present early.  Yes, we have a little "Beiber Fever" in this house.  I think I heard Baby Baby about a million times that night!

 Allee's friend party.  We had a PJ party.  They decorated cupcakes, made sleep masks, and watched Tangled.  Having a two week old, I thought we would keep it pretty low key, but the girls had a blast. 

  Allee's dinner of choice this year:  Dinner in a pumpkin.  Everyone loved it!
We also had Great and Gra visiting for her big day which was so fun.  It was exciting to spend a birthday with family again.

From Steph and Dave.  One of the few things Allee really wanted.  She was thrilled and sported it to school the next day!

The best part of Allee's birthday was a scavenger hunt around the house (thanks Derek for the idea).  Allee LOVED it, in fact she still talks about how awesome it was and it has been a few weeks!

It all ended with a new bike.  Allee had worn through the tire on her old bike, and I am not kidding, the tube popped because the tire was gone!  At least it was well used!  Perfect timing for a new bike.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLEE!

We love you so much!  You are a fantastic big sister and such a sweet girl.  You are thoughtful, fun to be around, and sweet.  You make us proud every day.  You are into everything that sparkles, you love pink, Justin Beiber, Selina Gomez, and accessories.  You are a joy to be around and we are so lucky to have you in our family!

Miss Layla

Layla is such a wonderful baby.  She is easy going and loves to be snuggled.  The best part is she only wakes up once or twice a night to eat and then goes right back to bed!  She gets the hiccups ALL THE TIME.  Poor little thing, I am constantly giving her a pacifier just to make them go away. 

At her 1 week check she weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and by 2 weeks she was back up to 7 lbs 11 oz exactly.

Layla never spits up, which has been really odd for us because our other two did all the time.  In fact the other day I asked Derek to get me a burp cloth because she had a mouth full of milk and he hollered from her bedroom, "Where ARE the burp cloths?"

Layla Claire

I went to my doctors appointment on September 8 which was one day before my due date, with the intention of insisting my doctor start me the next day.  After my exam she said she would call the hospital to schedule my induction, but that it probably wouldn't happen until Monday.  I was so disappointed, in fact I was down right pouting after she left the room.  When the nurse came back she asked if I could be at the hospital at 3:00 that afternoon, my jaw literally dropped and my mind went blank.  That was not the answer I was expecting!  We hurried home with only four short hours until we needed to be back at the hospital.  Derek wrapped everything up at work, I arranged a babysitter for the kids for the night, vacuumed, and started the dishwasher.  We hurried off to Allee's school to tell her the good news, and let her know that our great friend Sonya would be picking her up and she and Pierce would be spending the night there.  I gave her and Pierce big hugs and kisses, realizing this was the last time I was going to have two kids, and we were off to meet our little girl.

By the time we checked in it was 4:00.  The doctor broke my water at 5:15, and around 6:30 I was asked if I wanted my epidural now because the anesthesiologist was going in to do an appendectomy.  I had only felt a few contractions, but there is no way I was going to miss getting my epidural!  It was THE BEST epidural EVER!  Around 8:00 I was started on a pitocin drip, and went from 5 cm to 10 cm by 9:00.  The doctor came in and our sweet baby girl was born at 9:24 pm.

I had told Derek right before she was born that if she had blond hair then she would be Emme, but if she had dark hair then she was definitely Layla.  I had dreams of holding a little brunette baby girl we called Layla last November.  They were so vivid, so real, I knew that baby girl was coming to our family.

Sure enough, she has LOTS (by our standards!) of dark hair.  Welcome to the world

Layla Claire

 7 lbs. 11 oz.  19 1/2 inches

 Meeting Pierce, who couldn't get enough of her.  He says her name, "Aya"

 The proud big sister.  Allee couldn't be more proud.

 Getting ready to come home.  Aahh. . . . the adventures that await us!

For now I am just enjoying every second of this little peanut.  I can't put her down, and I feel so blessed to have this sweet spirit in our family.

Kiddos

Since Derek gave me an awesome new camera for my birthday, I figured it was time to test it out.  A few days before Allee began 1st grade, we got her all dressed up in her first day outfit and went out and about Clinton.  I really miss having professional pics of my kids, and since there isn't anyone really here, I figured I would give it my best shot.
I think they turned out pretty good for a first timer, and they can't be any worse then school pictures right?!
These two are my world.  I love them so much and feel so blessed to have these little personalities that some days make me want to pull my hair out and others keep me laughing all day long.