A few of my favorite Sessions women!

The first week of November my three sisters came out to visit (my Mom was already here) for our annual sister's weekend. Unfortunately Kara and Celeste couldn't make it this time, but we hope they will next year! I was so happy to have them come - just what I needed after the craziness of having Christian and adjusting to our new life with three kids. They made me feel so loved and kind of grounded me back to who I am. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's one of those things that family can do for you. Plus, we talked until late at night, cooked and shared recipes (we all love food a little too much!), they were able to come to my baby shower, and they even helped me with some cleaning! It was so great to have them here. We had photos taken by Jill while they were here. They turned out great!

At the baby shower. . .

I love my Mom and sisters!

We all loved having them here (especially Justin :)...), but Sydney really loved their attention and was so excited to be one of the girls. She really wanted a picture with all of them - she was so happy here!

My 2011 Thankful List

I know Thanksgiving was yesterday, but who has time to sit down to blog on Thanksgiving? And really, I haven't had time to blog much since Christian was born. He is sleeping soundly right now, so I am seizing the moment!

I am grateful for FAMILY - my wonderful husband who loves me, supports me, and puts up with all my faults, three sweet children who bring me more happiness than I can express. I love being a mother - it truly is my joy. I'm so grateful for my wonderful parents, parents-in-law, and all of our extended family. They give me love, support, joy, memories. I hope I give them the same.

I am grateful for the GOSPEL - my testimony, my Savior Jesus Christ, His Atonement, a loving Heavenly Father - I'm so glad to know that I am a daughter of God, the plan of salvation and the hope it brings, a living prophet, the scriptures, guidance and peace that comes from living right. I fall short but I'm doing my best!

I am grateful for my HOME - we try to protect our home from the world and make it a haven. I have been home a lot more lately and I can honestly say I love being home. I hope my children will always want to come home, no matter what stage in life they are in. Even though parts of our home are always needing to be fixed, I still love the comfort and peace that I feel when I'm home. Today our washer broke - we knew it was coming, but it's still not fun to have to buy a new one. Unfortunately it's kind of essential! I've been doing laundry almost every day since Christian was born. How does one little baby do that? Last week our oven broke, luckily parts just need to be replaced instead of the whole oven. Unfortunately it didn't get fixed in time for Thanksgiving, but we were still able to combine with friends to make Thanksgiving dinner happen. Thanks to Nicole for making the turkey and bringing it over!

I am grateful for my FRIENDS - I have lived away from my family for 10 1/2 years now and one reason that it has been bearable is because I have been blessed with many great friends throughout the years. We have been lucky to have some family come and go and we are so grateful for them! But we have also relied on some wonderful people that have been our support system, our go to people to celebrate holidays with, friends that I can call on when I need a babysitter or help at the last minute. This fall we have had so many friends bring us meals that were delicious and help out with the girls - it has really eased the pressure for me.

There are many more things that I could add, but these are the things that are at the top of my Thankful List. I am filled with gratitude!

Our Happy Hallloween

We had a great Halloween! The day before we had to take a few pictures of the girls after church because they wanted to match and they looked so cute!

Brooklyn's preschool class Halloween parade - what a cute little cheerleader!

Sydney's class parade - she is always the tallest in the class. Wonder if that will last?

At the class party the kids played pin the eye on the ghost and Sydney honestly went the wrong way and pinned the eye on her teacher. Everyone got a good laugh!

Christian was being wide-eyed all day - it was fun to see him waking up and looking around.

Carving pumpkins on Halloween - love Brooklyn's excited face!

Finishing up with Daddy while Grandma makes dinner.

SOOO excited!

SOOO cute!

Grandma Tish made pumpkin pancakes with jack-o-lantern faces - too fun and delicious, too!

Prepping for trick or treating - the cheerleaders and their little football brother looked adorable.

Getting ready to head out!

I was just about to put the camera away when Christian smiled! I cut him off, but still got one of his first smiles. So sweet!

Returning with the loot - they did awesome!

All in all it was a great night!

Fun With Grandma Tish!

I'm just going to say it - my Mom is amazing. I cannot imagine having a baby without her here to help us out. She is so good with our kids and so great about doing everything that I just can't think about doing right after having a baby, especially a c-section. It is so comforting to know that she is taking care of everything. The fact that Justin feels the same way, too, says a lot about how helpful and wonderful she is. One of the things that I appreciated most this time around was how she took the time to play with the kids and made it real quality time. I'm so grateful for her example and for the love that she gives to us through giving her time and service. I love you Mom!

Grandma helped Sydney sew a blanket for her doll. AMAZING!
Now Sydney wants a sewing machine for Christmas!

She is no doubt great with the babies - she better be after raising 6 kids who have now given her 23 grandchildren!

She taught Sydney some fun tricks - head stands were the favorite. Although Sydney and Brooklyn still do their bicycle stretches, too!

Who can beat airplane rides given by Grandma? Brooklyn gave Grandma a run for her money at first, but Grandma won her over eventually. She still yells "bushel peck! Hug-a-neck!" because of Grandma.

FUN!

Mom made applesauce for us, too. I had every intention of helping her out, but with nursing and picking Sydney up at school, and all the other incidentals that happen she ended up doing it herself (with a little help from the girls at the end). Thank you so much, Mom!

We had some really nice weather days, so the girls got to spend some time outside with Grandma. They LOVED jumping on the trampoline and playing horsey!

Mom also prepped our raspberries for winter and pruned our bushes in the front yard - it was a big job that really needed to be done! Mom, we so appreciate your inability to sit still! We benefited in so many ways. We did have some great conversations, too, and I'm grateful to have you as my Mom and friend. I love you!

Christian - One Week Old!

Finally getting around to sharing a few of my favorite photos of Christian taken by my good friend Jill of Jillyn Photography...

One week old sweetheart

Such a handsome boy

Adoring {and adorable} older sisters

LOVE

EXCITEMENT

Daddy of Three

Mommy of Three

All so HAPPY!

Happy to have our little man home!

After four days in the hospital I was ready to go home and figure out our new "normal." Believe me, I tried to take advantage of every moment in the hospital to heal, rest, and relax without the craziness of home. But it felt good to leave the hospital and feel the fresh air and see the leaves that had started to change while we were there. One thing that made going home seem more doable was the knowledge that Nicole would be there to help out and my Mom would be coming in a few days. I can't say enough how grateful I am for the help that they both gave to us. We could not have done life without them! It is so comforting to know that the laundry is being done, the house is staying clean, meals are being cooked, and Sydney and Brooklyn (and Justin) are being taken care of without me having to do it all on my own. Oh, how I miss them!

Aunt 'Cole still made time to cuddle with Christian.

Both Sydney and Brooklyn were very excited about helping out with everything. They love to get diapers and wipes, put out the changing pad when we are downstairs, and they were especially excited about giving Christian a bath.

Isn't he so sweet?!? Love that little angel face and those dark eyes. Justin was very sweet to say that it didn't feel right to give him a bath without my Mom there - she has always been there to help. So I just gave him a little sponge bath and saved the real thing for Grandma Tish.

Grandma Tish came one week after Christian was born - it was so nice to have her here.

Our helpers getting ready for the real first bath - this was so exciting for them.

Such sweetness in those newborn eyes. I love how calm he looks in this picture.

Bath time helpers!

When I said that the girls love to help that is definitely true, but Sydney is especially helpful, which is appropriate since she has a few more years of experience than Brooklyn. When we first got home, she and Brooklyn seemed to trade places. Brooklyn was finally calm and happy now that we were home - I think before it was like she couldn't handle things being out of balance with Mommy being gone. Thankfully she adjusted very quickly without any major issues. She always made us laugh because she would come up and say "Can I hold it?" After awhile she started calling him "Chwistian" or "baby bwudda." She is pretty darn cute. Sydney, on the other hand, seemed to retract a bit when we got home. She became very controlling of things and situations. It was quite a struggle with lots of tantrums and timeouts that were not really age-appropriate. But thankfully she settled in after about a week - I feel like she found her place as the helper to the nth degree and that made her feel in control and safe. I have to laugh because she notices everything and copies my every move. When I need to nurse Christian she is right there offering to hold him while I "get situated." Then she stands there and asks if it hurts (probably because of my expressions - it really does hurt!) and if I'm okay. One day she made me laugh because she asked, "Is Christian ready to milk you?" Pretty funny! She also carries around her doll Bella and does everything that I do - I feel like I am constantly in a game of copycat!

Christian is a joy to have in our family - we love our little man! His birth really went well. By the third c-section I feel like I was very ready for what was coming my way...almost too ready at times because I was a little impatient. When I was on the operating table I felt so antsy! I just wanted to move and get on with meeting my baby. I wondered how it would be being a mom of a little boy - I was a little nervous because I haven't really done much with boys. (I was a nanny for two families that only had girls and then to this point I've only had girls.) After the nurses cleaned him and wrapped him up they brought him over to Justin and I. They laid him on my chest and he calmed down a little bit. I was no longer worried - the love I felt for my little boy right then was amazing. I really do love being a mother - there is nothing like it! I couldn't stop kissing his little cheeks - I still can't - they are so soft and sweet. I love that he looks just like his Daddy - it even looks like he might have a little dimple in his chin, too. There is nothing better than seeing a little miniature version of my wonderful husband.

All in all, we are adjusting to our new normal as a family of five. Here's to lots more great memories!

Time at the Hospital and Going Home

A few more pictures of our sweet little guy at the hospital...
Proud Papa.

So handsome...like his Daddy!

It was so fun to have some of my girlfriends visit us in the hospital!

Such a cute, proud big sister!

That makes two!

Love this face...happily fed little guy.

Getting ready to go home. Brooklyn was falling apart during our hospital stay - I think she just didn't like her world being turned upside down.

All seemed to be better once we were home.

So happy together!