Rosalie's Baby Blessing

 We blessed our little Rosalie on November 2nd and, as with our two others, we blessed her at home.  I much prefer blessing our babies at home, for us at least, it keeps such a sacred moment that much more private.  I asked a good friend of ours to take some pictures for us while she was up, and she willingly obliged, we love Jess!

 My precious girl.  This was right in the heart of her colicky symptoms, and she was ready to start screaming at any minute.

 Such a sweet girl.

 I love this picture.  Those feelings I have as a mother for my newborn, right here.

 Awww, look at my girl.  She is so sweet!

 My Marin, she is such a great big sister.

 And my Owen....with PB on his face, haha!

 I can't say I'm thrilled about my appearance.  Truthfully, I really struggle with myself after I give birth.  I always gain so much weight (though this was my least...only 47 pounds, HA!), and my body does not shed the pounds while breastfeeding.  I am trying hard to love myself on the road to improvement.

 Kristoffer's Grandmother, DaNece Lyman Watts holding baby girl.  She is such a wonderful support to us, such a great listener, we love her.

I wish I could say the blessing day was peaceful and wonderful, but we had some pretty intense conflict that day and the two days previous. It was a very hurtful few days, and my husband and I spent months before the blessing trying to decide the best course of action for that day, and in the end, things ended the way we thought they would.  There were many tears and many prayers for peace for that day....sometimes I wonder to any avail.  Perhaps this is the opening for another opportunity, I can only pray. 

In the end, I was able to watch my incredibly amazing, loving, hardworking husband take our sweet infant in his arms, and bless her and give her a name.  I can't tell you how much I love that man, my husband.  What a blessing to have the priesthood in my home, and to know that he can bless our children and continue to bless them in their times of need.  As a mother, I work so hard to make sure my family is taken care of with the best of what I can give, and in a society that devalues men and husbands and fathers, I want my children to know how important their father is.  I want them to feel loved and cherished by a worthy man who can help them to find their own relationship with Christ.  Is that not the single most important role of a parent?  For who else can help them make the best choices possible when mom and dad are no longer close by?  I trust my husband more and more each day because I've watched him build himself for the last nine years into the man he is today, and I am amazed at how far he has come.  There are so many wonderful, Christ driven men out there today, and Kristoffer was made for me. We've created three beautiful children together, and I've watched him bless each one with purpose, intent, and sacred duty, and I couldn't be more blessed.

Decembering

It seems as though I've been muddling my way through the last couple of months, obviously with a newborn, this should be apparent to me but it seems as though I keep forgetting I can't do it all.  I accepted a calling when I was 8 months pregnant to be the compassionate service leader.  I was totally hesitant to accept it, because I was totally, 100% in the middle of pregnancy brain.  BUT, I told the Bishop I would accept the calling with MUCH faith that it would be something I could do when I wasn't pregnant.  Honestly, it's been a ridiculously busy calling.  Who would have guessed?!  I've been on the phone with the RS president almost every day discussing needs and following up with people and calling, calling, calling for meals.  It's exhausting, but really, it's a great calling for me.  I enjoy really getting to know everyone in the ward and knowing where they live and a little piece of their story and just being a part of a 'helping team'...it's the nurse in me, I know.

So, here are some December happenings!

We bought a membership to the Treehouse Museum, I think it will come in handy this winter when we have nothing to do!

 We split up, Kris followed Owen around (Owen is *fast*), and I took baby and followed Marin.  This girl is growing up right before my very eyes.

 An engineer.  He is such a boy.

 I got to take my little buddy out on a date, just simple, I-Hop and DI.  He is such a cute boy, he really does make me laugh every day.  Every day there is something he says that is just so funny.

 Marin is such a sweet little helper with Rosie.

 I love these little footlets on these cute little feet!!

 Decorating the tree!!  Marin just about had the whole thing decorated in FIVE minutes, flat.  She was so fast.  We had to tell her to slow down. 

 We had a family home evening lesson the other night on putting on the armor of God.  Such a great lesson on Pinterest.  We talked about what knights wore to protect them and what would happen if they took off that armor.  Then we put two oranges in a bowl of water, and began to take the peel off one orange and watched while it gradually sank.  Comparing how we need that protection to keep us from sinking every day.  It was actually pretty fun for the kids.

 My big girl, and my little girl!

 Tiny little fingers.

 Winco, we love Winco.  And ended up taking all three kids with us...watch out for the Lyman train!

 O....M...G...look at that cute snuggly baby!  She is very specific about how she sleeps, three snuggly blankets, no swaddling, and one binky.

 Owen had been asking about guns...he loves them, BTW.  So, I pulled out my dad's .30-30 rifle the other day.  I took it home with me the week after he died, and it's the first time I've opened the case since then.  I miss my dad, and opening the gun case opened a lot of other memories.  I've thought about him a lot in the last week and I just keep missing him.  Such a good, good man taken from this earth far too soon. 

 Decorating the gingerbread house!  Once again, Marin was ready to blaze right through!

 They did a great job, and worked very well together.  Sometimes these moments can be full of contention, but it was a good time.

 Oh, my son.

 There's my happy girl!  She is so sweet when she smiles, it totally makes up for all the crying.

 The kids made our elf, Nicholas, some elf donuts (cheerios covered in chocolate and powdered sugar), it was such a fun activity.

We have so much to be grateful for.  We love our growing family and while there are days filled with tears, they are moments of growth and maturation.  I feel as though this third child has brought me to the bridge that crosses over into the next land of my life and that bridge is scary and dangerous and terrifying and I don't think I can do it, but there isn't a choice because I'm on it and the piece of land I used to be on is already gone....faded into nothing.  I'm crossing this scary bridge into the next part of my life, my thirties, with three children and 8+ years of marriage.  It's exhausting, but it's a story, it's a life and it's mine and I'm so proud to own it and be the author if it.  The tough times will come no matter what.  Pain will come no matter what, and I can try to avoid it or I can feel every ounce of it and live to tell the story.  I'm going to have a great story someday.

Family of Five: Settling In!

Transitioning to three children has taken me for an absolute RIDE, let me tell you.  I've cried...and cried, and cried some more.  Mostly out of sheer exhaustion, really.  Sweet Rosalie is colicky, and it's been a hard realization as a mother.  When your baby cries ans cries and cries...ALL the time, and can't be put down for more than thirty seconds, literally...if that long.  It makes me wonder what I did wrong, you know?  And even though I know it's nothing I did, I still can't help but take it a little personally.  So I spend my days snuggling a newborn, which is wonderful and I love it so, SO much, but she's just...a crying baby, bummer huh?!

I was climbing the walls a few weeks ago, so I took Owen to the park.  He does such a great a job on his bike, those training wheels will be off next summer, for sure!

 This is when my Rosie is the most content, right after she's done eating, completely full to the gills with milk.

 Marin was absolutely insistent on being Elsa for Halloween, so I tried my hardest to pull off the circular French braid...and it actually came out super cute!

 My crazy Ninja.

 Just a little two week old Rosie and Mama!

 I showed Marin how to do leaf rubbings a few weeks ago, she thought it was pretty cool.

 Sweet face, how can I be frustrated at this face for long?

 My position on the couch when I feed her....twelve times a day, it seems!

 Same life, different day!

 And the kitty on my lap.  She needs attention.

 Everyday, sans makeup. 

 Four week old pictures!  She is getting so big!

 A few happy moments!

 We love having a fireplace, and when it got cold the other week, we turned it on...it was so nice!  The kitty loved it, too.

 Sunset on the mountains, we have such a pretty view.

 We actually had a wintertime rainbow, how crazy is that?

 Aaaand introducing my new size NINE feet.  Yeah, I'm so not thrilled about the half size upgrade.  I've escaped it up until this third baby, but the mom-foot-monger finally found me :(

 A rare picture of me WITH makeup on and not looking like death, huzzah!

 My mother says she looks like me when I was a baby....I'd have to agree, but I have a feeling it wont last; my other two kids have turned out looking just like daddy!

 My little Owen after pre-school, he loves preschool.

 Just the other day, snuggling with daddy.  Her baby hair is falling out already, and her new hair is coming in, look at her hairline!  I have a feeling she's going to have dark hair!

So glad we are finally *starting* to settle into a routine...at six weeks old!  It's taken a looong time, and it's veeeery slow going with this girl, but we are making progress I like to think.