First day of school

Cayden started school this week. I can't believe how grown up he is, and I definately can't believe that he is starting school this year. He has the amazing opportunity of attending American Heritage, which is an LDS based private school. I am so impressed with their curriculum and their focus on inviting the spirit in the classroom. They bring a gospel perspective into the everyday learning. Because he is at a private school he gets to wear a uniform this year. He was so excited to go shopping to get his uniform clothes. As I sat there watching him walk into the school the first day I realized that this was the beginning of his andventures out in the world, and of him creating his own story! I hope I have prepared him and that he has a solid foundation in the gospel from our home. Thank goodness that we still have so many more years with him at home to teach him. I guess it just made me realize that now he will have so many other people shaping his views of the world, Chuck I will no longer be the only huge influence in his life. I am so excited for him though, and know he will do great. He loved school and made lots of friends and loved his teacher.

All ready for school in his cute litte uniform

Mommy and Cayden

Cayden and Daddy

Emma was so sad she couldn't start school too, she starts this week.

At school with his first project, a collage of himself and all the things he likes to do.

I had to put this picture. This is his cutest outfit in the uniforms he has. He wore this the second day of school. Isn't he so hansome and grown up.

Soccer!!!

Cayden started soccer this season. He is so excited to have some of his friends on his team. They have had 3 games so far and have gotten so much better in just a couple of weeks. Chuck is coaching the team and having so much spending time with Cayden. Cayden was so cute, he was so excited that daddy was coaching his team that now he walks around calling Chuck Coach and he wants Chuck to call him #2, which is the number on his uniform. He is really good as long as he doesn't get tired. He hasn't scored any goals yet but has been really close a number of times. He is really good at kicking the ball and breaking away from the rest of the players. He will kick the ball so hard and run out in front of everyone else and take the ball all the way down the field. Now we just need to work on his aim at the goal. Anyway, he is having fun and that is what's important.

My little soccer player, isn't he so cute in his uniform

Cayden Wyatt and Ethan, they are all in the same primary class and are so excited to be on the same soccer team.

Coach and #2

Kicking the ball in the goal

Last summer party!!

The Saturday before we started school our friends had a big barbeque. It was so much fun and so much great food. After the dinner when it got dark we went outside an they hung a big sheet on the wall and the kids all got in sleepingbags and the played Madagascar 2 with a projector on the sheet. The kids loved it. We love our friends here, they are so great. We are so grateful we live in such a great neighborhood and ward.

All the kids watching the show

Daddy and Emma

Don't we look so cute.

Sweet Monotony

Feeding
Feeding Burping
Feeding Burping Changing
Feeding Burping Changing Cooing
Feeding Burping Changing Cooing Fussing
Feeding Burping Changing Cooing Fussing Rocking
Feeding Burping Changing Cooing Fussing Rocking
Feeding Burping Changing Cooing Fussing Cooing
Burping Changing Cooing Fussing Rocking Sleeping
Changing Cooing Fussing Rocking Sleeping Waking
Cooing Fussing Rocking Sleeping Waking
Fussing Rocking Sleeping Waking
Rocking Sleeping Waking
Sleeping Waking
Waking
Thought the order may change,
The motions are the same.
Regardless of time,
Regardless of day,
My life
And the life of my baby's
Is made up of the same movements
over and
over and
over again.
It is exhausting
For both of us.
I sometimes long for a change. . . does she?
But then I remember that
Music is made
Using the same seven notes in variation.
And only twenty-six letters combine
to create poems, and plays, and masterpieces.
I realize that monotony can create miracles.
So I will go through the motions with my baby
And we will dance
Through the pages
of our own story.

I found this in a book my mom gave me about motherhood, "Unlikely Truths of Motherhood." This describes so much how I am feeling right now. Sometimes it is so exhausting and monotonous. I told Chuck that between feeding the baby all day and running Cayden and Emma back and forth from school, soccer, and dance I feel like all I am is a milk cow and shofer. But as I bathed Gracie this morning at 6:00 am (cause she had thrown up all over herself) and she looked up at me and gave me a huge smile filled with trust and safety and love, I realized that I am creating a miracle. She is our miracle, and I have the honor of partnering with my Heavenly Father to help her create her story. And just as my Heavenly Father will always be there for me, I will always be there for her. Even when it is tiring and hard and emotional and monotonous. And I will find joy, because I am helping to create a miracle in the life of my sweet baby girl.

Let me be the best!

Since I wrote about Emma's last prayer I thought I might as well include a tidbit from Cayden's prayer tonight.
"Dear Heavenly Father, I am so excited for my soccer game tommorrow. I really want to win, even though my mom says that is not the most important thing, I still really want to win. And Heavenly Father I really want to be the best player. I know it will make all the other players sad that I am the best, but I still really want to be the best, so please help me. Amen"

I love this boy!!

Emma's Prayer

I guess I must have been a little bit snappy with the kids last night cause this is how Emma's bedtime prayer went.
"Dear Heavenly Father. Please bless my mommy that she will not say (in her loudest voice) "EMMA GET IN YOUR BED NOW", but that she will say (in her sweetest voice) "Emma please get in your bed princess"
"I know my mommy wants to be nice to me, so please give her the strength to talk nice to me."

Yes Father, please give me the strength to not get frustrated with my kids. Give me the strength to always speak with love, patience, and kindness. And give me the stength to get through the day without passing out from exhaustion!

Finding Joy!!!

I was so worried about having our third child. Everyone told me that the third was the hardest and that it was going to be horrible, but I am enjoying Gracie so much. I think that things were so hard after Emma because I had postpardum so bad, that this seems so much easier. Obviously I'm tired and it is an adjustment, but I am just so grateful for her and am so in love with her. We tried so hard to get pregnant with her, and I didn't know if we would be able to have another child, so I am so grateful for what a blessing she is in our lives. I don't know if I will have any more kids, so I really want to treasure the time I have with her. Even with Cayden and Emma, I have realized how fast they are growing up, I don't want to miss anything. I am really trying to find joy in every day. I love to hold and cuddle Grace, she is so sweet. I love to watch Cayden and Emma with her, and how much they love her. I am trying to not care if the laundry isn't done, and the house is a mess, and I don't know what we are having for dinner. As long as I can sit and rock my baby and get to read and cuddle with Cayden and Emma, then I am happy. Anyway, I am just so grateful for this time in our lives. I love my kids so much, and I am so grateful for them, they are my greatest blessings and they bring me so much Joy. I am going to try and keep reminding myself of this, even in a couple months when I am so sleep deprived that I am getting a little psychotic.

Gracie infant pics

I have been trying to do Gracie's infant pictures over the last couple of days. She is being a little stinker and she keeps waking up. I still have to do mom and baby pics and pics with Grace, Cayden and Emma. I have so many cute ideas in my head for pictures but she wakes up every time I try to do it. So we had to do some simple ones, I am really happy with how they turned out though, considering she was only asleep for like 5 minutes for the pictures with Chuck and another 5 minutes when I did all the other pictures. She is so beautiful and I love love love her hair. I will post the others when I get them done.

Emma was so cute, she tried so hard to do what I was asking her to do, but all the pictures looked so awkward with how she was holding her head. This was the only cute one!

My awake little girl!



I love this picture, I think her facial expression looks so much like Chuck!

I love to sleep

My name is Gracie and I love to sleep, as long as it is day time. Mommy can't get me to wake up and eat no matter how hard she tries. But at night, that is when I like to party. I wake up and never want to go back to sleep. Thank heavens I have a daddy who loves to rock me for hours to help me get back to sleep. I think I have daddy wrapped around my tiny little finger already!

My first gassy smile caught on camera!