Goldilocks....Lily's version

Lily loves to tell the story of Goldilocks. I think she makes a great storyteller just like her dad. (Warning: Minor violence. Listeners discretion advised)

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Here is a little clip of Jacob telling the kids the story at bedtime. I didn't turn on the light because I didn't want them to know I was there.

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"Best fort ever"

Picture this: four dining chairs with a couple couch cushions placed in a circle and a large blanket thrown over the top. This was the fort I built for the kids yesterday and according to Lily it was the "Best fort ever."

I was pretty proud of myself for this fort so of course at the end of the day as we were getting ready for bed I told Jacob of my fort building skills and how I can make the best fort ever. I made it quite clear that I was probably the best and that nobody could top me.

Today Jacob stayed home from church with the kids because Jake and Lily still weren't quite over an illness. I went with Asher and the whole time I was getting ready Jacob kept acting like he was anxious to get me out of there. I could tell something was up but he kept telling me that it was nothing. As I was walking out the door I turned to him and said..."Well, I know somethings up and I'm not sure I like it." It turns out I was right.

I came home to the whole front room turned upside down into one big fort.(so much for being too sick for church) I have to admit that (aside from a few minor improvements I made) it was a pretty awesome fort and according to Lily it was "The best fort ever."

Here is Lily standing in the doorway.

This is the inside.
This is the "backyard"(where Lily is standing) and on the other side is the kitchen. It also had a place to take a shower.(Lily's addition)
Ok Jacob, you win. This is the best fort but let me just ask you this.... Did you pretend to be the big bad wolf like I did and chase the kids around and try to blow the fort down whenever they would hide inside? You might have had the best built fort but mine was probably more fun....at least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.

ps. Just in case anyone was wondering: Yes the fort is still standing and yes we ate dinner in it.

Ticklish Teeth

When the kids turn two we give them an electric toothbrush. This is Jakes first time using his. It's going to take some getting used to but he loves it.

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All About Jake

Jake turned the dreaded 2 on the 16th. It's weird to think that two years have gone by since he came in to our family and that I already have another one who is 6 weeks. It has been so fun to watch this kid change and grow over the last two years. He is quite a character.

(All pictures were taken the night of his birthday. Please excuse the old man combover. He had just taken a bath.)
Jake loves his big sister. He likes to do whatever she is doing. I wish he liked to eat whatever she is eating but that's a whole different story.
This kid is the biggest sweetheart.(most of the time) He can be plenty silly at times but is usually more quiet and reserved. He loves to sit in his room for long periods of time and just read. He is very sensitive and shy and is a total momma's boy.(except that is slowly changing:(
I love his eye lashes. They are even longer than Lily's.
My favorite things about Jake:

He always says "Thank You"

He loves to snuggle with me still

He has the sweetest little voice, especially when saying his prayers

He doesn't know his colors but he could tell you the name of just about any dinosaur

He loves to read

He is so good with his little brother and always says "Baby Asher so cute"

He has the best dinosaur roar (his whole face gets involved)

He has big clumsy feet and whenever he falls he says "oops I missed"

He is great at sharing

His favorite....

color: Pink

Food: Pediasure (we're still working on that one)

movie: Dinosaur aka "Aladar"

book: anything dinosaur related

We sure love this guy and are so grateful he is in our family.

Psion Beta

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Same Outfit, Different Boy

I was going to do one of those who is who posts but then I realized these boys don't look anything alike at all. Even if they did, Lily being in the picture gives it away. She still has to be involved in every picture I take.

I don't know why but it's weird to think these two are brothers. The're not only different in the way they look but their personalities are so different at this age. Jake was so calm and content all the time. I could put him down and almost forget he was there because he wouldn't make a peep. Ash however won't even let me think about putting him down. If I just switch arms or make a movement that seems like I might be putting him down he gets that big sad face and his chin starts to quiver. It breaks my heart.

Asher: Such a sweet little face he has. I love his intent eyes, chubby little cheeks and little nose. He really is a sweetheart despite his fussiness.

Jake: Oh how I miss this serious little face. It's hard to see my kids grow up but I must say I love his serious little face now too. I love that he was born with blond/red hair and blueish eyes. He also had a big nose which was adorable.

Asher
Jake: Oh and I can't forget his darling little dimple that he still has.

Big Sister Lily

This picture was taken when we found out we were pregnant with Jake. She may not look like she really cares about being a big sister here but she sure cares now.

Yesterday the boys had their 4 week and 2 year checkups. Jake gets pretty nervous when going to see the Dr. He started crying when they asked him to step on the scale, and trying to make him stand against the wall to measure his height was tricky. (He usually starts crying the minute we walk in to the office so we're making progress) By the time the Dr. came in the room he was hiding under the table. Lily assured him he would be fine and he eventually came out. He wouldn't let the Dr. touch him with the stethoscope so Lily had him use it on her to show Jake how easy and not scary it was. Then it was time to lie on the table to be examined. He began to cry but Lily jumped up on a step stool and held his hand. She kept leaning in close to him saying "It's ok Jake I'm right here. You're going to be fine." Then she would kiss him on the forehead. She continued to do this throughout the remainder of the examination and the Dr. kept looking at me smiling because it was so cute. What made it even cuter was that Jake was actually consoled by her efforts. (Just so I have it on record somewhere, Asher weighed 9lbs. 12oz. and Jake was 27lbs.)

This picture was taken tonight as they were goofing off on our bed. Also things that happened tonight: Lily gave Jake a hug and kiss for no reason and Jake said "Thanks Lily hug n kiss." After we tucked them in bed I could hear Lily talking. As I got closer to the room I could hear that she was telling Jake the story of Goldylocks. It was pretty cute if I may say so myself. (except for the part where the bears eat Goldylocks. She's been listening to dad again.)

Lily also loves being a big sister to this little guy. She is so helpful and loves being involved with everything I do concerning him. Tonight at dinner Ash threw up all over me right as we were sitting down.(Jacob was out with the missionaries so things were a little crazy) The room was silent as we all just stared at the mess thinking the same thing which was "Oh great" when Lily finally said "Don't worry mom. I'll go get a rag." She brought a rag then said "Oh sorry, did you need me to get it wet?" Unfortunately not even a wet rag could help the situation. It was definitely bath time.

Earlier today Ash woke up from his nap crying but I was in the middle of something so it took me a minute to get to him. When I went in his room I found Lily standing by the crib singing "I Am A Child Of God."

One of Lily's favorite things to do with Asher is hold him while she watches a show. She is constantly saying "Mom Asher is so cute. Why is he so cute?" to which I reply "Because he's you're brother."

Asher's Birth

I'd have to say that this was by far the easiest delivery I've had so far.(Thank you little Ash) In fact the hardest part was probably getting up at 4:30am in order to be to the hospital by 6:00am. Ok so that's not entirely true but seriously, I couldn't have asked for a better delivery.

I was worried because we were inducing 8 days early but I was already dilated to a 3 and 85% effaced so my Dr. said it would not be a problem.We were a little late getting to the hospital(shocker) so I probably didn't get started on pitocin till about 7:30. Then it was just a waiting game. I already knew I was going to get an epidural early in the game just because the last two times I held off as long as I could and it was torturous. This time I figured if I'm going to get one anyway then why not just do it earlier and save myself the torture. After a few hours I still hadn't really felt anything. The charts were showing major contractions but for some reason they weren't bothering me too bad. After another couple hours they started to get pretty uncomfortable but not too unbearable but I wanted to be numb before it got to that point.

Last time I had a resident place(or should I say misplace) the epidural and it didn't work. Unfortunately for me I had to have a worthless epidural when delivering my biggest child.(9 lbs. 2.0z) I did NOT want that to happen again so we asked for a non resident. The guy I got was AMAZING! They said he could do the job with his eyes closed although I'm glad he didn't. Lets just say I couldn't feel a thing. They had to tell me when to push because I had no idea.

Shortly after the epidural I was dilated to a 6 and 95% effaced. Then my water broke and it was pretty much go time after that. I jumped to a 9 and my Dr. said I could start pushing. I usually push for about 45 minutes but after 4 pushes this little guy was welcomed into the world at 12:28pm weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long.They placed him right on my stomach so I could look at him. He cried for a second then just lay there looking so peaceful and perfect. His head was hardly misshapen and was not too swollen. It was love at first sight. I got pretty emotional in that moment just watching him sleep on my tummy. He had the sweetest little face.

They told me the epidural would wear off after a couple hours and then they would move me to the post delivery room. 4 hours later I was finally able to move my legs a little bit. (I told you it was a good one) In fact Jacob was holding my leg during delivery and after the baby was born he (forgetting I was numb) dropped my leg to go get the camera. It slammed down so hard and my Dr. laughed and said "Wow, now that's a dead leg."

This was the first time I kept the baby in the room with me at night. I usually send them off to the nursery but I didn't really think about that this time. It just sort of seemed natural to keep him with me. Needless to say it was a horrible night. He fussed and fussed and I thought I had myself one of those babies thats just fussy all the time. By the next day I wanted out of there and luckily the staff was able to make that happen for me.

It was so nice to be home and so far we are doing Well. Asher is not a fussy baby he is actually really good and my recovery has gone a lot better than the last two times. I love this little guy and am so happy he is in our family. The kids love him (so far) and things have been great. I am so proud of my family of 5.