Updates

So since I am so behind I decided to devote a post to each kid. So BEWARE there are three long posts under this one.

Jaxon

My little guy is turning into a young man. My mom told me that after I brought Anastyn home that I would notice how much older my kids would seem and this was just the case with Jaxon. In the last couple of months it seems like he has aged in years. I can't believe that in a few short months we will be celebrating his 5th birthday!

The other night I needed to run to the grocery store and he asked if he could come. I usually try to only take one kid with me so I decided to let him go this time. We went to a store that had one of those shopping carts for kids and that was the only cart we got since we only had a couple of things to get. Jaxon loaded the cart, made most of the grocery choices by himself, scanned all of the food on the self scanner, loaded it into the car and helped me carry it into the house. I couldn't believe how efficiently my 4 1/2 year old had just grocery shopped pretty much by himself.

He is also the best big brother. He adores both of his sisters. Paisley is his best friend. They fight often but they love each other even more. After braiding her hair the other day he told her that her hair looked beautiful and I just love the way he looks at Anastyn. It is like he thinks she is the most important thing on the Earth and he can't help but kiss her all day long.

This kid has a lot of love to give. He tells me several times a day that he loves me and he always wants to snuggle with me on the couch. He is also very social. He thrives off social situations and it amazes me how well he does around new people.

He is very athletic. We just finished up soccer and T-ball and he did great in both. All day long he is throwing or kicking balls around the house. Although I often have to keep him from breaking something his coordination is astounding.

Jaxon is a very witty kid with a lot of self-confidence. He primary teacher told Jared the other day that he is always making him laugh. Supposedly the other day a woman walked by his primary class and told him that he was cute. Jaxon then turned to his teacher and said "That's because I am Jaxon" and one day I was helping him with the scripture in Primary and for some reason he kept telling the kids next to him that his Dad calls him trash (which of course is not true but it had everyone in primary laughing). He says such funny things that I have a journal devoted to the funny things he says so that I will remember them someday when he is older.

A couple of things that he loves are the color orange, and anything electronic (especially the Wii). He is very smart when it comes to technology he can figure anything out by himself. And he loves spending time with his dad. They go on a lot of adventures together.

I am very proud of this boy and the young man that he is turning into. I can't wait to see what his life has in store for him.

Paisley

Oh where do I start with our sweet Paisley. She has taught me so much about patience but she is our only child who can bat her eyes with innocence after doing something mischievious and get away with it. I am always on my toes with her thinking three steps ahead. She is very smart and amazes me daily with the things she knows or can figure out.

She has the most gorgeous smile and when you ask to see it she wrinkles her nose, closes her eyes, and smiles really big so you can see all of her teeth. She also has the bluest eyes so far.

Whenever we have something planned I have to plan an extra 20+ minutes because she is definitely "Ms. Independent" but I have learned that she is capable of a lot more than I think she is. After she has accomplished something she grins with excitement and says "Mom, I did it!"

She is our best eater and still a great sleeper. Every night when we tuck her into bed we have to sing her "The Snowman Song" and "I am a Child of God."

She loves nursery and I am often told that she is a shy, sweet girl and I always think "What, My Paisley Shy?" but it is true she does have a touch of shyness when she is around strangers or people other than her family.

Her favorite things include having books read to her, playing with her dolls, coloring, helping with her sister, playing with her brother, and making messes for Mom to clean up!

She has really enjoyed swimming this year even though she fears the water so much.

She is definitely our girly girl. She loves to put on "Pretties" (aka makeup) with me everyday. Last night while the boys were at the demolition derby we had a Girl's Night and we went shopping, out to dinner, and then came home and painted our nails. I can't wait as she grows up and we can do stuff like this more regularly.

Although we butt heads often I really love this silly, smart, beautiful girl!

Anastyn

Where has the time gone. Our baby turned 3 months old and she already has quite the personality. Here are some fun facts about her:

- She has been sleeping at least 8 hours since she was a month so there is no complaining from me for lack of sleep.

- At her 2 month appointment she weighed 10 lbs. 9 oz. and was 22.5 in. She was in the 60% for everything (perfectly proportioned).

-I can get her to laugh really hard if I kiss her chin or tickle her neck. She has the cutest laugh and this is the earliest that any of our kids has laughed.

-She hates laying down and loves to stand on her feet.

-She loves the swing and will fall asleep whenever we put her in it.

-She is a thumb sucker like her brother. They actually are very similar babies maybe that is why for the whole pregnancy I thought I was for sure having a boy.

-She adores her brother and sister and loves when they sit and talk to her.

-Her hair still sticks straight up but I am sad to say that I noticed the other day that it is starting to fall flat.

-She smiles and talks all the time! She is a pretty content baby.

Here are some cute pictures of our sweet baby:

(I love this picture with both of them smiling)

(This was taken on the 4th of July)

We blessed Anastyn the end of May and we are so grateful for all the family that came out for this special occasion. Jared's stepmom took these pictures of her in her blessing dress.

(sorry this picture isn't very good it was taken on my phone)

One Month

I can't believe Anastyn is already a month old. She is still so content. She is starting to cry a little more and by that I mean maybe twice or three times a day and they are only little screeches to let us know she is hungry. I can't complain and I think the transition to three kids has been easier than it was to two kids. She is already sleeping 5 to 6 hours at night so I am not feeling sleep deprived and today I got my first smile as a reaction to talking to her. I have caught her laughing a couple of times in her sleep which is so cute. I think she is going to have a very cute personality. We sure love our little Annie, her brother and sister cannot get enough of her and smother her with kisses all day long. She is starting to show signs that she will be a thumb sucker but I don't know if she will take to that or a pacifier because she is so content and rarely needs either. These pictures were actually taken a week ago and she has changed so much since then.

We are sure glad that she is part of our family!

IT'S A......

GIRL!!

Anastyn Reese

was born April 25, 2011

7 lbs 7 oz & 20 in long

Things went better than we could have ever hoped for. I had elected the week before to be induced on this day. I was nervous because sometime inductions can take longer than if you go into labor on your own but from experience with the other two I knew for me that labor doesn't really start unless my water breaks and that hasn't ever happened on it own so I figured if my body was ready enough according to the doctor than I would try to be induced. I actually liked knowing when I was going to be in the hospital so we could plan accordingly. They called us Monday morning and asked if we could be to the hospital by 9. By the time we were settled into our room it was about 9:30. We were blessed with a great nurse who listened to our needs and did exactly what we said needed to be done and I think that is why it went so smoothly. They started pitocin, gave me the epidural, then broke my water all within the first hour. I told them once they broke my water it would go pretty fast, so the nurse was very good to keep checking. I said once I got to a 7 that I would get to a ten really fast so when I was at a 7 she called the doctor, by the time he arrived I was at an 8. He walked out of the room for a few minutes to update my chart and I said I was feeling pressure so he came in and I was at a 10. Pushed for about 15 to 20 minutes and then we were surprised to see our baby girl who was born at 1:26pm, almost exactly four hours after being checked into the hospital.

We were pretty surprised that it was a girl because both Jared and I had suspected it would be a boy. I think Jared was more surprised than I was because he was almost 100% sure that it was a boy, but a recent ultrasound had me thinking differently. We had a boy name chosen but were still unsure about a girl's name, we just couldn't decide on one that we liked and girl names are so hard for me to come up with because I have so many things I want, but my main thing that I wanted was a cute nickname. So we narrowed down the list to Analynn or Aniston until Jared said to spell Aniston with an "a" and a "y" then I was sold so that is how we got Anastyn and Reese is the last name on his mom's side. So we named her Anastyn Reese and sometimes we call her Annie.

Jaxon just absolutely adores her and can't seem to get enough of her each day. He takes time out from playing just to give her kisses. I was worried when he found out he had another sister but has loved her from the moment he saw her and he is already the protective big brother.

Paisley is doing quite well with the adjustment. She loves to hold the baby and go in and see her when she is sleeping. I think it will be so fun for her to have a sister close to her age as she gets older. Both kids seem to have grown up so much since she was born.

Anastyn has been such a good tempered baby. She very rarely cries. The one picture at the top is the only one we have of her crying in the hospital and even then the nurses had to do quite a bit to get her to cry. She is just so content with life and it has made the adjustment from 2 to 3 kids very easy. We feel so blessed to have her in our lives!

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Well we had quite an eventful year and although it is over I am sure that 2011 will have just as much excitement for our family.

Here are a few highlights from 2010:

1. Paisley started walking at the very beginning of the year and has never looked back since.

2. Jaxon started primary and loves it.

3. We started the home buying process but after much thought and prayer we changed our minds.

4. We spent months searching for a job for Jared, traveling all over Utah for interviews.

5. Jared's truck finally died on us after giving us its best; we are now a one car family.

6. Jared quit his job in Page and we found ourselves moving to Northern Utah without employment.

7. Jared landed a GREAT job at a Methadone clinic counseling clients who are addicted to heroin and pain killers.

8. We moved twice in 2 months (Highly don't recommend if it can be avoided).

Here is what we have to look forward to in 2011:

1. My youngest brother Alex is leaving on a mission to Hondurus in early April.

2. We will welcome baby #3 at the end of April. We decided not to find out the gender so that will be a surprise when baby arrives.

3. We will finally buy another car :)

4. Jared will receive his substance abuse certificate through the University of Utah.

5. Jared will spend two weeks in Hawaii for military orders, the only down is this is suppose to be only weeks after baby #3 arrives.

6. Jaxon will start his first season of soccer.

7. We will celebrate our 6th anniversary this year!

8. One year older for each of us: Paisley 2 and Jaxon 5

Here are some things to hope for in 2011:

1. A trip to Colorado to visit family and friends

2. Not having to move again

3. Lots of time with family

4. Finding a part-time job or a cool hobby to get me out of the house for a few hours each week.

5. Learn how to coupon like the best of them.

6. Take more pictures and update my blog more often

We realized how much the Lord's hand has been in our lives especially this last year our faith and trust in him grew even stronger and we can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us this year. Hope everyone had a great 2010 and hope that 2011 brings great things to each of you.

Update 1- Change

So I have started this post about three separate times but have yet to finish it. This is post number one on a list of posts that still need to be completed and this one comes without pictures, but hopefully if I can get some uploaded I can post some of the fun things we have done this summer. Well we have been on the road quite a bit this summer not just for family fun time but in search of a job.

I know my last post talked about buying a house but after a termite inspection we decided it wasnt the right thing to do. Not only did we decide that we weren't going to buy the house but we decided it was time to leave behind beautiful Lake Powell and move to somewhere new where Jared could get his social work license in Utah and be closer to family and Navy obligations. So after four months of traveling across utah to cities like Loa, Moab, Panguitch, and Tooele and after a few thousand miles later we have decided to move to northern Utah. I don't want to list our exact location for safety sakes but you are welcome to email me if you want to know where we will be.

Still jobless but we know we are on the right path. Jared is going to be taking some substance abuse classes from the University of Utah (I know we have really crossed the dark side now) and he is still interviewing for jobs.

So in the next week we will pack up our house bid farewell to our home here which I will miss greatly and all the wonderful friends I have made and we will move to a new place where hopefully we can call home for a very long time.

Blog Overload

This is going to be major blog overload. Living in a small town blogging has become a chore because our internet connection is so slow. I will just update the most important things and an update of each one of us.

I got this beauty for Christmas (Thanks Dad and Cindy!) and until now haven't been able to download any pictures.

*Our most exciting news is that we are in the process of purchasing our first home. We decided to buy a home in town so that Jared doesn't have to commute everyday and we are going to have to be here a few more years than we planned so this was the best way to go. Let me say it is quite a process and we have had some set backs but we don't close until June 3rd so hopefully everything will come together. I will post pictures once we know it is our house for sure and after we get all settled in.

*Easter was wonderful this year. We have taken our traditions and put a new spin on them. We now have asked the Easter Bunny to visit our house on Saturdays and I sure love it this way. Saturday morning we saw the great baskets that the kids got filled with outdoor play toys and of course swimsuits a yearly tradition. We then had our own little easter egg hunt where Jaxon and Paisley got more special things that the grandparents had sent them. Grandpa and Grandmas thank you for all the wonderful presents. Jaxon and I then had some time together to go the the town easter egg hunt. Jaxon had fun hunting for easter eggs, jumping in bounce houses, and riding a horse (something I have never done, I know true city girl). Sunday we enjoyed each others company and had a relaxing day with good food.

These are cute pictures that my sister-in-law Teresa took of the kids in their Easter outfits

*Paisley: Our baby turned 1 last Monday and I can't believe how fast that year went. We just celebrated with a small family party and of course letting her enjoy a cupcake. Our sweet girl is walking all over the place and learning new words everyday. Her personality has really blossomed the last couple of months and she is such a funny girl.

*Jaxon: I can't believe that he turned 3 in December. We celebrated with a party at Chuck-e-Cheese. I feel so bad that I am this late in blogging about it. He hit another milestone when he became a sunbeam in January. He is loving primary and is doing well and we are working on him memorizing his Articles of Faith. I love the conversations that we have together and how he can express everything to me. He sure has gotten some attitude lately and his new favorite thing to say to me when he is in trouble is "Don't say those words to me mom." I love to watch how much he adores Paisley and he can't wait for her to wake up from her nap.

*Jared: This man amazes me. The job here has turned out to be more demanding than we thought it would be. Due to the economy the company is lower on funds and cannot hire anymore counselors so the counselors have a lot more work to do. Jared was told he would cap off at 50-55 clients and has reached 70 and his 40 hour work week is really more like 45 hours without overtime pay. Not to mention the 14 hours he drives once a month for Navy. He still finds time to play with the kids and fulfill his duties at home even when he is exhausted. I love to watch how excited Paisley and Jaxon get when he walks in the door. I am grateful for all that he does to provide for our family

*Me: Nothing new with me I am just enjoying my time watching my children grow and although some days the demands of being a mom can be difficult I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am very content with life right now. I am really enjoying the weather here and not having to deal with driving in snow.

*Disney on Ice: In March the kids and I went to Disney on Ice while we were in northern Utah. The show included Little Mermaid, Lion King, Tinkerbell, and Cars. Due to weather and traffic we were running late and missed the first part of the show. When we asked my mother-in-law what we missed she said Little Mermaid so we were excited that we hadn't missed Cars. So we watched the rest of the show and it ended with no Cars. My mother-in-law was literally only like two minutes late so we are still unsure if they ever showed Cars if so it was a quick one. I felt so bad because that is what Jaxon was looking forward to but he seemed to enjoy the rest of the show.

9 Months and Growing So Fast!

Part of me can't believe that in three months my baby will be one, but part of me can as she has been growing up so fast. I always thought Jaxon developed quite quickly but Paisley is so independent already. I am sure most of it comes because she wants to keep up with what her brother is doing. One of my favorite things is watching them interact with each other! Already at nine months she is standing on her own and on several occasions has taken a few steps by herself. She is much different than Jaxon for the fact that she loves food. She often eats more than Jaxon does in a day, it is definitely a nice change not to have a picky eater and not having to be creative to get her to eat. Her personality has really started to shine through in the last couple of months and we love her playfulness and smiley nature. But we are still waiting for this little one to get her first tooth. Here is our sweet Pais-a-Pais (as Jaxon calls her).

Standing on her own. She was about to take a step but we didn't get it on camera.

Here is our smiley blue-eyed beauty that we love so much. Her smiles just melt our hearts.