Family Traditions

One tradition our family enjoys every year is going to South Ridge Farms so we can pick pumpkins from a real pumpkin patch. The kids get very excited to take a hay wagon ride out to the patch and pick their very own one. We went yesterday and had so much fun, mostly because it was so warm outside and because Presley was good as gold and slept the whole time. Halle goes each year with her Pre-school too, so she was our little tour guide, telling us how to get there and what goes on. She was a little disappointed that we didn't get served doughnuts though, like her class.



Getting ready to board the wagon!


My 2 little pumpkin heads.
And ghosts...

This Monday night, for FHE, we'll carve up the pumpkins and set them out. Daxton is determined to have a very "MEAN" face on his pumpkin and Halle wants to color a nice face on hers. Typical of them.

Presley's blessing day

Cory gave a beautiful blessing to Presley and we had a lot of family there to celebrate with us. Thank you to all of our wonderful family who came and helped make it such a special day. It was neat to also have our nephew be blessed the same day. Chelsea and Eni blessed baby Matini right after our meeting and so we got to be a part of that as well. Wish we could have had more time to visit with everyone - it was a busy, but beautiful day.





These pictures are kind of dark. The morning of her blessing, she was a little fussy and so was not being cooperative for pictures. However, I happened to lay her down on my bed for a minute so I could finish getting ready, and she laid still, so we started snapping away. I couldn't find an angle that allowed for me to get her with her whole dress though. It is a gorgeous blessing gown that a colleague of mine made for me when Halle was born. It is very long. In fact, Halle (who is 4 and tall for her age) tried it on the other day without me knowing and she loved it because it dragged on the ground like a wedding dress. I have had to keep it hidden so she won't play dress up in it.





Grandma and Grandpa Lilya - love the simultaneous wave.

Enjoying the fall in Idaho

Grandpa Lilya surprised the grandkids with the neatest barrel train I've ever seen. Each little cart was created with a different and distinct look and the kids had a blast riding in each one of them. Grandpa has spent every waking minute of his day (when he's not at work) building and crafting these to perfection. They are so unique and we love them! We probably emptied his 4-wheeler and lawn mower tanks several times going around and around ~ the kids couldn't get enough. (Sorry dad.) In the carts are Daxton, cousin Ellie, Halle, and cousin Taylor. (Second cousins, actually.)



Playing outside at grandma and grandpa Lilya's house. The kids love to have space to run and play. Luckily, we had a nice fall day to enjoy being outside, something we rarely find on our trips to Idaho in the fall.

One Month Old!

I just wanted to say happy one-month birthday to our little angel. She was officially one month old yesterday and I really can't believe it. It sounds cliche, but I could swear it was yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. I don't want my new-born to grow up yet, we love her so much!
For some reason, her schedule seems to be much better than our other 2 kids. I don't know if it's because she has a relatively mellow temperament or if it's because I have implemented some good techniques from the book "Babywise". I have loved reading it and have found some very good advice in it. I would recommend it to anybody with a new baby. However, she did come down with a little cold a few days ago, so it has been a little rough on her, but who isn't miserable when they are not feeling well?






And here are a few more pics that we have taken over the last week.

Daxton's thrill of the summer

All summer, Daxton has been trying to steal Halle's princess bike whenever she is not looking, to ride it. Needless to say, it has caused a few problems and so Cory found this great deal on KSL (he's addicted to it) for $8 and Daxton has not stopped talking about it since. He lives for his "very own bike" and can always be found in the garage just checking on it. He is so cute and has such a passion for life, in every aspect. I'm glad he can be so happy with a used bike that will take him around the block 15 zillion times a day.

First day of Pre-School

Because I was still recovering from the delivery, I had Cory take Halle to school her first day. I gave him specific instructions to take pictures of her since I forgot my camera last year on her first day and have felt guilty ever since. So, being the good man he is, he did. (Along with all the other moms there. And they were quite impressed that he so willingly followed my instructions.) Thanks, honey.


This is a cool tree house that her teacher had built into her basement. The kids get to go inside it and play during their breaks. Halle LOVES it.

Our Little Girl!!

WOW! You know it's been too long since you've blogged when you can't remember how to do it. Let's see if I can get this right. It's been quite the crazy summer for our family. We've had a lot of changes to adjust to, most of which were quite challenging. But more recently, we have had a wonderful change that has blessed our lives and one that we have truly enjoyed. We had our third baby (a little girl) on August 25th at 11:24pm. Our little Presley Irene weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She has lots of dark hair and is such a cutie. She is adored by her big brother and sister and they are so happy she is finally here. I think they heard me complain about being big, hot, or miserably uncomfortable for too long!
I was 38 weeks along when she came, but was measuring 6 weeks bigger. I went in for a routine Dr.'s appointment on Tuesday the 25th and my Dr. was nervous with how big I was and how full of fluid I felt. So she sent me right over to the hospital for a Non-Stress test and after learning that my fluid level was 3 times the normal amount, they sent me directly to labor and delivery for an induction. While I was getting my epidural, I remembered I had piano students coming to my house, so I was on the phone cancelling lessons while getting poked all over. Cory was scrambling to get the kids to our neighbors house and anxiously trying to get to the hospital when he realized our car had a flat tire. So he drove it anyway, hoping it would make it. Oh the crazy things that happen when you least expect it.
Anyway, he made it in plenty of time, as well as our parents, who traveled from Idaho. I was so glad they made it to help with my moral support and with the kids. It's so comforting to have good family. So...enough about me - we are happy everything went well and so glad that Presley is healthy. We love her to pieces. She was given the middle name, Irene, after her grandmother and great-grandmother. And later I learned that the name has an even longer history in our family ancestry. I can only hope that she grows up to be like her namesake. Ok, so here is our little girl, although she's not so little anymore, already weighing 10 lbs.

One week old


This one is my fav! I love her little faces she makes.

2 weeks:
Here's a sly little smile.
Dad and his little girl.
A very tired mom too. We have LOVED having family come to visit. We don't get to see them often enough. This is Halle and her cousin, Jada, holding Presley.Grandma and Grandpa Lilya
Grandma Martin (I need one of Grandpa Martin!)

Happy Birthday Hun

Early in the morning, dad got to open up his presents from the kids and from Grandma and Grandpa Herbst. He loved everything!


Halle made a really cute card for dad that was a picture of a chicken. (A chicken?) All her idea, and very creative. Later that night, we met Grandma Martin, Chelsea and Eni for dinner. It was so fun to spend the night talking and laughing with good company and yummy food. (I hope Uncle Eni got enough to eat. Daxton couldn't keep his fork on his own plate. It always looks better on someone elses plate though, doesn't it?)

An unexpected surprise!

Ok, so this surprise is kind of old news, but I've been wanting to post it for a while. Most everyone is aware that Cory and I are expecting a new baby around September 1st. For some reason this pregnancy has been really difficult. I have been very sick (which is normal, but this time it has lasted longer) and I have had really bad cramps and pains. When I was 13 weeks along (about 4 weeks ago) Cory and I were home in Idaho visiting family and I started hemorrhaging. By the time we got back to my doctor, we were prepared for the worst. We went in for an untrasound and the tech, luckily, found a strong heart beat. She then looked at us and stated, "it looks like it's a little girl"! We were not prepared to find out the gender and so we were in shock for a minute. I think we were still processing the fact that the baby was ok. Anyway, we were excited for both reasons and felt blessed. We had a lot of family support and prayers in our behalf and we are grateful for that.

Since then I have been feeling well and Halle is extremely excited to have a little sister. She is hoping that the baby comes out 3 years old and ready to play dolls with her. We'll have the regular 20 week ultrasound in a few more weeks to double check, but for right now, we are planning for pink!

My sis!

I have to admit to something that I have been feeling guilty about. My sweet sister was blessed with the creative flare and so has been unselfishly maintaining my blog so that it is not plain and boring. Who does that for their sister? I am so lucky and feel very grateful for her and her talents. But I didn't want to take credit for it anymore~ so thanks Darci. You are great and I really owe you.

Party #4

Grandma and Grandpa Lilya got to come down on Sunday to continue the celebration. We ate more cake and ice cream, watched the super bowl, and opened presents. Monday morning was Daxton's 2 year Dr.'s appointment. He was barely in the 5th% for weight and dropped from 60% height to 25%. He is my littly guy, but still he is growing up too fast. We did a little shopping later that day and the kids were not ready to say goodbye to grams and gramps Monday afternoon. They cried and cried~ with constant attention the last week, they were not ready to go back to the old routine with no one but mom to entertain them.




Daxton had a great birthday! Thanks everyone for making it special for him.This is a pic of Daxton from last year - when he turned 1. It's hard to believe another year has gone by since that time.