I love my mom

My mom is the BEST!!! She is always so good to come up and help out any way she can. She came up a few weeks before Grace was born and she watched the kids so Joe and I could go up to Jackson Hole for a few days.
She then came up and stayed for a week and a half after I had Grace. She is such a huge help to me. She does everything for me and just allows me to relax and enjoy the time with Grace. She completely takes care of the housework and entertains and takes care of the other kids. It is wonderful!!

After all that work my parents took Carson down to Utah for a week so that I could continue to get a break with my new baby. Carson had a great time and I got to try and get some much needed rest during the day after being up late with Grace.

I have such a great mom!!

Dance Recital

The girls had a dance recital the other night. They had a wonderful teacher and they were in classes with great friends. They both did a great job. Joe stayed home with Gracie so I could go watch them. It is so fun to see them so animated and having fun up on stage.

Meet Grace Blakley

I just love this little face. I look at it and I ALMOST forget the last nine months of being sick and uncomfortable...and the 12 hours of labor...and the 4 botched epidural attempts. Whew! Its finally over!

Our beautiful baby Grace was born Friday May 13, 2011 at almost 6pm. She weighs 6 lbs. 13 oz. and is 20 1/2" long.

Labor and delivery went smoothly and we are both healthy and feeling great. We are all excited to take her home and have a new baby at the house. Hallie and Madilyn love her to death. Hallie decided that she liked having a new sister. We are excited about that because for a couple of days she didn't know if a new baby in the family was such a hot idea! She had realized that a new baby meant more work for the oldest child. Madilyn thinks that the baby is cute because everyone says that Grace looks just like her. Carson thinks that "pink babies" are OK, but he hasn't seemed to care much one way or the other.

We are so thankful for the opportunity that our Heavenly Father gives us to care for and love his children. What a blessing it is to have such a beautiful new baby in our family!

Easter

Here are a few pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits. I just love any excuse to get the kids new clothes. There are also a few pictures of the kids on an easter egg hunt with the Oakeys. Ever since I was young I looked forward to the Oakey easter egg hunt. My grandma works so hard on it and it is so fun to have my kids experience this fun tradition.

It's a...

GIRL!!! We are very excited. We took the girls with us and it was so fun for them to see her. I think it made it real for them. Joe was a little bit unsure about another girl, but I think he has come around. He and Carson will have to do lots of boy stuff together. Carson talks about having a baby sister and calls her "the pink baby".

What was he thinking?

The other night about 15 minutes after we all went to bed, Carson starts yelling out "I'm stuck". He has had a rough time going to bed lately and has tested our patience so Joe told him to get to bed. A few minutes later he yells out again "I'm still stuck". So we decided to go check on him. We found him laying in the hall completely in his pillowcase and he WAS stuck. I honestly don't know how he got in there but it took both of us to get him out (after we stopped laughing and took some pictures).

Christmas 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. My parents and Dana came up to spend the holiday with us. We did stockings and Santa at our house and then we went over to my Grandparents house and opened gifts over there. Hallie got a digital camera and every time I turn around I am getting my picture taken. Madilyn got an ipod and it is just a constant reminder that she is growing up too fast. She walks around listening to her music and can't hear a word I say. Carson got a BYU jersey and he looks so cute in it. He loves to wear it and everytime he puts it on he say "BYU! Go Cougars!" We feel very blessed and are thankful for this time of year to see constant reminders of our Savior and his birth.