Big Sister

My beautiful big girl is such and joy and a light! She had a little bit of a shock when we introduced her to her new brother. In fact, she didn't really like the idea of holding him, or of mommy holding him, or the suggestion of bringing him home that first day. But now she loves to hold Wes, and bring him his binkies. She is such a sweet big sister, and loves to tell mommy all about how 'Wes is sleeping' or 'Wes is waking' or 'Wes is cwying' or 'Wes poopy!' She's pretty observant and seems to have the pattern of his day down pretty well. And once the dust settled, she seems pretty unfazed by the new little screamer in our home. She is still as lively and joyful as ever. (if only potty training were done!)

First 9 photos by KristenSpencerPhotography

2 months old

Okay, so Wes turned 2 months old yesterday, and I have taken waayyy too many pictures! And on top of that, I have been a slacker about posting them. Which makes for a post that is brief in information, and very picture heavy. But they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

1 Week:
(first 2 photos taken by myself, remainder of '1 week' photos taken by KristenSpencerPhotography)

1 Month:

2 Months:

We love him, and he sure is fun to have around. Especially since we have figured out the colic/reflux part. He is much more agreeable and much more smiley now that his tummy doesn't hurt all of the time. And mom is starting to come out of that sleepless haze. **finger's crossed**

2 Years

Carly, our big girl, turned 2 years old back when I was great with child and much too tired to consider blogging. I am still very tired, but realize I need to blog now or it will never happen.

For Carly's birthday, we were fortunate enough to have Grandma and Grandpa Erickson and Grandma Andrews and Aunt Kier out to visit. We had a nice little party where Carly received so many gifts that by the end she really could care less about opening them all and just wanted to get up and run! You know you got spoiled on your birthday when you actually get to the point of being bored opening them all.

The highlight of the gifts would have to be between 2 awesome presents: the beautiful handmade quilt from Grandma Erickson, and the awesome tricycle from Grandma Andrews, Aunt Kiernan, Uncle Russ and Star.

We also had an awesome pinata that Carly was still a little too young (or passive) to really get into. She was more content to watch Daddy and the older kids.

It was an awesome day!

I can't believe how big this little girl has gotten. What a wonderful 2 years it has been. She has changed our lives in everyway, and we always say that we can't believe we ever thought we were happy or fulfilled before she came along. We didn't really start living until the day she was born.

We love you, Carly!

Welcome Wes

Wesley Wallace Andrews. 7/8/9 @ 8:06pm. 6lbs 13 ozs. 21 inches long. Much loved!

Car Update

So our awesome insurance company settled with us for our stolen car just a couple days past the 1 month mark of the car being missing. It was a good, fair settlement. We are very grateful!

Less than week later, the car was recovered by the police here in Taylorsville. Since the insurance company now owns the car, I called to let them know. They let us stop by and visit our car to see if we could find any property inside worth salvaging.

When the car was stolen, there was 800-900 dollars of property inside, including ALL of Marshall's fire equipment.

When the car was found, it had been stripped. They even took the light fixture out of the interior. The donut, the jack. A car seat. Cell phone chargers. Everything.

Everything except 1 item.
Any guesses?

The only item left in the car was a Book of Mormon in the back seat.
Ironic; the one item they could have really used.

Apparently the thieves didn't want religion.

Mother's Day

While reading one of my favorite blogs today, I was reminded of some of my favorite words about motherhood, found in this Ensign article.

"In a poignant exchange with God, Adam states that he will call the woman Eve. And why does he call her Eve? 'Because she [is] the mother of all living.' (Genesis 3:20; Moses 4:26.). . . Eve was given the identity of 'the mother of all living' --years, decades, perhaps centuries before she ever bore a child. It would appear that her motherhood preceded her maternity. . . I believe mother is one of those very carefully chosen words, one of those rich words--with meaning after meaning after meaning. We must not, at all costs, let that word divide us. I believe with all my heart that it is first and foremost a statement about our nature, not a head count of our children."
-Patricia Holland; October 1987

Happy Mother's day to ALL the mothers out there. Those who are still childless or struggling with their fertility, who may find pain and bitterness in this day of celebration. To those abounding in little ones, who may be too tired to enjoy today. To those whose children are grown and who are celebrating their own daughters. To those who have borne children they placed lovingly in the arms of others. To my sisters in every stage of life: Happy Mother's Day. Mothering is our nature and our eternal identity and promise. We are all celebrated today in the eternal sense, and I admire you all.

A special Happy Mother's Day to my own mother. You are my best friend, and my greatest teacher. I love you and can't possibly describe how much your influence has meant in my life, or in the life of my own kiddo. We love you Nanners!