Emergency room trip

So I was talking with my sister in law Amy the other day and saying that I was really surprised that McKenna had never had to go to the emergency room yet. Needless to say I jinxed myself because the next week where did we go but to the emergency room.
My mom and dad and I were all out on the front porch enjoying the warm Sunday evening and Mckenna was playing on the front steps. The next thing I know Kenna is crying and I see her on the ground. She told me she hurt her arm so I gave her kisses and hugged her. Usually by this point she gets up and just goes right back to playing but she just wanted to be held and kept crying. She wouldn't really use her arm and kept saying it hurt.
I took her inside and got her ready for bed thinking she would just shake it off, but she was not her normal energetic self. Her arm was kind of starting to swell a little so I was worried she might have broken it. After much debate in my mind we decided to take her into the emergency room in Fort Madison Iowa.
She had to take some x-rays of her arm which was actually the worst part because they had to bend her arm and straighten it out and she was screaming because it hurt so bad. The doctor didn't find anything on the x-rays but said that a radiologist was looking at them tomorrow and if they saw anything they would call me.
I was hopeful that nothing was wrong, so we went home. Kenna was happy cause she got a cute bear and 4 stickers for being so good for the x-rays and everything.
The next day her arm had swollen up pretty big and she was still not really using it and was not playing like she normally was. I got a call from the hospital that afternoon saying that the x-rays actually showed a hair-line fracture on her elbow. We were referred to a Orthopedic and took in her a couple days later.
They didn't put a cast on her because they said at that age they just grow so fast and heal so quickly that a cast wouldn't be the best. Instead they gave her a sling.
I was really skeptical that she would actually keep it on and that it would do any good. To my surprise she not only kept it on, but if I forgot to put it back on when she took a bath she would remind me she needed to put it back on.
She was so brave and good considering what happened and she went right on using it and adapting to the sling like it was part of her arm.
She was pretty sad daddy wasn't there to show him her arm and tell him all about it but at least we were able to tell him over the phone. It was quite the experience and now I can no longer say she has never been to the ER.

no Easter bunny this year

The Saturday before easter we went to our church Easter activity at this nice park. They were doing easter egg hunts in shifts according to ages and we had to wait a little before they started. There were other activities to do while we waited to do the easter egg hunt, but before we started they had the "easter bunny" pay a visit. I proceeded to point him out to McKenna and try to have her take a picture with him but she was not having it. She took one look at him and started crying, granted the face on the costume was kinda angry looking so I don't blame her. She kept saying she wanted to go home and just wanted me to hold her. I told her we didn't have to see the easter bunny and she said she didn't want him to come to our house. I could have used this as an opportunity to keep her candy for myself, but instead I told her that the real easter bunny was cute and soft and that this bunny was just a worker for the bunny. I think that made her feel better because she was fine after that as long as we weren't around him.

McKenna got her face painted and she asked for a pretty butterfly. She was really excited about this part and she kept showing everyone.
She also did a relay race which was funny because you are supposed to put an egg in the spoon and try to run to the end of the cones and back without dropping it, so McKenna just held the egg in one hand and the spoon in the other and ran there and back, it was pretty hilarious to watch. She had fun though so that is all that matters.
When the easter egg hunt began, McKenna took off and started getting all the eggs in sight. She collected so many eggs I had to tell her to stop so that the other kids could get some too. She was very happy with her spoils.

Graysen was content with just observing everything and playing in the grass. He really like the feeling of the grass, it was so cute. We tried to have him pick up some eggs but he was more interested in eating sticks....go figure.
I guess next year I am not buying him anything, I will just go out in the yard and collect sticks.
McKenna and I colored easter eggs together later that day. Daddy was studying for a final at school so he couldn't do it with us :( We had fun though!

Sunday morning McKenna came out and found her easter basket and was so excited.
She went on another hunt for eggs around the living room which was fun for her. Graysen found a couple eggs and opened them right away and started eating the little puffs in them.
It was so fun to see the joy on their faces.
We had a nice day at church and then we went over to Travis parents for a nice dinner. It was nice spending time with his family and the dinner was soooo good! both Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids little easter baskets with lots of goodies so they were happy campers. McKenna also got a new princess bike which she was obsessed with and Graysen got a cute little wagon that I can pull both of them in They absolutely loved those things. It was a very nice weekend.
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And of course the most important part of Easter is that Christ is risen and that he lives! He has paved the way for us to break the bands of death and to be able to live with him and all our loved ones again. I am so grateful for him and love him with all my heart. He is my Savior, king and friend and I know that he lives and loves us too.

8 months

So my little man is officially 8 months old! I really can't believe that it has been that long. It seems like I just brought him home from the hospital yesterday. I wish I could just stop him from growing because I absolutely adore this age and he is just so cute and fun!
I really try to treasure every moment with him and make sure that I don't miss anything. I think with McKenna I was always excited to have her move to the next step because she was the first, but now with Graysen I want to slow him down and don't want him to get to the next stage so fast. I know that there are fun things at each stage and that I have lots of things to look forward too, it is just going by so fast.
Graysen is now crawling everywhere and getting into everything. He gets faster at it each day and discovers that there are lots of rooms to go into and lots of things to get into. He also pulls himself up on everything, and needless to say he has a few bumps on his head from losing his balance.

This morning he was crawling on our bed and just crawled right off the edge...luckily there were pillows all along the floor so he didn't get hurt. It was kind of funny to watch actually but I felt bad that he got away from us so fast and fell off. It scared him more than anything.
He likes to say "dada" all the time and make ssss sounds, it is soooo adorable! He just got his first tooth in and was a little grumpy until I gave him meds and then he was just fine :) I swear every time I blink he is changing and growing up; i guess I will have to keep my eyes pryed open.
Before we found out we were having a boy I would have been content with all girls, but seriously Graysen has made me into a boy lover. I wouldn't mind having all boys from here on out. I am just glad I have one of each and now I don't care what I have after this.
McKenna is liking playing with Graysen more since he is more of an active participant now and can actually move around and follow her places. Of course she still prefers to pick him up and carry him everywhere, she is pretty strong. She really loves him and loves doing things for him and entertaining him which is really nice for me :)
He is still so happy and just loves everyone. He hardly ever cries and he sleeps so good now. He does wake up a little earier than I would like (6:30,) but I don't mind too much because I get to sleep the whole night. He takes long naps now too so I am able to get a lot done.
He is such a wonderful little boy and I am thankful for him every day! He reminds me what life is all about and to always have a smile on my face.

Sister's week

Me and my sisters all got together in Utah for a week and it was so nice to see them! I love hanging out with my sisters, they are my best freinds! I took Graysen with me but left McKenna with grandma Allen. I wish she could have come but it was nice to have a break from having two kids. Thanks to grandma for watching her :) because she had tons of fun. I really missed her though while I was gone and was so happy to see her when I came back.
Thanks to my mother who made it all possible for us to get together and do so many fun things! We really miss you and wished you were there too!
We had a lot of fun together reminising about everything and laughing and just having fun. We all get a little crazy when we get together expecially Annie..haha. We went to a lot of our favorite places to eat like Cafe Rio and Zupas. It was so yummy and I miss all those places :(
I got to see my neice Isla for the first time too and she is just adorable! She is going to be a heartbreaker when she gets older. Lindsay and Brandon do good art work for sure! It was fun to see Graysen and Isla together since they are only like 5 months apart. They are so cute!

My sisters are so beautiful and fun and talented. It makes me so happy to see that they are all doing well and are happy too. I love my sissys. I wish Amy and Angie could have been there too, they were missed!
It was also nice to see the bro in laws too! They are fun to hang with. Thanks to Uncle Trevor too for watching Graysen a lot. He loves you!
We went to the Provo Beach resort which is a new fun place to go and play games and stuff. We did this rope course thing which was really fun (thanks to Trevor and Brandon for watching the kids :)) and we also bowled which was really fun. I lost bad though :(
It was fun staying up late and watching movies and just being together. I am so sad I don't live close by them anymore. It is always nice when we can get together. It was so sad to say goodbye, but it won't be long before I see them again.
I also got to see Travis sister Melanie and her kids which was so nice. I love hanging out with them and miss them lots. Megan my cousin also came over too which was so good to see her. I love hanging out with family, it is the best!
Well, that about sums up our week, although now that I look back it seems like a lot of our time was spent eating.....lol.
Thanks to Lindsay and Brandon and Abbey and Trevor for letting us crash with you and for feeding us and entertaining us. We love you and miss you!
Can't wait to see everyone again soon!

7 months

So I skipped posting Graysen's six month check-up, so I am doing it now. Graysen is getting so big! He weighs 18 lbs. 7 oz. and is 27.25 inches long. Needless to say, my arm is going to fall off from holding him. I try not to carry him in the car seat as much as possible because it is so darn heavy with him in it.
To say that he is a happy boy is an understatement. He seriously hardly ever cries and smiles at everyone and everything. His smile can light up the whole room, and if I am feeling sad or in a bad mood all I have to do is look at him smile and I feel better.
he is sitting up all by himself and is actually getting so close to crawling. It won't be long until he is everywhere and getting into everything. He gets up on all fours and just rocks back and forth or just flops on his stomach to try and get somewhere. He can scoot backwards and turn around. He gets really frustrated though when he can't crawl. He really likes to stand as well and can hold on to things and stand up by himself for just a little bit before he falls down. I just can't believe how big he is getting.
He absolutely loves food. He is eating solids now and enjoys everything. I seriously have to shovel it in his mouth so fast or else he gets so impatient. I don't think he really tastes it, just inhales it.
I am finally able to sleep through the night as well. I think having more substantial food in his belly really helped him sleep better. He even takes long naps which makes me so happy.
Graysen is such a good boy and I absolutely love this age! He has so much personality and is so curious about everything. It is so

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam

As of January McKenna is now a sunbeam, I can't believe it! She was way excited to go her first time, she was talking about it all week, and didn't have any trouble when I dropped her off.


I was a little worried because she is a little rambunctious and doesn't sit still for too long, but what three year old does right? The teacher said she did fine so either McKenna was out of control and she was being nice, or she really was an angel....hmm I am thinking she was nice.
After a few times I think the initial excitement wore off because she hesitated going a couple times, mostly I think because she couldn't take off her shoes. She came running out one time after I had dropped her off and said "I want to take off my shoes, my teacher said no." She was learning she wasn't in Kansas anymore :).
She seems to be all smiles now though, especially since she gets to bring her own scriptures in a cute strawberry shortcake purse we bought her. She is excited about reading the scriptures and makes sure we read together every night.
Sunbeam surely is such a fitting name because she certainly is a ray of light in my life and brings happiness and joy to all whom she touches. I love my little sunbeam!

So I skipped a few months

Well Graysen is now 5-1/2 months which I can't beleive! He is growing so fast! At his 4 month checkup he was 16lbs. and 25 inches long. He seems like he has grown since then so we shall see what his stats are next month :)
There have definately been a lot of milestones for Graysen these last 2 months. He can now roll over from his back to his tummy, but can't get back so he tries to scrunch up his feet to try and move but he doesn't get anywhere and so gets frustrated. He really wants to be on the move, so I am sure it won't be long before he can scoot around on the floor.
He can sit up with support, and even by himself for just a little bit before he falls over. Once he can sit up fully it will be a whole new world for him.
He is still as smiley as ever and the biggest flirt! If there is a girl who smiles or talks or even looks at him he turns on the charm. He is such a happy boy and it makes my life so much easier!

Speaking of easier, he has started sleeping better too these last couple of weeks and I feel like a new woman! He slept through the night for the first time ever a few weeks ago and now he just wakes up once at night and it is usually at 4am. Both the kids usually sleep in until 8 so I get a lot more sleep.
Graysen has really started to find his voice and likes to scream and talk in a high pitch voice, it is so cute! He is so fun, I really like this age. He definately is a momma's boy though and I love it!
He does this really cute thing where he will grab your face with both hands and pull you to his mouth and give you nice big slobbery kisses. It is too cute! Not only do I get slimed, I also get gouged by his nails, it is great. He is probably just trying to eat me, but I like to think he is giving me kisses.

McKenna is still such a great big sister and is pretty much a second mom. She likes to tell him to do things, or not to do things and I have to keep reminding her that he doesn't know what the heck she is talking about. She loves to hold him and keep him entertained which helps me out a lot when I am trying to get something done. Of course I can't really leave her alone with him because she inevitably does something to make him cry.
He is the most drooliest baby though, his clothes are always soaked so I had to start putting bibs on him all the time. I think he might be teething, but they probably won't come in for a bit still.
He had his first taste of cereal about a month ago, and absolutely loves it! He kept wanting more, it was so funny. I don't think he will have any problems with starting solids in a few weeks.

Well, that about sums up the last couple months, and it has been so fun! He is such a fun and cute little boy and i can't get enough of him. We got his pictures done at 4 months and it is amazing how much he has changed from when he was born. I can't wait to see what the next few months will bring.