little cinderella.

one of my sisters asked me why i hadn't blogged about my mom taking us to see the new cinderella movie. i replied with, i already did, you must have missed the post. so i went back to find it and low and behold she was right. who knows how i missed that! 

anyway, here it is...

brooklyn is a movie lover. she gets it from her dad. and the new cinderella movie was no exception. she was anticipating it for two weeks. i showed her the trailers over and over again, told her that grandma was coming with us, and that she could eat as much popcorn as she wanted. she couldn't wait.

we found a cute sunday dress at tjmaxx that looked cinderella-esque so we bought it and saved it to wear to the movie. she was so excited and decided to wear her tiara just to complete the ensemble. 

we hunkered down with lots of treats and dc and held our breath that kendall would be good. the frozen short at the beginning kept both their attention. brooklyn loved it and has asked since when we can watch it again. it really was so cute.

i loved the movie. i'm obsessed with it. i loved the original version as a little girl and this one just took it up a notch for me. the whole thing was good! it was so refreshing to leave a movie with a positive feeling too. the message was clear and speaks to women and girls of all ages. and honestly here, men and boys could be included. have courage and be kind. i love it. we have a similar saying hanging above our front door that says be happy. be kind. being kind is something that i've always known i wanted to instill in my own children, and this movie is a great reminder of it.

kendall made it until the ball scene and then she wanted to crawl up and down the stairs. luckily our theatre was pretty empty so my mom and i took turns with her. brooklyn's eyes stayed glued to the screen. i don't think she missed a second. it made me so happy to see her love a movie like that so much.

i wanted brooklyn to have something to remind her of that special message and special time with her grandma, so i had this cute print printed off to hang in her room. just waiting for a frame. 

if you haven't seen it. go! it really is so good. we will probably buy it and it can tide us over until the next disney princess movie, beauty and the beast! 

saving me

the sickness did not leave our home. kendall got a fever (we're talking 103.1 kind of fever) at 2AM sunday night and again monday night. these were horrible sleepless miserable nights. poor baby. after talking to my FIL (who is a pediatric nurse practitioner) i decided to take her into the doctor. they tested her for the flu but luckily it came back negative. it's a mystery, this virus. i hate it. and i want it to go away. 

after the doctor visit, i got myself some caffeine, and put on a brave face and called my mom. i gave her the update and how the appointment went. i was so down. and just plain exhausted. we are going on week three of sickness around here. no sleep people. serious. a couple hours later she called me back informing me that she and my dad were on their way down to help me. to save me really.

they ordered take out from the mandarin, and took care of everything. my laundry got folded, my dishes done, things straightened up, and of course, they held and loved my girls. they were good company too. james had school until 9:30 so it really meant more than they know to have them come. i was an inch away from having a meltdown/breakdown, but they swooped in and saved the day. brooklyn loved having them there to give her all sorts of attention, and kendall appreciated having someone else hold her besides her mommy. 

i could spend the rest of my life trying to repay my parents for everything they've done for me and i wouldn't even come close. they truly are the greatest and i am so lucky they're mine. 

thanks again mom and dad. i love you and am more grateful for you than you'll ever know.

fingers crossed that maybe we are on the downside of all this yucky sickness...

come on wednesday!

introducing...

kendall kate

6 lbs 8 oz

18 inches

my heart is full. 

i am already emotional as i type this out. it has been quite a week. we received one of our biggest blessings straight from our father in heaven and are loving having a piece of heaven in our home. at this time a week ago (sunday evening), i had no clue i would be going into labor just hours later.

the contractions started in the middle of the night. i wasn't sure if they were for real. no way they were real! but after a couple hours and a priesthood blessing, i decided they were real. we woke brooklyn up with the exciting news that she was going to get a baby sister today. well, that was james. i was trying to hold it together through contractions.

we got to the hospital and they got intense. just under three minutes apart. i didn't think i'd survive. they started my iv, i threw up, and shortly after that, i was wheeled back into the operating room. my dad was on his way to be with brooklyn and james was waiting for him to arrive.

they went ahead and started my epidural. i was getting excited and anxious. then they started to make the first incision. i felt it. like for real felt it. it was sharp and super painful. i told them to stop. james made his way into the operating room and saw my nice and sliced open and heard me saying i could feel it. it was a tad overwhelming for him. they started pumping drugs into me as quickly as they could and i basically passed out. i didn't wake up until james had kendall all wrapped up and was bringing her to show me. i was so happy. and in so much pain.

the pain continued all day. i didn't really hold kendall until later that afternoon. it made it all worth it. the pain was excruciating, but that baby made it all worth it.

they finally decided to take my epidural out and administer pain meds orally. and thank goodness because that did the trick. apparently my epidural was not in as far as it could have been. bless those pain pills!

she had visitors that evening and was such a good baby through all of it. everyone was so anxious to see and meet her.

the next day, big sister brooklyn got to come and visit us. james and i had a few presents ready for her to open from her baby sister. she was so excited. i missed her so much and i was so excited to have her sit next to me and color in her new coloring book. i love love loved it!

the rest of our hospital stay was great. my nurses were awesome. the food was good. and i felt so much better than i did that first day. we were ready to get that baby home wednesday afternoon.

she is turning out to be such a good sweet baby. she's nursing well and pooping like a champ. we love her tiny-ness and can't get enough of her.

once at home, i caught brooklyn's cold. so, for the last few days, i've had to wear a mask any time i'm holding my baby. it's been pure torture. i was just want to kiss on her and i can't. brooklyn has been sick still and is so sad when we keep her at a distance from the baby. she doesn't like it one bit. hopefully once we are all healthy again, we can make this adjustment a little more easy. it's breaking my heart.

we've had wonderful meals brought in and we're just enjoying relaxing and getting to know the newest member of our family. james is loving being a dad to two girls. we'll see if he's saying that in 15 years.

the biggest help of all has come from my mom. i don't know what we would have done without her. she's cleaned, done laundry, played outside with brooklyn, filled up my water mug, run errands, cooked sunday dinner, changed diapers, bathed both girls, and countless other things. she has been an absolute lifesaver. there is no one quite like her. we hated to have to say goodbye this evening. it was very hard to see her go. my girls are so lucky to have a grandma who is super woman.

and she left her 'living quarters' cleaner than when she came. that mom of mine!

we love you.

we are so happy here at cream gables. the blessings we have seen this week have brought us to our knees. we are surrounded by great people in our lives. james and i are so grateful to be parents of daughters of god. we hope they know how much they are loved. 

the summer can now carry on as we start our adventure as a family of four.

h a p p y  m o n d a y 

disney on ice + a wedding + a birthday

friday afternoon couldn't have come fast enough for brooklyn. that poor girl had to suffer through lunch and a nap before we could get ready to head to salt lake for disney on ice. she was so so excited! as she soon as she woke up, we got her dressed up like a princess and out the door we went. bags packed for the weekend in coalville.

we walked in as soon as the show started and brooklyn didn't know what to think. she'd seen the commercials advertising the show, but i honestly think she thought we were going to watch a movie, not watch it all in person. we were pretty close to the ice and she didn't take her eyes off of it for one second.

not a great picture, but i loved the beauty & the beast part. 

we stopped on our way up the stairs for a picture because it was crazy getting out of there. lots and lots of little princesses and their parents.

we quickly grabbed dinner and were on our way to colby's reception. 

we spent the night in coalville and james and i were up early for different commitments we had, and then we were all off to the jordan river temple for colby and zaina's sealing. the weather was beautiful for the happy couple. so excited for them.

their luncheon was delicious to boot.

also, we couldn't leave west jordan without making a little stop at dunford bakers. holy donuts. delicious. go there.

it was a race to beat my parents home so we could set up for my mom's little surprise birthday celebration. with a little bit of decor and a twinkie cake with grape soda (inside family story), we were ready for the birthday girl.

kayla got party hats.

blowing bubbles while we waited to do presents and cake.

during the present opening, a little mishap with a weight down the stairs had us all gasping and then laughing. oops.

singing to the birthday girl.

we were all in sugar comas after the cake (pop, donuts, desserts at the luncheon) and ended up lounging and visiting. my favorite. then we all hit the hay too late with the time change, and struggled to get up for church. but we made it.

we enjoyed sunday dinner together, then naps, and then we hit the road again.

because today is her actual birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! you are beautiful inside and out and so selfless. i love you more than i can say and i'm so grateful to have you in my life (and living relatively close to me). i love you tons!

and

h a p p y  m o n d a y

to the rest of you!

to the brim.

this week... oh this week. a lot has been going on and life is finally starting to settle and move back into our normal routine. starting to, being the key words there. it's amazing how months can go by with nothing out of the ordinary going on, and then out of nowhere, BOOM! anything and everything happens all at once. so much that it takes your breath away. but thankfully, we've survived, and we're moving on.

our morning jogs are full of fall colors and i just want to drink it all in and never let it go. i. love. october.

the weather has been so nice and definitely tempts us to spend a lot of our days outdoors. i keep taking notes of all the things brooklyn likes to do indoors because snow filled days will not be far away. 

^we got to see my mom for a little bit this week. brooklyn ran to her with her head cocked back like that for a good thirty yards. she is so goofy sometimes.^

we're getting super excited for halloween over here. brooklyn talks about trick-or-treating and dressing up as a kitty cat all day long. we've been watching ichabod crane and hocus pocus on repeat. she loves them! and i can't forget to add that we only listen to her halloween cd in the car. my jt cd is gathering dust right now. but it's ok, her cd is honestly the best. it comes highly recommended from me.

this week also brought some crazy full evenings. like chicken nuggets two days in a row, and pizza for dinner as well crazy full. brooklyn thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it, but my mama guilt has been seeping out all over the floor over it. breathe. but it's ok, we'll do better next week. or maybe once halloween is over??? i guess we'll see. one day at a time right?

so...

h a p p y  w e e k e n d  before  h a l l o w e e n