4 weeks old

Happy 30th Birthday Taylor!!!

September 29th was the BIG day for Taylor. We were excited to be able to celebrate with him. We sent the kids to school and Taylor and I (along with the baby) went on a lunch date. When the kids got home we celebrated with gifts. The kids helped wrapped their gifts, then they colored on the outside of the wrapping paper. They were proud of the gifts they had to give their Dad, and this year, he even got to open them himself.

We are so grateful for what an awesome person Taylor is. He has been the glue that has held everything together the past year or so. He works hard to build his business, he takes such great care of the kids and me, and always helps keep the house looking good. Thank you for all you do Taylor, we love you!

The camera was out so we needed to snap photos of the kids.

Cassidy and Kelsey

Our greatest blessings....

and the reason we practice Zone Defense and not man to man
This is the view we see almost all day. Mckay getting close to his baby sister and giving her lots and lots of kisses

Two weeks old

Kelsey is such a joy to have in our home. She is a calm, happy baby. Well, unless you put her in the car or try and change her diaper. Kelsey is a good sleeper. She has even slept through the night already. We are realistic and know that it may not last, but we will take any night's sleep that we can. Kelsey loves to have time to herself to lay on the ground and stretch. She is the first child that we have had that likes to lay on the ground by herself. Luckily she loves cuddle time too. The whole family fights over who gets to hold her. Her big brother Mckay always has plenty of kisses to give her. We are so glad she is here and a part of our family.

The things kids say...

I love being a mom, and hearing all the funny things that kids say. Recently there have been many funny stories at our house. Here are two of my favorite:

During general conference we were listening to one of the apostles speak. As he started to close his talk he turned to a side and looked directly in the camera. As he did this Mckay's eyes got really big and he started leaning backwards. He turned to me and said, "Mom, Can he see me?"

One afternoon Cassidy had a friend ask to play. I reminded her that today her room had to be clean before she could play with friends. I was really hopeful this would help motivate her to clean it up. I sent her up to her room to start and told her I would be there in 3 minutes to help her. About two minutes later she came downstairs and with a bit of attitude said, "Mom, would you rather me clean my room or study the gospel!!!?
While shaking my head I replied, "Right now you are supposed to be cleaning your room, so I would like you to clean your room."

"But Mom," she said while holding up a Book of Mormon, "I am already to Alma!"

It was a nice effort on her part, but she still had to clean her room.

One week old

The Tanning Bed

Traditionally I have to take my kids to test Billirubin levels 24 hours after hospital discharge. Kelsey is the first of my children to have her levels sky rocket high enough to have to use the lights. She was on the fancy tanning beds for 4 days. She was a good sport and slept pretty well while she was on the lights. We even got a "Billi Blanket" which is a smaller light that you place on their tummy or back while you hold them. It was nice to be able to hold her some of the time and still be able to have her under the light.

Our newest addition

Our little lady....Kelsey

We are so glad that Kelsey is here safe and sound. We were a bit surprised at how large she was...I never thought I would deliver a 9 pound baby but now I have. Things went smoothly with labor and delivery. Labor was a little longer than we expected but I was able to sleep through some of it, so I was not complaining. Our stay at American Fork Hospital was great. The nurses and staff were exceptional, and the dining room service was awesome. We had a lot of family stop by to visit. We are grateful for all those that helped with our other kids, and those that came to keep us company during my stay in the hospital. We could not have done it without all the love and support!


We were able to take Kelsey home two days after she was born. Her brother and sister were very excited to have her home. Mckay has showered her with kisses over and over again, and Cassidy always has a good dance to show off to her sister.

One of our favorite things about Kelsey is how she loves to stretch. She doesn't like to be swaddled, just lay flat with her legs straight out. It is especially cute how her legs just hang in the air. I am convinced that she had her legs straight most of the time she was in the womb now that I have seen how she likes to relax. We sure love this little girl!!