Vaden's Baby Blessing

On Sunday, we blessed Vaden.  It was ward conference so we couldn't bless her at church, but we did bless her at home.  My parents were here in town so it was important we blessed her when we did.  Ryan's parents were also in town and his sister and brother came over too.

 Vaden in her blessing dress.  I put her name and blessing date on the hem of her dress to make it even more special (and I added some crystals too).

 Our good friends Larry and Liz came with their 2 kids, Will and Emmy.  Here they are with all the girls in the family:)

 The boys on the other side of the room, plus Julie.  She was due to have her baby girl in 2 days.  We were glad that they made it.

 The Boys! -Evan, Townsend and Asher. 

Vaden with her grandma's.

 Vaden with her proud parents.

 Family Photo.  This was the best one with Asher, he just didn't want to sit still with all his cousins around to play with.

And one last photo of the beautiful girl!  Isn't she so pretty?!!!

Location, Location, Location

It's all about locaton!  I just love where we live right now.  Yes, our goal is to move back West and be closer to family in a couple years, but for right now I really like where we live.

Our townhome is a great size for us.  It's big enough that the kids have plenty of playing areas but Ryan and I can kind of contain the mess.  We also each have our own little area (Ryan's office, and my sewing/craft area) that we have kid-free.  We also live near a street corner that has a post office, a shopping center, and our community pool on the other 3 sides.  We live just a couple blocks from the library, which is great since I take the kids to story book time 2-3 times a week.  In the shopping center across the road, there is a grocery store, restaurants, Marshall's, and Gold's Gym.  It's great that we can walk to the gym with the kids in 5 minutes, drop them off at the daycare, and then go exercise. Also, in a 5 minute or less drive we can be to the movie theater, the kid's pediatrician, the gas station, Costco, the fabric store, Target, Michaels, our dentist,  the park, and even a mall.

I know that sounds like a lot and that we are right in the middle of a big city, but it honestly doens't feel like it.  No, we're not in the country and it's still a little bit bigger of a city than I want, but it feels like we live in a great little community with all the perks of being in a big city.  I also love our ward.  We got really lucky when we moved here.  The people we have gotten to know will be friends for a long time.  I also feel more comfortable here, so it's easier to get out and do things with the kids.

We are also getting more involved in the community and finding out about activities that we can go to.  Like local garage sales, festivals, car shows, etc.  Today, I just started a scripture study class through our stake.  It's really kind of nice to be back in that class setting and learning more about the gospel.  It kind of feels like seminary:)  I guess I feel like we are actually setting down roots.  Even though being here isn't a permanent thing, I feel like we are really starting to have a life here.

Asher & Vaden

 I love my kids!  They make a pretty good team.  Asher is always wanting to put her where he wants her and she is good to put up with him:)

 So cute in diapers.

 We got Asher an art desk.  He's so good, he can color with both hands at once!

 

We also got him a train table and train set.  It's an awesome toy and he and his dad can play forever. 

 Asher decided one day to use Vaden as a seat, so like a good parent I grabbed the camera:)  I did save Vaden soon after though since Asher weighs a good 30 pounds!

 Asher took a tumble and scraped his face up pretty good. Some of Asher's favorite toys are nerf guns and the bullets.  Since I don't let him play with the guns, he only has the bullets to play with and he likes sticking them places!

Though Vaden is going to get a lot of hand-me-down toys, we did get her a Cradle'n'swing (love craigslist).

She just loves to be rocked and in constant motion.  With 2 kids, this is the best purchase ever!

 Bath time.  Asher loves to take baths and now gets to have a play mate in the tub with him.  He likes to help get her wet by dumping cups of water on her.

So far, I've been able to make both my kids their own personalized baby blanket and teddy bear.  But having a girl opens up a whole new world on what I get to make:)   Here's my latest project, a bow hanger.

Labor Day Weekend

 This weekend we actually had Ryan home for the holiday since he can take holidays off with his new job:)

 We didn't do anything fancy, just went to the pool one day.

Here's Asher and Macy (our neighbor)

 Asher loves the water.  He was playing with a little water gun and thought it was great squirting himself in the face.

 Asher helping Vaden into the water.  She didn't like the water too much.  She just hung out with me by the side of the pool while the boys played:)

On Labor Day we went to a ward activity.

 We went to a park and had a cook-out.

Of course Asher would only eat the watermelon.