Oh What a Month!

Getting kids to smile for a picture is no small feat! I failed at this one...maybe the next one will go better...

Alden and Eli have big shoes to fill! They love to clodhop around in everyone's shoes these days!

Gracen's first day to church - 3 weeks old.

"They" say babies can't smile at this age - I SO beg to differ! This is not just gassiness!!

Snug as a bug at only 1 week old.

Eli practicing his big brother skillz. Yes, my boys play with dolls and I'm proud of it!

This is Eli playing "with" Gracen. She's clearly digging the attention.

Alden is really tender towards Gracen. He's momma's little helper.

Gracen at 2 weeks old.

It's crazy that Gracen has been with us a month already. Life is CRAZY with three age 3 and under but I think I am enjoying Gracen as a newborn more than I did the other two. I feel so much more confident as a mom this time. It helps that I question myself less but it also helps that Gracen is my "best" baby yet - meaning she has been easy to put on a loose schedule and is a pretty predictable baby. She eats roughly every three hours then spends an hour to two hours awake and then naps. She's generally easy to put down for a nap unless I miss the "window" and she becomes overtired. That is pretty much the only time she cries. When she is awake, her eyes are so big and bright! She looks around like she can't wait to take it all in. I can't wait for her personality to develop more so that I can get to know her. I am so excited to have a daughter!

Alden and Eli are awesome kids. I am so thankful my kids have the personalities that they do - I could not have had three so close together if they didn't! We have our challenges, of course, but I really couldn't ask them to be better little boys. They are so helpful and they both have adjusted to baby Gracen so well. I was surprised at how well Eli adjusted since he's such a Momma's boy. Both boys love to talk to her and love to rub her head like it's Budda's belly; hence Gracen's cute little hair is always full of stickies and crumbs. Alden loves to hold her but doesn't last long - she is probably about 11 lbs now, afterall!

We all miss Daddy and can't wait until he gets here in 2 weeks. Jaron is studying his heart out in what is supposed to be his hardest semester of med school. Although it's been hard to be apart throughout all this in a lot of ways, in some ways it's worked out for the best. I can't imagine adding sleepless nights to Jaron's plate and having him still survive his classes. It's true what they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder. Being away from each other has made Jaron and I appreciate each other more. As we've been apart, it's also struck me again and again how grateful I am that Jaron and I have been married in the temple and that our family will be together even after this life. There is nothing more important!

My only complaint right now is sleep. Oh how I miss sleep! Me and my three kiddos are all sleeping in the same room and somehow they can never coordinate to wake me up at the same time. In fact, it seems they get together and decide to gang up on me. As soon as one goes down, another is up crying. I am up MANY times a night but hardly ever with more than one child at once - sometimes for hours at a time. But, it's only sleep, right?!?