Ashlee turned 4 months old

I can't believe how fast my baby is growing!! She is such a joy! She weighed 13 lb. 1 oz. and was 24 1/4 inches long at her 4 month checkup. That puts her in the 45th percentile for weight and 50th for height. Her pediatrician Dr. Jamieson said she is just about as average as they come and is doing fabulous! Two days (April 19th) after her check up, I went in to get her out of bed only to find her staring up at me with her beautiful blue eyes! She sleeps on her tummy, so, yes, she has learned to roll from her tummy to her back. It was so cute to see her sweet smile and bright eyes! Ashlee brings so much happiness into our home. She rarely goes more than a couple minutes without being kissed by someone. Her brothers and sisters adore her, and she loves the attention from them. She has started to actually laugh now, so the kids love to tickle her (she is extremely ticklish everywhere) and do silly things to get her to laugh. Her new thing is to click and suck on her tongue to make funny noises. She also loves to talk! I finally got a pretty good video of her "talking." She started sleeping through the night at about 2 1/2 or 3 months old. She was doing great until she got sick again. Ever since, she has decided she needs to get up at least once but sometimes twice in the night to eat. She hasn't gotten up twice in the night ever, not even as a newborn. Despite some more lack of sleep I feel so blessed to have Ashlee in our family! I am so thankful she is healthy and strong. I call her my little "life saver." If it wasn't for her, my life would probably have taken a very different path in the future. Ashlee, I know Heavenly Father wanted you to be a part of our family! You have completed our family in a way we are only beginning to see. I look foward to watching you grow and change!

We gave Ashlee rice cereal for the first time a few days ago. Of course I didn't take any pictures, so I got some of her second time eating rice cereal. She had been crying before we started feeding her, hence the red eyes (yes, she takes after her mom). She is okay with it. She tolerates it enough but it will most definitely take time for her to get used to "eating."






After a few bites, she decided that her bib would taste much better! Everything goes in Ashlee's mouth: her hands usually, her clothes, her burp rag, the clothes of the person holding her, anything she can get her hands on.

This was the end of eating! She had had it. Daddy took over feeding her part way while I helped Kenna go to the bathroom. I had kept her pretty clean but while Daddy was feeding her she decided it would be fun to stick her hands straight into her mouth right after he fed her a bite. Needless to say, she ended up quite messy. I know I need to be consistent about feeding her cereal every day, but it just seems like a chore right now. Hopefully it will help her to start sleeping through the night again. Who can resist the sweet pucker face?!!

Here is the video I got of Ashlee talking. This was after Kenna's birthday party. You would think by how wound up she was that someone had slipped her some ice cream or something. My mom put her in her swing, and she just kind of went silly on us. It was so fun to listen to her "talking." I just love sweet little baby voices. Before this my dad was tickling her and she actually kind of laughed. It was that kind of painful type laugh they have at first.

Just chillin' in the saucer! She loves to sit in this and grab whatever toys she can. Most of the time she kicks back and just watches all the craziness going on around her from her siblings!

The End...and the Beginning

Wrestling season has now come to and end. Aidan had so much fun and won a few medals and ribbons in the process. Since my last few entries he has wrestled in 3 other tournaments. He placed 3rd in Greybull, 5th in Powell, and we aren't sure what in the Worland tournament. He made some new friends and enjoyed learning more about wrestling from his awesome coaches. It was so much fun to pick him up after practice and hear about how much he loves to wrestle. He was so sad to have it come to an end. It was fun for Andy and Aidan to get to spend a few Saturdays together. Last wrestling season Andy missed a lot of his matches due to tax season. We were so excited that a job change made it so he didn't have to miss out on so much of the kids' activities from January through April 15th.

Powell Tournament

Aidan and one of his new buddies. We found out they live just down the street from us. Playing the Ninentdo DS was "the activity" for entertainment between matches. This is one of the rare times that Aidan was actually playing it. He usually brought it so that other kids could play it. He is such a cute kid!

Our little "wanna-be" wrestler! Kenna was obsessed with Aidan's wrestling backpack and his shoes and headgear in it. Not too long after this picture was taken, Aidan was called up to wrestle and Kenna sobbed cause she had to give him his headgear back. We find her wearing his shoes and headgear around the house quite frequently. We keep reminding her that it is okay to play with his stuff but that girls DO NOT wrestle!

The end of wrestling season brought in the beginning of soccer season. The two seasons overlapped by a few weeks, so Aidan was not able to participate in soccer but Aaron is. Soccer season in Wyoming has not been ideal. The weather has not cooperated very well. He has only had a few warm practices. The two games he has played have been windy and freezing. I stepped out of the van during the first game for a few pictures. Thank goodness the kids are busy running up and down the field to stay warm. Aaron wasn't so sure about playing, but now that it has started he absolutely loves it. He looks forward to soccer whether it is practice or a game. He wishes he could go every night! He is so lucky to have a wonderful coach - Coach Cannon. I am very grateful for the parents that are so willing and able to volunteer their time.

Aarons loves to play defender and is pretty good at it. He is not scared to sacrifice his legs to make some good stops. He is on the Blizzards and has a few of his friends on the team with him which makes it even more fun! We are hoping for at least one game with good weather. I would love to get some better pictures!

Grandparent's Day - April 9, 2009

Every grade in elementary school has something special to look forward to. In 1st grade, Grandparent's Day is the BIG event! Aidan was so lucky to have his Grandpa Mark and Grandma Linda Lynn and Great-grandpa Bill and Great-granda Joyce Lynn come spend the day with him. They came to school with him in the morning and enjoyed various class activities and then the girls and I met them at Papa and Grandma's house (Great-Grandpa and Grandma Lynn) for pizza for lunch. Then Aidan went back to school to ride the bus to the high school auditorium where all the 1st graders from all three elemetary schools entertained grandparents and families with a special program. There are 8 1st grade elementary classes in Powell. They have the most students of any grade. It was so much fun to see them so excited to sing and dance for their grandparents.

Fun in the classroom with Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mark!

Fun with Great-Grandpa Bill (Papa) and Grandma Joyce

Hard at work with the help of grandparents.

Aidan won this book for his Great-Grandma and Grandpa Lynn having the most grandchildren (I will need to ask them the count again). He would have won by a landslide if Great-Grandma George had been there. As of our last count she has 58 grandchildren and 115 great-grandchildren.

Yummy pizza for lunch at Papa and Grandma's! Thanks so much!

All of the kids fill out a fun "information" sheet about their grandparents. It was so fun to read what Aidan said about each of his grandparents. I wanted to share those with the pics of him with each set. (Our children are so lucky to have both sets of grandparents and 5 great-grandparents within about 20 minutes of us. Their other great-grandma lives in California but we sure enjoy the chances we have to talk to her on the phone. She is 95 now but as sharp as ever!)

Grandma Linda Lynn

My grandmother is special because she has a lot of care for me.
I like it when my Grandmother hugs me.
My Grandmother can do many things! I think she's best at playing with us.
My Grandmother has a great smile! I like to make her smile by making a funny face.
My Grandmother is smart! She even knows what 100 + 100 is.
My Grandmother is as pretty as a chicken. (Mom's side note: watch for a pattern in these answers! It will tell you a little about what Aidan loves.)

Grandpa Mark Lynn

My Grandfather is special because he works for our family.
I like it when my Grandfather tickles me.
My Grandfather can do many things! I think he's best at tickling me.
My Grandfather has a great smile! I like to make him smile by tickling him.
My Grandfather is smart! He even knows how to teach me fun stuff.
My Grandfather is as handsome as a lizard.

Grandma Kathy Jacobsen

My grandmother is special because she's a nice grandma.

I like it when my Grandmother plays with me.

My Grandmother can do many things! I think she's best at working at the credit union.

My Grandmother has a great smile! I like to make her smile by telling a joke.
My Grandmother is smart! She even knows how to farm.
My Grandmother is as pretty as a pie.

Grandpa Jeff Jacobsen

My Grandfather is special because he does stuff for me.

I like it when my Grandfather makes me laugh.

My Grandfather can do many things! I think he's best at farmwork.
My Grandfather has a great smile! I like to make him smile by making a funny face.

My Grandfather is smart! He even knows how to do problems.

My Grandfather is as handsome as a frog.

Great-Grandma Joyce Lynn

My grandmother is special because she gives us pop.

I like it when my Grandmother gives me gum.

My Grandmother can do many things! I think she's best at making me laugh.
My Grandmother has a great smile! I like to make her smile by telling her a joke.

My Grandmother is smart! She even knows what 1 x 1 is.

My Grandmother is as pretty as a pumpkin.

Great-Grandpa Bill Lynn (Papa)

My Grandfather is special because he loves me.

I like it when my Grandfather makes me laugh.

My Grandfather can do many things! I think he's best at getting stuff down.

My Grandfather has a great smile! I like to make him smile by telling him something funny.

My Grandfather is smart! He even knows what 10 x 10 is.

My Grandfather is as handsome as a turtle.

Great- Grandma Ruth Goller

My grandmother is special because she loves me.
I like it when my Grandmother helps me.
My Grandmother can do many things! I think she's best at working.
My Grandmother has a great smile! I like to make her smile by telling her a joke.
My Grandmother is smart! She even knows how to build stuff.
My Grandmother is as pretty as a fly.

Great-Grandpa Don Goller

My Grandfather is special because he teases me.
I like it when my Grandfather tells me a joke.
My Grandfather can do many things! I think he's best at building houses.
My Grandfather has a great smile! I like to make him smile by telling a joke.
My Grandfather is smart! He even knows how to build.
My Grandfather is as handsome as a toad.

Great-Grandma Evaleen George

My grandmother is special because she helps me with stuff. She has cows and she used to have pigs.
I like it when my Grandmother plays with me.

My Grandmother can do many things! I think she's best at farmwork. She owns a farm.

My Grandmother has a great smile! I like to make her smile by telling a joke.
My Grandmother is smart! She even knows farmwork.

My Grandmother is as pretty as a flower.

Great-Grandma Enid Jacobsen

My grandmother is special because she tells me Happy Birthday by singing it.

I like it when my Grandmother calls me.

My Grandmother can do many things! I think she's best at singing.

My Grandmother has a great smile! I like to make her smile by calling her on the phone.

My Grandmother is smart! She even knows how to use the phone.
My Grandmother is as pretty as a fly.

Grandma Enid with Aunt Juleen (Hopefully we can get a picture with Grandma Jacobsen sometime.)

My children are so lucky to be blessed with so many grandparents. Sometimes they get confused as to which one we are talking about but they have their own methods for keeping them straight. Each house has something special that they look forward to: chips and chocolate at Great-Grandpa and Grandma Goller's, gumballs and pop at Great-Grandpa and Grandma Lynn's, ice cream sandwiches and playing in the cottonseed at Grandma George's, ice cream at Grandpa and Grandma Jacobsen's, and fruit snacks, pop tarts, and the sensory room at Grandpa and Grandma Lynn's. What spoiled, lucky children!!!

Kenna turns 2

April 4, 2009 was Kenna's 2nd birthday! When she woke up, we told her happy birthday and that she was 2 today. Her reply, "I not two. I one. It not my birthday." We tried to convince her all day that it really was her birthday, but she just didn't believe us. Guess it was okay that we couldn't celebrate it for a few days. But when Monday came around and it was birthday party time, she finally started to realize what it was all about. She was so excited for her family to come and to get presents. We started asking her about a month or so before her birthday what she wanted. Everytime she told us a "Dora Boots backpack." It never changed. She told all her grandmas and grandpas this too.

As you can see she got her Dora Boots backpack. Too bad I don't have a picture of what the front of the backpack looks like. It is so adorable! She also got a Dora baby, another baby, some absolutely adorable spring/summer clothes and dress, cute Easter egg, and a princess nightgown. She was in heaven! Kenna loves baby dolls. She plays with them a lot during the day. She loves to use Ashlee's swing, saucer, car seat, and high chair for her babies. She feeds them, changes their diapers, gives them baths, and sings to them. She is such a good mommy! Her new backpack usually has a baby or two in it also. To end her special day, she wanted to dance with Daddy. She is such a Daddy's girl. She misses him while he is at work and cries for him several times a day. She is usually right there to great him when he comes home from work. She stands at the top of the stairs yelling, "Daddy!! Daddy!!"

Kenna is such a fun little girl, but I do have to admit telling Andy today that if our older three had been like her when they were two we might have stopped after Megan and that Heavenly Father knew we needed to have Ashlee come before Kenna hit this stage cause we probably wouldn't have had Ashlee cause I don't think I would have wanted a baby on top of Kenna's antics. Kenna's smile just melts me. Her sweet little voice just makes me smile. Her fun little gallop as she comes down the hall makes me giggle. But she is also such a handful!!

She has not had a pacifier since she was 14 or 15 months old, but she just can't help her self when she sees on of Ashlee's pacifiers. She sneaks them whenever possible. I find her with the pacifiers in her mouth as she hides behind the couch, in cupboards, in closet, wherever she can go cause she just NEEDS it. She will climb into Ashlee's crib just to get one. I have never seen a child so addicted to something that she has not had for a long time. She also loves to climb into Ashlee's crib to wake Ashlee up. She just can't stand for Ashlee to be taking a nap. She wants to hug her, hold her, and kiss her all the time. I am glad she loves her so much, but I really need Ashlee to sleep sometimes. Kenna also loves clothes! She loves to change her clothes constantly all day long. She also loves Megan's clothes and often comes out of her room very proud of herself for having found a "cute Megan clothes" to wear. Just yesterday I found her with Aidan's dirty (GROSS!!) underwear around her waist and his Superman pajamas on over the top. I couldn't help but laugh and just waited for her to decide on her next outfit for the day and then promptly put Aidan's stuff in the laundry.

One of Kenna's favorite foods is fruit snacks. The thing that is hard to resist when she asks for them is her way of saying it. She call them "new nacks." We have had to put a baby proof knob on the pantry door so she can't just freely help herself to them. Kenna also loves pizza, pop tarts, and crunch berry cereal. She is not a picky eater though, which is very nice. I know that my challenge as her mother is to channel her endless energy and stubborness in the right direction. It can be used to do a lot of good in her life if I can teach her to use it to be stubborn in the right things. She loves going to church and nursery. She loves her nursery teachers and friends. She loves learning about Jesus, and she loves to sing! Her favorite Primary songs are "Popcorn," "Sunbeam," and "Child's Prayer." I am so thankful for my sweet little Kenna. She is a handful, but she reminds me daily to be thankful for the little things that Heavenly Father has given us. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has allowed me the chance to be her mother. The eight months I was pregnant with her were full of stress and worry, but I am so thankful that He blessed me with a healthy, beautiful child. I am amazed at His trust in me to be her mother. Kenna, I love you, my baby!

Hopefully the Last!!

April 10th was a fabulous day!! First of all, my wonderful sweetheart had his 33rd birthday!! To make it even better, he got the day off from work for the Easter weekend. And to make it the best day ever, we got to spend the day and night in Billings with no children!! My mom and Andy's mom and sister Juleen were wonderful in helping us with the kids so we could get away and enjoy some time together, go shopping, and most importantly attend the temple. This trip started off with it being a day that I had a doctor's appointment. This was to hopefully be the day I got my drain out for good. Well, I do have my drain out for good, but I ended up getting it out the week before due to ending up in the hospital overnight in Billings because of some horrible pains and dehydration. After blood work and a CT scan, they decided the drain was sitting so shallow that it was causing problems. My solution to this pain, before going to the doctor, was to not eat. Not eating meant no pain. The doctor didn't like this solution, so he had me come up to see him. I had lost more weight and was pretty dehydrated, so he had me stay the night in the hospital for tests and IV fluids. I really didn't want to stay, but it ended up being for the better. I left not feeling so "puny" (as the doctor put it) and I no longer had my drain in!!! I have been amazed at how much better I feel now that the drain is out. My energy level is beginning to come back up and I am starting to be able to eat a few more of the foods that I couldn't eat before.

So, my doctor appointment on the 10th ended up being the LAST appointment instead of next to last!! He said all my scars were healing nicely but that is looked like someone had taken a knife to me and a few bullets. (Sorry, I am not posting a picture of my lovely stomach.) Since I have still been having problems with foods that have food or grease, he gave me some pills that will hopefully help my pancreas digest these better. I have had a 1/2 a hamburger since getting the pills and was able to tolerate it, so there is hope that they will work! I still have to be careful, but I am grateful to be able to eat a variety of things now. It is nice to start to put these surgeries behind us and return to a "normal" sort of life. I actually went running one night this week, and it felt so good. I have done some walking which is nice too, but to say I ran two miles just less than 3 months post-surgery makese me smile. Running gives me a sort of "high." I look forward to slowly working into more days a week of running.

Andy and I were able to enjoy a peaceful trip to Billings. We didn't have to worry about rushing through the stores cause we needed to get home. We were able to do some shopping for bunkbeds for the girls, let Andy pick out his birthday present, get some new spring/summer clothes for me, and just enjoy holding hands and talking without getting interrupted by children! I love being married to my best friend! He is so patient, kind, hardworking, unselfish, fun father, caring husband, worthy priesthood holder, my support system, a good listener, my better half, and has done so much for me these last 7 or 8 months to help make our trials easier. I don't know how I got so lucky to have him ask me to be his wife!!

So Far Behind!!

I am so far behind in my journaling!! I have everything tucked in the back of my mind that I need to update, but I just haven't found the chance to sit down and actually get it done. So, be on the watch for updates on Aidan's wrestling, Aidan's grandparent's day, Kenna's birthday, Andy's birthday, the FINAL!!! doctor appointment and trip to Billings, Easter, and just some everyday happenings at the Jacobsen house. We really do not go anywhere, so I am not sure why it is so hard to get this done. But it is a lot to keep up with 5 kids and the things that just "have" to be done to survive. Thank goodness my energy level is starting to pick back up!!

Another Kenna moment

I walked into Kenna and Megan's room to find Kenna's draw open and panties and jammies all over the place. I asked Kenna, "Who made this mess?" Kenna's response, "Umm... You?" I responded, "I think it was you." Kenna, "Oh."

I was suprised she blamed it on me cause she usually blames it on Darcee (my little sister). She is pretty attached to Darcee right now. She wants to be a basketball player like Darcee and anytime she sees a basketball game or a picture of basketball she asks where Darcee is. Right now Darcee and my mom are in Utah visiting college campuses. Last night, Kenna was walking up the stairs and all of a sudden stopped and started crying. I asked her what was wrong. "I want Darcee." I don't know what we are going to do when Darcee leaves for college. We are all going to go through a major withdrawal.

Drain Be Gone?

No, it is not gone. I went back to the surgeon yesterday to see if the drain from my pancreas could be removed. Yesterday was exactly two months from my second surgery. The surgeon said there is still probably another 3 or 4 inches of tubing left to be removed before it is completely gone. So I go back in another two weeks to see if he can possibly remove it for good. I have to admit I have gotten pretty used to it, but it will be so nice when I can wear jeans again. I do wonder if I will want to wear them again though. I have gotten very used to my "comfy" pants (as Megan calls them) or the "athletic" look as my friend Meredith refers to it. I am thankful that the surgeon is being careful in how fast he removes it though as I don't want to end up in surgery again. I feel so fortunate to have such good care. I never thought I would be sick of trips to Billings. It will probably be easier on the pocketbook too when I am not going every two weeks. I am so lucky to have so much help from wonderful family and friends in taking care of the kids when I go. My next appointment is on Andy's birthday! Maybe my present to him will be to get my drain out and maybe start to feel somewhat normal. He is such a huge support to me! He has taken on so many extra responsibilities and does it without complaining. He is my strength when I feel like things are just falling apart. I am so lucky to be married to my best friend!!

Life with Kenna is ...

never a dull moment! Kenna will turn two on April 4, and boy has she done a good job of reminding us what it is like to have two year old around. Kenna has no fear: no fear of the dark, no fear of being along, no fear of wandering out of the house; you name it, she is not really afraid. She is our little escape artist. It all started when Ashlee was only a few weeks old. I had been at work for about five hours or so and was in desperate need of pumping off some milk. The four older kids were downstairs watching cartoons, and I had Ashlee up in her room with me. I heard the doorbell ring, so I was scrambling to make myself decent. By the time I got out of the room, Aidan had already answered the door and whoever was there was gone. All I heard was, "You need to make sure you keep this door locked." When I asked Aidan who it was, he calmly replied, "Oh, just some guy bringing Kenna home." WHAT??!! The front door was apparently not locked, and Kenna had escaped outside. She has gone outside before, but she never goes anywhere other than right in our yard, so I had my doubts that she was really anywhere but in our yard. Obviously whoever it was knew where she belonged, but they didn't ask for a parent when they brought her home. This made me a little suspicious. I texted my mom and a friend to say that I was probably going to get turned into DFS. Both texted back saying that if they knew where she belonged, they obviously knew that that was not the norm and that things just happen with little kids. I tried to believe them, but sure enough, about 30 - 45 minutes later my doorbell rang. There stood a very kind police officer who was there to tell me that this "neighbor" called them about my little girl being outside by herself and that a young kid answered the door and they didn't see a parent. Heaven forbid should the "neighbor" have asked for me! Anyway, he understood that things happen, told me how cute the kids were, took down a little info, and left on his way. Needless to say, every since,all the doors in the house stay locked all the time. Aaron is very good about keeping track of Kenna and panics easily if he hasn't seen her for 30 seconds.

Kenna's antics did not end there. My mom came over to watch Kenna and Megan for me while I took Ashlee to the doctor. My mom was cleaning the floors upstairs for me (what a lifesaver she is) and the girls were downstairs watching cartoons. She had had Megan check on Kenna and tell her what she was doing. "Just watching cartoons, Grandma." When she was done with the floors, she came downstairs to find Kenna and called for her. Kenna's normal response to most questions is "what?". But Kenna did not respond. Instead my mom saw the basement door open a crack. Yes, it was locked, but you can still open it from the inside. She has never been able to get this door open, so we hadn't thought twice about it. After searching the house, my mom began making some phone calls to grandparents, my dad, my little sister, my aunt: all the people that live close. They all came to help look and my mom started driving the neighborhood. We live across the street from the school and one of the teachers happened to be going to lunch and asked if someone was missing and she started to help look. Panic began to set in as no one could find her, so my mom called 911. After being routed to the Powell dispatch (she was on her cell phone) and giving them a description of Kenna, my mom was very relieved to see my little sister waving at her to tell her they had found Kenna. Darcee had come downstairs and happened to catch a glimpse of a little head poking out of a blanket on the couch. Sweet little Kenna had covered herself up with a blanket and gone to sleep! She was never really lost! The dispatcher was glad to hear it was a happy ending. But until we can get a deadbolt into our metal door downstairs, the baby gate is in front of it so she can't go out.

We only thought we had her all figured out. My sweet grandma was watching the kids while Andy and I went to the adult meeting for stake conference. It was a beautiful day, and all the kids had been playing outside. The three older kids came in, but Kenna wanted to stay outside. My grandma checked on her a minute later and found an empty backyard. As she hollered for Kenna, she heard, "What?" Except it was coming from the front of the house. Sure enough, Kenna was standing at my grandparent's truck. When my grandma got to her, she said, "I anna go bye-bye!" The side gate had gotten unlocked, and leave it to Kenna to know when to take advantage of things. So, now we always make sure the side gate is locked too. We hope we have run out of lessons to learn. We have been lucky so far!!

Kenna is also into taking her clothes off constantly, putting on different clothes (and it doesn't matter who they belong to), stealing Ashlee's pacifier and sucking on it even though she hasn't had a pacifier for a long time, swiping the other kids' toys and running with them so they will chase her, and climbing on the counters to play in the water from the sink. But she can also be so sweet and say some of the cutest things. wanted to journal a few for my own memory. When we were living with my parents after my surgery, she and my dad started calling each other "stinkerbugs." It is so cute to hear her say, "Grandpa Stinkerbug, tickle me." She is also a very observant girl, and she quickly caught on to the fact that my dad likes to take Doritos to work for during breaks. While at Walmart with my mom and me one day, she said to my mom as she was getting more Doritos, "Grandpa Stinkerbug chips!" So now she calls my dad Grandpa Stinkerbug chips and that is how she also refers to Doritos.

My Grandpa Don was bringing Kenna home one day and said, "Kenna wenna." Kenna's response: "What Grandpa wampa?"

I know I wanted to add more, but my mind is blank for now. I will journal them when I remember (which is usually at 3:30 am when I am feeding Ashlee).

A Lesson in Responsibility

If anyone was waiting for an update on Aidan's latest wrestling tournament, I hope you haven't been holding your breath. Andy got up bright and early on Saturday so he could take Aidan to Lovell for his weigh-ins. I drug myself out of bed to make sure they had everything and then to begin getting myself ready to take the rest of the kids when it was time for wrestling to start. I opened up his wrestling backpack to put a few snacks in and decided to check to see if all his stuff was in it. No headgear! When you don't have headgear, you don't get to wrestle. I was so glad that they hadn't gotten to the tournament and then discovered it. Aidan was a little sad, but he was also kind of tired so didn't think too long about it. So instead of tackling the girls all day in a gymnasium, we had a relaxing (ok, not really relaxing but slower) day at home and then wandered to Cody so the kids could spend their birthday money that was burning a hole in their pockets. Thankfully, Aidan found his headgear at practice tonight. I am sure from now on that he will be a lot more responsible and make sure he has all his stuff. He wrestles here in Powell this weekend, so we are excited to get to watch him!!

This is Aidan's wrestling picture from this year. Can you tell you doesn't wrestle heavyweight?

We Love Spring!!

The girls and I ventured outside today for a beautiful spring day! I can already tell we will be outside a lot this summer, that is if Ashlee will tolerate it. She wasn't very fond of being out today. Megan and Kenna had tons of fun though. We played in the backyard for a while and then walked down to the "orange" park (as the kids refer to it). It was so nice to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

Ashlee did eventually fall asleep. What a sweet little face!

What a little monkey Kenna is! She just begs to be outside all the time. "I anna jump trampline!" She has the sweetest little voice and smile. It is so hard to resist. When her brothers come home, they have a hard time resisting her to and are very good about taking her outside in the backyard when it is nice.

Megan was wanting to pose at all different places at the park. It was so cute! Too bad she didn't let me pull her hair out of her face today. There was just enough of a breeze that it kept blowing in her face. Megan is such a big helper with Kenna too!

Photo Shoot

Even though Ashlee is now 3 months old, I wanted to post her 2 month pictures that my brother and sister-in-law took of her last time they were home. There were so many that I loved, it was hard to choose just a few. But here are a few of my favorites! I really could post a ton of pictures, but I will keep it to a minimum. Thank you so much, Danen and Kimberly!! These are just priceless!

Ashlee's Blessing Day

I am kind of working out of order on some posts, but I want to get some things journaled for my own record. Ashlee Rose Jacobsen was born Dec. 15, 2008 at 5:43 pm weighing 6 lb. 2 oz. We had her blessed at church on March 1, 2009. She was blessed by her dad. Standing in the circle were her grandpas - Mark Lynn and Jeff Jacobsen, great-grandpas - Don Goller and Bill Lynn, our home teacher - Dustin O'Brien, and the other people in the bishopric with Andy - Bishop Bennion and Syd Thompson. My aunt Kathy Good and Andy's mom also came. My parents and siblings along with both sets of grandparents are in our ward. It was a very beautiful blessing for a very beautiful little girl. We are so blessed to have Ashlee join our family! She is such a good, sweet little girl. Her siblings adore her and love to help me with her. She is just the perfect little girl to finish up our family!

At Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mark's house after her blessing

We love your sweet smile, Ashlee!

Attempt at a picture with the three girls: Kenna, Megan and Ashlee

Ashlee and the boys - Aidan and Aaron - very good big brothers!

It was next to impossible to get a good picture of all five kids together. This was the best we could do. I have since had some professional ones taken that should be so much better!

Medal Time!

Aidan had his first wrestling tournament of this USA wrestling season. He wrestled in the age 7-8 under 45 lb. weight category. Because Aaron, Megan, Ashlee and I went to watch Darcee's state championship game in Casper, Andy took Aidan to his tournament in Cody. Andy took video of each of his matches for us, and I am so glad he did. Aidan had fun wrestling last year, but was a little timid. He got a ribbon at each tournament, but as he watched his friends getting medals, he was a little disappointed. This season he told me his goal was to win a medal. Well, he met his goal at his very first tournament! He took 3rd place!! It was so much fun to see him get better each match. He ended with a 2-2 record. His first match he came out a little timid.
In match number 2 he really got after it. He ended up beating the kid on points. The video is broken down by period. Aidan is in the red.

It is so much fun seeing him trying to do what he has learned and his coaches are telling him to try.

And the winner is Aidan! Way to go!

In his third match, he got his first pin! Oh yeah, he also got his first caution. What a rebel! He didn't know that two hands on a kids head was illegal.

I am not going to upload his last match since uploading takes so long, but he ended up losing it. But it wasn't for lack of aggressiveness. He really gave the kid a run for his money. We are looking forward to his next tournament in Lovell this weekend.
Way to go, Aidan!!

Trying out the blogging world

Well, I have finally given in and decided to give the blogging world a try. I seem to have time on my hands right now, so I thought why not start now. This is really more for my sake so I have some sort of journal to pass on to my children, but I love keeping up with family and friends this way, so maybe someone will find some interest in that too. I have always had good intentions of journaling for my children and I have gone in spurts, but I am hoping this will maybe be a bit more consistent or at least give them the highlights of our life. Please bear with me as I am learning all the ins and outs. Welcome to our crazy life!