Goodbye, Mr. Narwhal.

We've been watching a lot of Elf around our house. For some reason, Andrew loves it. And I'm wondering how many people in this world know what a narwhal is. Unless you didn't sleep through that chapter in Moby Dick, in which case you would know what a narwhal is.

But all of that is beside the point. Look how cute this little fella is:

We may or may not just count this post as our birth announcement. We'll see what the next few weeks bring.

Temple Building

We're still working on the spiritual part of Home Evening, but we always have fun activities. Notice our two different designs and our construction worker Moroni.

Shake It

Museums are a pretty big deal.

For Jack's birthday, we enjoyed a fun outing to the Discovery Museum at Gateway with the Martins. It was super fun for the boys, and the babies were really good too. Andrew is OBSESSED with his Uncle Chase. Everything Chase does is cool.
Even when he tries to make Andrew hold a huge loaf of fake bread.

Loving the bird's nest with Grandma.

I'm so impressed that Grandma got him to wear a costume. This is an accomplishment.

Playing with the water was so fun for the boys.

Chase is a really good uncle. He told me that Henry looks like a cross between Justin and a gorilla. So, I'm the one contributing the gorilla gene?

These jokers were seriously cracking me up. They were trying to play the Harry Potter theme.

As always, Grandpa is being super attentive and helping the boys figure out how the ball vacuum works.

Henry Jefferson

We got Henry's birth certificate, so his name is official. I feel like it's always pending until that time, even if we've decided and agreed upon the name. He got passed around at Andrew's birthday party, which he was totally happy with. He loves to just be held. This is my pretty friend, Rachel, by the way.
Still working on the focusing.

Andrew loves to point out all of Henry's features, and he's really good at being soft with him, which is an amazing feat for Andrew.

Love how his little outfit happens to match our quilt.

Andrew's Birthday

You know the phrase, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry"? That would be a perfect description of Andrew's birthday.

We had a little play time with all of the neighborhood kiddos that could come. It was a fun idea in theory, but Andrew threw a SERIOUS tantrum during the singing and pudding eating. He got soaking wet from playing in the drinking fountain and thus went shirtless for the rest of the party. And I didn't have his presents wrapped, so he didn't get to open any.

In the afternoon, we intended to go to the dinosaur museum with Grandma and Grandpa, but Andrew was without a nap and Super Grumpster. He just wanted to stay home and watch a movie. At that point, I had wrapped his presents, but he freaked out and didn't want to open them.

And he liked his cake (made by Raven), but didn't want to blow out candles.

Nonetheless, as indicated by his behavior, Andrew is now two. We still love his grouchy little self.

Is it too late to post these?

I just got my maternity pictures back from my awesome friend who did a GREAT job...Even though I'm kind of a Large Marge in the pictures, I kind of love them. And I had her do a newborn shoot for Henry this afternoon and really can't wait for them to be ready, because he was CUTE CUTE CUTE today.

PS. You'll notice an absence of Andrew in these pictures. He was there, but not excited about being in the pictures for some reason. Here's what he was doing most of the time....

help.

How do I keep my two-year-old entertained while I'm nursing? I don't know what to do with this child/monster, otherwise known as Andrew. My house is a wreck, and the meltdowns come conveniently when I'm stuck on the couch, basically immobile. Any ideas, folks?

Happy Birthday Little Bug

Andrew is 2 years old today. I am SO enamored with this little fella. I love everything about him. Some great things about him:

• his curiosity...He is naughty, but he really does come by it honestly.
• his sweet kisses and hugs...Anytime someone gets a kiss, he wants one too
• his funny phrases...I love when he asks someone if they're okay. Especially when he knows that he's in trouble.
• his sensitivity...he doesn't like to be in trouble because it hurts his feelings. I love that.
• his dimples...I can NOT discipline this kid if he smiles at me with those cute dimples.
• his run...He runs everywhere on his tiptoes and his calves are freakishly strong for a 2-year old.
• his passion...He gets SO stinking excited about things he loves (i.e. basketball, dinosaurs), and it makes me get excited.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!!

Thanks.

I have never had such a thankful Thanksgiving in all my life. Really, having Henry has helped me be much more aware of my blessings. Here are a few, and I know there are so many more.

I'm so glad my sis could be here for Henry's birth, even though she was 15 minutes too late to see the actual birth...Henry was just in a serious rush to get here. My brothers have been great with checking in (or sending their wives to check in) as well as dropping by to see Henry.

My in-laws have been so awesome with taking care of Andrew, cooking us meals, and just basically being the incredible people they are. My sis-in-law has called me almost every day just to check on me and be the resident expert on how to have multiple children.

My awesome friends in our ward have been so supportive with providing yummy meals and coming to visit as well as having Andrew at their houses for playdates so he doesn't go nuts.

My mom and dad are admiring Henry from afar and singing Happy Birthday to him in zone conference.

I am so blessed with such incredible relationships. Thank you to everyone, and I mean EVERYONE for making us feel so loved and for celebrating this great time with us.

Sweetness

Can I just brag for one second about my awesome husband? I sincerely feel like I married the most caring, kind, wonderful man on the planet. I say this because:

1. There is no way on this earth that I could have done an unmedicated birth if he wasn't there with me. And since he was there, it was an amazing experience. AMAZING.

2. He's taking his paternity leave very seriously...I haven't had to lift a finger since Henry came, and because of him, my recovery has been super fast and super pleasant.

3. He loves his boys. Even though Andrew's been having a rough adjustment, Justin has just been incredible with him.

I am so glad to have a new baby that looks JUST like Justin. Hopefully, he will BE just like Justin.