December- Quick, fast & in a hurry!

So the month of December... it seems like it flew by in a whirlwind. Part of that was to blame for the lack of sleep we were experiencing- Molly did not sleep too well at this point & we spent a ton of time (mainly @ night) watching random shows on our Netflix instant play account. :) Despite the sleep deprivation, it was still a wonderful month & we were able to spend lots of time with friends and family.

Evan has reached a place where he is quite independent when it comes to most things, but still wants/needs help pretty often as well. He also loves to do whatever Page and I are doing. One day when we were getting ready to go somewhere, I went into the bathroom to find Evan covered in shaving cream-just like Daddy. He was loving it!Molly has become much more interactive lately & she is starting to smile. There is not much that can make you feel ok about staying up all night, but getting a smile in the morning from our adorable little gal is definitely a good motivator.

She is also to the point where she LOVES bath time... she can be screaming and if we put her in the bath, she calms down & soaks up the warmth. It is also a great way to keep her awake in effort to help her sleep at night. (not that it works yet!)

One of the best things about having a girl are the clothes!!! I love to put Molly in cute outfits. So FUN! Here is one outfit that my Mom got her for Christmas- one of my favorites. :)

Sleeping kiddos crack me up. Sometimes it is the sweet faces they make when they are dreaming and sometimes it is the positions they can get themselves into. I would be hurting if I woke up the way Evan does most days! Here are both kids in great moments of sleep- I probably should have slept too instead of taking pictures, but oh well!!

Could not go without the train set for even a night, apparently.

Don't know why this ended up upside down... but it is still cute. :) Molly loves having her hands near her face!

Sometimes it is not just the kids that sleep in crazy ways... my poor husband is doing an amazing job of keeping his head above water & making it look easy. This is how he feels most days, I am sure. Both kids love seeing Daddy. Thankfully he is great about letting me have little times where I get a break from the craziness of the day. This was a great moment when all were happy and Page was spending good Daddy time with our kiddos. This month we got the all clear for Evan's hand. It healed perfectly and we had our last appointment at Children's. Mom was able to come help me take both kids to the appointment (since during our last 2 appts we were there for 2+ hours). Thankfully, we were in and out in about 30 minutes. Evan got to see the HUGE Christmas tree out front- it had real toys under it & he was impressed. He and Mom walked around it and checked it out while Molly and I stayed out of the wind.
Here is our Christmas tree this year. It pretty much looks the same as the last few years- we just add a few ornaments each Christmas. This year, in effort to keep Evan from wanting to 'help' with our tree, we got him his own small tree to decorate. We got ornaments that he could take off and play with if he wanted and it would not be a problem. He loved it!! We went to Target and he picked the tree, the ornaments- all of it. His favorite colors are blue and purple, so that was the theme for his tree this year- blue tree with blue & purple ornaments. It was great, each time he wanted to touch/play with ornaments from my tree- I just reminded him that the big tree is Mommy's tree and he had his own. He even took it around the house to play with and decorate over and over. So, anyone looking for a way to keep a toddler away from your tree next year- there is an idea for you- definitely worth the $13. :)

We are blessed to have friends that are great at photography & better at getting Evan to smile (bribery by candy cane helped). For our Christmas card/family pictures this year, they took some wonderful shots that are definitely some of our favorites ever. :)

Thanksgiving fun

This year we had much to be thankful for. We have 2 healthy children, a great marriage, wonderful family & the best friends! There is definitely nothing to complain about. We praise God for all that he does for us and all that he gives us- it is all so much more than we deserve & we hope to always be grateful.

Thanksgiving morning we watched the Macy's parade. It was the first time that Evan has really paid much attention & he loved it. He also loves to make silly faces.

Since Molly was only about 3 weeks old, we chose to stay in town instead of travel. We missed our family, but we were grateful for our second family, the Rasmussens, for having us over to celebrate the holiday. Evan enjoyed playing football with Ben, Peter & Wyatt. He may need to work on catching. :)

The boys had fun running around the yard.

A little tackling was involved... until Evan was a little too rough & Wyatt started crying anyway.

Page took some time to spend with Molly & to visit with the others. :)

Random moments in November

We had a lot of random moments in November. It was a busy month and we were pretty exhausted, but we found ways to have fun and enjoy each other. :)

Evan loves his new little sister. He loves to give her kisses and hold her- so glad he is excited about her joining our family!
One evening Evan decided to get into our baby seat. Page thought it would be great to carry him around. Thankfully it did not last very long. :)

My first picture with both kiddos after coming home. I think Molly was 2 weeks old here.

Family photo...

Happy moments with Annamarie...

Daddy time- on the floor. :)

Beast and Molly catching some zzz's.

Tummy time- Evan loves to join in the fun!

Mommy's helper- he always helps me make cornbread, soup, wash dishes and put laundry in the washer. :)

Molly meets her family & friends at the hospital...

These pictures are pretty self-explanitory, so I thought I would just tag the person/people in each one.

Me and my girl!! My Dad (Baba)

Aunt Amanda

Uncle Casey

Ma (great-grandmother)

Big Brother Evan
Uncle Travis

Aunt Lauren and Grandpa Russ

Chris and Annamarie
Jill
Amanda, Payton, Casey, Molly, Page & Evan- all three grandkids on my side of the family. :)
Four generations of ladies!!
Kim and Clint
Sharla
There were other friends that came to meet Molly and see us during our time at the hospital... somehow we missed getting a picture of them (on our camera at least)... PaPa (my grandfather), Katie, Paul, Colette, The Abbotts, Amy Bowles, Whitney & Mekele. I hope I did not forget anyone. If I did- I apologize. Relying on the photos does not work when there are several cameras being used. :) Thanks to everyone who came to visit and support us & those who could not make it- we love you all!

Our Newest Blessing!

On November 8th, we welcomed our little girl, Molly Elissa Bleakley into the world. We had a scheduled C-section, so we knew the date and time and everything. We checked in at the hospital about 5:00 that morning & then waited for me to get the required IV fluid, and bloodwork taken. As much as I was hoping to have a natural delivery with Evan, it did not work out and we had a C-section after a full day of labor and exhaustion. I have to say, the 2nd time around was much more comfortable. I knew what to expect, it was not a stressful situation, and I was able to relax more and actually experience her being born. I like being prepared, and this time around, we were.

When we got the go-ahead to make our way down to surgery, Page and Mom were suited up and followed so they could be in the operating room.
It actually was great- I walked into the OR, got up on the table myself, hung out for a bit while the techs were doing their counts. Then I was given a spinal and everything got started. I had a little trouble with the spinal at first, and almost passed out once, but after my fluids were regulated, things went just as we expected. Mom took pictures of the delivery while she and Page watched it all happen.

Here is Molly right after the Dr pulled her out. She was born at 7:54am. She came out screaming, and as you will see- did not stop for a long while. :)
She weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 1 oz and was 20 inches long. You can't see her face, but she was still screaming.

Molly and her proud Daddy. Look at those cheeks!!

Mom (Nana) also got to hold her for a little bit while everything was finished with me.

This was in the bassinet before she headed down for a bath.
Getting clean... gotta love how pink she turned!
That is better! Now she has on her clothes and her soft skin is all nice and clean. :)It was an eventful morning, but we were glad to see Molly completely healthy and to begin our life as a family of four.