Aunt Sumo stops by

Let's see if I can remember all the fun things we did when my sister (who we lovingly call Aunt Sumo) came to town. She originally booked her flights for a week after my due date assuming that she could help me with the transition at home with three... Taytum, however, had other plans, so it ended up being a fun week of playing. It was perfect timing, right before we move; it made us get out to see all the sites we wanted to see one last time before we move from our beautiful city of Portland.

Monday after Summer got into town we headed down to Salem to see my brother and his cute little family. My mom and little sister came up too.

We made it to a delicious shortcake stand for a little dessert pre dinner. The kids:

Then was dinner. Amazingly there were no spills at this table!

Tuesday we hit up the zoo with everyone, but not before we stopped by Voodoo Doughnut to pick up a delicious breakfast of bacon maple bars. To die for!!!

The zoo train is always a hit.

Wednesday we made it over to the coast. We loved playing in the sand and Reece ate her fair share of sand. We finally are at a stage where none of my kids ate any! Hooray!

Then to get halibut fish and chips at Dooger's. They were the best fish and chips I have ever eaten!

The next few days we spent shopping and hanging out. We went on a walk and picked blueberries.

Saturday we met up with Ben and Sharon and their boys at the Saturday's Market. The kids loved playing around together.

The girls:

The guys:

And then we grabbed a quick lunch and Summer and Reece had to go home. It was so much fun to have her here and have adult conversation throughout the days. My kids love their cousin and it was fun to get some quality time with her. It was sad to say goodbye, but made slightly easier knowing that we are going to live five short hours away from her in just a couple of weeks!

Thanks for coming up to play Summer and Reece. And a special thanks to Uncle Josh for giving up his family for the week!! We love you guys!

We're back!

I know so very many of you have been worrying/wondering where we have been. Okay, so not that many of you, but for those curious, I will be returning to the blogging world shortly with many updates. Just not now because my kids will be waking up from naps shortly.

Par-Tay!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. The mom's group in my ward did a little party for Taytum yesterday. It was so much fun. We just had tons of delicious treats and good conversation while the kids all played together. It was super fun. Thanks ladies for such a good time!! And a special thanks to Kelli for hosting! Love you ladies!

The girls on either side of me are both preggers!

Tyson loved baby Tay. He kept trying to share this little car with her by setting it ever so gently in her hand. It was adorable.

Due today!

I can't believe today is my due date! Instead I have a beautiful almost three week old daughter.

Although I do miss being pregnant already, there are a number of reasons I am so glad not to be preggers:

- I have a gorgeous daughter

- I can hold my bladder for 12+ hours!! FINALLY!

- I am sleeping better than I have in probably a year

- I can easily shave my legs, tie my shoes, and paint my toenails

- I can once again sleep on my back

- I have a little baby to snuggle any time I want!

- No lower back pain

- I can walk without constant contractions

- My wardrobe has expanded

- I can breathe much better

- And did I mention I have one beautiful baby girl?!

A few things about Taytum:

- She is long!

- She has long limbs, long toes, and particularly long fingers... even the CMA made a comment about how long her fingers were at Tay's last appointment.

- She has the cutest little dimple in her left cheek.

- She has a head full of beautiful dark hair. I assume that it will all fall out and turn blonde, but we are loving her locks while we can.

- She hasn't really cried yet and when she fusses, she is so easily consolable.

- She eats every three hours and I didn't even have to work at putting her on that schedule (we even usually get a longer stretch at night of 4-5 hours).

- She likes to have her hands up by her head when she sleeps.

- She doesn't really take her Nuk yet... I am really pushing it on her though.

- She is a phenomenal nurser! She is making my life so much easier right now.

I just love being a mom to three!

And just to show off her dimple:

A day in the life of me...

Sharing is caring:

The kids love to dance and are constantly striking poses everywhere they go, accompanied by a "watch me mom!"

Napping with Dad is the best. And no, he is not napping because of sleepless nights, we just stayed up REALLY late playing Guitar Hero. Taytum slept for nine hours straight that night:

These bathtub crayons are a hit:

We also got all the kids new bath towels. Carter LOVES his monster towel, slept with it during nap the first day we got it, and asks to play with it about twenty times a day. We keep having to explain that it's a towel, not a blanket.

She's a thug; saggy bottoms & backward hat. She couldn't quite get her shorts over her booty when she was dressing herself.

Cute, quality, sibling time. Warms the cockles of my heart:

Just your typical day.

2 weeks

7lbs 10oz.

Clark Country Fair

We decided on Saturday to head to the Clark C0unty Fair. It was the perfect weather and we had a great time. This year the featured exhibit was "Jaws, Paws, & Claws. " This meant there were lions, tigers, snapping turtles, and sharks, and much more. The kids loved it!

Of course, the cows, sheep, and chickens were a hit too.

And what's a fair without a hamburger, brick of fries, and elephant ear?! YUM!

We kept Tay safely tucked away.

Then we decided to give a few rides a whirl. We definitely have some future roller coaster lovers on our hands.

And to end the afternoon we decided to let the kids play a game. We picked one that guaranteed kids a prize. Well, we didn't need to. We picked the game where you have to throw a bean bag into a clown's mouth. $5 got you three tries. So Carter stands up to throw his first bean bag and hits just below the clown's mouth. So close!! Then the next try goes right in! Fluke, right? No way! He nails his third try too!! That's right... 2 for 3 ain't bad. I couldn't even do that if I tried. Andi was another story. She couldn't even get a bean bag to make it to the other side. So she throws like a girl, so what? :)