Jensen @ 8 Months

Jensen my little man. . . turned 8 months on October 18th. He is a doing fabulously. He is still very big and everywhere I go people let me know how big he really is. Like I don't know this- I am the one toting him around. Hee Hee. He does bring a smile to everyone's face he meets.

He has been teething for nearly a month now. He is feeling it and so am I. Poor guy! But his four bottom teeth and his two side top teeth are finally in. So he has a bit of hill billy look going on right now!

Jensen still refuses to eat any and all real food. He will not take a bottle, a sippy cup or a pacifer. Sigh. So in my moment of desperation a friend said try a slim jim. The salt helps numb their gums and it is soft enough for them to chew on. He loves his slim jims! Here is a funny pic! Jensen eating a slim jim with his "lock up your daughters" tee shirt.  Doesn't get any better than that!

Gratitude and The Fall

I have mixed feelings about the Fall. I completely love how beautiful it is, I love the idea of lots of warm soups to eat and hot cocoa to drink, I like thinking of all the upcoming holidays and all the joy and wonderful memories that come with them- but at the same time I dislike the chill in the air. I hate knowing that that chill just means an incoming bitter cold. Which in turns means that all the parts of my body that hang off a bit will become ice cubes for the next several months. It also means getting out of bed in the morning when it is still dark and cold. Bundling up in layer after layer and even worse bundling up my kiddos in layer after layer only to remove layer after layer a mere ten minutes later when they decide it is too cold or they have to pee! ANYWAYS- I love Fall if I can just not dwell on what the Fall means!!

But this Fall has been amazing and warm so I haven’t had to think about the cold and dreary winter.

When we went up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park in mid-October not only did we have an amazing time but it was fabulously warm. It was nearly 80 degrees with just a nice breeze- I couldn’t of asked for a better day!

We walked around all the fun shops; we went hiking, returned to some of the places I visited as a kid and we saw all the Elk come down for the evening. It was wonderful.

As we walked and hiked in the park I couldn’t help thinking about all the amazing and beautiful creations of our Heavenly Father. There I was in the presence of such beauty and wonder, my heart full of gratitude for it all. Not just the beauty of this earth and its many creations but also the family that Bret and I have created together. The Lord has entrusted me with these magnificent and remarkable little people. It truly was a day to remind me of the many blessings the Lord has provided for me.

Jensen @ 7 Months

I LOVE THIS BOY!

 He has brought so much to our family. What? He is 7 months already? When did that happen?

Jensen is up to 20lbs. now he will grow out of his infant seat with two more pounds- not sure what I will do. Everything on this boy is big and I love it! Chunky, chunky thighs. He is wearing 12 month old clothes and even some of those are to snug on his legs.

He now has two bottom teeth and I can see his top teeth are starting to come down.

Jensen is finally rolling over and he has also decided to sit up. But when he gets tired he throws his head back and crashes back down.

He HATES baby food. I put in his mouth and he just lets is sit there and then he starts gagging and dry heaving. It is really funny to watch. But he does like regular food if I put inside one of those chew toy things. Does anyone know what those are called?

He has the greatest laugh and his sisters are constantly dancing around, making silly noises and doing anything to get him going. When he laughs with no clothes on his belly giggles like jello and then that sends the girls into hysterical laughing. Lots of laughing at our house right now.

Jensen loves the outdoors so I am trying to spend as much time outside because I know that the cold is coming quickly.

Jensen is a calming, laid back and loving little guy. He tolerates the girls "games and dress-up time" so well. He goes wherever we go and is pretty content wherever we are. I love it.

Lastly,  he is still very much a mama's boy and I still love it!

Anna Sugar Bee Waters

My Anna turned nine this last week.

She had a fun day lots of cute clothes, and toys. Birthday treats at school, fabulous birthday dinner (her first request was crab, shrimp and steak but I told her she is not old enough to have such expensive taste!) so she opted for orange chicken, pinapple, costco rolls, and apple juice. Of course she had a horribly ugly cake made by me as is tradition and cookie dough icecream. All in all not a bad day.

Anna is such a funny girl, my number two in so many ways. Here are just a few of her quarks and characteristics!

• She is AMAZING with Jensen, a natural mother and she loves him so very much. She is always willing to help and care for Jensen in anyway. She comes home from school and he is the first and only thing to get her attention. I love watching her tenderness and sweetness with him.
• She still loves her sugar- we put anything sugary in front of her and tell she can't have any and she will shake and have to physically hold herself back from grabbing it. It is quite funny to watch.
• She is smart and witty. She loves school, she loves learning and I love that about her.
• Her natural tendency is toward selfishness but in the last year she has really worked on improving in that area and she has. But I love that she is willing to improve who she is and become a better person.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SUGAR BEE!







The End of Summer :(

BYU vs. AIRFORCE game



Sept. 11th game. They did a great tribute to all those lost on the 11th.

 

The end of summer has come so very sad! We were busy everday and yet we did not even scratch the surface of what I had hoped to do this summer. Oh well, here is the last of our summer fun.

We went to the library summer reading program fair which was super fun (and free) we spent almost all day there! All kinds of things to see and do. Some of the highlights were the stormtroopers for Julia, the flight for life helicopter, sitting in and on all the emergency vechiles, face painting, water slide, and all kinds of other fun things.
I love the library!



• We went to Waterworld so I could relive my childhood memories. It was great fun and I loved watching my girls excitement at all there was to do. I loved seeing them overcome fears in order go on the big scary rides. They are braver than I was at that age! Jensen was great- he just took it all in, went on the big family rides with us and was just happy as can be.

I think this is a new family tradition!

• Bret's work put on an emergency preparedness night at the Sky Sox stadium so we got go support dad in all his hard work. The girls loved it. My favorite part was driving to the game and listening to the girls talk about how we have such an awesome family and they love how we spend so much time together. I wish I could of recorded the conversation. They really understand the importance of family. . . I would like to be able to remind them of their own words when they are 17 and we aren't so cool anymore!

Now we enter into the FALL. A season of crazy schedules, weather and an endless amount of homework and winter preparations. The girls are already discussing Halloween costumes and Thanksgiving plans.

I am not ready I still want more pool time.

My Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to the love of my life. Thirty seven years old today. . . where has the time gone. I was looking at our wedding pictures the other day wow did we look like babies playing dress up! I considered giving you all a side by side of then and now but then realized I wouldn't like to look at how I have aged! Maybe for the fifteen year anniversary!

The best decision I have made to date in my life is marrying this guy. He makes me a better person, and loves me more than I would ever deserve. I love that we still laugh together and enjoy each other. Bret is an amazing father, husband, priesthood holder and man.

I just love that man! I am glad we get to celebrate him today.

Jensen @ 6 Months

(I have misplaced my camera so this is most recent picture of him from our library reading program party about 3 weeks before he was 6 months old!)

SIX MONTHS - where has the time gone? I can hardly believe that it has been that long already- I feel like I should still have a newborn!

He is growing like a weed! He weighed in at his six month appointment at 19 pounds and 8 ounces. To put that into perspective my four year old weighs 23 pounds. He is 28 and half inches long and is in the 97% across the board. He is one big boy and I am feeling it every time I lift his car seat into the car.

He has brought such happiness to our home. I love that kiddo. He is just the happiest and most content little one I have seen. He loves his sisters to pieces and they love him. It is funny with the birth of each child it seems like they fit right into place and I can't remember what it was like to not have them a part of our family. The same is true with my Jensen. I can't put into words how I feel about him and what he has brought to our family. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has given me such beautiful, wonderful and sweet spirited children.

Some fun facts about Jensen:

• his pediatrician says "he's not obese, just fat"
• wearing 9-12 month clothes has been since June!
• Julia can make him laugh so hard by just looking at him funny
• he is a mommas boy- and momma is loving it!
• he continues to nurse like crazy every three hours and is taking no interest in baby food.
• We were at the pool enough this summer that he got a baby tan- pull open his rolls and you'll find they are pretty white inside!
• he just rolled over to his belly but prefers lying on his side.
• when he gets tired he can't close his mouth- it is just too much work to pull those cheeks up when your tired.
• he is number one little boy in the Water's house.

Eve and Anna took a computer movie class this summer. Eve did hers on Jensen here is a little clip from it! He has since added on two more rolls onto those thighs!