Blessing Day

The blessing went pretty flawlessly. We had LOTS of people there, we are so lucky to have so many friends and family around to support us. The only brother missing from the circle was my oldest brother, Chad. We are excited to see him next month though!! There was lots of yummy food and we all ate in the garage.... sounds kind of redneck, but it worked. We didn't have a big enough space to seat everyone in the house and I didn't want kids carrying bowls of soup around. With the space heaters and the unusually warm day it was pretty pleasant out there. I think Ethan won 'best dressed'.

Here is Aunt Lucile, where Roxcy gets her middle name. We are so glad she could join us, and special thanks to my sister for driving her here.

happy day

Peace

This week I feel like I am in the eye of a storm. Last Sunday we lost a very dear friend, only 16 years old and very tragic, unexpected. We dearly love this boy and we dearly love his family. We have tried to step out in the storm and help where we can. This boy and his brother were in Kurt's teachers quorum. For those of you who don't know the extent of this calling, it basically means that Kurt taught them on Sundays and Wednesdays, would go on scout camp outs in the summer, and the quorum would be at our house every day in between, eating our food, playing games, and sometimes watching the boys. It only took a month for me to get these boys to stop calling me 'mom', all I had to do was tell them my age.... can't have a baby at 6, sorry. :) Anyway, I have found that when we step back into the eye of the storm it's easier to find peace. I can still see and feel the storm raging around me, but I look at where I'm standing and what I have....

...and there is hope and comfort. Thank heavens for my beautiful kids. I am grateful for them, even though those boys fight like cats and dogs most of the time. I'm grateful for eternal families, especially right now for the Birches. So grateful for life after death and the comfort it brings.

Here is what has been happening lately. We've been staying in as much as possible, so I'm not sure how we got the flu, but we did. It was just a short one, 12-24 hours. Ethan and kurt didn't get it, just me and Seth. The boys both got the sniffles, but they haven't been bad. Anyway, since we've been staying in we have had a hard time not getting bored out of our minds. Here are some of our activities:

We got the boys these hats when we went to California in December.

Packing peanuts!!

Finger painting!! A first for Seth, he wasn't sure what to make of it and was happy when I handed him a paint brush.

Other than that we have just been trying to survive with no sleep. Roxcy is a sweetheart and we love her very much. She is also the most beautiful baby I have ever seen!! Hands down! Both the boys had to grow into some of their features, but Roxcy is gorgeous right from the start.

Tonight we had Mom and Dad (Daems) also called "Grandma and Grandpa Ding-Clock" over because they made dinner for us. It was a wonderful meal (on par for Mom since we always had a great meal growing up.... except the liver) We got to play some games and chat until the sugar rush hit the boys and they turned into little werewolves. Britt wisely suggested that it was bed time and after brushing teeth and scriptures, Grandpa laid on the floor and told Ethan a story. Now i've followed in dads tradition and done the same many nights, but make no mistake, i was reminded who is the master. You should have seen the wonderment in that little boys eyes and hear his giggles with dads creativity.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

The boys meet their sister

I wish these pictures could adequately show you the adoration in Ethan's face. Seth kept trying to poke, prod, and really just annoy her. But Ethan would rub her back, sing her songs, give her kisses. He wanted to see all of her so he unzipped her pj's, first words: "Wow, she's wrinkly" Then Kurt got home a few minutes after the boys (they were coming from my moms) and Ethan had to show Kurt how tiny baby Roxcy was. The whole evening was very sweet.

First time he saw her

Ethan was very proud of his smile in the family pictures.

Then today the boys went out and splashed in the rain and floated weed boats down the gutter.

This is Ethan and Grandma Barbs socks, they thought it was cool that they matched.

Little Roxcy is here!! She was born on the 18th at 11:21 AM, 7 lbs 2 oz, 20.5 inches long. Lots of pretty hair. She is beautiful. She is named after Eliza Roxcy Snow, remarkable woman. She also looks remarkable like Ethan when he was born. Ethan's birth was a little more pleasant, due in full to the epidural, but my recovery has been more pleasant this time around due to the lack of epidural. There is no pain that even makes it on the scale after you've had a baby with no meds. If you have a choice, get the epidural. Period.

The boys are at my moms, I miss them terribly!!! My mom is the best, thanks for letting your house be a zoo for a couple days. :) I will post more pictures soon.

Roxcy Lucile Daems

Ethan

I will get a better picture so you can truly see the likeness.