Remembering

I just began going through some old pictures, trying to find ones of the girls when they were first born to put up in our house. Instead, I found some of these...

I loooooove this picture. They're such best friends.

How did my teeny-tiny girls get so big? And how did I ever think they were so big when they were such little babies? 

I'm just so lucky. What sweet, sweet girls they are.

And Then There Were Three

Pics from our most recent photo shoot - a little less than a week ago. The first ones were when it was too sunny for Chloe, so she was squinting a lot. Most of them aren't edited, so, Mom, if you want to print any, let me know which ones and Cody will edit them for you before you print them. 

(Pouty girl!)

(I just love this picture because she looks like such a big girl. She seems so much older to me in this pic - I think because her hair looks so long!)

(Loving the yoga pose!)

(Being Barker's Beauties)

(This is probably my fave out of them all! Such a Preslie Pie face!)

Love our three beautiful girls

Just to remember:

Chloe at her well-child 4 year checkup weights 36 lbs and is 39.5 inches tall. She is 50% for weight and 25% for height. 

Preslie at her 3 year well-child visit weighs 27 lbs and is 36.25 inches tall. She is in the 25% for weight and 30% for height. 

I will post more later about their dr apt and how their shots went (not that great), but for now, I just need to throw away this paper that has their stats on it and I don't want to forget them!

Spread the Love

This year a couple weeks before Valentine's Day, we had a family home evening lesson about love. We talked about what we love about each other, how much Jesus loves us, and what we can do to show our love for Him. We decided that one thing we can do was to show our love to each other. We made valentines for each other and hung them up around the house.

I am a pretty sentimental person, but I also hate "stuff" and don't want to keep these hearts for the rest of my life. But I do want to remember what they said and what we love about each other right now, at this time in our lives.

Chloe,
I love that you are so helpful and caring and smart.
Love, Daddy

Preslie,
I love that you are so funny and so happy.
Love, Daddy

Charlotte,
I love to give you your binky!
Love, Preslie

Stacey,
I love that you are the best mom. You are so thoughtful and kind. I love that you are smokin hot!
Love, Cody

Preslie Pie,
I love how you always make us laugh and laugh.
Love, Mommy

Daddy,
I love when you cut stuff out.
Love, Chloe

Cody,
I love your smokin, sizzlin bod
:)

Daddy,
I love how you always love to hold me and how you wrap me up like a burrito. I love when you talk to me and tickle me.
Love, Charlee

Preslie,
I love to watch movies with you and sleep with you!
Love, Chloe

Daddy,
I love to go to fun places with you, like Disneyland and Monsters Inc.
Love, Preslie

Charlotte,
I love to hold your hand when you're sad and it makes you happy. I love to look at you when you are sleeping in your carseat.
Love, Chloe

Mommy,
I love how you hold me and feed me anytime I'm hungry.
Love, Charlee

Mommy,
I love playing with you and giving you a kiss
Love, Chloe

Chloe,
I love to play house with you and watch movies
Love, Preslie

Preslie,
I love how you kiss my head. It always makes me smile.
Love, Charlee

Mommy,
I love when you play with me, and to hug and kiss you.
Love, Preslie

Cody,
I love how you are always willing to work so hard for us. I love that you are happy to help me at home even when you've been working all day. You are an amazing husband and dad!
Love, Stacey

Chloe Cake,
I love how you are such an amazing helper to all of us.
Love, Mommy

Baby Charlotte,
I love that you smell like a cookie baked in Heaven's oven.
Love, Mommy

Chloe,
I love how you always hold me so nicely and kiss me.
Love, Charlotte

Two Month Baby

Today Charlotte is 2 months old. Two whole months. I know people say they love the newborn stage, when they really are wishing for the days of uninterrupted sleep, no more spit up and no more constant crying.

I really, really love the newborn stage. I feel like I'm appreciating it this time around more than I ever have. I love it so much, I was emotional when I changed Charlee out of her last newborn size diaper and put her into size 1. I love nursing her in the middle of the night, and the fact that we both need each other so much. She is still a champion at everything - sleeping, eating, pooping, the list goes on and on.

I love this stage with Charlee so much, it's easy to me to overlook my other girls, and think that they're so big they don't really need me for a lot anymore. Yes, of course they need me for love, compassion, to teach them about this big world we live in. But they don't need me to entertain or actually take care of them every second of the day like it sometimes seems a newborn does.

Tonight, in the midst of our bedtime routine, I realized that my big girls aren't really that big after all.
After bath time, brushing teeth and hair, Preslie put her arm on my shoulder and I caught a glimpse of her hands in the mirror. She still has baby dimples on her hands. Her chubby, little baby hands still have little dimples where someday her big, adult knuckles will go. But not yet, because today she's still just a little girl. 

So even though I'm absolutely loving this stage with Charlotte, and I truly do wish time could stop and I could soak in every second of be able to kiss her anytime I want (something I definitely do not get to do with Preslie anymore), and smelling her sweet little head and snuggling her cheeks against mine, I am loving my big-little girls and how sweet, helpful, funny, and wonderful they are, as well!

The Graduate

Yesterday I received my diploma in the mail. I opened the door, and it was just sitting there, on the ledge. I was honestly amazed a little bit. I know I graduated almost two months ago, but truthfully I was expecting a phone call any day that said, "We're sorry, but you won't be able to receive your diploma until you do X."

It seemed like I dealt with that a lot in my 6+ years of college. 

And even though I had so, so many problems, I had just as many, if not more, miracles helping me finish. 

(I have to say, though, that maybe the worst problem was finding out that I hadn't taken a class that I absolutely had to have taken 1 week before graduating.)

I will forever be grateful to the people that helped me along the way. Mostly to my amazing husband that has stood by me this whole time and believed that I could do it and helped me try to figure out a balance between school/mom guilt. My parents have also been amazing - my mom would always listen when I would be freaking out and so stressed I didn't know what to do, and she even helped me with my final projects. And my dad received many phone calls asking for homework help. Even as a 26 year old, my dad is a great homework helper. 

And even though they'll never see this, I have to thank Stephanie Romney Donahoo and Brother Cannon. They are the ones that made it possible for me to graduate - especially Brother Cannon who let me substitute required classes and sign off on one class completely. 

"I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day... Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind. "
(here)

Their help to me was truly angelic. 


And so yesterday, after looking at the envelope that held my diploma and crying and crying, I opened it. And cried some more. I really did it, and I'm really done. What a happy day.

PS - The Prophet signed it. Yeah, that's pretty cool.

My Explanation for my Birth Story

Today I posted my birth story.

It's suuuuuuuper long.

And suuuuuuuper detailed.

I'm not apologizing for it. I don't feel a need to say sorry to people who may or may not be reading my blog for things that I want to remember and have with me forever.

That maybe sounds mean and now I will sound meaner - read it or don't. It's up to you. But don't blame me when you spend an hour reading this birth story. And don't say, "wow! that was long!" because I already know that. I took like 2 weeks writing the whole thing. I know it's long and will take a long time to read, and I also know it doesn't even have any pictures to make things easier. Bummer dude.

I would say sorry, but I'm trying to do this thing in my life where I don't apologize for things that I don't feel aren't necessary to apologize about. Like when someone comes over unexpectedly, I usually say, "I'm so sorry my house is a mess!" Really I am just sorry they are seeing it like that because they came over without telling me. So no, I'm not really sorry it's a mess, I'm more sorry you're just seeing it and now judging me.

So. now that you all think I'm a jerk (I"m not trying to be...but I know I'm coming across as one), have fun with the birth story. Or don't.

:)