Welcome Broyden Aaron Harris, 9/9/09

Broyden Aaron Harris was born September 9, 2009 at 8:47 am (we like to round up to 9:00). Doesn't he have the best birthday???? He was born at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, NV via c-section. The doctor who delivered him was Dr. Sheldon Paul. We arrived at the hospital just before 5:00 am to check in. We ended up waiting several hours in a waiting area that was partitioned off. We were in the middle section and passed the time by listening to the conversations of the other women in labor and their significant others. It was quite amusing!

My entire pregnancy and delivery went so smoothly. I did not swell up this time like I did with my girls. When I was pregnant with Preslyn, a lady told me I must be pregnant with a girl because "Girl's suck the beauty right out of you!" I guess my boy was a little kinder to my body! Once again, Aaron videotaped the c-section, so if anyone wants to come over and have a movie night, we'd love to have you! It is rated PG-13 though and is not appropriate for all audiences. (One day this summer, Demarie was watching some family videos that Aaron had put on DVD. I walked into the room and she had the most horrid look on her face. It was then that I realized she was watching the delivery of Preslyn. Oops!)

Ever since he was born, Broyden has added so much to our home. I feel like he has such a strong spirit and is a very special individual. I was kind of worried about having a boy because we are so used to little girls, but now that he is here, I wouldn't trade him for the world! He truly has such a sweet spirit and LOVES his mommy (I sure hope he always does:) Here are some pics of that special day:

Holding Broyden for the first time!

Broyden weighed 8 lbs, 6 oz (that can be rounded up to 9 lbs too!)

Demarie and Preslyn were so excited to meet their new little brother! Preslyn kept saying, "My baby! My baby!" and Demarie held Broyden so tenderly. It was fun to have them visit me at the hospital. Preslyn stayed at the Jolley's home and Demarie slept at the Stirlings. They both enjoyed their sleepovers!

Our first family picture! Wow! There are five of us now!

Broyden had a touch of jaundice and spent some time under the bilirubin lights. The nurse said he loved it! Doesn't he look cute in his little "sunglasses"!

It was nice to have Grandma and Grandpa Moon visit me in the hospital. They moved to Utah this summer to get ready for their mission to Poland. I was sure grateful that they could come and see Broyden for a few days. They were such a big help with the girls and getting things put away from our move!

Poor Aaron! It was such a hard delivery! Can you believe he kicked me out of my bed just so he could get some rest??? j/k I love this picture of Daddy holding his little boy!

Coming home! We were finally released from the hospital at 11:50 pm on Friday. The doctor said Broyden might have an infection and wanted us to stick around for the test results, but everything was completely fine. Doesn't he look so cute in his little duck outfit and with his teddy bear? He looks so tiny in his car seat!

I had to post this picture even though I look so awful!!! Demarie and Preslyn sat by me and we all fed our babies together. It looks as if Broyden is going to have three moms! I hope he can survive in a house full of girls. Demarie already told me she can't wait to dress him up like a princess.

I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. I have three of the most beautiful children and such a wonderful husband. I'm so grateful that families can be together forever!!!

ps--Broyden, please don't be mad at your mommy for taking three months to post about your birth. It's not that I don't love you, but rather it's about survival!!!!

Last Night on Heather Ridge...

On August 7, 2009, we spent our last night in our house on Heather Ridge Road. It was with mixed emotions because this is our first home that we have ever purchased. We have made many sweet memories here and have worked hard to fix the house and yard up. We were not planning on moving, but we were blessed to find a home that is better for our family a few blocks away. We celebrated by eating icecream and having a family sleep over in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom. The girls were pretty wired, but we eventually all fell asleep. The next day, we moved all the big furniture and then spent the next three weeks taking smaller loads over to the new house. I don't know how we managed to move with me being 8 1/2 months pregnant, and Aaron starting his PhD all at the same time. It was a very stressful few months...maybe that is why I haven't blogged for so long:)

We are very grateful for those in our ward that helped us, as well as my parents who helped put things in their place when they came to see the new baby!

Which one is REALLY hurt????

Prize to the first person to guess which little girl in this picture is really the one with the "owie". If you guessed the one that is NOT crying, you are correct. Demarie got Preslyn out of the crib and tripped and fell and hit her head on the dresser. When Preslyn saw the band-aid, of course, she realized she had an owie too and needed one on her forehead as well. They walked around with the band-aids on their heads for a few days. Preslyn looks up to Demarie so much! She watches her likes a hawk and imitates everything she does. It is so cute to watch them interact... Demarie the big sister that gets frustrated at times for having a little tag-a-long with everything she does, and Preslyn the little sister who gets frustrated because she can't always do the things that her big sister does. Demarie asked me one day, "Mommy, did you want to do everything your big sister did?" I had her call Milisa and ask her. I know I drove Milisa crazy when we were younger, but I warned her not to share this information with Demarie. Instead, she told Demarie how it made her feel really special. Thanks Milisa!

Update on Preslyn

Preslyn with her physical therapist, Tiffanie Gaspar

Exploring at Gymboree

Preslyn with her Developmental Specialist, Jennifer Tseu

I can't believe I have let the whole summer pass by without blogging! We have had a very busy, crazy summer. One of the highlights has been watching Preslyn grow in her confidence and ability to walk---FINALLY!!!! She took her first steps after turning 19 months old, but still took some time to build the confidence to use walking as her primary mode of mobility. It has been a process, but now she is doing so much better. She can even stand up on her own when she falls in the middle of the room and maintain her balance during "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". We have been taking her to a play group at Gymboree so she can practice walking on different surfaces and explore a variety of heights. She does so well there. I'm so proud of her!

First Day of Kindergarten

Saying "bye" to big sister!

Demarie and her teacher, Ms. Amy Keiling


Ready to learn!

Demarie was so excited to start kindergarten! Doesn't she look beautiful and happy on her first day???? I have to admit, I got pretty teary dropping her off. She goes to Antonello Elementary and comes home every day announcing that she made a new friend. One day she said to me, "Mom, there is a girl in my class who got made fun of because of how she looks, but I told everyone she is my friend." I'm so proud of her! Preslyn misses her so much. When we dropped her off, Preslyn said, "Dema? Dema? Come here Dema!" all the way home. I guess it's not as exciting hanging out with mommy:)

Hey B&J, Here's the Angel's Landing Videos Couldn't Email

Happy Easter!!!

We had a fun Easter with Grandma and Grandpa Moon. The Easter Bunny hid way too many eggs, but each of the girl's had so much fun filling their baskets. It didn't take long for Preslyn to catch onto the concept of gathering eggs and then opening them up to eat the candy. Grandma made a delicious Easter dinner and Grandpa topped the evening off with a lesson about the Resurrection.

Demarie and Preslyn in their Easter dresses!

Valley of Fire

For Spring Break, we spent a day out at Valley of Fire. What a beautiful place...and so close to home!!! We had a yummy picnic and went on a hike to Mouse's Tank. The rock formations were beautiful to look at and fun to climb!

Closer and closer to walking... maybe by age 2????

A physical therapist from my work has been coming out to see Preslyn to help her learn how to walk. She brought a little walker for her to practice with. Doesn't she do a good job? During the past few days she has really started to move around a lot more. She is actually getting some speed to her crawling and will sometimes just hold on to one hand to walk instead of two. Lately, when I go into her room to get her out of her crib, she has been holding onto the side, leaning back, and saying "Whee! Whee!" Wow Preslyn! You are getting so brave!

Dancing Demarie

Doesn't she make a beautiful bunny?

Demarie is a little Dancer!!!! She had her first dance performance at the Silver Mesa Recreation Center at an Easter Carnival. She did such a good job following her teacher and moving to the music. I told Aaron he better get used to this because I think this is the first of MANY dance recitals we will be attending!

Meeting the Easter Bunny was also part of the celebration. Preslyn just loved sitting on the Bunny's lap!

Happy 30th Aaron! Make It a Grand Slam Year!

Aaron and some of his buddies in the ward: Matt Boyd, Steve Hendricks, and Cal Noorda

Happy Birthday Aaron! For the big 30th, we had a surprise birthday party with some of Aaron's tennis buddies in the ward. Aaron really liked his birthday cake: a representation of his biggest rival in the ward, Cal Noorda! The cake looks just like him...especially the hair and his mouth!

Touch-A-Truck

We went with some friends to the Touch-A-Truck Event at the Orleans. It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of different vehicles to climb in, horns to honk, and even a hot air balloon to run through. Demarie's favorite was by far the school bus!

New Babies in the Family

I went to Pocatello with my parents and the girls for my little sister's baby blessing over the weekend. It is her first baby and he is such a cutie (Jacob Teancum)! It was fun to see her house and their life in Pokie. We also got to see my other sister's new baby, Brodi Lance. Preslyn was fascinated with the babies. We had a great time visiting family, but were also happy to return to Vegas. I swore I would never have a "blankie" kid for the very reason that I forgot Preslyn's pink polka-dotted blankie so neither of us got much sleep. I'm still trying to recover from being sleep-deprived!

One of the great things about Vegas is that there are two growing seasons. We planted a winter garden and have had broccoli coming out of our ears (or should I say heads?)! We've had 5 peas, but there are a lot of blooms ready to turn into peas soon. Unfortunately, it is time to dig everything up and plant tomatoes again. It seems like every time I get pregnant it is around harvest time and the produce I have been looking forward to all season long suddenly doesn't sound so appealing. So, if anyone wants broccoli, just give us a ring before it goes bad.

Shhhh!!! It's nap time...and story time?

The other day I went into the family room to find Demarie's dolls having a sleepover. Luckily, Demarie is so creative, that they all had a nice cozy bed. Does this count as an activity that promotes literacy?

Our little Ballerina

Demarie's dance class performed a dance to "A Spoon Full of Sugar" from Mary Poppins for all the parents. Demarie did such a good job following her teacher. She loves to dance and do anything girlie!

Wow! Preslyn is....moving!!!!!

After 16 months of sitting, rolling, lounging around, enjoying the scenery, and dragging her body with her elbows, Preslyn is finally crawling!!!! We are so proud of her! It happened during her first appointment with a physical therapist from my work. The PT put some toys out of her reach (which I always do), and then Preslyn got on her hands and knees. Normally, she would just go right down to her belly and start army crawling. But, oh, what does she decide to do this time? She stays on her hands and knees for several minutes, thinking, and then...the little bugger starts crawling!!!!! The physical therapist did absolutely nothing to help. Preslyn just decided to do it! Then, when she got to the piggy bank, she stayed up on her hands and knees, reached out for a coin with her left hand, put it in the piggy bank, and THEN reached out for a coin with her right hand and put it in the bank...all without falling to her belly! Later that night, I put some toys out of her reach and what does she do? Gets on all fours... and then falls to her belly and starts army crawling! When I told her to get up, she looked at me and shook her head defiantly! This little girl has a mind of her own and sure knows how to put on a show!

Family Home Evening

I am so glad that the theme in Primary is Eternal Families this year. I know this is inspired of the Lord and that we should all make it our #1 proirity to teach this important principle in our homes. I love to follow up on the lessons that are taught at church during Family Home Evening, hence our lesson tonight was about our "Happy Family!" It was Daddy's first Monday teaching his night class at CSN (he put in a 16-hour day!) so we really missed him tonight, but Demarie made sure we video taped our "lesson, song, and activity" so that Daddy could participate later when he got home. We thought you might enjoy our Family Home Evening tonight as well! I hope in all the trials and difficult circumstances that are going on in the world (and in our own lives) that we never forget that the family truly is a blessing from the Lord...right????

Preschool Field Trip-- Anderson Dairy

We had a great time at Anderson Dairy on Friday. They have a really cute presentation complete with a talking cow, rooster, and ice cream! It was fun to see how creamer, sour cream, milk, and icecream are packaged. Demarie had a great time with her friends. Thanks to everyone who came!

HIP HELPERS

Like I said in my last posting, all children are unique and reach the various developmental milestones at their own pace. Our little Preslyn knows this is true and is in no hurry to crawl, walk, or run. AT 15-months she is content to sit in place or lounge around on the floor looking at a book or fiddling with a toy. I can see in her expression at times, "What? You want me to crawl across the room to get that cookie that you put on the floor? Hmmm. Too much energy required. No thanks!" The physical therapist at my work suggested these cute little shorts called "Hip Helpers." As you can see, they are made out of spandex and sewn up the middle. The idea is to help her keep her legs together in order to get in the 4-point position. That's the idea anyways. Preslyn is able to lounge around in them just as easily as her other pants! Actually, they have helped and we have been doing some movement exercises on the therapy ball and I have noticed that she is getting stronger and stronger. Maybe she will be crawling by the time she is 2! Go Preslyn! We love you! (Hey, at least she can point to her eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, belly, hands, fingers, thumb, toes, feet, hair, and ears. Now there's brilliance!)

CELEBRATING A MAJOR MILESTONE!!!!!

In my profession, I have learned that all children are unique and reach various developmental milestones at their own pace. Of course, there is a range in which a certain milestone occurs (i.e., sitting up, crawling, walking, saying first word), but as a child reaches each milestone, there is cause for celebration. Well, we are finally celebrating in our house! Demarie experienced (and survived) one of life's major milestones... her first skinned up knee! Yes, most children experience the pain of scraping a knee around 18-20 months as they take off running faster than their little legs can go, but at 4 1/2, we are so proud of our little princess! She was in the backyard riding her bike and peddling quite fast. She was so excited when Daddy came to witness such a dare-devil act that she took a turn too fast and tipped the bike over on her side. After wiping the dirt off her palms and drying her tears, Demarie got back on her bike to ride some more. She was a little more cautious, but we were so proud that she tried again after such a tragic accident. It wasn't until 10 minutes later after we went inside that I heard a blood-curdling pain-stricken scream, "Daddy! Daddy! I have an owie! I'm bleeding!" She had pulled her pant leg up to reveal the injuries of her accident. Luckily, Daddy came through with a Dora band-aid and Mommy and Preslyn were able to kiss the tears away. She did limp around the house the rest of the evening (after Mommy showed her how), but as the days went by, the red scab magically disappeared! Way to go Demarie!!!!