3 Weeks

Look at the little chubby girl! Her little round cheeks & belly are too cute!

She now weighs 8 lbs 9.5 oz. (she has gained 10.5 ounces this past week)

She is still a good little baby who LOVES to be held, loves being carried in the Beco, loves to sleep through all outings (church, walks, grocery store, ride in mtns, out to eat etc.), loves looking around, loves fussing in the early morning (keeping me up from about 4:30 - 5:30 or 6:00 each morning!), loves her pacifier and loves being swaddled
We LOVE everything about her!I love Hannah peeking over the bench - so her. She likes to be where Audrey is and is always watching her. She doesn't try to be too "hands on" - just watches (and talks about how cute she is).Brock and I were talking about how much we have enjoyed Audrey and how nice it has been being able to spend so much time with her. When we had Madison we were both finishing college (and he was working too), when we had Isaac and Hannah we had the theatre (and he was working at Polaris too) and it is so nice to have more time to enjoy her. Of course we loved our time with the other kids - it just wasn't as relaxed and we had less of it. In general, since our move to MT we have had a lot of quality time as a family and as a couple (mostly because of being less involved in activities and knowing less people) and it has been awesome!!!

Walking the Trails

The kids and I went on a walk/bike ride along the trails in our neighborhood. It was so nice out we had to get out and enjoy it :-) Along the trail there are several wooded areas, with little streams and bridges. The kids love to stick their feet in the water, climb the trees and hide from me (which they do every time and of course I am surprised each time) :-)

Samson is very happy for the streams - perfect watering holes for a chubby, under-exercised dog! :-)

Audrey loves being in the Beco and snuggles right in.

Lucky Hannah gets to take the easy route. She was going to ride her bike but I wasn't sure I could manage her and Samson while carrying Audrey. I decided she could try her bike when Brock is with us :-)

Visiting the Museum

On Saturday we spent a few hours at our local museum. They had a new display and a new play room. The display was okay (all about wolves and dogs) but the play room was the big hit. It was set up to be like Yellowstone National Park so had geysers, old faithful, mud pots & hot springs set up all around the perimeter. The kids liked playing in the old fashion kitchen the most and dressing up :-) Audrey enjoyed her outing and was very good. She spent most of her time in the Beco with me or with daddy in her favorite "hold". She loves to be carried on her side and usually falls right to sleep. So cute!

Madison the construction worker

Isaac the fireman

Hannah the chef

Hannah was busy preparing food on her awesome old fashion stove. Wouldn't I love one of these at home for her (or for me) :-)

Isaac enjoying the food Hannah has served

Hannah slaving away at the hot stove while Madison and Isaac wait to be served. Isn't that life for the little sister :-)

Of course, she didn't mind. She loved every minute of it :-)

The View From Here

I love having a farm nearby - makes me feel like I live in the country :-)

It was such a beautiful day I couldn't resist taking a picture - the tractor, the mountains, the sparkling water, the green grass and the grassy field that shows us fall is here. I never tire of the beauty God surrounds us all with!

Up the Mountain

We had amazing weather this weekend - sunny and low 80s. We decided it was a perfect time to take the Razr out and explore some trails.

This particular trail led us to this beautiful spot. The trees, the rocky ridge and the fall colors were awesome.

Brock drove, Madison and Isaac sat in the back, I put Audrey in the Beco and she and I sat in the front also. Matt and Donna came with us so Hannah rode with them. Audrey did great. She slept the entire time and probably reminisced about the many times she went up the mountain while in my tummy :-)

Grandma, Madison and Isaac exploring

We saw this stream and had to stop and enjoy it. The kids were in it right away and thought for sure they could swim here - despite the fact that it was only inches deep :-)

I love how this picture captures their excitement as they run to enjoy the stream

Hannah and her pretty bouquet of flowers - she was very proud of them :-)

Grandpa, Grandma and Hannah herding the cows off of the trail. We ran into cows multiple times and had to spur them on so we could get through. Isaac loves cows so he was pretty thrilled about this :-)

This tree was HUGE!! It was so cool and of course Brock had to climb it and Madison had to try (she decided getting down would be too hard so gave up)

Looking up into the canopy of the tree was so cool - it was like a huge maze!

2 Weeks

Audrey is 2 weeks today! Hard to believe how fast time has flown by. She has changed a lot already :-) She isn't quite sure if she likes taking a bath. She is easily startled when I pour water on her. Today she was pretty tired for her bath and yawned her way through it. I set her bathtub right by the fireplace so she was nice and warm - and sleepy :-)

When she is awake she loves to look around. It is so funny because she moves her head real slowly looking from one spot to another.

She is getting bigger and now weighs 7 lb 15 oz. Our scale is 2 ounces heavy so that is why it says 8 lbs 1 oz :-) I need to figure out how to change it.

She has a very loud cry but is easy to console. She doesn't work up to a full blown cry - she starts right out with it :-)

She is completely adored - all day, every day :-)

I love finding cute things for her to wear and seeing her in things Madison and Hannah used to wear.

She has been pretty good in the night - sometimes going 4 or 5 hours without eating :-) She also can be quite fussy in the night - squirming and fussing until I get up with her :-)

I think she is a perfect mixture of Brock and I. There are times when she reminds me of my baby pictures and times when she reminds me of his. I am anxious to find the pics so I can truly compare :-)

She loves to be swaddled. We watched the video Happiest Baby on the Block and it works GREAT! The "5 S's" work awesome (swaddle, side, suck, swing & shhhhh). She doesn't look like she loves swaddling, but trust me - she does :-)

Sweet Little Audrey

Time is flying by and I can't believe that tomorrow Audrey will be 2 weeks! I am LOVING life with her - I can't get enough of holding her, looking at her and thanking God for her. She has been pretty good this week - not quite as sleepy as her first week and a bit more fussy. However, she is still a great baby who is easily consoled, loves to be held, loves her pacifier and is a good eater.

I know I speak for us all when I say we are in love with
SWEET LITTLE AUDREY

Audrey at 8 days old. She spends more time looking around and trying to make sense of her surroundings :-) Of course she already recognizes her daddy and will soon agree with me - he is THE BEST!

9 days old and completely zonked :-) She still scratches herself alot so has to have her hands covered - I couldn't find her little mitts so her socks did the trick :-)

11 days old and getting a little chubbier :-) I love watching her sleep - so peaceful.

More of Audrey at 11 days. She looks so big "sitting" up on Isaac's lap!

Yeah Visitors!

My younger sister Laura and her two youngest kids - Aiden (1) and Lyrik (2) came from ND to visit. We all had a lot of fun. It was especially nice for me to have someone to hang out with! Laura used to come and stay with Brock and I before she was married or we had kids and it was so funny because she always zipped around the kitchen getting it cleaned up. We joked that she would have the table cleared and dishes done before we were even done with our meal. Well, she hasn't changed much - she zipped around the kitchen and house like a whirlwind leaving a neat house behind! What a treat for me :-)

Cute little Aiden loved getting tickled by Brock's foot
Sir Isaac and his two princesses - Lyrik and Hannah

Aiden loved Samson. These pics crack me up because it is like they are both looking and pondering the same thing. If only we knew what they were each thinking and gazing at :-)

Sunday was such a beautiful day that we decided to walk to the nearby park so these three could play