If only ALL housework were so delightfully fun!

When I look back on Lilly's childhood, this is the little darling that I will remember. Maybe I'll also video a fit or two - just for accuracy's sake. :)

Halloween

The kids got dressed up in their costumes for a "trunk-or-treat" party earlier in the week and we had to get pictures of them all together since Cameron was going to be trick-or-treating in Chicago with his cousins this year.

Lilly was really funny about trick-or-treating this year. Rilee tried to take her to our door first, and she couldn't even make it from the garage to the front door without getting distracted by playing in the dirt with a glowstick. By the end of the night, she finally had it down and was saying "twick-o-tweet" loud enough to be heard, "thank you" and "bye" (usually after the door was already closed). I am so glad she can have her sweet moments once in a while so that I don't have to send her back to the factory!

Luke's Blessing

We had a wonderful day for Luke's blessing. I think it was probably the first time that we have all been on time to church since he was born! Chad gave him a beautiful blessing, and then after church we came home and had lunch with family and friends. We had so much help with people bringing food and helping clean up that it made it even more enjoyable. Both Grandma's even helped us out before by helping to get our house ready and helping out with kids. We are so glad that Luke's special day could go so smoothly. Luke is such a sweetie pie, and we are so happy to have him in our family. With this kids' dimples I think he will pretty much be able to get away with anything!

Happy Birthday Lilly!

Lilly is officially2 years old! We had a "low key" celebration for Lilly this year since we've been a little busy with the new baby, but she did luck out with 2 cakes! We went to Grandma Stewart's for dinner and birthday cake with all the rest of the Stewart clan the Sunday before her birthday, and then on her real birthday we had Grandma and Grandpa Weed over to our house for dinner and ANOTHER cake. You can see from the look on her face that she did NOT like the candle and refused to blow it out both times. Maybe next year! She also was NOT interested in looking at the camera or smiling for pictures. I kept trying to get her to look at me and smile to get a picture of her in her new dress up gear, but no such luck.

Seeing photos of Lilly always reminds me that I keep meaning to take her in to get her hair cut. I cut bangs a while ago because she wouldn't leave any ponytails or anything in her hair and it was always in her face. Those were some of the first 2 words that I can think of Lilly putting together . . . "hair, face". The bangs seems to accentuate the mullet even more though, and with her hair always being down it always became sticky with food and whatever else she came into contact with. So yesterday after she had accidentally dumped a cup of Sprite on her head, I was giving her a bath and decided to just go for it.

This is what we ended up with, and luckily she was very happy about it. She wanted to show everyone in the house and kept saying "pity hay-cut". She even looked into the camera and SMILED for a photo . . . amazing!

5 Days Old Already!

Sorry the picture is sideways. On my computer it is right side up. Go figure????? Luke is such a great baby, we are excited to finally have him here. I have been lucky enough this time around to be able to have Chad home from work for a few days to father all the other kids while I rest and just enjoy the baby. We've never really had that luxury before. I feel like I'm recovering really well, and I know Chad being here is part of the reason that I have felt so good. Night before last Luke had a really rough night and I didn't get much sleep, but I was able to shut myself in my room with the baby and just rest and catch up on sleep while Chad worried about all the other kids. Nice, when that horrible nights rest doesn't have to ruin the rest of your day! I wish he didn't have to go back to work! We have had help from neighbors and ward members bringing food as well, and of course my mom lives next door so she has helped with food, cleaning and kids as well. We appreciate all the food, help, gifts and well-wishes from all of you, and hope if you haven't met Luke yet that you'll be able to meeet him soon!

Announcing. . . . Luke Isaac Stewart

He finally came out!!! Not that I was overdue or anything. It just looked like I was!

Luke Isaac Stewart

8 lbs. 8 oz.

20 1/2 inches long

He was born at 8:08am on Sept. 19th. Luckily he did not come any earlier than 8:08, since I didn't even get into a hospital room until about 7:45am! I THOUGHT we were going in for an induction, but just happened to go into labor before they had a chance. Labor was fast and furious and before we knew it, he was out! Unfortunately for me, there was no time for an epidural. The whole experience was a little traumatizing for me because it just wasn't what I was expecting, but the end result was a beautiful healthy baby, so I can't complain. Unfortunately for Luke, I had tested positive for Strep and they didn't even have enough time to get the IV in me for the antibiotics. He has been fine though, and he will go back to the Dr. today just to make sure that he has escaped infection. So far, he has been a delightful baby and we are just so glad to have him here!

The proud daddy helping Lilly hold baby Luke. I was a little concerned at how Lilly would react to this new little person in our lives because she has always been such a "mama's girl". When she first came to visit us at the hospital, she put her hand over her mouth and was giddy with excitement and amazement. We all know Lilly's moods can be a little . . . shall we say unpredictable? When she came to pick us up from the hospital, she had a grouchy look on her face and kept saying "Don't like it, baby". Luckily, by the time we got home she had changed her mind again and was very excited about having the baby home, and bringing him lots of toys and books.

Rilee and Cameron are old pros at this stuff.

Not today . . . tomorrow

I have been scheduled to be induced for tomorrow (Fri.) for quite some time now. I confused Chad this morning (Thurs.) when I said "Today is baby day"! He said, "What? Tomorrow, isn't it? Did your water break?" Not exactly, but I thought I had leaked some amniotic fluid which is exactly what happened with Lilly. I'm so PARANOID about going into labor that I called my Dr. and he said to at least go in and get checked. We took the kids to my mom's, went to the hospital and . . . . . .nothing! Chad and I waited and joked around while they monitored the baby and I for a while. The nurse brought me some water because my tempurature was slightly elevated and she thought I might be a little dehydrated. They finally just sent us home and said to come back tomorrow. I am fine with tomorrow, but I told Chad I was a little disappointed that "I came here for a baby and all they gave me was a glass of water".