Happy Birthday Kyra!

Happy birthday Kyra! I can't believe my little girl is four years old, crazy. Kyra celebrated her birthday a few different times this year.

She first celebrated in preschool a few days before her actual birthday. Since the beginning of the school year Kyra has asked repeatedly if she could color her "All About Me" poster for her birthday. The last full week of preschool I was finally able to tell her yes. She had a lot of fun coloring her poster, and answering questions all about "Kyra". My favorite was what she wanted to be when she grows up, with a lot of thought she said she wanted to be a teacher just like Mrs. Wall. She LOVES her teacher. Kyra went to the store with Bryce before preschool to pick out a treat to share with her classmates. Kyra knew exactly what she wanted, princess cupcakes and princess fruit snacks. She came home telling us what a great day she had in preschool celebrating her special day.    

On Kyra's birthday I took her to Kathryn Albertson park for some good ol' mother/daughter time. We packed a picnic, and went for a walk. We had a great time together. On our walk we saw two deer up close. Kyra posed and took a picture with one.   

Later that night we celebrated her birthday as a family. For dinner we made pizza, an absolute favorite. While we were at the park earlier, Bryce made her a cake with lots of sprinkles. It took her a long time to blow out each candle, we were all laughing so hard. I promise the candles were not trickery ones :) She had lots of fun opening presents. Her favorite was a brand new bike.

A week later we celebrated Kyra's birthday with family and friends at the neighborhood park. Kyra requested a princess party. The party was super simple, we served cupcakes/ice-cream, and had a pinata. Kyra had a great time playing with her cousins and friends.  

Happy birthday Kyra, we LOVE you so much!

Preschool Graduation...

Kyra completed her first year of preschool, yeah! Kyra LOVED everything about preschool, especially her teacher Mrs. Wall. The last day of preschool was a graduation ceremony, and the kids put together a great program. The parents got to see what circle time consisted of. Kyra lead her classmates in saying the seasons aloud, she did awesome. The kids ended with singing/dancing to three of their favorite songs.

Little Learner's Preschool Class 2012-2013

Teacher: Mrs. Wall

Top row: Kenlee, Lauren, Bailey, Alli

Bottom row: Jacob, Bradyn, Megan, Kyra

Before graduation ceremony...

Dancing to Tooty Ta, Kyra's favorite song of the year...

Kyra with Mrs. Wall...

posing with mommy and daddy...

Going to the Temple...

Growing up Crystal and I were in the same ward. We were great friends back in the day and had a lot of fun together. When Bryce and I moved into our new ward two years ago I found out our first Sunday there that Crystal and I were in the same ward again. Crystal was assigned to be my visiting teacher shortly after. It has been great getting to know Crystal all over again after so many years passing by. Crystal recently decided to go to the temple and take out her endowments. Besides family she asked some friends to be there for support. I was so happy she invited me. It was a spiritual experience, one I will never forget. I'm so proud of Crystal and her decision to go to the temple. After we all enjoyed a blizzard at Dairy Queen, yum yum.        

Bottom: Me, Kim, Crystal, Kari, and LoraAnn
Top: Candice and Jaci

Mother's Day!

I received the BEST Mother's Day gift this year, baby Gage. I can't believe I have three kids, crazy. I LOVE each of them so much. This morning Kyra was excited to wake me up so she could give me a gift. In her preschool class she made me a flower magnet, and a card with a sweet poem inside. I loved it.  Bryce and the kids made me breakfast. We had crepes with lots of different toppings, sausage/bacon, and eggs. Everything was delicious. Later Bryce took the kids to church while I stayed home and cuddled with Gage. Because church ends at 4:00 Bryce started making dinner right when he got home. My mom joined us for dinner, it was fun. We had chicken burgers with a few yummy sides. After dinner we went to the park to meet up with my sister Lauralee and her family, and Bethany. Everyone brought a dessert to share, we had brownies, fruit pizza, and chocolate covered strawberries. The kiddos played while the adults chit chatted. Overall I had a wonderful Mother's Day, I felt so spoiled all day long. I'm so grateful for my family, I feel so blessed.     

Happy 6th Anniversary...

Happy Anniversary to Bryce and I. Today we celebrate six years of marriage. Time sure flies when your having FUN. I can't imagine my life with anyone else BUT Bryce by my side. I LOVE him more and more each passing day. I look forward to many more years together. Love you Bryce. 

Gage Levi Ellsworth...

My doctor originally gave me the due date of May 19th, BUT based on my cycle dates my due date was May 3rd. During my whole pregnancy I met in the middle and told everyone May 10th. A mother definitely knows best because May 2nd our little man was born. I was having a day just like any other day during the super uncomfortable third trimester. I had gotten a pedicure earlier in the day and went shopping at Target. I got home and while preparing a simple dinner for my family I had the urge to go potty. It was then I started having PAINFUL contractions that were only two minutes apart. We called my mom to come get the kids, and we were at the hospital within 20 minutes, 6:30 PM. I warned the nurses how fast Miles came, so they got everything ready quickly. The nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 7. I was too far along for an epidural, but had the option of getting an intrathecal. If there was anything to subside the pain a little I was all for it, so I decided to get the intrathecal. A few minutes later the nurse checked me again and I had already dilated to a 10, yikes. I started pushing, pushing, and pushing, but nothing was happening. The intrathecal I had received numbed me too much, therefore I was not pushing effectively. I had to wait for the medicine to wear off before delivery was possible. I still had to push through each contraction as the medicine slowly wore off. I think I asked about 50+ times when baby was coming out. Finally the medicine wore off and I was able to push more effectively and baby Gage came at 8:41 PM. I know I arrived at the hospital and had Gage about two hours later, but knowing he could have come sooner if I had opted out on receiving the intrathecal made me second guess my decision of getting it in the first place. Overall there were no major complications, and I was so happy to be holding my little man in my arms. 

Gage Levi Ellsworth

Weight: 8.15

Height: 19 inches

Gage's first feeding with daddy...

Snuggling with mommy...

Kyra and Miles came to the hospital the next day to meet their new little brother. They instantly fell in LOVE with Gage. They especially loved that Gage had a present for each of them. Kyra got paper, princess stickers, and paints and Miles got a monster truck. They both were super happy.  

Gage cuddling with Mimi...

Gage posing with Dr. Christensen...

We came to the hospital with two names, Gage or Wyatt. Bryce left the decision up to me because he liked them both. I had such a hard time picking a name, I kept going back and forth. I finally picked Gage a few hours before going home.

Funny story, my friend Jacqui and I delivered babies on the same day at the same hospital. Jacqui was due a few weeks before me, but because I knew my due date was wrong I teased Jacqui for months that we were going to have our babies on the same day and we did. Crazy. Good thing because Jacqui told me we could no longer be friends if I had Gage before she had Ruby. It was fun visiting with friends in the hospital.