Parker's Blessing and Boise Fun!

My cute boys!

The best we could do of the family

Parker in his blessing outfit! (Isn't it awesome?! Jennifer made him it!)

Ashlyn at the Farmstead Festival

Brooklyn loving riding a horse!

The girls loving the cow train!

On October 10th we blessed Parker Brandon Read. It was so wonderful to be able to go up to Boise and share this wonderful day with our entire family. Jennifer offered so kindly to make his blessing outfit, she is amazing at what she can do! She ended up writing her own pattern for the outfit and whipped it up in 6 days!! Thanks so much Jennifer you are amazing and the outfit is just darling!! It was such a beautiful day for his blessing. When we blessed him it was just so great that all of our family was able to make it. I am so grateful to have the priesthood in my home and to be able to have my children have it in their lives also. Thank you dear for a beautiful blessing and a wonderful father to our children! I am very thankful my Grandpa was able to come who ended up with pneumonia and in the hospital the next day...luckily he has been so healthy that he took to the medication quickly and is on a great recovery.

The next week Brandon went to Washington DC for school so the kids and I decided to just stay in Boise and play with family and friends. We had such a fun time! From all our lunch dates, playing with family, to girls night out with my mom and sisters was just too much fun! We had a hard time leaving that's for sure. Thank you dad also for driving me and the kiddos back down to Boise ( I was way to scared to drive that whole way with 3 kids...yes I am a worry wart). We love Boise and everyone there, it was so nice to see everyone!

Family Pictures!

We decided to get the kids pictures taken, a little scared but I really like how they turned out. Thanks for Brandon taking the pictures and me trying to keep them in place. I think it worked! :) With two little drama queens posing for the spotlight it was quite the adventure! :) Enjoy!

Parker Brandon Read is here!!

Parker Brandon Read - 08/24/2010

The birth story...so I don't know if I had mentioned in some of my last blogs but my original due date my doctor in Boise gave me was Sept. 13th (yes I still would be prego) but I had always thought it was off by like 2 weeks. So when I went to my new doctor here in Utah he measured me and check everything out and gave me a new due date of Aug. 26th. With me being a person who likes to plan things out I asked to be induced to make sure I had family down here to help out with the girls. So my doctor scheduled to induce me on Tuesday, Aug. 24th!! Brandon and I got to the hospital at 6:45 AM, checked in and were so ready to get this little boy here. Doctor came and broke my water at 8:00 AM, we knew it would be a pretty long day because I wasn't dilated or effaced at all so we were starting at nothing. Got my pitocin going and my contractions started a little bit but nothing really happened. When we were totally bored out of our minds 8 1/2 hours later and only at a 4. We were ready to do anything at all to get him here! I wasn't in any pain cause I was only dilated to a 4,but I was starving!! So the nurse said to just get my epidural since sometimes it will move things along. So I said ok, sign me up I'm ready! So I got my epidural --Brandon did great :) no passing out -- and finally I started to do something. I was complete and ready to push an hour later, and after 3 pushes, he was here!!! At 4:41 p.m. Parker Brandon Read arrived in our arms. Oh so tiny at 6 lbs. 13 oz and 19 in. He was so cute and had tons and tons of blond hair! It was amazing to see who he looked like...especially when we looked at him and noticed he looks exactly like his Daddy! We did have kind of a scare though, he had the cord wrapped around his neck.  Luckily not too tight, but enough to create some weird breathing complications. He was trying so hard to take in breaths so they whisked him away to the NICU before I even got to hold him! Brandon went to NICU with him since I couldn't get up yet. They put oxygen on him and and gave him some steroids to help his lungs. He responded really well to it all and was released from the NICU only 2 hours later. Finally I got to hold my sweet little boy! I am so happy and grateful to have his sweet spirit join our family. I know he wasn't a planned baby, but I know Heavenly Father knew he was supposed to come to our family now. He is such a good little sleeper, which I totally love, and a great eater! He is so much fun...I couldn't see myself with a boy before but now I know I wouldn't have it any other way. Ashlyn is such a big helper always wanting to help me or hold Parker. She truly has natural motherly instincts. When coming to meet Parker for the first time Brooklyn was singing down the hospital hallways, "Parker Brandon Read!" over and over! Brooklyn didn't like me at the hospital which was sad to not get her little hugs or kisses but the minute I got home she was back to being a little mommy's girl! She is loving on Parker so much, sometimes too much, but that is just fine with me. It's so sweet how my little girls just love their new brother so so much! The sweetest relationship I see is between Brandon and Parker, I have never seen Brandon more proud than when he saw his son for the first time. He had the biggest smile on his face (I think it's still there too)! It is so exciting to see what a wonderful father he is and what a perfect example he will be for his little boy! He already has him watching football, and shows about cars...oy!  Parker is so loved and we are so happy he is here! We are loving every minute with him this past week and a half.

Fresh out, covered in goo!

All hooked up - Franken-baby

Dad's doing.  Does this really surprise anyone...?!

Our sweet Parker

His big sisters love him soooo much! :)

Our little Brandon clone :)

1 Week old and woke up for just a min. for me to take a pic!

Parker is here!!!

Ashlyn's Cheer Clinic!

This past week Ashlyn got to do one of her favorite things, be in a cheer clinic!! She was able to do the clinic with her new little girlfriend Kenedee! They were so cute and did such a great job! Ashlyn the whole week would practice her cheer and dance and Brooklyn would try to copy her, oh I love to watch them. It's so much fun! So they had a performance on Thursday for all the parents then on Saturday there was a parade they got to be in. Oh Ashlyn loved all the attention. The princess wave was in full force for most of the parade! I am so glad she loves to perform and is such a fun daughter to watch at different events! I can't wait to have Brooklyn start doing things like this too!

We love visiters!

These past couple weeks have been really nice! We first had my family come and visit and play for 4 days. We did tons of hanging out, playing at the pool, and we went to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. The girls just loved going there and seeing all the animals their favorites were the giraffe and the little baby elephant that put on quite the show for us to watch! It was so good to spend some time with my family and the girls loved having sleepovers with Grandma, Grandpa, Aubrey, and Alexa! Then last week LouAnne came into town to visit too! The girls had so much fun playing at the park, baking cookies, and going to a movie with Grandma! Oh and Ashlyn just loved splashing at the pool with Grandma and Bonnie! They had quite a fun time laughing and making plans to splash each other! Brandon and I even got to go on a date!! It had been some time since we had gone on a date night. We went to dinner then to a movie, "Inception." Which was super crazy good! Thanks to all the awesome family visitors! We all really needed to see some familiar faces and were missing family quite a bit. Thanks family for coming to visit us we really appreciate all of you!! :)

The things we have been up to

Brooklyn all potty trained, she' feels so big!!

Ashlyn playing in the water at a waterfall we had a picnic at.

Me helping Brooklyn through the water to play with Ashlyn.

Meeting Princess Pea and Super Why at the Park!
(It's a really cute learning cartoon my girls love!)

4th of July....Brooklyn cheering and Ashlyn trying to smile even though she is scared. :)

We have been up to a little bit lately. We moved down to Springville, UT for Brandon to go back to BYU to finish his degree about 5 weeks ago. He is crazy busy with working, school, and trying to find time to spend with his family. I am so grateful for all he is doing! He is one amazing man as I watch him from day to day and see everything his doing and accomplishing, it makes me love him more and more each day, knowing he is doing what the Lord directed him to do. Us girls are just enjoying the summer together. We have a pool in our community which is luckily not very busy so we go swimming just about everyday then we have our picnic trips to the park and fit in a tea party, barbie, and play wedding too. We are staying quite busy! :) Brooklyn has been quite addicted to Toy Story, she asks to watch Woody and Jessi just about everyday and will talk to the movie and the characters as she watches. She knows all the characters and is just adorable on how much she is in love with Toy Story! Ashlyn is just my little buddy I love watching her plan her play weddings and play school with her. She is just such a fun girl to be around. Brooklyn has been potty trained for 3 weeks now and is doing so good! She will say every time she has to go, "Mommy potty bad!" And then she has to decide who she wants to help her usually it's "Ummm sissy watch me!" Which translates to I want Ashlyn to watch me be a big girl and clap with I am done. :) It's super cute, I am very excited that I was able to get her potty trained before Parker was born...yeah only one in diapers at a time!! Well speaking of Parker he is growing so much. He loves to snuggle up under my left rib which is not very comfortable but luckily he's big enough that I can try to move him in a different position. He gets the hiccups every night at 11:00 right as I lay down to go to sleep. I am amazed that he is coming in like 7 weeks(ish)!!! I just can't wait to see my little boy. Well we had a great 4th of July although it was very different than usual. We did a our fireworks just as a little family. Brooklyn loved them and would say pretty or cool! And Ashlyn still doesn't really like them. But she does pop-its so we did lots and lots of pop-its! We had fun together as we celebrated the 4th! We are really enjoying our new lives and home in Utah!

Brooklyn's 2!!

I can't believe my little baby is 2! We threw her a little party in our new place the day after we moved in. It was small but sweet. :) She was just so excited she got a little bike to stay up with big sister. Brooklyn is our little gremlin, she is always being silly or getting into something. She has such a sweet happy little personality! She is starting to talk so much more...and she is loud! I think she decided if she is going to be heard over her big sis then she has to talk really loud and a lot. It's darling how she just wants to be just as big and do everything Ashlyn does. She absolutely loves any fruit and will do anything for chocolate. (I think she gets the chocolate thing from her mom) She is just in love with her baby dolls, yes 2, she has to take them everywhere lately. I am beginning to wonder if she will have twins some day because she already has the two baby thing down. She loves planes, being outside, talking on the phone, and cuddling. My very favorite thing is her sweet little voice when she's tired saying, "Cowdle mama?! I wuv vu!" Then as I cuddle her to sleep she has to hold my hand while I tickle her palm! I think it's so sweet and very coincidental that I too had to hold hands and have my palm tickled when I was around her age to go to sleep! :) She is just so much fun and I am so thankful to be her mom! She keeps me smiling every day! Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

Sky Diving!!

All suited up and ready to go!

Brandon coming in for his landing

Dad coming in for his landing

"Let's do that again! That was AWESOME!"

So for my Dad's 50th Birthday my mom surprised him with SKY DIVING!! My mom didn't want him to go alone so Brandon was the lucky one to go along with him for kind of a belated birthday present also. All day he had no idea other than he had a surprise coming and we were leaving at 4:00 for it. Brandon kept telling him it's going to blow your mind! It took a bit to drive out there the whole way he had no idea until we came over the hill where the skydiving place was and he yelled, "I'm going skydiving!!!" Way excited they both jumped out of the car, watched the lovely safety video, and signed their lives away happily. While being suited up both of them couldn't keep from smiling...it was really cute! They kept looking at each other, like we are really doing this, this is awesome! :) So away they went! Dad jumped first (since it was his b-day surprise) and then Brandon jumped. It was so cool to watch them come down safely. I had been a nervous wreck all day for this! :) While they were up in the plane Brooklyn kept saying, "Daddy plane up! Gampa plane up!" It was cute she knew what was going on too. The entire family watched them land then ran over to them. Both Dad and Brandon, still having the same huge smile on, immediately said would do it again! I'm so glad they got to go skydiving!

Dance Recital

Ashlyn all dolled up and ready for her recital!

Her favorite part in her dance! So cute!

Last weekend Ashlyn had her dance recital. She did so awesome! She had so many people there to watch her it was really great. I think one of her favorite parts is getting all dolled up to go. It's what I love to do too...what's more fun than dressing up your little girl?! After she was done doing her dance she had to sit with all the other dancers to watch everyone do their dances. She would dance crazy to all the songs, she was quite the entertainer. Then my little sister, Alexa, was in 3 of the dances. She did great! Alexa got her 10 year award and was so excited. Ashlyn of course couldn't keep herself off the stage and had to go up with her. Good job to both Alexa and Ashlyn you did awesome!