Welcome Jackson!

After an emergency c-section, Kirsti delivered a healthy baby boy: Jackson Jeffery Clark. He weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. Baby and mom are recovering well. Leave a comment to pass along your congratulations to the happy parents.

Baby News (or lack thereof)...

What the baby to the right really means is 1 day "overdue" not one day to go... yesterday was my due date and I am still pregnant!! I could've sworn he was coming a long time ago. Oh well. My family is here and we are having lots of fun. Now its getting down to crunch time. He better be here by the 31st. I've worked hard for him most of the year and would love to enjoy the tax benefits of having one more child!! Not to mention that I'm sure he's getting big in there.

Really, I'm quite content. For the most part, I feel pretty good. Here I am, writing this, having contractions and I hope they start hurting me. I'm actually praying for pain!! How silly. The thing that makes me the most nervous is the clinic I've been going to wont induce until I am 2 weeks past due. That's a long ways away! What if my body just can't go into labor on its own? I got pitocin with Tyler at a 2 and they were able to turn it off hours later when I was at a 5 because my body was progressing on its own.

I'm getting really eager to see this little guy and to cuddle with him and introduce him to all of our loved ones!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One of my favorite memories about Christmas morning is running in my parents room to wake them up. I'm guessing most of you woke up early to your excited children. We, on the other hand, woke Tyler up at 9:00! It was wonderful to sleep in and we felt like the kids sneaking in his room to yell "Merry Christmas!" It took a few moments for him to wake up and realize today would be packed with fun toys and presents...

Our attempt at a family picture (Tyler still half asleep)...

I kept telling Tyler to see what he got in his stocking. One time I called it a "sock" and there it went, on his foot!

He did whatever he had to do to get each present open...

And then of course, we'd have a 20 minute break until we could get him to stop playing with his new toy and open another one... He loved his "choo-choo" from the Ingalls, 

Mr. Potato Head from Andy-- he especially loves the "at" (hat) and was so proud of himself that he could take it on and off! (Please excuse my face-- I didn't know I was in the picture and was trying to get him to smile!- dorky me.)

and of course his Curious George book from "Nenie & Baba" (Lanie & Papa)-- sorry to say he threw out the clothes without even a slight glance, though I think they are very handsome, and that's the important thing! He LOVES the dump truck which he played with all day along with the tractor from daddy...

He had a blast on the horsey from Grandma & Grandpa Wolfe! At first he was a little scared of the big animal in our living room, but he warmed up to it very fast. Early in the morning, I'd ask him if he wanted to  ride it and he shook his head no. By the time the day was over, he kept shaking his head no when I told him it was bedtime and time to get off!

I fixed up his "pink girlie bike" See post for a before picture: http://jkclark.blogspot.com/2008/10/friday-five-tylers-faves.html

and I think it turned out great (minus the one set of pink wheel spokes-please ignore!)

And we finished up the day with a nice ham & potato meal! It was delicious!

We had a wonderful day together today! I'm so grateful for my family and I love spending time with them so much!

Thanks family for the great gifts-- we wish we could be there to spend the day together, but thought of you all often today!

I'm excited to see my parents and Katie tomorrow and Tommy & Mel on Sunday! The fun just won't stop around here. I wish I could say when we get to meet our new baby, hopefully it will be sometime this year!

Santa's Comin'

So, no I haven't had the baby yet (today would've been perfect to celebrate my mom & Kaylynn's bdays and I'd be home by Christmas with a baby in my arms) but now I'm hoping for the 26th so I can enjoy Christmas Day with Jeff and Tyler! I went into the dr. today and am about a 3, so really it could be any day now-- though I think I've said that for 2 weeks, so what do I know? Anyway, I finished this stocking shelf and received our  stockings in the mail from my mamma so we are all ready for Santa to  come fill them up!! YAY! 

I wasn't really planning on it, but now I've decided to make a ham, potatoes, jello and rolls to celebrate! So I'll continue to keep busy until the big day comes!

Today would be a great day to have a baby...

This is what I have said every day for the past week. I'm pretty sure I will say it up to the day it actually happens. We are getting all ready!! Here are some things I've been working on in preparation for the big day (and to keep myself busy to prevent going crazy!)

made a boppy- they are way too expensive and my friend gave me a great pattern:

http://sewityourself.googlepages.com/

This cost me $13.00 to make!! Though I'm not done yet, I still have to handstitch (which I hate to do) and make the outer cover.

wrapped presents

cleaned out/organized guest bedroom

created a nursery in our bedroom and closet for the baby

becca and her mom fixed up this beautiful cradle and gave us new bedding!

went on our last date for awhile

Last night we saw this movie and really enjoyed it. I love seeing Christmas movies right before Christmas!

We are hoping to:

put up Christmas lights-- I know, a little late, but we weren't going to until we found them on sale at Lowes for 50cents per box!! Not kidding!

I'm working on a stocking shelf-- hopefully I will get to finish it and post pictures soon!

Baby Update

I've been having lots of contractions for the past couple days, strong but totally irregular. I'm guessing any day now this baby will decide enough is enough! I go in tomorrow for an appointment where my doctor will strip the membranes if my water doesn't brake on its own before then. I'm curious to see how much progress these contractions have caused me so far. If I could guess, I'd say the baby will be here by this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

Baby its cold outside!

It was so cold this morning! But that didn't stop Tyler from jumping on the trampoline. He just did so with his hood on, mom's hat, and his hands in his pockets!!
Baby update: Well, he has listened to me and given me that week that I needed! I've been able to cross so many things off my to-do list and attend all the activities I wanted to this week. Luckily I've had the nesting impulse that drives me to be non-stop so I've stayed busy and have accomplished a lot: packages to family, cleaned out closets, wrapped presents, finished orders, and cleaned house!! I had a little scare this week and thought I was going into labor. I was having painful contractions and yelling at the kid to stay in there! Now I can relax a little and I have to change my tone of voice with him so he knows he will have a nice mommy-- you can come out now!

Awestruck by Santa

We saw Santa outside of Walmart today and I was so excited! Tyler, on the other hand, didn't know what to think. We've been talking about Santa all week and I am training him to answer "What does Santa say?" with "HO HO HO". Right now his response is "oh HO!" It's pretty cute. So I was super excited for tyler to try out his new line. We walked up and I said, "look, its Santa- what does he say?"..............Nothing. Santa, I'm sure, is used to this, so he asked for a high five. Tyler had a lollipop in one hand (the one item that gets us through grocery shopping without me going crazy) and a toy car in the other hand. He looks down and debates which precious item to drop in order to shake Santa's hand. About 2 minutes pass and he finally gives up his car for a five and we walk into the store. As I wonder if his visit with Santa meant anything to the little guy, I hear him quietly say "oh HO! oh HO! oh HO!"

Give me a week...

...and I'll feel ready. A couple weeks ago, people kept asking, so are you just totally ready to have that baby? My response was, actually no. I still have a lot to do and I feel ok. Since then, I've had a return of nausea, sleepless nights, and have become super uncomfortable. I feel like my stomach muscles are rubber bands ready to snap, when I stand up from sitting or laying down, my sciatica nerve hits from my lower back down to my heels, and I just feel like a fat pig!

I had a dr. appt on Friday and I'm already starting to dilate and the baby's head is right down there. So I'm giving myself another week, two at the most, I'm guessing this baby will be early. But give me one more week to get everything done that I need to. Christmas is coming and so is company!! YAY! Oh, and so is the baby!!

Here's the latest belly shot, taken about 10 minutes ago, by my fabulous photographer/husband who kept telling me what kind of face to make. This is my "serious face" in case you were wondering. But whenever anyone says anything like "don't smile" its like all I can think of is something really funny, so I have a hard time with that one.

Great Resources

I love finding sites where people share their great ideas and handouts! I've always loved using sugardoodle and jennymith. I just found another site that is wonderful! She serves in the Primary but includes handouts for Young Womens and Visiting Teaching and Relief Society!

In case my hyperlink doesn't work go here: http://emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com/. You will be glad you did!! That means you mom! You will like it.

I'm Thankful For...

1. My family: my family is my everything. I am so thankful to have grown up with such wonderful loving parents and siblings who I actually enjoy being around! and miss them when we are apart. I know that the distance is temporary and look forward to the time we can be together forever! I am thankful to have a loving husband who is so kind and gentle to me and would do anything for me. I'm so grateful for such a wonderful, happy little boy. I love my family!

2. My friends: we are so blessed to have such great friends here who have taken us in and treated us like family. And has come to the rescue so many times since we don't have any family close to help with the hard times. My life is enriched by all my friends, near and far.

3. Simple things: a warm home, yummy food, happy moments. It's obvious to me we are being blessed everyday by the simple things in life. I think this is a hard financial time for everyone, but I am reminded daily that we have everything we need and are so blessed.

4. Health & Happiness: this pregnancy has not been easy but knowing that the baby is healthy sometimes feels like a miracle. I'm so grateful that we are healthy and happy.

5. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: I'm thankful to be a member of this church. A church that feels like family where we can worship and learn about our Savior Jesus Christ and our loving Heavenly Father.

We have so many things to be thankful for this year, these are just a few.

Oh Wow!

Tonight as I was posting the last pictures, I heard Tyler yelling from the window. I couldn't figure out what he was trying to say, but window conversations are usually about the cat or a dog or daddy, so I kinda ignored him. (at 6:30 its dark and I am NOT going on a cat or dog hunt, and dad's in the other room). He was yelling so much about it that Jeff took a look and said, Oh wow!

We walked outside and the whole way, Tyler was laughing and saying words I couldn't figure out. He was so excited! It made me very excited for the coming weeks when we can take walks or drives and see all the beautiful lights and Christmas decorations!

He made his usual "kkkk" noise that sounds almost like a hiss used for most animal noises when he saw the reindeer. What sound do reindeer make anyway?

He also kept saying "wower" which means flower and is used for all plant life: trees, bushes, you name it. I guess he likes the way our neighbor decorated their "flowers"!

Pictures I promised...

Mom has been asking to see the picture of our laptop tragedy, so here it is:

And here is our super fun group for our Twilight Night Out:

And here is a picture of my leftover Lobster Ravioli that I was so excited about I actually took a picture. Its not very often that I order a $15 meal!! We will definitely be taking my family to Macaroni Grill when they visit and I will be ordering this. So yummy.

Loved it! I was really worried that it would be cheesy or over the top, but I really enjoyed it. The audience was mostly teenage girls so it was fun to hear the "ooohs" and "aaaws". You always worry when you read a book what the movie will be like, but they did a pretty good job following the story line and keeping the character's identities.
Friday night, I went with some friends to opening night! We all met at Macaroni Grill and I had an amazing Lobster Ravioli!!! Then we waited in line for 2 hours- yes, what was I thinking? My body was so sore! But it was a blast. I don't remember the last time I went out with girlfriends and I really enjoyed catching up and hanging out.
Jeff called me before the movie started to tell me the great fun he was having. He let Tyler play and went to check on him and found him-- pulling up all the keyboard keys on his laptop! I have a picture but it would ruin my happy post so I'll show you later :) We are still missing a few letters!

Because I Said So!

Today was one of those days. Our afternoon put into words (check out my great reasoning skills)...

TYLER:

"But why do I have to take a nap?"

MOM:

"Because you are tired, you just don't know it."

"Because I am tired, and I do know it."

"Because you will be happier when you wake up"

"Because you are driving me nuts"

"Because I said so"

"Because otherwise, you will fall asleep in your high chair at 6pm!"

None of which works for a not-quite-2-year-old. If only he could figure out that moms know best. Oh well, he got a 10 minute nap in and I got a 10 minute break. And then of course, back to work cleaning the peach syrup off his sticky fingers, clothes and face!

Thanks Kaylynn & Judy!

My wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law sent us some goodies!! We busted into the package right before Tyler's bedtime and had tons of fun looking at all the surprises! Judy made us blankets for both baby boo and Tyler (he is currently sleeping with his right now!) The star side has shimmer and ties and the other side is silky-Tyler brought it right up to his face and smiled! and a superman cape- super cool! (I'll take pictures of him in his cape tomorrow!) Plus they picked out some baby clothes for the new baby and a burp cloth and matching blankie from a craft fair...THANKS! We love it all and can't wait to see the little guy in it all :)

Tag Catch-ups

8 Random Facts About Me:
1. I think: I am usually way too hard on myself
2. Sometimes I: imagine a day off. I mean no telephone, no kids, no cooking,cleaning, no nothing! Just lay in bed and sleep sleep sleep.
3. I said I would never: use one of those corny monkey leash things on my children, but lately those corny monkey leash things are looking pretty nice!
4. I will never: have all rooms of my home clean at the same time. No, seriously. If the kitchen is clean, the bathroom is not. If my bedroom is clean, the living room is not. I can guarantee it.
5. The first concert I went to was: um, I'm a weirdo. I've never been to a concert, and frankly haven't had much of a desire to. I don't like loud music or people jumping around in my "box" (aka personal space)
6. I love: my life. I know I complain about the cleaning and the "kids" (yes I already say "kids"- husbands count) but I love it. I wouldn't change a thing!
7. I love: the gospel, the church, my calling, my young women, the leaders that uplift me, the scriptures, Jesus Christ, my Heavenly Father, the promises that we can enjoy our families forever.
8. Right now I would give anything to: see what my new baby will look like. Though I'm not quite ready yet. I am still enjoying a full nights sleep and not quite ready to give that up yet.

Okay...I tag: Anyone who would like to do this! I tag people a lot and everyone is busy so if you feel like you need to talk but don't know what to talk about, do it! :)

Kiddo Tag

Tyler got kiddo tagged by his old buddy Zac from Rexburg:
5 things we love about our Tyler:
1. The way he will jump on demand. It doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing, if we say jump, he'll jump.
2. His monkey-like characteristics. We've been watching Curious George a lot lately and I've seen some similarities. If my phone rings, Tyler will run and get it and bring it to me. It's really nice. I've always dreamed about having a monkey do errands for me or bring me a drink. Maybe someday Tyler will be that helpful :) He also responds in monkey noises often. I love how you can tell what George is trying to say just by the tone of his "E E E's". I can usually tell what tyler is trying to say by the tone of his non coherent words!
3. Hi Fives on demand!! He has learned up high, down low, and finishes it off with a nice "bump-it" fist!
4. The way he says bye-bye. Its pretty much just a constant wave until someone waves back. I'll tell him to say, thank you, bye! and he just looks the other direction, puts a hand up in the air and waves floppily!
5. The first "mama" and "dada" of the morning. When Jeff is here in the morning he will go get Tyler. I can hear him say "DADA" super happy when his door opens and mama mama mama mama all the way to my room! I can be so dog tired and think I don't want him running in my room yelling mama to wake me up. But once he does it, my heart melts and I can't wait to see him! It truly is the highlight of my day. I've never had someone so excited to see me in the morning!

Tyler tags all his kiddo friends!!

This kid is so dang cute-some days I just can't stand it! Today was one of those days. As we were packing up for church, I just couldn't help myself so I pulled out the camera. He just sat there and smiled for me and even said hi. It was more like "hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiya"

Uh oh!!

This is how we found Tyler twice this week. Of course, we got out the camera and had a quick laugh..until the next night when it happened again, except we had to rip his bed apart and do a midnight laundry session. Not so funny anymore. I guess its time to always put pants on him or maybe even pull out some duct tape!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We went to our ward's Trunk or Treat party at church and had a blast! Jeff and I were allstar players and Tyler was a dragon!

As we were leaving the house I asked Jeff, "so what team are we on?" and he was like, "honey, we are not on a team, it is the allstar game- the best from each team..." and continued to tell me stories from both the soccer and football allstar games he played in. He then went over the jersey types and I made note that his is football because it is thicker and I am a soccer player due to the smooth jersey (and the ball I'm hiding under my shirt). He kept saying, I can't believe this used to fit me, and I kept thinking, I can't believe this fits me! It was so comfortable though, I really might have a hard time not wearing it everyday from now on...

Onto Tyler- He was the cutest red dragon I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of dragons. We desparately tried to teach him "trick or treat" but he learned very fast that when we say it, it means hold out your hand. And that's what he did. At every doorstep and every car trunk. He held onto his bucket very well until it got so heavy he was walking sideways, so I dumped it in my bag (and that's where it'll stay-hehehe). Once I dumped out his bag, he stood there for a minute and looked in his empty bag. I wondered if there would be tears, but he realized there were more cars, so he picked his head up and kept walking and proceeded to fill it up a second time!

FYI: Red dragons are by far the most dangerous of all dragon species. When we first stepped out of the house, the neighborhood cat ran by and it was chased down the street by a red dragon. We watched in fear that the cat would be attacked and eaten alive, but then heard some giggling and remembered that Tyler was that scary red dragon!

Tyler and Jeff carved his pumpkin patch pumpkin into a scary happy face! Tyler wasn't too sure about the gross stuff inside, but loved being able to hold a knife for a second. Seriously, I'm sure if he could talk, that would be his highlight. Jeff's would probably be playing with the camera with the lights out...

2 Months and Counting Down...

Today marks 2 months from my due date! Yay! I'm so done being pregnant and so ready for a cute chubby little baby boy! With the holidays coming up I know it will go by so quickly and I have lots of preparations to do: clean out the hall closet which will become the baby closet!!, sand and restain the crib that tyler has chipped up in his teething days, get all my Christmas shopping done before December, get the house ready for visitors, and keep getting Tyler ready for a new addition to the family!

Maybe tomorrow I will put on some makeup and do my hair and take a belly shot for ya'll! Maybe. or maybe I will just be lazy like today and not! :) We'll see- I'll let you know.

Ok, 4 days later and I've given up on waiting for a day that I feel like doing my hair. But at least I have real clothes on (as opposed to Jeff's tshirts and pj pants) and some makeup on. Definitely a step up from the last few days!

The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

Time to get our pumpkins! This morning, Tyler and I went with our buddies Becca and Zach to a pumpkin patch!

We got to feed animals like cows, sheep, and goats.

You can tell by his face and his crossed arms he wasn't too excited about touching or feeding them. His favorite animal was the rooster, and when he saw the only one at the farm he screamed "bir" really high pitch. We get to see birds everyday- and that's what excited him the most- funny.

Then it was time for the hay ride!

Tyler loved standing on the tractor and of course, throwing the hay.

After the hay ride, we got to search for the perfect pumpkin. Tyler found his very fast. We didn't even make it to the second row. He happily picked up the first one he saw and carried it around, until...

he found a "stick". And then that was way more fun than any old pumpkin.

We made our way to the truck for some photos and the boys loved exploring




And of course, he had to upgrade to a bigger stick. First he found the medium one and quickly put down the pumpkin stem. Then he found the huge one and carried them both around.
What a fun day!!