Ashley Ann Powell

Ashley's here! Well, she came about two months ago, but I am just now getting around to posting it! (the whole sleep deprivation thing, etc.) Ashely was born on November 22, weighing in at a whopping 6 lbs. and 6 oz. (my biggest so far!). She was born via c-section, which I was scared to death to have, but due to my skyrocketing blood pressure, she couldn't be vaginal and needed to be delivered that day. Everything went amazingly well and she was born healthy and happy. She is by far my best baby as far as spit-up and crying go. She rarely ever cries and is just a joy to have in our home. Hailey and Aubrey adore her! They are little moms that want to hold her and kiss her. Having her in our home has really brought a feeling of peace and completion that we haven't had before. Ben oooh and ahhhs over her for hours.

Yesterday we blessed her. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful blessing. Grandma Place made her gown and it was beautiful!! She wore a bracelet and shoes that Grandma Powell gave her. All her aunts came with their families, Grandma and Grandpa Place and Powell, Great Grandma Jerry and my dear friend Jen Gonzalez. It was so wonderful to have everyone together at church and then over to our house afterward. I love blessing days, they are so special!!

Here are some pictures of our new addition!

Above: Our first picture of Ashley. (well, the first non-gooey, non-bloody one)

Below: This is me meeting my new baby.
Christmas with our three girls
Blessing Day with both Grandmas
My sweet new angel.

Oh, what did we do in the summertime?

Wow, I can't believe the summer is pretty much over! Hailey is now in first grade and Aubrey is a kindergartner. I have two months of "freedom" before the baby is born. Yeah! Here is a quick overview of what we did all summer long.

In July, my brother-in-law Loren insisted that we go find the waterfall in Centerville. What a surprise! I had no idea this was here and that it would be this much fun! We had a wonderful time climbing, swimming and exploring with the Mercers!

In June we went to Bear Lake with Grandma and Grandpa Place. We ended up only being there for 24 hours, but we packed more into that Bear Lake "trip" than ever. We fed seagulls, swam in the cold lake--Hailey and Ben even tried to snorkel in the lake. Hailey LOVES to snorkel even if it is 99% in Grandma Place's pool at 1% in Bear Lake. (I really hope to take her to the ocean someday and see how amazing it really can be.) We also took the girls horseback riding in the mountains. This was the highlight of the trip. This was the first time the girls have been on big, adult horses. They were also very excited about the "real" cowboy that guided the horse.

We went to Lake Powell twice this summer with the Powell family. Seven days in May, when it was freezing! Seven days in August when it was h-h-h-hot! Each trip was lots of fun and held exciting new adventures. In May it was pretty cold, but we had tons of fun exploring and catching (or trying to catch) a lizard. I finally captured one, but was too scared to grab it. Uncle Quin finally came to my rescue.

Our August Lake Powell trip was much warmer! We always love our Powell trips to Powell. The girls jet skied with Grandma and Grandpa Powell almost everyday. We spent all of the time in the water. BOTH girls surfed with Ben behind the boat. They were so cute and it was so much fun!

Aubrey surfed ready to wipe-out. She concentrated on the water and plugged her nose the entire time, just in case. Ben actually got so close to the boat he just picked her up and put her on the boat and she never even hit the water! Hailey was much more brave and could surf with "no hands."

On our August Lake Powell trip, we also had the opportunity to go to Rainbow Bridge. I remember going here when I was a child and it was just as much fun to see it as an adult. It really is an awesome sight.

That was pretty much our summer. I spent all of June on bed rest thankfully, the girls were able to have some fun with Aunt Stephanie who took them a few times a week to really neat places. (check out her blog for more on that). We were able to fit in one Lagoon Day and many summer days were spent at Grandma Place's pool. All in all, it was a fantastic summer!

We are so thankful to have so much family close by and ready for adventure!

It's a GIRL!

"Some women are drippin' with diamonds,

Some women are drippin' with pearls,

Lucky me! Lucky me!

Look at what I'm drippin' with

LITTLE GIRLS!" ~"Annie"

After a few trips to Fetal Foto, today I finally found out what we are having. And of course, it's a girl. This is FOR SURE my last pregnancy. I officially decided I do not make babies very well. I've been on bed rest for the past three weeks because of a placenta abruption (placenta tearing away from uterine wall). And it sucks. Both of my last pregnancies were pretty crappy (toxemia with Hailey and c-section from hell with Aubrey). Making babies isn't really my thing. Three kids is it for us and as it turns out, three girls is what heaven sent.

Although I'd really have liked a boy, I am good with girls. My daughters have been the highlight of my life and more fun than I could have possibly imagined, I'm happy to have another little drama queen / dancing machine in my heart. Poor Ben had all sisters and now all daughters. Good thing he's such a great guy. He has attended many tea parties and has almost perfected a pony tail. Hopefully the teen years don't kill him off . . . that may be rough, but I think he can handle it.

I'm ready for a little girl , now if I can just get her here safe and sound.

Rock-a-bye Hailey

Many of you know that we have struggled with Hailey's sleeping terrors for about two and a half years now. We have tried everything known to man to help her with this. We tried regular doctors, counselors, therapists, etc. We did foot-zoning, hypnotherapy, aroma therapy, herbs, etc. We even tried parenting classes and hypnotherapy and counseling for us. You name it, we tried it. Every specialist (mainstream or not) said two things 1) this is a "special case" and 2) she is by all accounts a regular child (with major sleeping issues). Many docs said she would grow out of it.

While we were in the middle of all this, Ben told Hailey that if she slept through the night for 30 days he would take her to Disneyland. Well, for a year and a half a Disneyland sleeping chart hung on Hailey's wall providing no incentive for her. She slept in our room for over two years (the docs said to make it as uncomfortable as possible, so she slept on our floor with one blanket all this time).

Then, one day she said she wanted to go to Disneyland. She knew the terms. Low and behold, she started sleeping in her own room. Needless to say after 30 days it was time for us to pay up. We made a quick (10 hour) drive to Disneyland and had a great time. She was so proud of herself and told everyone at Disneyland why we were there and that she had earned it!

Powell Princesses

I love this picture of Aubrey! This her first time to drive a car. She was determined to do it right! I think her look of sheer concentration. It makes me laugh so hard because this is EXACTLY the face my mom makes when she is uptight and trying to concentrate! I can't wait until Aubrey is 16 and I blow this picture up and hang it on the wall when she gets her license.

Should I be worried that both my girls LOVE to drive cars?

The gals and Pluto! I love that they are still at the age to get super excited to see the characters.

I took this picture our first day. She looks so grown-up next to her daddy. I am so happy that she finally has some peace of mind when she sleeps.

Aubrey's 5th Birthday

For a year Aubrey begged me to have a Hawaiian birthday party. Finally in March, for her 5th birthday, she got her wish. We decked out the house in Hawaiian/Luau theme and had a great time. Each little girl came in her swimsuit and received a lei and grass skirt. Then they received a flower for their hair and a shell whistle after completing the games. We learned a real hula, surfed on a real board and did the limbo! All the girls were darling and Aubrey still talks about his great party!Surfer girl!

Aubrey's Surf Shack

Aubrey and The Hulas.

Dance, Dance, Dance!

The girls joined a new dance studio this year, Jean Taylor Studio 1, in Farmington. I really like the studio, so do the girls. This year Aubrey took ballet and tap. She was darling and loved it. Hailey tried something new. She auditioned for a competition dance team. She did hip hop and jazz. She trained very hard for her competition and did a wonderful job!

I love watching the girls dance. I did ballet for about 14 years, although I was never a fantastic dancer, dance is so much a part of me and a lot of my life was spent in a dance studio. I firmly believe in the benefit of girls in dance. One of my greatest joys is having my girls dance.

Christmas 2009

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year! I love it, and then when it is done, I'm so happy that it is over. It's perfect! Here are a few of my favorite picts from the Christmas season this year!The girls are getting so big now, it is a blast to take them places. No strollers, they can walk pretty fast, it's great! Here we are at the lights at Temple Square. It was a fun night.

Best Christmas Angel ever!

Mary with baby Jesus. (Okay, baby Jesus is HUGE!)