Zoey's Two!

Zoey turned two yesterday! I can't believe she's getting so big.

Here are a few highlights on Zoey:

She LOVES food, sleep, and accessories.

She is talking up a storm.

She takes a while to warm up to strangers.

She's a great big sister for Eli.

She is learning to potty train.

She hates a diaper.

She likes to dress and undress herself (the picture below is of her putting on ELI'S pants)!

She's daddy's girl! (Brian bought her flowers for her birthday, so sweet)!  

We love you Zoey! 

How many does it take?

Do you remember the old cartoon Tootsie Roll Pop commercial where the little boy asks the 'wise' owl "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?" and the owl responds by taking the lollipop and licks "One, two..." but ends up eating it after the second lick and says, "I guess we'll never know!"

That's how I feel after taking family pictures. How many shots does it take to get everyone looking at the camera? One? Two? Three? I guess we'll never know! Ha ha.

We did have a couple turn out alright, so be looking for them on our upcoming Christmas card!

Smile!

Eli gave me the best birthday present yesterday! I captured one of his first smiles on camera! He slept for 8 hours through the night on the night before last and 10 hours through the night last night! I can't believe it! It just makes us all happy! Definitely worth a smile.  

Brothers

Jackson BEGS to hold Eli all day long. I have had a few opportunities to snap some of these precious moments of them on our red chair. Who do you think enjoys these moments more? Eli or Jackson?

When I see them together I think of the words to the old Primary hymn..."I lived in heaven a long time ago it is true. Lived there and loved there with people I know, so did you."

I frequently get the feeling that these guys were friends before they came to our family on earth! How fun to be reunited together again!

13 days of Halloween...part 2

The week of Halloween was a bit busy...we didn't even get around to carving Jack-o-Lanterns this year! But this is what we did do....days 8-13.

Day 8) Witch hat Calzones

Day 9) Homemade caramels

Day 10) Ward Primary Halloween Party (pictures to come)....

Day 11) Neighborhood "Phantom Ghost" (drop treats at someone's door without getting caught!)

Day 12) Trick-or-treating (Jackson was a dragon, Zoey was a butterfly, Eli was a polar bear which I have only one picture of and it's on a friend camera.....)

Day 13) Eli's Blessing

13 days of Halloween...part 1

I was especially excited to do the "13 days of Halloween" this year because I wanted to make sure I made time for fun things with Zoey and Jackson so that they wouldn't feel "left out" of all the time I spend caring for their new brother Eli. This is what we have been up to this past week...just easy, short, fun activities to help them get excited for Halloween!  

Each day we take a tag off of our Halloween tree and get to do the activity attached to that day.

Day 1) Making Halloween sugar cookies at Grandma's house...more frosting than cookie.

Day 2) Paper bag monsters

Day 3) Cheesecloth Ghost

Day 4) Movie night with the kids (Toy Story 2)

 Day 5) Gray family Halloween party, the kids dressed up, we had the traditional Halloween meal (i made the veggie tray), pinata and lots of fun!

Day 6) Decorate mini Pumpkins

Day 7) Pumpkin and Ghost grilled cheese Sandwiches!

We'll keep you posted on what we're up to this last week of Halloween!

Newborn Pictures

A lot of pictures, very few words....

He's precious!

My sister-in-law Taraleigh helped with these fantastic shots.

While Nursing....

It's been over a week, and we are adjusting to our new family and new schedule pretty well. I have had a lot of help which has been priceless. However, Jackson has figured out that I am glued to my chair for half an hour while I nurse Eli throughout the day, and he chooses this time to reek havoc while dragging his little sister Zoey into the mix. When he is found after a nursing session his words are usually "Mommy, don't look" or "Zoey did it!"

Monday was one of those days that if I told all that had happened it would be hard to believe it was all in one day! It started off with me nursing Eli, Jackson finding a marker, and a wonderfully colored white down comforter on my bed, ruined baby announcements, and messes galor! I have had my cups used to transfer toilet water into the bathroom sinks and drench everything in between, storage boxes unloaded of all their fill, and "mystery soups" created in the kitchen sink with things that aren't supposed to get wet! All I can say is that I am glad I start my day with prayer because it's the only way to get me through these frustrating times when I feel pulled in all directions. By the end of the day (and I mean 7pm- no joke!) I feel worked into the ground trying to keep up with it all.

But I have to say that despite the chaotic moments, it is all worth it. The rewards of having Eli join our family are abundant. We have many sweet moments with the kids wanting to display their affection and talk to Eli and tell him all about their toys or their day. It's truly wonderful having him in our home!

Eli Fisher Beutler

Sunday, September 26th marked the exciting arrival of Eli Fisher Beutler. He was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 inches long. It was so fun to wait until the delivery to find out we were going to be blessed with another boy! Jackson and Zoey love their new brother and Jackson isn't too upset that we didn't name him "John Deer" afterall (Jackson's fascination with tractors is evident in everything right now).

The delivery went really well. We got checked into the hospital around 5pm. Dr. Holmes broke my water at 5:30 pm. and Eli was born at 7:04. I decided to do it all naturally this time around. Many women may think I'm crazy, but it's just something I wanted to do. Luckily, my deliveries are short enough that it was doable, I don't know if I could handle anything longer! By the time I was dilated enough and ready to push, I began to question my strength and resolve to go through with it! But too late to make any changes at that point! One Contraction later, Eli was born and peeing all over the place! Brian got to make the announcement and it was just an exciting feeling in the room.

Tuesday afternoon we got to go home together as a family (I can't believe we are a party of 5 now), and that was also a wonderful feeling. I needed my rest and recovery at the hospital, but going home always feels so good. I'm glad to be on the recovering end (technically I'd still be pregnant today)! Leave it to the brutal honesty of a toddler though, Jackson asked me the day I got home from the hospital: "Mommy, why did you put that baby back in your tummy?" Even post-pardum hormones in tow, I found that one funny!

We are still adjusting to our new life and routine. I have had lots and lots of help the past few days which I really appreciate! It seems like the more children involved in the picture, the more help that is needed getting my feet back on the ground. Running errands, taking Jackson to pre-school, meals, laundry, watching the kids so I can sleep....it's all so appreciated. I'm looking forward to finding a new routine to slip into, but for now I feel so overwhelmed with the idea of having to do it all myself. Luckily I haven't had to yet, and I can slip into that new routine slowly. I feel so blessed to have so much help nearby.

Eli is changing so fast already. I love his little cheeks. At our last pre-natal visit, I asked to get another ultra sound so I could anticipate the size of the baby. Dr. Holmes snapped a shot of his face while he was in the uterus, and his cheeks were so prominant! He has long finger-like toes, long fingers and big hands, very little hair, and a very mellow personality so far. He loves being by people, being held and hearing a heartbeat next to him. It has taken a few days to get him to sleep in his crib. Until yesterday he would only sleep if he was being held...

He's so cute, so loved, and we are so blessed to have in in our home! I look at his tiny body in my arms while I'm nursing him and am amazed at his perfection. It amazes me that such a wonderful and complete being can grow inside of me. It's so wonderful to have the presence of someone so fresh from heaven in our home. Welcome Eli- we love you!

Yum! Apple Pie!

Brian and I have been watching a few episodes of "Master Chef"....for those of you not familiar with the series, amateur chefs receive challenges from master chefs/critics for elimination. The last episode gave a challenge of making apple pie...oh it looked so good! A day later, Brian came home from work and I mentioned I had been craving apple pie ever since we watched that episode. Guess what!? He got to it and baked me an apple pie! Talk about the best care a husband can give to a craving fanatical pregnant wife! Here are some pictures of him at work. The pie turned out delicious and we ate a quarter of it just between the two of us! It lasted only a day.

I was hoping it would be my 'last meal' but "alas" we are still waiting. UGH. The Doc says I'm dilated to a 4 and 80-90% effaced, so we're just waiting for contractions! But they don't come....not even after all the walking. I guess we'll just have to play the waiting game now. Cross your fingers for us!