Happy Anniversary!

Today, Jake and I celebrated 3 years of wedded BLISS!!! Life has been a bit busy for our family lately, but I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me Jake. Thank you for being the steady rock in our family and for always putting a smile on my face. You are such an amazing husband and father; me and the boys are SO lucky to have you. I couldn't imagine going through life with anyone else by my side. Thank you for making these last three years so wonderful. I love you!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here are Connor and Cody on Christmas day. I know I'm their mom, but how cute are these two?!

We woke up fairly early Christmas morning, thanks to Cody, and opened presents. Connor got a kitchen set from Santa (don't worry, I found the most gender neutral kitchen out there), puzzles, blocks, cars, trucks, tractors, and elmo slippers! After opening presents at our house, we spent the rest of the day at Jake's parents' house. I even got what I asked for...a NAP!

Hospital Pictures

Here are some pictures from the hospital the day Cody was born. I'd write more, but holding a newborn and typing at the same time is somewhat difficult :)

Our New Addition!

Cody Samuel Blackham was born on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 2:45 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. We feel so blessed to have him in our family. Words can not completely describe how happy we are!!!

Here are a few details leading up to his birth:

Early Wednesday morning I started having regular, fairly painful contractions. Not wanting to go to the hospital too early and be turned away, I decided to wait it out at home for as long as I could bare it. I was surprised at how quickly my contractions started to come, and around 10:30am, Jake and I decided it would be best to drop Connor off at Jake's parents' house and head to the hospital. After being admitted, the nurse informed me I was dialated 5 cms. After enduring a few hours of painful contractions, I requested a much appreciated epidural around 1:00pm. After pushing for about 10 minutes, Cody entered the world at 2:45pm.

After the nurse handed him to me after checking his vitals, he seemed so calm, alert and attentive. We noticed right away that he and Connor looked quite similar. We couldn't keep our eyes off of him! It's such a neat experience to be able to meet your child after anticipating his arrival for 9 months. We both feel so humbled to be blessed with the opportunity to be Cody's parents.

Later on Wednesday evening, Jake's parents and sisters brought Connor over to see Cody. I was surprised at how quickly Connor understood that Cody was no longer in "Mommy's belly" and that he had arrived. Connor kept asking to sit on Mommy's bed and "hold it!"- referring to Cody. He kept saying, "come see me" and kept telling Grandma to put Cody in his lap. While holding him, Connor giggled with excitement. I got a little teary seeing my two boys meet for the first time. We only hope Connor will learn at his young age to be gentle with his little brother...we'll see how that goes :)

Since being home, Cody has been so pleasant and calm. He only cries when hungry or when getting his diaper changed. He's nursing very well, sleeping fairly well, and is alert when awake. I am recovering well and am so grateful to my wonderful husband and mother-in-law for all of their help in allowing me the rest I need. I am constantly reminded that Jake is an AMAZING dad. He is always willing to help with diaper changes, entertaining Connor, and whatever else I need. It's so nice to have a husband who sees a need and just helps out, without having to be asked. I am SO lucky!!!

What a special time of life this is. I'd better go enjoy it!

Most Days I Feel Like This...

Lately, I am feeling quite like this picture. I'm at the point where I'm SO ready to NOT be pregnant anymore, but not ready to have a newborn yet. :) I make sound effects every time I move--moans and groans. Sleep is not pleasant. It's hard to breathe. I am tired of my limited wardrobe. I bet you're glad you don't live with me. Thanks to my loving husband for being so patient with me. He's been so wonderful to help me with Connor and all of the housework I struggle to keep up with. I'm so lucky to have him. Only 5 more weeks to go! Now here's the scary question...are we ready to handle 2 kids? I guess we'll find out soon!

Like Father, Like Son

It's so fun that Connor is old enough to go fishing with his dad. This weekend, Connor and Jake went to a local pond and caught 20 fish! Here are two little ones they brought home. We're just lucky Connor didn't dive in the water; Jake said he kept telling him he wanted to go swimming, or "simming" as Connor calls it.

Halloween

Trick or treating was so much fun with Connor this year. Once he understood the concept, that we actually got to go ring peoples' doorbells and pick out a peace of candy, he was so excited! He kept running from house to house shouting "tandy, tandy!" Of course, after a while he got tired of walking and made me carry him from door to door. Being almost 8 months pregnant, I thought I might go into labor, carrying him around for almost an hour, but no. Thanks to all of our neighborhood friends for walking around with us; we had a blast!

Our family was invited to a friend's Halloween party where Jake and I got the chance to dress up. Since I'm well into my pregnancy, we wanted to create a costume with that as the theme. Jake came up with the idea to make an "oven" for me to wear and painted a picture on my belly of a "bun" - get it "bun in the oven?" and Jake dressed as the baker. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a baker/chef''s hat for him to wear, so he wore and apron that said "Impregnate-her Bakery". Happy Halloween everyone!

He Got One!

Jake had the chance to go Elk hunting this year. His tag was only for a spike (for us non-hunters, that means and yearling elk with one spike), but he was still very excited. The hunt only lasted for a couple of weeks and he took every opportunity he had to go. On the last day of the hunt, he got one! Luckily he shot it at the bottom of the canyon, about 100 yards away from a 4-wheeler trail, so he didn't have to drag it too far. I know it might be strange to most of you, but we actually love venison at our house. I'm not sure if it's just the way Jake prepares it, but "YUM!" And it's much more lean and better for you than beef so that's a plus. So now we've got plenty in the freezer for roasts and steaks!

18-Month Old Checkup

It's hard for me to believe that Connor is no longer a baby and is getting closer and closer to the dreaded terrible two stage. He's at such a fun age though; I'm loving every minute of it. He's learning new words every day and seems to copy most of what Jake and I say. It's so wonderful to actually be able to have a conversation with him!

My favorite thing he does lately is remind us that we need to have a family prayer before he goes to bed. He gets down on his knees and says "prayer", folds his arms and closes his eyes. When we're done he yells, "HUG!" and reaches up to give us a hug. It just melts your heart.

The doctor informed us that Connor currently weighs 25 lbs and is 33 inches tall - both around the 45th percentile. Of course his head still measures in the 90th percentile. Oh well, he'll grow into it, right?

Here's a short video of Connor I took the other day. Enjoy!

My Little "Helper"

As a mother, I often struggle to find different ways to entertain Connor while getting some things done around the house. Sometimes, he finds his own ways. Lately, he enjoys helping me take clean clothes out of the dryer and proceeds to climb in the dryer (don't worry, I've allowed enough time for it to cool down). He stays entertained for about as long as it takes me to fold a load of laundry. What a creative little boy!

Domestic Divas

This year, I joined my wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law to bottle peaches and pears. It was a first for me, and I think they turned out quite well! Who would have thought I could be so domestic?!

Ben and Becca's Wedding

Last weekend we were able to attend Jake's cousin, Becca's wedding in the Manti temple. Becca was absolutely beautiful in her gown, which her mother in law made by hand! Congratulations to the newlyweds; we couldn't be happier for you!

Harvest Time

While visiting Jake's parents, Connor was fascinated, watching them bag corn on the cob to freeze for the year. It was difficult keeping him out of the kitchen. Someone thought it would be interesting to see what Connor would do with an entire cob of corn. Of course, I've given Connor corn to eat for dinner before, but only the kernals, not an entire cob. We were not surprised to find this after a few minutes...


What a mess! He loved it!

(Yes, those are scabs on his nose and forehead...he's had a few falls on our new driveway since we've moved here. Sometimes I wonder if he's ever going to go a week without some kind of bruise or sore on his head/face.)

Parker Family Reunion at Cherry Hills

Every year my mother-in-law's side of the family has a family reunion at a fun water park in Kaysville, UT called Cherry Hills. Connor had a blast playing in the kiddie pool, floating down the lazy river, and riding the big slides with his dad. Here are a few pictures of him with his aunt Lucy.Connor found this baby floatation device and was completely convinced it was a hat. He played with it for a while.

Me, Lucy, and Laurel
Connor wrestling with his new friend Nathan

What a way to end a great summer!

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

Because our new apartment in Ephraim, UT wasn't going to be ready until the end of August and Jake needed to start work in the middle of August, we were in a bind, since we had no where to live for a few weeks. Luckily, Jake's parents live only 12 miles from Ephraim and they were nice enough to let us stay with them.

Of course Connor was in heaven! He instantly had a HUGE yard to play in where the weather wasn't unbearable. His first request every morning when he woke up was "OUTSIDE?!!!" He especially loved riding with Grandpa on the lawn mower or the four wheeler (which he calls a "car truck").

He also seemed to enjoy the fact that none of Grandma's kitchen cabinets had child-proof locks on them. One morning I set him in front of the TV in Jake's parents bedroom and hoped that he'd be entertained for a few minutes while I made the bed in the other room. Somehow he managed to sneak past me and into the kitchen. After a few minutes, I heard a crunching sound and could only imagine what he had gotten into. When I turned the corner I found this...

He managed to find a relatively full box of Kix cereal in the kitchen and brought it back into their room so he could enjoy a snack while watching TV. Ahhh, kids...

Connor also loved playing in this little red car given to us by our friends in Mesquite. Connor could literally play with this for hours. Here he is driving with his cousin Tanner.

Farewell Mesquite, NV

While we are very excited to begin this next journey for our family, as Jake begins preparing for pharmacy school, we are EXTREMELY sad to be leaving behind our friends in Mesquite. While we were only in Nevada for a short time, we were able to grow close to many families. Connor especially grew close to my friend Nikki's little girl, Jessa. There were a few weeks that he would stand at the door and shout "Jessa, Jessa!" so that we could go and see her. I think he has the hots for her :)

Nikki, Jessa, and Hayden

Jessa and Connor
And of course, I am sad to be leaving my friends Rachel and Mindi whom I served with in Young Women's. They are such amazing women!

Our kids playing at the local fast food playground. What else do you do with your kids in a small town when it's 115 degrees outside? A special thanks to the Young Women who helped us pack and clean our apartment before we moved. You helped out SO much! I will miss you all!!!

And the verdict is in...

We're having another boy and we couldn't be more EXCITED!!! So, for those of you who predicted correctly, congratulations. I actually thought this one might be a girl. There goes my maternal instinct. I would have included a picture of the ultrasound, but they all turned out a bit fuzzy. Everything looked great though; he looked healthy and happy. Now all we have to do is figure out a name. Any ideas? We sure could use some help!

15-Month Checkup

Connor turned 15 months old on the 16th. We went to his scheduled check-up with the pediatrician and I was anxious to find out how much he weighed. Since he has been walking/running, he has slimmed down drastically. For example, take a look at a picture from this time last year compared to a few days ago...

When we went to the doctor's, we found out that he's lost a pound since his last check-up at 12 months and now only weighs 24lbs! He's grown a few inches though, and is now 32 inches tall. That puts him in the 44th percentile for weight and 77th for his height. Looks like he's going to be tall and thin like his dad.

While I enjoyed having a newborn, I'm now convinced that this is my favorite age thus far. Connor has such a funny personality. He's starting to talk a lot more and immitate us. So far, I think I've counted 20-25 different words he can say, but I feel like I can't keep up b/c he's learning every day!

Some of his favorites are "car", "truck", "tickle", "cracker", "grandpa", "grandma", "juice", "shoes", "eyes", "elmo", "duck", "book", "bubble", "baby", and of course, "mom" and "dad". He calls the toaster "pop" and the microwave "beep beep" - I guess b/c that's what they do. He loves to have an audience and will do anything from standing on his head to playing peekaboo to get a laugh. And then when you laugh, he laughs, which makes you laugh more and so on and so on. Jake and I feel so lucky to be his parents. I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything in the world - somedays I'd like a vacation, but all in all, it's the best!

Surprise, Surprise...The Blackham's Are Moving Again!

Yes, the rumors are true, our family is moving once again. For those of you who have lost count, this will be move number FOUR in under THREE years of marriage! Through much thought and consideration, Jake has decided to leave his current job in the field of property management to study to become a pharmacist. Although it will be difficult to go back to school, I couldn't be more happy for him. For those of you who know Jake, he's somewhat struggled to find a long-term career path that best suits his many talents and abilities. Through talking with friends and family and doing a considerable amount of research, we both feel that this is the best decision for our family's future.

Unfortunately, since Jake received a degree in business, he doesn't have all of the science classes he needs to be accepted to pharmacy school right away. So, we'll be moving to Ephraim, Utah next month for Jake to start at Snow College so that he can obtain the credits he needs. We decided on Snow, partly because it's relatively inexpensive and much closer to his side of the family. As far as pharmacy school goes, we'll see where he gets accepted and go from there. Since Jake's brother was also studying at Snow to enter into pharm school and is leaving to do so next month, Jake will be able to take over his brother's job as a pharmacy technician. Isn't great how things work out?!

I would just like to thank our family and friends for their support and help as we've made this difficult decision. We couldn't have done it without you! Wish us luck!!!

Happy 4th of July!

Our family spent the morning of the 4th of July with Jake's side of the family in Moroni, UT. I was somewhat disappointed Connor wasn't more excited for the parade. Lately, all he can talk about are cars and trucks. I think the heat made him too tired. He mostly just wanted to be held. Later that day we drove up to the Uinta Mountains where my mom's side of the family was having their family reunion at my great-grandfather's ranch. Here are a few pictures from the parade. I'll post pictures from the rest of our trip soon.