SUMMER!

The kids have been so excited for summer! Addy has been running around in her diaper like a wild hooligan. They've been begging for the slip and slide every day, and the pool is a constant must! Finn has joined the summer fun by devouring his first taste of real strawberries. I have to admit, I really love summer too.

Little Surgery

So, Liam had to have a 'little' surgery at the end of May. I'm only writing about it because anyone who is on my reader list already knows about it, and this is part of our family story, so it goes into the blog book Stephenson history too. :)

He ended up having a torsion and they had to remove the dead cells and insure that he didn't not have a repeat of the event. This whole ordeal ended up being more of a big deal that I had anticipated. The surgery took about 2 1/2 hours, which was crazy to me. Most surgeries, even fairly invasive ones, usually last about 1.5 hours these days.  But, he was in the hands of a great surgeon, Dr. Hald, and he had Dr. Gholdoin assist, who is also a fabulous surgeon.  His anesthesiologist was Dr. Winthrop who is a good friend of Heather and Shaawn's, so I felt very comfortable with who was caring for my baby.


He was SUCH a trooper. He was totally relaxed and did exactly what all the doctor's told him. I was a bit of a mess when they took him back, but he was actually really excited about it. He got to wear a cool hat that Dr. Winthrop gave him.

He had some difficulty coming out of the anesthesia.  He had some pretty yucky nausea, but he still maintained a positive attitude.  In fact, when the recovery nurse asked him where his surgery was he replied, "I'm pretty sure it was in OR 4."  He was exactly right. :)  Here are a few pics from before and after surgery.











He had a fairly quick recovery, but still missed about 4 days of school. He received lots of get well soon cards and gifts and felt very loved. His teacher even sent him a get well card with a jamba juice gift card, which he and I both thought was pretty cool.

Anyway, he thoroughly impressed me throughout this whole ordeal. He was such a trooper and did so awesome. His only complaint was that he didn't get to show his cool scars to anyone. We are lucky parents to have such a cool kid.

These little ones...

are my world. I always want a photo of my with my children on Mother's Day. This particular mother's day wasn't actually the greatest. We were getting over a stomach flu and just kind of getting by. We had plans for a picnic in the park, but they got nixed because of the flu. However, I wanted a photo of me with my babies to remember this year, this moment, the good and the bad. Because honestly, I wouldn't change a minute that I get to spend with them. Lately, I'm trying to be more conscious of letting myself get burnt out and loosing it with them. It's easy to do with three small kids, because it's hard.  It's not easy to have to meet the demands of these three little people all the time.   However, they are the people I love most in the world and I am trying to treat them with the respect and love and kindness they deserve.  I want them to remember to treat others the way their mother treated them. I want to be more present with my parenting.  They are so innocent and they trust me 100% to be there for them and love them constantly. And I want them to feel that and know that without a doubt. I want them to forgive me for my mistakes, so I need to be loving and kind and forgiving of them too. Sometimes I feel that I expect too much of their sweet little minds and forget so easily that they are just learning. I hope that I can do better and be better for them. I hope that they always know how much I love them and how much I love their Daddy and how much I love our Father in Heaven.  They are so amazing. And I am so thankful that they made me a mother. I am so, so thankful for the opportunity I've been given to raise them and I've promised myself I won't take that task lightly.

GG turns 80!

We had a nice BBQ bash for GG's 80th birthday at my sister's house. We just had such a fun time as a family and enjoyed the day together. My sister made a beautiful cake and we enjoyed her new outdoor kitchen for the BBQ. GG loved her book of memories that my mom and I compiled from many friends and family for her. Happy Birthday, GG!

A 7 month old!

This cutie pie turned seven months old at the beginning of the month. And he just keeps getting cuter and happier and sweeter which I never knew how that could be possible!  He's starting army crawling and 'planking' and rocking on his hands and knees. The kids think this is hilarious and the best thing ever, but I'm so not ready for my baby to be mobile yet.  It is pretty darn cute though! This past month the poor sweetie pie got an ear infection.  He was pretty miserable and even feel asleep while in the jumparoo.  As sad as it was, he was so darn cute sleeping away there.

I'm having so much fun watching this sweet baby boy grow.

Bathroom Renovation

We had a forced bathroom renovation in our downstairs bathroom last month. Unfortunately we discovered some dry rot under the floor, so all the flooring had to be torn out and redone. While we were doing that, we decided to paint, put in new fixtures and update our look. We got a beautiful new tile floor and some new art, and voila- new bathroom. I'm so happy with our end result. I love it!

Happy Half Birthday, Finn!

I really can't believe my Finn is already six months old! At his 6 month appointment he weighed 15lbs 8oz and was 27 1/4 inches long. His weight is the 20th percentile and length is the 80th. I can't remember his exact head measurement, but it's still on the smaller side, although it doesn't look that way to any of us. haha. He continues to be the happiest baby ever. Look at him, he smiles. :) Smile at him and he giggles. He's getting to that grabby and put everything in the mouth phase. He rolls anywhere he needs to go. He is starting to sit for longer periods of time, but he just wants to be on the go, so he falls over so he can roll more. He loves taking walks and swinging in the swings at the park. He loves his big brother and his big brother loves him. Liam is so good with him and sits and talks to him and makes him laugh if I need to get something done. He is just pure joy! Here are some photos of him when he got into Liam's stickers and went a little crazy. He did this all on his own- crazy boy!