Shark Birthday

Collin's shark birthday party was Saturday. We had an a.m. party which we have decided is the way to go.  While it was rather hot, the kids had a great time swimming. Lots of cousins and family and a few friends came to celebrate the day. Collin loved his party and told me several times, "thank you so much for my party, momma." :) Lots of pictures below...

Ready to bail off into the water, but trying to pacify mommy first by forcing a smile for a picture.

Ty pretty much slept the entire time. We didn't have any trouble finding people to hold him. 

These boys were all about some cannon balls. Boys are fun!

And so are sassy girls. Even though they were vastly outnumbered. Thank goodness Maddy came!

Sweet friends with matching blue eyes

Aunt Pammie and Ty

Homemade cupcake stand. Pinterest inspired, of course!

DIY banner

Another pinterest idea. Big thanks to Poppy for whipping this out. Seriously, only my dad :) 

Watermelon pops were a big hit! 

Nice job Karsen!

Officially 5. 

Tate got a little carried away with the suckers ;) 

The mob after the shark pinata busted

Lil brother woke up briefly for a festive wardrobe change. 

Thanks so much to everyone who came! It was a great day!

We have a 5 year old!!

Collin turned FIVE this past Thursday. Unbelievable. We aren't having his actual party until this weekend, but we couldn't not celebrate the actual day. Especially since he is old enough to understand dates somewhat and asks us every single day (sometimes twice) what day it is and how many days until his birthday and party. SO, we decided to let him ask a friend to join us for dinner at where else... Chuck E. Cheese. And he chose Blair, one of his many girlfriends friends that is a girl :) Lolly and Poppy kept Ty. We also let him open his present from us on this day.

Surprise muffins and candles! He was beside himself, ha

Sister with her muffins and 1,000 candles... not to be upstaged by the birthday boy ;)

Little brother didn't get a bite of muffin or any candles. Bless him! 

Collin got a big boy basketball goal which he asked for and LOVES!! We may have actually found a sport he likes, ha. He's pretty good at it too.

Chuck E. Cheese fun

The sweet waitress sang to Collin and everything. The cake was delicious!

Digging in to this cake.

I'm 2 weeks old...

And not much has changed in my little world. It is awfully loud around here, and my brother and sister LOVE to do everything for me. They respond to my every sound, even when I'm not really awake, which sort of drives Mommy & Daddy crazy ;) I am beginning to love my paci and can hold it in my mouth really well. My sweet Lolly has been busy making me some special clothes and things with my name and initials on them. It's good to be a newborn!

On the go

Since gaining a new brother, Collin and Brantlee have been going nonstop. We are so thankful for all the people who have offered to take the kids to do something fun since I am out of commission with driving and we aren't crazy about getting Ty out yet. Plus Kyle hasn't been too busy and has some flexibility with his schedule. Our cousin K'Lynne was home last week and took them to Kid's Rule and Rocket City Diner. They have been swimming with Lolly multiple times. Nana took them to eat and play at McDonalds and to Target. Ms. Amy came and got them to play with Allie and go swimming on Friday. They went to a cowboy birthday party last night. And today they are at church. Thank goodness!! Summer boredom has started for them... but not for me :):) There is plenty to do around here for mommy.

We have made our list of fun things to do around the house this week (bake cookies, play in the sprinkler, make a craft, build a city with all our blocks, etc.) Playing outside much isn't an option. Their feelings, not mine. Here are a few pictures of Big brother and Big sister from this week.

Ready to find something fun to get into! 

Before church this morning.

We are all about some book reading. B "reads" this book to us and rarely misses a word. 

We are also all about some games around here... Slap Jack, Go Fish, Guess Who, Dominoes. You name it! 

Playing "This little piggie"

Collin will worry us to death to get to bottle feed Ty. He's getting pretty dang good at it too!

Some sweet pictures

Mom and I had a little photo session the other day to get some pictures for Ty's birth announcement. Here are a few of my favorites.

Note: I promise I haven't forgotten about our 2 other children. Up next, I will have to post about all the things they've been doing lately. They've had a busy week!

Week One

Well, we have made it one week with a newborn in the house and so far, so good. We've decided we'll keep him ;) We are all enjoying him so much! He is a sweetie for sure. We have had so much help from family and friends this week, from cooking meals to offering to take the kids. I'm actually starting to feel guilty, ha. But I know reality will hit soon enough. Here are some pictures from Ty's first week at home.

Sleeping, eating and pooping is our schedule right now. He eats every 3 to 4 hours around the clock. Nursing is going really well, but he does enjoy a bottle here and there. 

He loves to sleep in the bouncy seat the most. 

First bath. Bath time is probably not his favorite time of day yet.

Enjoying some swinging time. 

Whew, that will wear a boy out!

We got a visit from our sweet cousins Fischer and Tate! Fischer was so excited to finally meet Ty!

We seriously think Tate realized he wasn't the baby any more, ha. He is such a big boy these days and has the funniest personality.

We sure hope Ty doesn't mind a little noise and craziness. Bless his heart, it is a wild and crazy world around here :) :)

Ty's Birthday

Before we forget too many of the details, I want to document Ty's big arrival day!

Monday, July 2nd Kyle and I went to our final appointment to get orders for surgery and all that business. That night Nana and Poppa spent the night so we could be at the hospital at 5 a.m. and not have to wake up Collin and Brantlee.  That night was the longest and most miserable night of sleep of my life! I might have slept 2 minutes out of the whole night. Kyle wasn't much better off. The next morning we got to the hospital at the appointed time. We were so nervous and you would've thought we had never done anything like this before. As soon as we arrived, surgery prep began. There were some not so pleasant parts that I've chosen to block out of my memory. But I have to say, I had THE best nurses ever! After prep, we had an hour to wait before they took me back for the spinal. While we were waiting, I had some minor contractions, and then one big one. During that one, baby's heart rate took a fairly significant nose dive and stayed down for a while. The nurse rolled me to my side and gave me oxygen, and eventually the heart rate returned to normal. Scared us to death. Nothing like that ever happened with Collin or Brantlee, so we were all a little freaked out. Except the nurse of course, who sees stuff like that all the time and was as cool as could be, ha.

Getting some oxygen so TyAnsley would cooperate :/

Shortly after that we were taken back for the spinal in the O.R. Once the ball got rolling and we got to the operating room, the anxiety and fear and emotions were gone and I know that's due to the power of prayer. It was baby time! I was terrified of of the spinal for some reason, and I know God hand selected my nurse anesthesis (sp). She was precious and made me feel like we were there for a routine flu shot. After everything started getting numb, I noticed my doctor walk it, heard lots of tools clanging, medical jargon, etc and everything else is sort of a blur. I remember Kyle coming back in the room, but I can't remember anything we talked about. I felt some pulling and tugging but nothing unpleasant. Kyle sort of laughed. The nurse said, "you aren't going to tell her??" He looked at me and said, "It's a boy." We laughed because we both weren't surprised a bit, we had a feeling. Then we were quiet again, waiting for him to cry. We heard a little whimper, but we both still held our breath. About 15 seconds passed, and then we heard wailing. Loud wailing. The tears began to flow and I have NEVER been more grateful to hear an infant cry. Kyle brought Ty over to see me and then left for the nursery. Shortly after he left, we got a call from the nursery that Ty weighed 6.12 lbs. That sounded so tiny!! 

The waiting room crew.

The moment of truth...

Collin are you ready to meet your BROTHER?? It was love at first sight :) :) 

(You see, Sister wasn't quite feeling it at this point. Bless her heart. This was a lot for her to process.) 

How blessed is Ty?! He had his sweet Aunt Casey to catch him right after he was born, watch him take his first breath, give him those yucky shots, and give him his first bath :) 

Finally getting to hold this new brother we've been talking about. This is sheer pride folks :) 

3.5 hours after his birth, Mommy FINALLY got to hold this angel!

We had quite a few sweet visitors that day and lots of people call, text or send Facebook messages, most of which I remember. We are so grateful for each and every one. I was told I didn't say or do anything ridiculous. Always good to know ;) It was truly a blessed day!

Happy July 4th!! 

(Again, poor sister. This picture sort of sums up her feelings while we were in the hospital.)

We got tickled at the picture. This is Ty's preferred position. I promise he was just like this in the womb too, ha.

We are home and recovering slowly. C section recovery is no joke, but it is going really well I think. We have soooo much "help" from Collin and Brantlee. And even more from our moms and family. Not sure how people make it without family. We are so grateful for ours and the help they have already been! Til next time...