Audrey is FOUR months old!

Four months have already passed. Time with our little sweetie is really flying by. We all still love her and enjoy watching her find new things. She loves her hands and has gotten good at grabbing things. She can now roll back to front in addition of front to back. Steven got to see her go both ways a few times but now when she's on her back she goes straight to her stomach and then gets angry. It's cute! She has started sleeping better, which is fabulous. She wakes each night around 2, but Mike just puts her binky back in, gives her a kiss and she goes back to sleep. This mom really appreciates some sleep. Here are some pictures that show what she's been up to. 

Steven thought Audrey would look good with some hair. Now if she could just grow some eyebrows so Mike would stop teasing her. ;)

We went downtown to see Elder Eyring's art display at the church history museum. We were all impressed by his talent. 

Sarah saw this dress and decided Audrey HAD to wear it ASAP even though it was big on her. 

Apparently these are the only two pictures I took on Valentine's Day. I made the kids heart shaped pancakes but only got a picture of Sarah in the morning. No idea why. (She wakes up first, so maybe the boys hadn't come down yet. We took Dinner to Steve and Lynette in the evening. We're fancy!

Audrey has gotten good at grabbing things in front of her face. 

I love waking her up from a nap and seeing this. I feel very fortunate that I get to be a stay at home mom. 

Audrey hanging out at the library with her dad

Sarah felt Audrey needed to wear this outfit again. We were going to take more pictures, but Audrey wasn't in the mood. (or we had to leave. I don't remember.)

Here are her official four month pictures taken on the 26th. I was actually on my game. ;)

A few days after her 4 month birthday she had to go to the Dr for immunizations. I made sure to blame the shots on the nurse so she wasn't mad at me. ;) Her stats were: Head- 16.2" (54%), Height 25" (74% but I think they measured a little long), Weight 11 lbs 3 oz (7%). Her pediatrician was a little worried about her weight because she started out so puffy and has slimmed down. This % isn't abnormal for our kids, but the Dr. wants me to bring her in two weeks after her appt for a weight check. He'd like to see her curve even out a little. I used to worry about Sarah being too skinny, but her Dr always assured me it was more due to genetics. We'll see. I'd love to plump her up if possible. Since appt we've been giving her a bottle right before bed. At first we were doing formula, but I've found that if I feed her at 6:30 I don't have much for her at 8, but I now pump around 9 and save those ounces for the next nights 8 PM feeding. It's worked well so far and has been helping her sleep.

Don't try this at home kids!

Have you ever sucked helium to change your voice? I'm pretty sure most people have. A few weeks ago Sarah was cleaning out her closet in a way that would make Marie Kondo (and her mom) proud. She found a large Mylar balloon left over from her birthday and said she was going to change her voice. Next thing, I heard a large thud. I said, "What the heck kid?!" and Sarah responded, "I think I fell down." I went to the bathroom and she was lying on the floor unsure of how she got from the sewing area to the bathroom. She laid down in my bed and her short term memory got progressively worse. She had come home and told me all about her day and a paper she wrote for a class and did well in. I asked her about it and she couldn't remember anything from school that day. Mike came home and told her to remember and repeat three numbers. She couldn't. He took her to the ER to have her checked out. They basically gave her a field sobriety test and she passed that portion.  They kept her there for a few hours and her memory got progressively better. Thankfully. Sarah stayed home from school for a couple days and turned down babysitting jobs for a couple weeks because she couldn't handle noises and had a constant headache. She still has headaches every day, but they're getting better.

Moral of this story-Don't suck helium! (I should probably confess that as a teen I sucked helium at a grocery store from the tank and woke up on the floor. I learned my lesson, but I guess didn't pass on that wisdom to my kids. Maybe my grand kids will learn.)

Salt Lake Track Winter Series

Last year I ran the 5k and 10k races of the SL Track Winter Series that's held at Saltair in Magna. I got a PR for the 5k and about matched my 10k PR. I skipped the 15k because I got pregnant and chose to be really conservative with my exercising. I signed up this year as a means to motivate me to start running again. It worked. Kind of. ;)

I'd run enough for the 5k and although I was tired, managed a 27:48 which is an 8:52 mile average.  Mike and the kids came to support me. (The kids actually didn't have a choice. Adam had a Jr Jazz game before and we didn't have time to drop them off)

Mike and Audrey were really tired from the exertion, so they took a nap. ;)

Two weeks later was the 10k. I hadn't ran more than four miles, but it's not terribly difficult to add a couple extra miles. I went in with zero expectations. I finished with a time of 58:40 which is a 9:25 pace. It was really cold! My knee problems kicked in around mile 5. I'd been doing my PT, but not all the exercises, and not as frequently as I'm supposed to. We let the big kids stay home from this one.

Two weeks after the 10k I had the dreaded 15k. I hadn't come close to this distance, so I knew I couldn't run the whole thing. I planned on doing a run/walk method. I ran a mile and then walked 30-60 seconds. This worked until about mile 6 and then I was just really tired. We'd had an earthquake we could feel in the morning and I didn't get much sleep. That's probably just an excuse for me not being prepared. My time was 1:33 for a pace of 9:57. I was just glad to have it over. This was the first 15k I've ever raced, so this is technically a PR. I plan on doing this again next year, so I'll have some definite goals. :)

My sweet boy

Yesterday after school Adam had forgotten his homework for the second day, so I let him know he wouldn't get any electronic time. He wasn't grounded, but electronics are a privilege in our house that have to be earned. He was upset. Really upset. He told me I should have reminded him. I told him I had reminded him the previous day when he'd forgotten the sheet the first time. He told me I should have reminded him in the morning before school.We went back and forth a little and then he said something snarky with a "Duh!" mixed in. I was upset. I told him it was unacceptable for him to talk to me that way. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I called him a brat. I occasionally tell me kids they're acting a certain way, but we try and always avoid calling names. I felt bad. He felt bad. He retreated upstairs an I went downstairs to run a couple miles on the treadmill since I'd procrastinated it all day. (Audrey is a slight time suck. Adorable and amazing, but I have to time my day perfectly to get a workout in)

After my run I came upstairs and Adam gave me this note. It pretty much melted my heart. I try and teach Adam to not be as reactive and to stop and think before he speaks, but sometimes I see so much of myself in him. The parts I wish he'd inherited from him more mellow father. We hugged and the world was again a better place. He still didn't get electronics, but he was okay with it. I love my tender hearted little guy. He may get upset, but he's always quick to apologize after. <3

Isabel's Birthday and Baptism bash

Audrey took her first long road trip to see her cousin Isabel turn 8 years old and get baptized. We were expecting the worst from the drive, so were happy when she only added 45 min or so. Not too terrible. (Sarah added almost three hours, so we keep that as the expectation so we aren't disappointed) ;)

The first big event was her party on Saturday morning. I wasn't on my picture game, but imagine a dozen kids running around in a big house with lots of toys. They made a gazillion pizzas and had a pinata. There was a slight hiccup when a little girl threw up right before the pinata fun began, but Ash and Dave enjoyed scrubbing it up. ;)

Not long after the party, everyone got dressed in their Sunday best and hurried to the church for her baptism. It was a really sweet service. My mom gave a talk on Baptism and Mike gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. I didn't get to listen to Mike's talk, because Audrey insisted on eating, but everyone said it was amazing and made them cry. Good job babe! Isabel was then baptized by her dad Dave.

The highlight of the day was of course the amazing cookies I made for the occasion. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost. (The Mexican food they had catered was good as well.)

The birthday/baptism girl with Audrey

Dad getting Audrey to nap in a loud house filled with people. 

Audrey getting her first piggy back ride from Adam

Dad and Audrey doing what they do best. 

Sarah tries on my dress from time to time. It's getting closer to fitting her. :(

Sarah in my dress in May of 2014

 Again in December 2016

We all love our trips to Colorado and getting in good cousin time.