Blessing Day

I'm convinced, we have the best family!  I love all of these beautiful people!  All of Kev's family, minus the Inama's in ID (we missed you!), came while my mom, dad, and Jen were in town for Ailee's blessing.  It was a special day!  Kevin took our little girl in his arms and gave her a name and a blessing.  It was a beautiful blessing, she's a lucky little girl to have such a great man to call dad.  He blessed her that she would grow close to her Father in Heaven and that she would come to know her Savior, Jesus Christ.  He blessed her to have a desire to develop Christlike characteristics and to see the beauty in the world around her.  He also blessed her to live a virtuous life that she may enjoy the blessings that come from such a life.  I'm so grateful for my own little family.  We were made for each other!  (Andy really is a happy cowboy, just don't ask him to smile on demand ;)).

Look who's TWO-Choo Choo!

The year of the train.

Andy's cutest little thing that he does these days is pause mid anything (play time, meal time, bath time, etc.) gasp, cup his ear with his hand and exclaim, "WISTEN!  YOU HEAR DAT?!?"  And then I realize that our local train must be making a pass through town blowing his whistle.  It gets Andy every time-which is about three times every day.  This little tank loves his trains, and so, this second year of his life will be known as, the year of the train.  He even got a new Thomas tooth brush in attempts to make teeth brushing more fun, ding ding ding!  We picked a winner!  He's a teeth brushing fool now :).  Fire trucks make a close second in his book, we do lots of drives by the fire station here.

We did a mini celebration on his birthday with a yummy chocolate banana crepe breakfast and a trip to McDonald's for lunch (don't judge, the indoor play facility won because it was freezing outside).  He knew it was his special day, singing "Happy Birthday" to himself over his strawberry ice cream sunday.  Then we did a big train cake for him on Ailee's blessing day when all the family was in town.

Things that make Andy great:

Andy is a dandy two year old.  He towers over all his playmates at 38 lbs and has quite the vocabulary on him.  Most of his answers to my questions these days are, "Thomas!"  But the kid knows lots of primary songs and sings them with all his might, his ABCs, Counts to 13, and identifies lots of letters by their name.  He's always on the go when he's not sleeping.

He's trying to figure out his little sister and absolutely doesn't like it when she cries.  I've got to come running if she starts crying to intercept a flying train or a knuckle to her noggin.  When she's peaceful, though, he's such a lover and gives her sweet kisses.  We love our Andy, he's quite the guy!

To Birth A Soul

The day when our lives were again changed forever in the most amazing way.

It's amazing to look at my beautiful baby girl and think that just a short 3 weeks ago she was tucked safely inside my womb.  To be able to bear children is a miracle that no matter how hard I try to comprehend why we're blessed with this Godly ability to create, I can never quite wrap my mind around it.  All I can do is thank God for allowing me to have and hold two of his most beautiful children.  I love being a mother more than anything else in this world.  It gets a little hairy around here when they're both crying, no, screaming at the same time and I'm trying my darndest to work my motherly magic.  But at the end of the day, I know that I've done what I was sent here to do, to love these two little angels with all that I am.  Life is good, it is so good.

Now, for Ailee Jane Gilbert's Birth Story:

Gran (my mom, aka Super Nanny) came on the 14th and did all the things that the best Grans in the world do.  Andy fell in love with her and I was reminded of how blessed I am to have such a beautiful woman as a mother.  She truly is a saint and Ailee will forever be blessed to know that she was named after her.  I hope she looks to her to learn some of life's greatest lessons.  

On the night of the 17th I called the hospital to see if I could come in to be induced.  We had been eagerly waiting since my scheduled induction date on the 15th, but with each call we were told "There are two people ahead of you...".  Finally, it was our turn!  They told us to be to the hospital by 9:30.  So we packed our bags and headed to Karen's where Andy would spend the night and the next day.  When we arrived they started me on pitocin and we settled in for a long night.  The nurse kept checking in on us and nothing was happening, so with each visit she would up my pitocin.  We were encouraged to get some rest so mom slept on the couch and Kevin curled up on a mat on the floor.  Needless to say, I couldn't sleep.  I laid looking out the window at the tree branches whipping in the wind.  I thought I was the only one not sleeping when Kevin sat up and told me he thought we should name our baby girl, Ailee Jane instead of Jane Ailee.  

Finally, morning came and I noticed a little bird's nest in the tree I had watched the night before.  I was amazed it survived the windy night.  With no contractions after a full night of pitocin my nurse came and said exactly what I was a little worried about, "Just to prepare you for the worst, sometimes we send ladies home with failed inductions."  Bummer!  I was ready to see my little girl!  But Dr. Turner came and told me otherwise, I was dilated to 2.5 cm and so he went ahead and broke my water.  The contractions came, Kevin and I did a few laps around the birthing center and then, with my mom's push of the red nurses' button, I was ready to  get my epidural.  By then I was at 3 cm and was told it takes about an hour to dilate for each cm.  I was ready then for a 7 hour wait.  Just when the nurse walked out I started to feel some pain which I thought was weird because the epidural had done it's job by then, so I called her back in and she checked me, "You're going to have a baby in 15 minutes!"  Woohoo!  And so, with some good pushing, she was here and I was reminded of how truly miraculous it is to hold your baby for the very first time.    She was absolutely perfect at 8 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches long.
Born at 3:00 on Sunday, November 18th.  

The day the world became a more beautiful place.

Halloween around here...

 Spooky candles

 Pumpkin brains

 Creepy monsters

Mickey Mouse, per Andy's request

 Toy Story Groupies

 Candy hoarding

Laser!!!

~please excuse the brevity, I'm playing catch up~

Riddle of the day:  Indians and Water Skiing...what do they have in common?

Clue:  Not much at all.

Indians.

I realize now, none of these pictures have Indians in them, but there were lots!  The Pendleton, OR Round Up is an awesome rodeo that captures the cowboys and Indians spirit.  

We hit up only the parade this year with our buddies, the Adairs.  

Andy showed up in true cowboy fashion with horse in hand.

Water Skiing.

Our friends, the Bliss's, invited us out on their boat a couple times this summer.  

This was the first time I had ever seen Kevin water ski.
We had a blast!  

And now, Indians and water skiing have something in common.

This blog post ;)

Opposites do attract.  Example: We have two grocery shopping options here in Herm-Town.  Kevin prefers Safeway for their more hometown feel and customer service.  He also has this idea that he needs to "support" Safeway?  I prefer {used loosely} Wal-Mart for their convenience, selection, and prices.  I decided recently to stop trying to convince him to use Wal-Mart.  Why?  Because Safeway conveniently places their flowers at their entrance which means I get little love packages now and then.  This guy of mine is so charming!  And there you have just one example of the {what's more than a gazillion?} anyway, a really big number of ways we're different but make life oh so beautiful!  Or are we exactly the same?  I don't know.  These are the mysteries of the universe.

~I LOVE you Kevin Harris Gilbert~xo

Look how cute our Grandparents are!

We love going to the fair.  

Last year Andy learned how to "bAaAaAaAa" like a real professional sheep impersonator.

This year he giggled the whole time the little goats nibbled on his chubby fingers.

 Some day we will have little goats, and sheep, and bunnies for ourselves.

 Waiting to be groomed:

 His favorite spectacle of the afternoon, however, was this golf cart.

Apparently he's learned that cows are a dime a dozen around here.

Kev and my 6 year anniversary found Andy and I at a romantic getaway in Meridian, ID for Aunt Lisa's baby shower.  We're so excited to add Baby Hercules to the family!  He comes this Wednesday.  The Smith family is going to have to push the princesses over to make room for the super heroes!  It's about time those princesses got themselves some boyfriends!

 Andy loved playing with his cousins...he was so kind to let them share their milk.

Only regrets, that I didn't take more pictures.

Kev and I will get around to celebrating :)

Good luck Leesy Dees!

XO

Before having Andy I had no idea what people meant by sleepless nights and extreme fatigue.  Then came the first four months of his life and I got it.  Loud and clear.  I wondered if things would always be so terribly exhausting.  And then it happened.  We turned a corner and I find myself wanting-all over again-to have a whole bunch of little chickies running around my feet in the future.  This time around, I know what to expect and I know that it doesn't last forever.  Because of this, I am excited to embark on it all again and enjoy the newborn stage for all it's beauties and simple pleasures. With each child I hope to find a more unselfish me.  There's a talk I ran into recently from a favorite apostle of mine that so poignantly describes the feelings I am now familiar with at times as a new mom.  He also offers the most hopeful encouragement for this role I know I am so blessed to have.  Here are my favorite snip its from his talk:

"In speaking of mothers generally, I especially wish to praise and encourage young mothers.  The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. The young years are often those when either husband or wife—or both—may still be in school or in those earliest and leanest stages of developing the husband’s breadwinning capacities. Finances fluctuate daily between low and nonexistent. The apartment is usually decorated in one of two smart designs—Deseret Industries provincial or early Mother Hubbard. The car, if there is one, runs on smooth tires and an empty tank. But with night feedings and night teethings, often the greatest challenge of all for a young mother is simply fatigue. Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island...
Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones.  Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep.  Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever...
If you will show others, including your children, the same caring, compassionate, forgiving heart you want heaven to show you; if you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be...
Remember, remember all the days of your motherhood...Rely on Him.  Rely on Him heavily.  Rely on Him forever.  You are doing God's work.   You are doing it wonderfully well.  He is blessing you and He will bless you, even--no, especially--when your days and your nights may be the most challenging.  Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master's garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and sometimes weep over their responsibility as mothers, "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole"- Matthew 9:22.  And it will make your children whole as well."

-Jeffrey R. Holland

I just put my finger on it!  Literally, seconds ago, and I want to document it so that I don't forget it.  I have little lightbulb moments occasionally when I break away from the superficial (albeit fun) social media as I'm browsing the internet and always wonder why I don't ponder the thick of things more often, it's a lot more fun and inspiring.  I googled the question, "how to be a farmer's wife", just on a whim, since it has always been Kevin's dream to get his family back to the family farm he was raised on.  We're not there yet, but I feel like it's getting closer.  I like to prepare for things, and sometimes google assists me in that.  I didn't get far enough to get any good lists of advice but I did read something that helped me put my finger on just what I love about Kevin that I've never been able to put into words.  Yes, he's good looking and muscly :).  Yes, he's sweet to everyone he meets.  Yes, he's got awesome devotion to his family and faith.  And on and on...One thing I admit I've been on the fence about with Kevin is that he is a dreamer.  I think I could be categorized as a realist and that has at times found conflict with the dreamer in Kevin.  As I embark on the possibility of becoming that farm wife, I realize that it is impossible to predict our success or failure as we make choices that could risk everything, but Kevin's dream sustains him. And how can that not be admired?  I'm learning that life's greatest riches come to the risk takers who are willing to make profound sacrifices to chase a dream.  And those who do so never give thought to the sacrifices they're making but keep the vision of the possibilities that lie ahead. Instead of hurdles, they see opportunities.  Today was Kevin's first day off- of no less than 10 hour work days, often 12 hour days- in 34 days and he's just barely getting around to thinking that he might be getting a little worn out.  He's not a daydreaming dreamer, he's a hardworking dreamer.  Dreams are healthy, and I have officially taken Kevin's love to chase a dream out of my  bucket of unsafe things and put it into the bucket of things I love about the guy.  

It's nice to ponder about and add to the list of what makes you love the one you do.

I love you farmer man!  

And I look forward to long tractor rides with you where we can be dreamers together.

Good morning!  Here's wishing you a fun filled day!

20 months old, and doing it well!

A couple days ago I put some shorts on Andy that he wore comfortably last summer.  Then I took him on a walk and as he strolled down the sidewalk they would slowly slip down around his ankles.  This boy is changing so fast from a plump butterball to a busy bee toddler.  Ever since that moment I have been dying to get some pictures of this kid and all of his joys.  We're putting off a professional until after baby girl is born, so I tossed in a few props, threw my camera around my neck, and carted Andy off to Riverside Park.

 His blankie was a mandatory prop.  Pull this thing out and it's like instant cuddle time magic!  I tossed it to him and he dropped to the grass with it, exclaiming "nigh nigh!"

As soon as this boy learned to throw, every spherical object in his path gets tossed.  It's added a whole new dimension to my life, trying to protect vehicle, children, and other fragiles from whatever he turns into a projectile.






I've been slowly trimming away at his beautiful hair.  His wispy curls make my mommy heart melt! 

 His lower lip that he must be careful not to trip over.  It makes me want to talk like Sebastian in the Little Mermaid, "You gotta pucker up your lips, like this..."

 We love this baby!  My favorite page of one of his books describes him well..."You're my Wiggly Worm, My Busy Little Bee, My Silly Goose, My Moosey Moose, My Monkey up a tree."  Oh sweet toddlerhood, we are going to miss you!