New blog look and catching up....

New updated blog look and name :)

And a rundown of recent events....

The week before last, Ben had his first school fundraiser. They got pledges and had a fun run. We all went down to watch him run around the little track. He was so excited and he did such a good job, he ran his little heart out! He did 28 laps! 

The boys had fun watching, and Jon loved putting his hand out so the kids running by would give him high fives.

This past week, my brother Jared (from Utah) surprised me by showing up at my house! He had a last minute business trip to Nashville and called Dave the night before to tell him he would be coming down after his meeting. He was only in town for a day. He got to our house around dinner and had to leave the next morning, but it was so great to have him here. The boys were so excited to see him and loved telling him all about everything! It was fun that someone in my family could come see the baby.

We got some dinner, stayed up way too late, then went to breakfast in the morning before he had to leave to catch his flight home. 

Before the boys went to bed (way too late, on a school night!) they Skyped with Auntie Keli and Brady (Jared's oldest). 

We're excited because he has to come back to Nashville at the end of the month and will hopefully be able to spend a day with us before he goes home! This time I have notice so I can have a clean house.... it's been a little hectic around here!

Here are a few favorite shots of the Little Miss at 4 weeks....

And finally, today was Allie's first time going to church. It was very fun to dress her up. She looked like a little doll.

The big boys had their Primary program today at church. They were so cute. Ben said his part so clearly and confidently. Chris was nervous but he did it! It was fun to watch them. This was both of their first time, since we were on vacation for Ben's first one last year. 

I was happy that I was able to get a picture of all of them when we got home. She is a month old and this is the first picture I have taken of all four of them together! Ridiculous...

Some day soon, I will muster up the patience to get new portraits of all of them to frame....

Four weeks...

Three weeks old!

How fun are little dresses? Allie is still wearing Newborn size, but I tried this little 0-3 dress this week and it didn't fall off :) She still doesn't fit the little bloomer thing for underneath, but it's a start! I can't wait until she can wear her other cute things, especially the other little dresses. So cute.

Sleepy girl and sleepy mama have been fighting colds this week (thanks to Ben and his school germs he shared with all of us!) The first night that she was congested was looong, but we're sleeping better the last couple of nights and hopefully we'll be back to normal soon!

Sleeping baby smiles.... caught one! She smiled at me awake today too. 

I have other things to blog too... when I get some time to actually sit down and think. And maybe after I clean the house...

Two weeks old...

(Allison at 12 days old)

This is about how I've been feeling this week ;) It's tricky juggling a newborn non-schedule with a family schedule that includes a school kid. Someone is always waiting on me for something. I've been trying to just take it easy and let all the little stuff go. Dave's mom has been a great help taking the boys for the morning almost every day this week, and she and some friends from church have brought us dinner (thank you!) so that has made it easier. We'll see how we do next week!

Allie had her two week checkup today, she is now 8 lbs. 2 oz. She still doesn't fit into her 0-3 month clothes, so we're rotating through the few newborn things we have until she can start to wear all the other stuff! She's so snuggly and cute and still such a good baby. Just keep her fed and dry and she's a happy camper :)

One week old!

Allie is a week old today! So far she does a lot of this... and when she's not, she's eating. Pretty much. But it's good- all her hard work is paying off. She had her weight checked Monday morning and she was down 13 ounces from her birth weight. ((Then my milk came in later that morning)) Thursday morning we went back in and she had gained 10 ounces in three days! She's still so tiny, it's amazing to me how small they start out. Jon seems SO big to me now.

Welcome home baby :)

The boys welcomed their sister home by decorating our front door. 

They drew the cutest pictures. Our favorite part was the "I love Papa Murphy's Pizza" sticker. And of course Chris writing Allie, so cute...

She did pretty good on the car ride home. She seems to like the movement of the car so far (yay!)

That was Sunday. I finally picked the camera up again yesterday and caught a little bit of cuteness. 

In Daddy's arms...

And this is her right now, letting Mommy have a shower, clean up a little and even blog!

We are loving every minute with our sweet girl... the boys just love her. Ben and Chris have headed straight into our room looking for the baby the last two mornings. Luckily she has decided to wake up a little before them and by the time they come in she is full and happy and they hold her and talk to her for a few minutes before it's time for Ben to get ready for school. Chris still calls her "the baby girl" more often than her name since she didn't have a name until we were in labor -he's been calling her that for months. It's cute.

Meeting baby sister

First thing Saturday morning, Grandma and Grandpa brought the boys to the hospital to meet their baby sister. They were so cute and excited. We got Miss Allison all dolled up for the occasion, and they just loved everything about her.

During their visit, they went with Daddy and Grandpa on a TRAM ride and visited the gift shop to get all sorts of fun things for their new sister. They were so proud of the things they picked out for her.

We got home late afternoon yesterday and are getting back to our sort of normal routine. Thanks to everyone for all the congratulations and sweet words! We are just loving our sweet baby girl, she is so cute and it's still kind of surreal that she is here (and a girl!)

Here are few more pictures of the cute girl from the hospital (haven't taken any at home yet, still exhausted!)

  

The princess has arrived!

After a very long Friday the 13th (appropriately) labor, our baby girl is here! 

Allison Kawainohia Izatt

7 lbs. 11 oz.

18.5 inches.

We are doing great, and she is a very calm, sweet baby.

 

Kindergarten!!!

I can't believe my baby is in Kindergarten! Luckily I have other babies to keep me busy so I don't get too sad :) He woke up yesterday morning so excited for his first day. I love how brave he is. He was ready to go!

I really wanted to walk him in the first day and we weren't sure what kind of mad house it would be so we all drove over and Dave waited with the other boys while I took Ben in. They gathered them in the gym and then each teacher gathered her class and walked them to the classroom.  Ben's teacher just seems so great, I'm excited for him to have a fun year.

When we got to the gym, we spotted two of Ben's friends from church. One of whom was looking a little sad/ nervous (Heath) but he seemed to cheer up a little once Ben sat down. He and Brady compared backpacks and talked and I think it eased all of their nerves a little to see a familiar face!

I admit I got a little teary on the way out, but I wasn't the only one (and I wasn't the only one standing there taking pictures)! And I can blame the pregnancy hormones right? He's just so darn cute and still so little! 

Dave will be taking him to school in the mornings and he will be riding the bus (!) home from school. On the first day, we gave him the option to have us pick him up or take the bus and he asked to ride the bus. So we waited for the bus to come down the road and drop him off. He looked so small coming off the bus. This is all so crazy!

The boys hugged him when he got off and Jon was so cute- he put his arms around Ben's middle and said "I miss you!" in the sweetest little voice. Then in the house, he kept hugging him and saying "I miss you Ben!" It was so cute.

It was so fun to hear him talk about his first day and all the things they did.

New niece!

Dave's sister Rachel had her baby girl today and we had fun going over to the hospital to visit for a few minutes. She's beautiful. As of the time we visited, she didn't have a name yet.

It's crazy to think that we're just three weeks (or less) away from having one of these of our own!!! The boys loved seeing the baby; it was so exciting for them to see what our baby girl will be like!

Congrats to Rachel and Jeremy!

Big brother class

I signed the two big boys up for a Sibling Class at our hospital. It was the cutest thing ever. They were asked to bring a doll (or teddy bear) and a onesie to paint for their new baby brother or sister, so we packed up their little backpacks and they were ready to go! Jon wasn't old enough, they had to be three. Even though they've experienced a baby coming into the family before, I don't know how much they remember, so I though this would be a good thing for them (and for me, to remember what we should be talking about and preparing for!)

The first thing they did was have everyone introduce themselves and their kids and tell when they were due and if they were going to have a boy or girl. We weren't the only ones with more than one kid there, but the only ones that already had a little brother or sister at home and were having another one! I get fun reactions when I tell people my kids are 5,4, and 2, and have one due in August! 

They watched a little video that talked all about the process- about how the baby grows in Mommy's uterus, and about preparing for the hospital, being away from Mom and Dad, and taking care of a new baby. It was really cute, and perfect information for their age. My favorite part was that they talked about how babies need a lot of care because they can't do anything on their own, and sometimes you would have to wait for Mom or Dad to do things for you, but they love you just as much.

The teacher read them a book about having a new baby in your family...

They learned how to put a diaper on and how to hold and feed their baby....

They used paint and stamps to decorate a onesie to give to their baby sister when she comes...

Then, we went on a little tour of the hospital, starting with the cool shiny elevator. So exciting!

We got to walk over to the next building over the big bridge. They thought this was cool, because we had seen the other bridges crossing the road (lots of connected buildings at our hospital) as we drove up there, and Ben had asked what they were and we talked all about them. They though they were cool, so going in one was especially fun.

We visited the hospital nursery and got to see a couple of brand new babies...

And see both the delivery and recovery rooms where they'll come visit Mom and Dad and the new baby sister...

But most exciting of all- the TRAM ride! We got on and road to the other end and back and boy howdy was that the best thing ever! Dave will have to take them for another one when they come see the baby. 

After the class, they got a certificate, and a "big brother" button from their teacher.

Chris insisted that his "baby" needed to wear the onesie that he painted...

They both had a good time and learned a lot. I was impressed by all the things they remembered and told me on the way home (over ice cream cones from McD's). 

Daddy had to work that evening, so we picked up Jon from Grandma and Grandpa's and Ben and Chris were both so proud to tell them all about their class and show them all the things they brought home. It was so cute. I'm so glad they're excited, since I'm sure it's going to be a huge adjustment for all of us.