Morgan Felicity has news!

Thursday night, Morgan decided that she was ready to ask Jesus to come live in her heart! It happened in the car in our driveway as we were getting home. After we prayed, she ran around the yard with her arms outstreched singing, "I'm a Christian!!!!!! I-----'m a Christiannnnnn!"

So that night we had what she called, "a Christian party!" We broke out the birthday box, decorated with streamers, had applesauce and cheese sticks for dinner, and had ice cream to celebrate!

She has often reminded me to pray when things get tough, and usually when I hadn't thought of it yet! Like the time our power went out last winter when she was two... "It's okay Mom, Jesus will help us! We should pray!" So we prayed, and ZAP! the power came on immediately! Thanks for the reminder, sweet girl.

We gave the kiddos Jelly Bellies to munch on before bed last night and they all three plopped down in front of the fire, and were so cute, that Jeremy snapped this picture.

our sweetie pie

Annika is 2.5 months! She's smiling and cooing, and yesterday for the first time gave us a good giggle. Can't wait for more of those! After we got through those first 3 weeks, she's definitely been our easiest baby yet. She is a champ of a sleeper and is happy as can be as long as she's fed and rested. I can't imagine our family without her. It's been so fun to see Drew, Gavin, and Morgan with her. The are absolutely precious as big brothers and a big sister.

I've just today started my first workout on my way to the pre-pregnancy Amanda. This time I'm super motivated to get back to the pre-allfourchildren Amanda, which is 25 lbs! Gulp!!! But it feels different this time. The last three times I've lost baby weight it was to lose it so I wouldn't add more and more each pregnancy. Now it feels like it'll be for good!

This morning, I did a new DVD that I bought called Ballet Conditioning. Smokes, it kicked my tail! I had to turn it off after 30 min. because my wobbly legs couldn't handle it! Whew, if you ever thought ballerinas were wimpy, think again! They're tough. :)

Yikes, I'm on the web!

When I was in Kansas City for a conference in November, I was interviewed for Stonecroft's Generation Now. Go to this link to read a portion of what I said, and see my picture! Jeremy laughs because at this point, I have nothing to do with Stonecroft!


http://stonecroft.gospelcom.net/stonecroft_2006/connect_2006/html/generation_now.html

Great Movie!

Last night, Jeremy and I watched a great new movie! It's called August Rush and it's a new release out on DVD that is worth watching! It's PG and clean, except there's a one night stand that is known, but not shown... and a few G-- D---- thrown in... Other than that, I think you'll like it! (I feel like the movie reviewer at Plugged In Online) :)

It's a super sweet movie, that will leave you in tears at the end. Well, I don't know if it will bring tears to your eyes, but you know me! I don't think I've blogged about a good movie before, so it must be good, right??? Our good friends, the Stokes recommended it to us, thanks guys!

The latest craze in our house?

MONOPOLY! We've played it everyday now for 4 days! Jeremy taught them how to play one night and ever since, they've been hooked! (thanks Shannon, for the idea!) Drew is the Mr. Scrooge of the game hoarding and counting his money over and over, and Gavin is the excitable, happy-go-lucky player who usually wins! It is so hilarious to play with them.

On Thursday they played from 10am-5pm only to break for lunch! No kidding. 7 hours straight, and they never go into an argument! I scratched "school" for the day, I figured that nothing they could learn that day could possibly top the skills they were learning playing Monopoly! Who knew??

Next time we play, which will probably be tomorrow we're gonna video part of a game because it's SO hilarious! They are way into it. Having a boring day? Try Monopoly!

my morning...

I had such a "wow, I have great kids" morning, that I thought I'd share! So Annika woke up at 6am to eat, which is also the time that Morgan felt was the time to wakeup this morning.. Ugh. So I had Morgan lay down in bed with me, thinking she'd go right back to sleep while I fed little Annika. That didn't happen, she was WIDE awake and still is.

After I fed the baby, it somehow ended up being 7:30 before I laid back down, praying for more sleep. The boys are allowed out of their room at 8am, so I figured a tiny bit of shuteye was in the realm of possibility.

Morgan quietly snuck out of my room, and I knew she was heading down to play with the boys who are ALWAYS up around 7-7:30.... then in the blink of an eye, Gavin was standing by my sleepy head showing me a Lego ship he made and then the phone rang! Gavin answered it for me, "Uh, hello this is Gavin...uh, Bacon! Oh, Hi Dad!" I looked at the clock and it was 9:45am!!! Yikes!

The kids were SO good this morning, they even made breakfast (cereal), spilled half a box of Grape Nuts (and vacuumed it up), then went back downstairs to play without me waking up! I couldn't believe it. They were so kind to let me sleep.

So after Jeremy's phone call, I was still laying in bed with 4 little awake critters in my room. Morgan was putting my slippers on me, Drew was putting my glasses on me, and Gavin was entertaining Annika who was now awake in the swing. So I got up, and awarded them all a Golden Ticket for being so good (which is a new fun thing in our home: Job Tickets for being not-so-good, and Golden Tickets for being extraordinarily good!), sat on the couch eating cereal when Gavin opens the fridge door looking for a drink, spies a small carton of Half & Half, and says in his excited Gavin voice, "Wow! Mom, can I have a drink of this? I've never had 3%, I've only had 1% and 2%! Wow! Can I have some???"

So now I'm sitting in our family room smiling to myself with Annika kicking and cooing happily on a blanket, Drew and Gavin playing Playmobil pirate ships, and Morgan playing Calico Critters. Sounds ideal, but I've already broken up 3 arguments about Playmobil guns and such!

updated: I have two more Gavin funnies from this afternoon!

After Drew had figured something out Gavin said, "I told you that, big guy!" He said it in a fatherly-dad sorta way. Even though he says he wants to be a mother when he grows up! HA!

Then after lunch, he wanted to be excused from the table but hadn't finished his yogurt... "Mom, can I be excused? I still have my yogurt, but it's too disgusting for me."

Hi Ho, Silver!

Here's Drew, doing his best Lone Ranger impression. We received a DVD of Lone Ranger episodes that the kids love! The boys immediately wanted to make masks to go with their cowboy hats.

comes with the territory...

Well the not so lovely part about being a postpartum mommy are comments like this coming out of my 3 year old's mouth... (she was so adorable and sweet about it though!) As she was pushing in on my tummy, "It's bouncy isn't it, mommy?"

And she keeps asking why my tummy is still big and I tell her, "It isn't!" And she says with a knowing smile, "Yes, it is!"

My hormones made me cry when she said things like that just after Annika's birth, but now as I try to explain to my cutie pie about just having a baby... I just smile and think she's just perfectly adorable.

not super blog-worthy, but fun!

So I had my first salon hair coloring experience this weekend! I had my hair highlighted for the first time, it turned out great! I was a tad nervous... to spend that much $$ and then not like it. But I love it, didn't go too drastic though, I got a few inches cut off too and some bangs added. Why not? I like things to change so I don't get bored, it had been way too long since I had a real hairstyle.

Uncle Sean here for a visit!

My big brother Sean is here from California for a week! He spent some bonding time with his new neice... she even gave him loads of cute smiles. My Dad, Sean and my cousin Tommy from Indiana are heading up to Arctic Man tomorrow morning. I love and treasure every moment I get to spend with my awesome big brother.

Uncle Sean being bombarded by the kiddos

Tommy and Sean

Easter!

Our smiley girl enjoying her first Easter.

We had a full and fabulous Easter Sunday. While my Mom was up for the month of February for Annika's birth, she made Morgan and Annika matching Easter dresses! What a treat! Here are my girls, looking super cute in their dresses.

Our day started at 5am! Yep, we're pretty crazy for getting the whole family up that early and heading to the Sunrise Service up at a freezing cold Hatcher's Pass, but it was so wonderful. After the service, which was a whopping 5-10 min., we headed to IHOP for breakfast with our good friends Kep and Rachel and their two little boys Parker and Noah. Baby Savannah was there too, but she was still hanging out in her mama's belly. She's due in about a week!

Then it was off to our Easter Service at church, then to Grandma and Grandpa Bacon's for lunch, then off to a super fun Easter Egg Hunt hosted by our friends Kathleen and Emily Dougherty! Our kiddos (and we) had such a great evening hunting eggs (200 to be exact) on their large open property! What a fun way to celebrate Resurrection Sunday!

Here are the kids beginning the sugar high that lasted a few days. :) They just finished off the last of their candy this week.

some funnies....

Here are some funny and sweet things the kids have said since Annika was born! Starting from Day 1... I've been writing them down. Enjoy!

Drew
(seeing Annika for the 1st time)
"Mom, she's so cute! Are you going to have another one when I'm still 7?" (He's 7 for 9 more months)

Gavin
(seeing me for the first time after her birth)
"Did they cut your tummy open?"
"No"
(making a horrible face) "Then how'd she get out??"

Drew
(after Jeremy praised him for being so nice lately)
"Yeah, but sometimes when I'm being good I miss my real self!"

Drew
"Can I see where she eats from?"
"No, but I'll show you on your body..."
(lifts his shirt) "Oh! Then why did God make men have those?"
"So we all look the same!"
"OH! Got it!"

Drew
(Annika was 1 Day old)
"Mom, so how do you feel now that baby Annika is born?"
"Well, I feel really tired and pretty sore."
"No, Mom how do you feel?"
"Well, I'm really tired!"
"NO! Mom, how do you feel in your mind?"
"Oh! I feel really happy."
"Me too. I'm so glad she survived and she made it through."


Gavin
"Mom, I didn't know you had milk in your lungs! When I get bigger, I'm gonna feed baby Annika with the milk in my lungs!"

Drew
I was having a hard day, took Mom to the airport, was having headaches, sleep deprived, etc... and was crying in the car and when we got home, Drew asked me why I was crying. Sobbing, I told him that it's just really hard taking care of four kids and that I was feeling kinda tired and kinda sad. So he helped me in and held my hand, carried my bags and said, "It feels really good to be helping someone!" Once inside, he said, "Mom, you've made it this far with four kids, you can make it farther! I want this to be your best day ever!"

Gavin
We were talking about the next time we were going swimming and he said, "Mom, next time I only want to swim in the cat pool!"
"What??? Oh, the kiddie pool!" (or "kitty" pool)

Gavin
(he is always trying to interpret Annika's every noise)
"Mom, she just said "I believe in God-y!"
and "Mom, she just said, "We have the same Mom!"

Morgan
Singing, "If you're happy in your nose, clap your hands!"

Annika is 5 weeks!

Here is little Annika showing us her new-found smile! She started smiling at us last week, and it is so much fun! I had forgotten how early smiling starts! She is a happy girl, and is a little peanut. She weighs just over 8 lbs! She had quite a drop in weight after her birth and is finally climbing back up! She's gaining like a champ now, though. And she's a great little sleeper, this Mama has been feeling quite rested in the morning. And I'm SO thankful!

Holding my two sleepy girls. It was a precious moment for me! And Jeremy just happened to come home in time to snap a pic.

The last two weeks have been great as a Mom of 4! I feel more like myself and Annika is into a daytime routine of sorts and taking care of the house, homeschooling, etc... are much more manageable! I'm treasuring every moment with my little newborn... I don't want her to grow! But I know all too well that every baby stage is my favorite. :)

Doing some backtracking...

Annika sure was spoiled that night!

The final side profile shot!

I wanted to post some pics of the fun baby shower that was thrown for Annika and I! It was held at Teeland's, a great restaurant/coffee house here in the Valley, while they were closed to the public. Teeland's, as you probably all know, was the first "general store" here in town way back when!



I was in early labor at the baby shower! It was a fun distraction to be hanging out with my good buddies during those first few hours of real labor. I would have much rather been there, than at home feeling that way! I was able to just relax through contractions and not focus on them. It was great to just try to ignore them, rather than focus on each one and how close together they were like I would have if I was at home!

What a fun night!

Smooches for Auntie

Jessica and Chantel

(don't forget 3 wk old baby Nathan!)

Rachel (due in April), Janeen (due, like now!), Jody, & Amber

Sarah & Jen

Mom, Janeen, and Jess checking out the spread.

My Top 5

Here's my "Gotta Have for Baby" list. Since I had Morgan 3.5 years ago, there is a whole new world of baby gear and products! Here are a few of my gotta haves, in no particular order! :)


1. Burt's Bees Baby Wash, Buttermilk Lotion, and Apricot Baby Oil ~ These products have been around for a long time, but I didn't have it with my other kiddos. Love them! (Thanks, Janeen for the yummy lotion!)









2. Swaddle Me Blanket by Kiddopotamus ~ Thanks to Anita Eller, (thanks, friend!) Miss Annika sleeps so well at night in her pink blanket.. it's a clever little blanket that velcros closed to keep baby cozy and sleeping! We love it so much, we bought one in yellow! (They have them at Fred Meyer!)





3. WeeAlaska J-Tai Baby Carrier ~ This is the best carrier I've used! The Baby Bjorn that I had with the other three killed my back! It's spendy, ($100 bucks) but well worth it! I only paid for a portion of it thanks to my Mom and a $$ gift from someone! http://www.weealaska.com/ If you live here and want one, they are available at Pitter Patter too!



We call it the "sleep inducer"! Within minutes of her being in the carrier, she's out cold!

4. Boppy Pillow ~ The old standby... I absolutely love this for nursing in the first couple months. It saves my back and leaves my hands free to read, knit, write a note, talk on the phone, etc... She likes to be propped up in it and lay there awake too!

5. JJ Cole Bundle Me lite ~ I love this carseat cover, and the print is super cute too! It's great for keeping the breeze out of Annika's face when we're loading up in the car! This is the one that we have.

Iditarod Fun!

On Sunday, my Dad, Jeremy and the boys took a trip out to the Iditarod Restart in Willow! They drove around on 2 of my Dad's snowmachines and had a great day! They even had official sponsor passes (my Dad's company is a race sponsor) so were able to drive right up front and catch the action in front of the barriers! What a fun memory made by all. The boys were sporting their new helmets too.. thanks Grandpa!

More favorites...

I just downloaded my Mother in Law's pics from her camera and have loads more photos of Annika's birth that I didn't have before. Here are a few of my favorites! Thanks, Anita!

Her first bath.

Meeting Auntie Jenny for the first time.

Mom, Jen, Morgan, and I at the baby shower just 12 hours before Annika was born!

The last two and a half weeks!

So the last two and a half weeks since Annika was born seems like an eternity ago, but yet it seems like yesterday! (I'm glad it wasn't!) Life has been crazy and I have had virtually no time to sit down and update this blog! I fall into bed around 9pm or whenever Miss Annika allows! We're doing well though and Annika is an absolute joy. She's as cute as can be and we are all enamored by her. Here are a couple pics of our first couple weeks together. She looks much different than she did in the first photos we posted of her. She has lost that swollen, newborn look! She has many of the same features of Gavin, we are finding!

My Mom has been here from Oregon, and that has completely saved me these past couple weeks. I was teasing her that my dishes are going to look like the Eiffel Tower after she leaves tomorrow! I haven't touched a dish in a month! Reality is gonna hit hard this week! She has been a HUGE blessing to us!

Here is Annika pondering her next meal.

Here she is, showing off her chicken legs!

I'll update again soon, gotta run! Annika is crying!!! :)