My little boys

Ty absolutely loves being outside. If someone says they are going outside he immediately says, "I go" "I come". He loves to get the eggs from the chickens with Grandpa, Caleb or Cache. He loves to play in the sand with Crystal. He loves walks with mom and McKay to see the horses. He loves picking apples from Grandma and Grandpa's apple tree. He loves the park and he is going to be devastated when it is to cold to go outside every day.

I am always amazed at how much he learns and the milestones he reaches. That is one of my favorite parts of being a mom is seeing what he learns and how much he grows. It is also one of the hard parts about being a mom is to see the mistakes he makes and learns from and I am sure it will only get harder as they grow up. He has been really cute lately. Some of the things he does that I want to remember about him at 21 months are:

He will run and get a blanket and say, "I freezing mom!"
When he counts he says, "1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10!"
When you ask him what his name is he says, "Ty, Ty"
When you ask him how old he is he will tell you 1 and hold up his finger but sometimes he says 2
When you ask him what McKay's name is he says, "Baby Brother!"
He loves nursery
He loves all his grandpa's and grandma's, aunts and uncles and cousins but especially loves Crystal, Cache and Noah
When you ask him who's boy he is he says, "Noah's boy"
He copies everything you say
He loves to sing songs
He is now sleeping in his own bed but occasionally coming in mom's and dad's at some point during the night
If he can't find McKay he says, "Where is McKay?"
He doesn't like it when McKay is crying and will get his paci and give it to him
When dad wakes up on Saturdays and Sundays Ty will say, "Morning dad!"
He loves to read the children's book of mormon
He just started saying the prayers at dinner

I am loving this age because he is really learning a lot. It makes me happy and sad at the same time to see how big he is getting. I never can believe how fast time flies.

McKay is still small to me but is starting to smile when you talk to him and seems to be growing so fast. He loves to eat and loves to be held. He really likes to be snuggled and warm. He is sleeping about 5-6 hours at night but will have an occasional bad night once in awhile where he will want to eat every 2 hours. He is really been fun for us.

McKay James Christensen

McKay James Christensen was born August 28, 2011 at 9:01 AM. He weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 21 in. long. His original due date was September 14th but I was hoping he would come sooner because my sister Cassie was getting married September 10th. Most of you know we are the best of friends and I wanted her there and she wanted to be there. My doctor had planned on starting me on the 9th in the morning if I wanted but I just wasn't sure I wanted to be started. I have heard horror stories about it and I just wanted him to come when he was ready but also didn't want to miss Cassie's wedding. I just kept praying the baby would come when he needed to and that everything would work out.

Kip's work had rented out Lagoon Friday August 26th and it would be Ty's first time going. I knew I would have a hard time walking around but I wanted to see Ty for his first time. I decided to go. We walked around a lot that night from 6 PM to around 12 AM. It was a lot of fun but by the end of the night I was hurting. We didn't get home until around 1 AM and I had to be up at 6 AM for our Focus Four Run at work. As soon as I was up I started having contractions. They were very inconsistent but I knew they were there. I had them all day. They got closer around 5 to 6 minutes apart in the evening and I decided I would call the doctor. My doctor didn't answer and didn't call back. I decided I would just go to the hospital and get checked because the week before at my appointment I was already a 2 and 90% thinned. We went up to the hospital around 11:30 PM and I was a 3 +. My doctor was out of town and that is why she didn't answer or call back. They told me I could stay if I changed in 1 hour. An hour came and I hadn't changed so they sent me home.

We returned home around 1:30 AM and Kip and my mom went to sleep. My contractions got stronger and at 4:00 AM I woke them up to go up again. I was a 5 by then and they said I could stay. I got my epidural around 6:30 AM and it was heaven after that. I was able to sleep and around 8:00 AM Machelle my fill in doctor for Karen came in to break my water. After that I was fine for awhile then felt the baby slide into place and tons of pressure. I was just about to call Machelle when she came in and said she wanted to check me. She checked me and said you are ready let's have the baby. I started pushing and only pushed for two minutes and he was here.

The delivery was much smoother this time around and I didn't feel anything. I felt much better and have had an easier recovery. We had a ton of visitors at the hospital. One of my biggest fears about having kids so close in age was how Ty would adapt to having a new little one. I was so worried about him liking the baby and still getting the attention that he needed himself in being so little. I will never forget how precious it was the first time Ty saw McKay. He was so sweet to him and still is. He always says, Hi there or hello baby brother. It was a lot better than I thought it would be.

So lucky

I am loving being home with my little guys! I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom. Even from the age of a tiny little girl I always knew I wanted to be a mom and a mom only. I am enjoying that right now even if it is for a small time. Ty is at such a fun age right now although it is a little challenging. He is learning so much and talking so much. He is my big helper and makes me laugh all day long! He loves his new baby brother and is so sweet to him (he is a little rough but doesn't mean to be so rough). McKay is sleeper except when he is hungry or needs his diaper changed. He is a fun baby and has a sweet little spirit. I love having two little ones (As I was typing this Ty was climbing up on something really high).

I am often thankful that heavenly father allowed me to be a mother and trusts me with these special little spirits. They bring so much joy into our life and we are so lucky to have them. Kip is at work today and I can't help but miss him. I am thankful I get to stay home for a little while and that he works hard so that we can do that. I am way behind on blogging and need to update some things we've been up to but maybe I'll just start fresh. I will however post about McKay's birth and his stats.

New Baby here we come

We are excited to announce that we are expecting baby #2. We found out we were expecting on Ty's first birthday. It is a little fast but we are so excited! Ty will be a great big brother and he is already growing up so fast. The due date is September 14th and I know what we are having. Kip would like to be surprised again so if you would like to know text or call me.

It's been forever since I've updated and we've had tons going on. Ty turned one 01.18.2010 and we celebrated with a family birthday party. We were in the middle of moving and therefore had the party at Kip's parents house. It was so much fun and Ty loved the cake!

We decided to move in with my parents and rent out our house so that eventually I can be a stay at home mom. I wish I could work for my company from home so that I would still get to do things with Ty but that isn't an option right now. We are having a lot of fun at my parents and Ty is loving the attention from his aunt, uncles and grandparents. It's been an adjustment for us.

Kip started a new job at Lifetime as a forklift operator until he finds something better. He has learned quickly and we are thankful for the income it provides. He has been applying at plenty of other places and hopes to find something he will enjoy.

We look forward to this Summer and we are hoping Spring is just around the corner. Ty is getting so big and it will be a fun Summer with him exploring new things.

A much needed update

Our Christmas tree-December 2010

We finally put up our Christmas tree. I loved it and although it's just a little dinky tree, it is fun to have up. Ty is going to be a trial to keep away from it this year but we will do our best.

Some things I want to remember about Ty at this age. He is now 10 months and coming close to 11 months. We love him so much and we are enjoying watching him learn new things. The more I am with him, the more sad I am that I miss so much during the day while I am at work. He does so many cute things and is learning new things every day.

He gives open mouth kisses
He can walk but chooses not to because he doesn't concentrate and gets to distracted
He loves frozen peas
He loves frozen raspberries
He loves drinking from a straw or regular cup
He has these crazy temper tantrumes
He can high five-not sure if my little brother Caleb taught him or if Kip did
He loves me to come play in his room with him and play toys
He crawls to me and says ma ma when I get home-Oh how I love this!
He is a pretty happy kid as long as he has what he wants
He gets into everything and is very busy
He has such a cute smile and laugh!
He sleeps through the night most nights in his bed but occasionally I have to let him cry until he goes back to sleep-I know I am such a mean mom!
He says Da Da
He is learning to waive bye bye

We love him so much and we are so grateful is a part of our family!

Frozen raspberries

As you can see his is our life right now and we are enjoying it. Can't wait to see him open Christmas presents this year!

Anybody got any good traditions they do in their family. I would like to hear about them.

He's home

My little brother that is. He went out on his mission back in February and while in the MTC hurt his knee pretty bad. He had surgery and soon went into the mission field. His knee is pretty messed up now even with surgery and had to come home to get the surgery completed. He will be down for about 6-8 weeks. It was so good to see him even though he has only been gone since then.

 Ty and I went down to the airport with my family to welcome him home. Then we all went to dinner after. It was so much fun to see him and we are glad he arrived home safe. We hope the surgery goes well and he can return to finish out his mission. We will enjoy him while he is here.

It has started to snow and although I know I am one against many, I love the snow! There is just something magical about snow and the world during and after a snow storm. I think it is so beautiful! I am a lover of Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are coming and time is just going by way to quickly. I started getting Ty's presents a while ago and I still have more to finish. The hard part is being creative with the budget we have and getting Kip something he will like. He is so hard to buy for. I can't wait for it to come! I am also so excited to visit temple square, make yummy treats and attend the Forgotten carols (my absolute FAVORITE).

Ty is getting so big. I cannot believe all that he is learning and doing. Cassie and Noah moved out and we miss them so but now Ty sleeps in his own bed and room. I  feel like he is so far away because he has been so close to me for so long. It has been an adjustment for both of us. He is doing better than I thought. He has pretty much weaned himself from his paci which is nice. I thought it would be a trial to get him off of it but it was so easy. The bottle will be the trial. Ty is a big crawler now and gets into a lot of things I don't want him to. It is so much fun to see him exploring new things and getting creative with how he does it. He wants to walk and isn't very afraid. He lets go of everything and can stand on his own for about 30 seconds. He is pretty fun to watch right now. He says da da really well and has started saying ma ma and more. He can also give fives which has been fun. I am happy to see him growing and developing but sometimes it all seems to go so fast. I miss all of his stages but have loved seeing him in each new one. He is our life right now and so much fun!

Kip started a new job as a runner for Backman Title. He is doing well at his job and thinking about new things to explore at the same time. He still does Send out Cards every chance he can. I have a new job within my company and it is keeping me very busy and very challenged. I appreciate the new challenge as I had excelled at my old position but it is very demanding. It has been hard learning how to balance everything but Kip has been good to help fill in my many gaps. What would I do without him? Ty is so little that he luckily won't remember any of the craziness right now in our lives. I just remind myself often why I work so hard and that is for my little family.

We haven't really been up to anything special lately so I just posted a few of our random pics. Enjoy!

Mikey's birthday

Girl's party while the boys were hunting

Halloween this year. Ty hated wearing his costume and only kept it on every visit we made for about 5 minutes tops. 

Kip's birthday

Kip on his birthday with his beloved red velvet cake

Kip is now 28 years old. He is kind of a pain when it comes to birthday's or christmas because he doesn't want anything. He is not a big money spender, he loves movies but doesn't like to buy them, he doesn't like clothes and the only things I could think about getting him were way to expensive for our budget these days. So I went with a movie that I got for a really good deal (Thanks to Cassie for pointing it out), an Ipod holder for when he runs (Thanks to Cassie for finding such a good deal on one) and treats that he loves (Mint Oreo's, Kit-Kat candybar and Sangria (a mexican soda). He seemed happy enough but I wish I could find some other stuff he would enjoy. I had to beg him to tell me what he wanted me to make him for his birthday dinner and I just made him a cake I know he loves. It worked out to be a pretty lame day for him though. I had to work until 7 and luckily I was able to make him his cake and lasagna the night before but he had to put his birthday dinner in the oven. We ate at 7:30 PM. I invited his Dad, Mom and Grandma over to have cake and we sang to him as well. He isn't big on attention so I didn't do anything to big for him. He seemed to have a pretty good birthday but I wish it could have been better. I am really thankful for him and all he does for us! He is such a good husband and dad and I am the luckiest to have him in my life!

Ty and Kip on his birthday. Ty is a spitting image of his dad. 

Ty thinking is he oh so big and can walk. If we would let him he would do a face plant because he will just let go.

Ty is getting so big. I can't believe how fast time is going and how fast he is growing up. Before we know it we will be celebrating his 1st birthday. He is so ready to just go, go, go. He wants everything and he is not afraid to fall. He will scream when we are holding him now because he just wants to stand up next to the couch and be big. He has started to scoot a little and is so close to crawling but hasn't figured it out just yet. We will have our hands full when he starts crawling.

We have really had a hard month with Ty as he has been getting his 2 top teeth. He got the one and was a happy boy for 2 days then started getting the other one and he is a grouch. I can't say I blame him as they look like they really hurt. Poor kid! I am excited for him to continue to grow and develop but it's sad at the same time because he is really getting out of the baby stage and growing into a little toddler.

Last Friday we went to the state fair. We had a lot of fun! Well I had fun. It was really hot and my hubby hates hot. He gets sunburned really easily. He was a really good sport though. We also went to Ikea. I really love that store! We picked up a little present for Ty for Christmas and we also got a pizza cutter for really cheap. I could spend a long time in that store and a lot of money.

Noah got to ride the ponies. So cute!

Ty hated his stroller and wanted to be out looking at everything

This bull was huge. That is a regular size bull next to it. Crazy huh?