Happy Valentine's Day!

To Nana and Grandpa,



Love, Eli and Mama (and Dada and West, too!)

Rain, rain, go away

Today has been rainy and freezing! But there was a brief period of sunlight, so Eli and I went outside to play a little. He got to ride his bike and run around until I was too cold and had to go back inside. But I did get some good pictures, so it was worth it.

Lately I've been noticing how much he has grown up in the last 6 months or so. He's gone from toddler to little boy overnight! It's especially noticeable since we've got a newborn in the house. I can hardly remember when Eli was that little. Just makes me want to soak up his cute little self as much as I can. Working on that one.

New Header

Can you believe it? I actually had a few spare moments to scrap (albeit it took me two days to finish)! I like this color scheme a little better, it's more soothing. And I sure need that lately.

We've all gotten whatever Eli had. I won't go into details for those of you who are faint at heart, but I will say that my system is completely cleared out, so I feel better. Yeah, there's nothing like you and your spouse being that sick at the same time, and still trying to recover from giving birth, trying to nurse a newborn, and keep up with a 3 year old who is 'all better now'. Whew. I think I need a vacation. Anyone up for Vegas?? :)

New pictures!

Well, West and I had a great little photo shoot this week, while Eli was napping. It was so fun to get to practice with him. I shot in RAW and filled up my 4GB memory card in about 30 minutes. I either need to get a bigger card or start being a little more conservative with the amount of times I click the shutter. I'm leaning towards a bigger card. Valentine's Day gift, honey? :)

Anyways, here are a couple of the cute ones. I'm saving the best ones for his announcement. And don't worry, I'll be sure to post that here for those who may not get one directly. Okay, so enjoy! Let me know what you think, this was my first newborn shoot. :)

Stretching his hands waaaaay out!



Just chillin'.



I love this one because it shows his adorable little wrinkly arms. And that nice scowl. Too cute.



I absolutely LOVE this one because he's doing his little one-eyed stare. He does this a lot, and Eli used to do it too. West looks a lot like Eli (except for his coloring and hair, obviously) and so it's fun to see him pulling the same faces that Eli used to.

We hate sicky days...

Today kinda sucks. I've got a 3-year-old who was up half the night throwing up, and a newborn who doesn't want to sleep well. I'm thinking he's got gas issues. Yeah, needless to say, we're homebound today and not going anywhere. So why not post on my blog, right?

My friend Amy did this on her blog and I thought it looked kinda fun.

Bold whatever you have done. (I went ahead and colored the ones I've done, since it's hard to see the bold versus the non-bold on this blog layout.)

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Learned a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Okay, so some of them are stretches (I read the entire Curious George book in one day with Eli, and the rock climbing was one of those indoor wall ones, but who's counting right?) :)

Also, I'll have pictures to post once I get downstairs onto my computer, where all my photos are. West and I did a little photo shoot on Monday for his 2 week birthday and they turned out marvelously. Sorry to tease, but you'll get to see them soon. :)

Oh, and if anyone has a really good recommendation for a double stroller for Eli and the newborn, I need to know what it is. I'm looking for one to get soon and I want to make sure I get one that will be comfortable enough for Eli, roomy enough to hold stuff, and not too huge that I can't maneuver it around. So let me know if you have a great one and why you love it!

Happy Birthday Eli!

Today, my first baby turned three! I can't believe he's already that old. Time has seriously flown by. Having a newborn in the house reminds me of when Eli was that tiny, and it doesn't seem all that long ago. And then, overnight, he's turned into this big kid, wanting to do everything for himself, without help.

So in honor of his big day, I thought I'd share some fun facts about Eli:

1. My little guy loves anything to do with letters and numbers. He loves to spell words and has a very analytical mind. No make-believe for this guy, he has to see it right in front of him to consider it.
2. Eli is easily excitable -- if you want him to get excited about something, all you have to do is be excited about yourself and he'll follow suit. Case in point -- anytime we're in the car and we don't want him to fall asleep, we'll have him look out the window for signs. Just any old sign will do, as long as you're excited about pointing it out, he'll most likely be excited about finding it.
3. This kid is so loving and has a very tender heart. One of the phrases he says that melts my heart every time is, "Aww, Mama, I wuv you."
4. He loves being the big brother and when we're in the car with him and West in the back, he'll say "Don't worry, West, we'll be home soon, I promise." Absolutely gets me every time.
5. When Eli was born, he was in a hurry to get out and he hasn't stopped going since. He has more energy in his little finger than I do in my whole body most days. But he keeps me on my toes and ready for anything.

We sure do love our little man and we're so grateful for him in our family. I just know he's going to be a great example for his siblings and that he'll continue to make us proud parents.


We love you, little buddy! :)

I have a new surprise....

....baby Westley Kai Lakey. (But you can just call him West!)

We're so happy that we now have our newest family member! He was born on Monday, January 19th at 2:23pm, coming in at 8 lbs. 2 oz., and measuring 20 inches long. He has a full head of black hair and dark eyes (so far). I'm hoping they turn blue. :) He is the sweetest little baby and delivery was really easy and great. He was ready to make his appearance -- three pushes and he was out! :) Baby, and I are doing fine. He has the longest fingers and toes! Definitely not Busath toes, heehee. Eli is a proud big brother and we're all excited to be home and resting.

And just because I know it wouldn't be complete without a picture fix, here you go. :)

Proud Mama. 'Nuff said. :)

Being weighed and measured. Look at all that dark hair!



Little West and his proud Dada.



Eli's first sight of his new baby brother.



Proud big brother Eli. He's doing great as a big brother, he just loves calling him "my Westley". :)



Nana and West. Loving that she's here helping! :)

Love you all! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I feel so richly blessed to have been able to have such an easy delivery and I know that we're going to have fun with this little guy. :)

Our doctor's appointment went well yesterday. We're dilated to a 2 and everything's looking good for Monday. We go in at 7am, and my doctor thinks that we'll have our new baby with us by lunchtime. Sure hope she's right! I'm sure it goes without saying, but I'm excited!

Today is going to be especially great because my best friend Summer is coming to visit and Nathan comes home tonight! Yippee! He's been out of town this whole week on a nightmare kind of a job.

Definitely not the best timing in the world, but at least he gets two full weeks of paternity leave after today. Thank heavens! And the baby hasn't come early while he's been away, which is a major blessing. So lots to be thankful for, even though it hasn't been the easiest week.

Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments and words of encouragement. I can't wait to post about our new arrival when he gets here!

No baby yet.

Have a doctor's appointment today, so we'll see if there's any progress. I don't think there will be, but you just never know.

Induction is scheduled for Monday, so at least by then we'll have our little guy out and in our arms. I'm ready to be done, but not ready to have 2 kids yet. :) I guess you could say I'm getting a little case of cold feet. But I suppose there's no turning back now, haha.

Nathan has been out of town this whole week, which is one reason that I'm glad we haven't had progress. I really don't want to do this thing by myself. :) But he'll be back tomorrow and then I couldn't care less if the baby comes early. So I'm just praying he waits until Nathan's back.

Eli can sense something big is going to happen. He's been clingy and only wanting me. Not even Dada will do lately. I'm sure he'll be great with the baby, he's doing well with other friends' babies. I'm excited to see how he'll interact with a little brother.

Well, that's about all. Catch ya later!

Just checking in

Life is just about waiting around here. Waiting for baby to come, waiting for the point where I can walk around the house again and not feel like every part of me aches. Man, pregnancy is tough on ya! :) I know the time is going to go by faster than I think, so I'll be positive.

I've been thinking of some projects that I want to tackle while I have some time off with the baby and while my mom is here. I'm bummed that it will only be for 9 days, but I'll take what I can get. Plus it's her very first visit to our California place, so that will be a lot of fun to show her our house and get her help in decorating it. Because heaven knows I can't do it by myself! I get too many ideas and not enough coordination with them. So maybe a second pair of eyes will help. Gosh, thinking about it, I'm more excited to have my mom come out than I realized! :) I haven't seen her in several months, so it will be nice.

Other things that have been on my mind lately include when in the world I'm ever going to get my almost-three-year-old potty trained! I am so tired of changing big stinky diapers and I know it's only going to get worse once I have two to contend with! So that's one of the challenges for this year, getting him potty trained.

Of course I'll be waiting until after the baby comes, since that will be change enough for him. In fact, that's the big reason we didn't try it before the baby came, because I knew moving would be a big enough adjustment without having that added to it. And I have to admit, I'm nervous with how he's going to react to his brother. He's been pretty clingy lately and I just hope that we can help him adjust as best as possible.

I've also had this hankering to make a little mini-studio upstairs in our office, which I think will be of great use to me when our baby gets here, so that I can do some fun newborn shoots. I didn't really know what I was doing with Eli, and was so out of it that I didn't realize I should have taken more photos! :) But this time around I'll be more prepared, with better lighting and lots of time to take good pictures. Besides, there's nothing more fun than practicing on someone who doesn't automatically run once the camera is even pulled out (ahem, Eli!!). Can't wait to have some fun with him.

I've decided that I'm not really going to be doing New Years' resolutions this year. Mainly because I'm horrible at sticking to them, and because I feel like when I take on something like that and fail at it, it makes me feel worse than if I had not done it at all. :) So I'm just going to take my days as they come, enjoy life, and try REALLY hard not to beat myself up for things that don't get finished or a messy house or kids who have dirty fingernails. (Because good moms don't let their children get dirty fingernails, right?) I'm just focusing on doing the best I can with as little worrying about what other people think of me as possible. And that is going to be tough for me, I can tell you that right now. I have a long history of caring deeply about what other people think of me.