Blaze !!!!

Blaze has arrived! Blaze Joseph Williamson that is. (James got to choose the name all on his own this time!) I’m not talking about the fire blaze on the mountain across from us – that’s for a different post! Our much awaited little baby boy was born on September 22, 2010 at 2:33 am. He weighed 7lbs, 10 oz, and was 20.5 inches long. He doesn’t look like our other kids so far, so it will be interesting to see how he develops in the next few weeks and months. Our other kids all had blond hair, Blaze has dark hair. It doesn’t seem like he has any similar facial features to our other kids either. Also, he is very calm and mellow, like Jackson, but not like Paul or Alanna! He is such a sweet little baby, and I can’t get enough of him. This may be TMI, but my milk came in today and when I fed him this morning he was so cute! His little eyes opened up really wide and he made the cutest little piggy sounds like he was really getting some good stuff now! I love it!

So Sunday night when we got home from a family get together in Provo, we were promptly forced to evacuate due to a fire on the mountain across the street from us. We didn’t think it was too big of a deal, and I quickly had the boys pack a couple of outfits and we took off to my parent’s house. After two days, we still were told that we weren’t able to go home, and that night I went into labor. I had had a Dr.’s appointment and he must have done some magic! I was soooo excited! I had still been throwing up and feeling pretty sick having a big bowling bowl squish my guts constantly! It’s kind of funny because they just finished a brand new hospital by our house about a year ago, and I was looking forward to a nice 10 minute drive when the time came. But, we ended up having to drive 45 minutes anyway since we were displaced from our home! It’s a good thing we left right when I started contracting, because my labor was less than 4 hours long. I only had the epidural for 1 ½ before he came, and the nurses were all shocked at how fast he progressed. My OB barley made it in time – he seriously just caught the baby! I’m so glad that everything went quickly and Blaze arrived without any complications. I feel completely AMAZING now! I feel better than I have in 9 months.

The boys LOVE Blaze and want to hold him and kiss him all the time. It’s so cute to watch how much they love their baby brother. Alanna, however, is struggling with some jealousy issues and seems to be mad at me altogether. It’s a good thing she is a daddy’s girl and that he will be able to spend some good quality time with her before he has to go back to work! She does like to kiss him, but she also likes to bounce him too vigorously in his bouncy seat and laugh about it when we ask her not to! Hopefully she will adjust quickly! It is so crazy having 4 kids! I knew it would be, but after my parents returned them last night and we were finally at home all together, it was a complete zoo! Blaze is going to have to be a tough kid living in this house!

We feel so blessed to have such healthy kids and a great supportive family and network of friends! I have loved all of the phone calls and treats (especially the pina colada slurpee in the hospital) and excitement our friends and family have shared with us! It ALMOST makes me want to have another one, but not quite J

Labor Day Weekend...

at the Perkins house! The kids had so much fun playing in the little wadding pool together. The next day Alanna was a little under the weather, so Uncle Caleb gave her some TLC. She LOVES to have her finger nails and toe nails painted, and she is still showing them off telling us how Uncle Caleb painted them for her. We got to see cousin Peter for a bit, and Paul just can't get enough of him. He is going to make a great big brother soon.

We went out to Antelope Island to see some roaming buffalo, a coyote (James swears it was a kangaroo), and other wildlife. They also have a little plantation showing what life was like back at the turn of the century.

The funnest thing is that we watched my parents do I Fly! We got tickets for them for Mother's/Father's day this year, and they wanted to make sure we could all watch them when they did it. They put you in a wind tunnel to simulate flying through the air or skydiving. My mom was soooo nervous to do it, but my dad was excited and up for the challenge. We all took video clips for them and the kids loved watching their grandparents "fly". I would say it's a great gift idea for the older folk - especially if you get to watch them do it!

This is the PLACE...

This was the place for a day of total gluttony. James' company sponsored a family day at "This is the Place Park" one Saturday, and everyone was thoroughly spoiled. They served a huge lunch and endless snacks all day long. The kids enjoyed a free pony ride, train ride, and got to make an Indian arrow head necklace. Paul really wants to be a cowboy, and he absolutely loved the pony ride. He wore a per-ma grin the entire time and still talks about it. We toured replications of homes owned by Brigham Young and many other pioneer settlers. It was very eye opening for our kids to see how life was back then - the beds, the "toilets", having to hand wash laundry! It was such a hot day too, and most of the buildings were not air conditioned. I don't know how they survived back then with the clothing they wore and the work they did outdoors all day long in this desert heat! The kids also got to pan for gold, get an old fashioned shave from the barber, and go through the stinky petting zoo.

Back to Preschool...

Since Jackson started school in July, Paul has been asking on a daily basis when he gets to go to school. The day finally came, and he was ecstatic! He picked out a special outfit and shoes and packed his backpack full of show and tell items the night before. I love that he loves school, even though he won't talk much there. Hopefully that will change soon.

Monkey Messes...

Alanna does not like to wear clothes (she prefers running around in her diaper, or princess pj's), nor does she like to have her hair done. She does insist on making her own PB & J's though, and one day James left her alone to do so. Under supervision she does a great job, but this time I don't know how peanut butter ended up all over her eyes. It was pretty disgusting!

Another day, she went over to play at Pyper's house. Somehow the two figured out how to unlock Riley's room and get into her lipstick. Maryann caught them at the vanity "beautifying" themselves. Alanna chose black lipstick - should I be worried?