Jeffrey turns 33!

We celebrated Dad's 33rd birthday at home with our friends Stephen & Kristen Poe.  I made him a yummy german chocolate cake with milk chocolate pudding in the middle and bits of heath bar toffee on top!  Paxey even got a taste of the cake and loved it.  We are thankful for our Daddy and that he's all ours! I don't think we got him any presents because he kept buying flashlights the month before so that was his present!  Happy Birthday Jeffrey, we love you oodles!

Easter 2014

We decided not to go down to Mesa this year for Easter since we were there the week before for Paxton's blessing.  Our good friends Scott and Rachael Adams were in town visiting his parents so thankfully they asked us to join them for dinner.  I made a potato casserole to share and we had plenty of food.  Scott's Dad, Doug makes the best rolls!  We had ham, fruit salad, asparagus, potatoes casserole, dinner rolls and lots of dessert to go around.  After Rach and I had some plastic eggs we filled with jelly beans and other candy and hid them for the girls to find.

It was fun to have the 2 little KBF's reunited.  Charlotte and Annabelle are both chatter boxes so it's fun to watch them play.  They were thrilled to jump on the trampoline together until their hair couldn't handle anymore static!  They raced around trying to find all the eggs and after were in a sugar coma and hardly talked at all.  Paxton and Audrey were still pretty immobile and just chilled on the floor together as me and Rach breastfed them on the couch.  Paxey also wore his blessing outfit on Easter Sunday since he wasn't able to wear it in our ward yet, he looked so handsome all dressed in white with his little white bow tie.  It was nice to get out of the house and spend time with good friends who we miss so much! Happy Easter 2014!

Paxton's Baby Blessing

We were excited to head down to Mesa for your baby blessing because we hadn't been there since your stay in the NICU.  We were nervous about taking you down there for the weekend, but knew it was important for you to be around family for this special occasion.

The night before your blessing you had been pretty fussy and I couldn't get you to fall asleep, but finally you were able to snooze off in your car seat for a bit.  It was a rough morning and your Dad and I had argued a bit, but knew that we had to be on better terms so that we could feel the spirit that day of your blessing.  We both apologized to each other and talked about what we felt it was important that he blessed you with.  I wrote down a couple of things I was feeling that day and knew that Jeff would be guided by the spirit to say the right things.  It ended up being a beautiful sacrament meeting and we both were very honored to call your our son.

Blessing Highlights:

1. Daddy mentioned that we were grateful for the manner of your entrance into this world and were thankful for the blessings we've learned and felt from your early arrival.  

2.  Blessed you to maintain the courage you already showed from being born early, that you would have the courage to stand for what is right and the courage to stand for truth always.  That you would have the courage to stand, even if you were standing alone.

3.  Blessed you to resist temptation and any evils that you would face in your life.  Daddy blessed you that you would resist the challenges of others who will attempt to sway you. 

4.  Daddy blessed you with a sound mind, strong body, and a great love for your family.

5.  He blessed you with a healthy body to serve those around you and that you would serve your family. 

6.  Blessed you that you would be strong in the church and that someday you would serve a mission and share good news with the rest of the world.

7.  That you would prepare yourself to take a beautiful young women to the temple one day.

I always look forward to what your Dad is inspired to say, he spoke so eloquently and truthfully.  I hope when you are older you can review these blessings and be inspired by them to always live a righteous life style and to be a courageous example to all those you come in contact with.

I'm glad Daddy mentioned being courageous in your blessing because since day 1 of you being born I felt so strongly that you had such a courageous little fighting spirit about you.

After your blessing we had a luncheon at the Schaub's house and of course all the food turned out yummy!  Dennis and Debbie made Cafe Rio sweet pork burritos with lime cilantro rice. Then Grammy Shaver made her scrumptious pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.  Everyone from Jeff's side of the family attended minus Ryan and Rachelle.  Chris, Megan and Aunt Andi even flew in for your BIG day!  Then from our side of the family Papa and Grammy Shaver came along with Phil, Nicki, Molly, Tara and Jocelyn.  Peter was planning on coming too, but that morning Tiggs had been hit by a car.

Blessing Outfit

The week before your blessing Papa and Grammy Shaver passed through Kingman on their way up to Utah for conference then they stopped by on their way back too.  Mom knew I had been struggling with having 2 kids at home, and all the pains from breastfeeding had been getting the best of me and I was a bit sad.  I had so badly wanted her to stay a couple of extra days because I knew if anyone she would boost my spirits and keep me positive.  Turns out that her and Dad talked about her staying with me so it all worked out for the best and she just drove with us to Mesa that weekend for your blessing.

Of course Grammy Shaver was in charge of designing and creating your blessing outfit.  I knew she would sew something up that was one of a kind and her end product did not disappoint.  We found the perfect white shoes and socks to match your blessing suit.  All the minor details were made with lots of love from your Grandmama Shaver, she was so excited to be able to make your blessing attire.  Anything my Mom sews is a full expression of her love for us.

Your luncheon was a scrumptious success and everyone was able to eat and catch up!

It was so nice to have everyone we love in one place, you got a lot of attention that day and everyone just wanted to cuddle you.  You have lots of cousins who love you and just wanted to hold you!

It was beautiful weather that day too so we ate outside.

My Mom and I were a bit emotional that day of your blessing.  We had both been so stressed about your outfit getting finished and all the other details, they were happy tears though...tears of 

gratitude that you made it here on earth!  I'm so thankful that my Mom and Dad are always so willing to travel to Mesa to be apart of events like this.

Paxton 3 Months

3 Month Update: 

1. You started smiling and we love it! Dad can get you to smile the best though. It's the cutest bc your cheeks are so chubby when you grin! 

2. You are weighing in at 11 lbs. 

3. We had your baby blessing in Mesa on April 13, 2014.

4. When we hold you, you always arch your back and look away to the side, you don't cuddle very much.

5. You are starting to coo a little bit and we love trying to get you to talk.

6. You finally started to sleep a 6 hr stretch during the night which has been such a nice treat for mom and dad to be able to get a little more sleep in.

7. From the hours of 6-9:00 at night you just want to be held and are so fussy and can't ever get enough to eat. You eat for maybe 5-6 mins during the day on only one breast and then at night you are so ravenous!

8. Your in home nurse Anjelica Pichardo came for the first time to check up on you. She is really sweet and enjoyed spending time with you and kept telling Mommy how awesome she was for still breastfeeding you even though it's been a huge struggle for me. 

9. We took you out for the first time in public to The Lodge, Dad's work was having a dinner there. Everyone loved meeting you for the first time and couldn't get over how small you were. 

10. Daddy leased a new red Jeep for us and it's been easier getting you in and out of the car since it's higher up! Mommy is loving her new fancy ride! 

11.  You think it's so funny when Mom takes your arms and stretches them all the way up, makes you smile! 

12. You're still taking your orange binky for now and take all your naps in the snug-a-bunny.

13.  Grammy and Papa Shaver came to visit on their way to Utah for conference and it was so nice having Grammy here because at night when you would wake up she would go and get you so that Mommy could sleep more.  You and her really became close buds during the middle of the night, she would feed you a bottle and walk up and down the halls with you until you calmed down, and then she would put you in her bed with her. Mommy was getting a bit overwhelmed with all the changes of bringing you home so it was such a nice comfort to have Grammy Shaver here to help. 

14. You look like such a stud muffin in your button up polo shirts. 

Annabelle--Update (Age 2.5, April/May 2014)

1. You like to play ready, set go and run in the hallway.

2. Lately you've been putting your stuffed animals in time out, it's so funny.

3. When we say goodnight you always have tell us, "I love you bc you buy me cups...and bc you're my best friend...and you take me to the park...and Grammy buys me necklaces...and daddy buys me chocolate..." And you just go on and on, you've mastered the technique of stalling so that we don't leave your room.

4. You were drinking your milk on the recliner in the living room and said, "Mom is that Jesus holding Paxton and me in that picture?" It melted my heart to know that you still feel such a close relationship to our Heavenly Father that you would say such a gentle and spiritual comment like that at only age 2.

5. You like to build castles out of your Legos with dad and instead of saying castle you say, "let's build a casserole!"

6.  You love spending time with family, you always want people to come and stay at our house.

:: The many faces of Annabelle!  I love you my spunky, sassy, talkative, energetic, sweet girl! You always know how to cheer your Mommy right up!

:: Had a little photo shoot of you in the NY shirt Amber got you.  I love the little hair cut you have right now, it's the perfect little bob!  In some of these pictures I think you really look like me when I was little.

:: Ever since coming home with Pax you have taken on the Mommy role with all of your stuffed animals!  This week I found your little teddy bear in the snug-a-bunny and car seat many times.  You were able to put the teddy bear in the car seat all by yourself!  Made me laugh when I saw your teddy in different places!

:: We love going around the house finding little remnants of you that you've left around while playing!  One day I walked by the couch and saw that you had put all your hello kitty stickers on it.

:: The aftermath of having chocolate pudding, it's one of your favorite snacks.

:: You were in heaven when we had so many visitors stop by to stay with us.  Papa and Grammy Shaver came first to see us and help out with Pax, then Uncle Jammer stopped by, and later on Grammy Schaub, Enoch and Eli came to visit.  I love the close relationships you have with all of them, family is so important.

::  When we were in Mesa for Paxton's blessing we made sure to go to the splash pad. They have a really nice one at the Dobson Riverview park, it's huge and has lots of places for you to run around at.    We didn't plan on you getting wet, but of course when you saw all your cousins getting wet you wanted to get in, so we just let you in your clothes.  You also enjoyed spending some time with Uncle Chris!

Once Upon A Time Stories

Grammy and Papa Shaver were passing through Kingman on their way to Utah and decided to stay a couple of nights with us.  It was then that Grammy Shaver started telling Annabelle "Once Upon A Time" stories at night to get her to go to bed easier.

The stories were all made up and usually consisted of things about Annabelle and what she liked to do. Grammy Shaver was the best at telling them and they always seemed to calm her down enough where she would stay in bed.  After Grammy Shaver left Annabelle would always ask me to tell her "Once Upon A Time" stories, and in return she would tell them back to me.  It was so sweet and I'm glad that she has a special memory made with Grammy Shaver about these stories. She's even gone on to ask Grammy Schaub to tell them to her at night when we stay at their place in Mesa too. It always makes me laugh to hear her tell me one about myself, usually she'll copy a couple of things that I've said in her story.  She really loves the stories and looks forward to them every night.

Usually one of the stories will go something like this:

"Once Upon A Time there was a little girl named Annabelle. She was so cute and always tried to listen to her parents and not cry. She loved to eat chocolate donuts and cheese.  She also like to go swimming and splash everywhere.  Her favorite thing to do is go to the splash pad.  She really loves chocolate cake and ice cream and her little stuffed animal Scout. THE END!"

Another cute thing that Annabelle and Grammy Shaver like to do together is eat ice cream cones, especially the ones from Dairy Queen! So thankful that she has 2 amazing Grandmas that she can look up to and learn from.