Ice Skating

Hannah has been begging us to take her ice skating for months.

There is an outdoor ice rink at the local resort,

so we decided to go.

Uncle Josh came along too.

Hannah and Riley really loved it, but we didn't realize just how difficult it was going to be for them. Daddy and Uncle Josh had to hold on tight to them, even carrying them at times, but it was great!

Papa Roy after doing a faceplant on the ice!

Some happy, and cold faces.

One unhappy face.

Riley biffed and smacked his head on the ice.

Ice Skating Riley

WITH AUTHENTIC BATTLE DAMAGE!

Even with the bumps and bruises, it was a great evening and a wonderful memory. Although, judging by the size of that bump on Riley's head, there might not be any memory for him.

White Christmas

While Ryan and Josh were building the snow princess, the kids and I decided to play in the snow. It was our very first white Christmas and it was very cold outside. We all had a blast! These are random pictures from our fun in the snow.

Riley trying to shovel the sidewalk

Can you figure out what Riley is trying to do in the picture below?

You guessed it.... he's eating snow.... face-first.

Here I was showing Riley how to pick up the snow so that he could throw it.

Hannah and I having a snow fight. The snow here is so powdery that it mainly just bursts in mid-air, but it was fun anyways.

These are the icicles on all the houses in our neighborhood. They are really pretty but can be dangerous, especially when they start to melt and fall off the houses.

Overall, Christmas was a lot of fun for our family. We can't wait till next year to make new memories.

Snow Princess...

Our kids are getting old enough for us to begin Christmas traditions. We let them open one gift on Christmas Eve; a tradition passed on from Ryan's family. We also decided that, since we live in the snowy Northwest, we will build a snowman on Christmas.

The snow in the high desert is very cold, and very dry. Therefore, it does not stick together very well. So, the traditional method of rolling the snowballs until they are huge did not work. They kept crumbling into dry powder (the same powder which, by the way, made snowboarding at Mt Bachelor awesome!). Instead, we started with a small hill, and then formed it into a mountain.

Next, it was time for us to begin "carving" the snowman. There was still no hope for making the typical "3-ball-body" shaped snowman. Then, it hit us...

SNOW PRINCESS!!

The uncooperative bottom, which remained more of a cone than a ball, was made into a dress. We fashioned a torso, head, and then carved some arms. Hannah provided the finishing touches.

Give the princess her pedastal and VIOLA! (pronounced "vwallah").

A ten-minute snowman became a 2-hour snow princess.

Family Christmas photo 2008

The Sequence of Events

Our morning began at 4:00am. We got up, showered, and took my final belly picture.

At 5:30am we arrived at the hospital where I was given an IV, hooked up to the fetal monitors, blood was taken to confirm my blood type in case I needed a transfusion, and I was given a very sour/salty tasting liquid that was supposed to keep me from getting sick during surgery. Let's just say that it didn't work and I threw up. Luckily for me, I had already had my morphine spinal so I didn't feel the pain. It took a little longer for the doctor to deliver the baby than the last 2 c sections but finally Ryan looked over the curtain and called out, "it's a boy." Once we knew he was a boy, we pulled out our list of names, narrowed it down, and finally landed on the name Weston Jacob.

This was my first moment with our new son. I was still strapped down to the table but they let my hands out so that I could touch his cheek and comfort him. I was immediately in love, again.

He weighed in at 7 lbs, 4 oz. He was measured at 20 1/4".

Ryan was able to introduce Weston to Riley and Hannah and let them spend a few minutes with him before they wheeled me into the room. They were so excited to see their new baby brother.

Ryan and I each got a couple of minutes to ourselves with Weston.

Here is a glimpse of how big the rooms are at the Family Birthing Center at Saint Charles. They were private rooms with private bathrooms, and even a jacuzzi tub. A lot different than our rooms at Fremont, where 2 people shared a room much smaller than this one.

The private bathroom with my own shower and jazuzzi tub.

Here's some pictures we took of Weston throughout our stay.

This hat was hand knitted for our little guy by an 80 year old man who loves to bless the new babies at Saint Charles.

Look at those killer eyes! Melts my heart.

Hannah snuggling with her new little brother. She loves to rub her nose against his.

Apparently daddy was very comfortable.

Ryan took some great photos

Ryan had to do some last minute prep work for Sunday's service so I was able to spend a few hours with Wes by myself yesterday. I was marveling at all his sweet features and looking at how perfect all his toes were. I was inspired and just had to take this picture of his feet. I love the way it turned out.

This is how tiny our little man is. He left the hospital weighing 6 lbs, 14 oz. We couldn't tighten his car seat straps any more and they are still a little bit loose.

Leaving our home away from home

We had a warm welcome from the Welcoming Committee. Riley wanted to help daddy carry baby brother inside.

Complete with professional "Welcome Home" banner!

And so, snuggled with his new teddy bear from Auntie Heidi and fast asleep, Weston Jacob begins his permanent stay at the Emerick Estates. Welcome home Wes!

It's a...

BOY!!

Today, our son was born. His name is Weston Jacob Emerick (we'll probaby end up calling him Wes).






He was born at 7:52 am. He is 7lbs, 4oz. He is 20 1/4" long. As you can see from the pictures, he has a head of dark hair. He looks a lot like Hannah did when she was a baby.









Holly did great! She is recovering well. She even got up and walked around at about 2:00 pm. That's pretty quick considering she had her abdominal muscles pried open and her internal organs laid up on her chest. I feel grateful and guilty to not be her.







We are truly blessed and are looking forward to getting to know this little guy.