Flag Pictures

One of our traditions is to take some informal pictures as a family around Independence Day each year. We usually take them towards the end of June, but this year we waited a few weeks so our pictures could include five instead of four. Thank you to Mark's sisters Shauna and Courtney for putting up with a tricky photo shoot.






I had a good time looking through our flag pictures from years past. This is our fourth year taking these so now we are starting to build a small collection. It will be fun to have these pictures to look at as our family changes over the years.

2006

In 2007 we were in Jamestown, Virginia.

2008

I get all sentimental looking at these pictures of my family. Oh how I love these guys!

Two Weeks

Check out this little guy:

Today he is two weeks old. I find myself hoping the newborn stage will last for forever. But at the same time I am excited for each new phase. I was looking at some of Adam's baby pictures the other day and it made me grateful to have another baby in the house and to see all of Owen's firsts. Funny because I never would have considered myself a baby person. I had decided I was more into the toddler phase. But, of course with your own children it's different and it's incredible to watch your own child grow and learn day by day.

Also, two weeks after giving birth:

• My chicken legs are back! My ankles too! I forgot how scrawny they were. Other parts of me, that's another story, but at least I can look down and see my boney ankles.
  
• I sneezed today and didn't completely feel like my insides were going to make their way to my outsides. Progress. I may not need to lean into the counters to brace myself when I sneeze anymore. And I can walk almost at a normal pace now. But I still did not put my tennis shoes on today.


• I tried some of my "bigger" pre-pregnancy pants. I couldn't get them past my rear, let alone around my waist. Good thing I don't have anywhere to go.

• I can't even get the easy to-do list done. But maybe that's partly because the day I wrote it we had someone over for half of the day fixing a leak in our roof and repairing half of the ceiling in our hallway. I should have added these things to my list that day instead: 1. Keep Dallin and Adam from going into the hallway (times 8) 2. Scour the garage and shed outside for matching paint for the hallway. 3. Quickly clean the master bathroom so you are not embarrassed to ask him to also fix some drywall in there. 4. Welcome a few more unexpected visitors (and be grateful you actually showered).

And, Dallin helped me give Owen a sponge bath the other day:

Fun times.

Today's To-Do List

I love lists. Many of you can relate I am sure. Every day, one of the things on my perpetual morning list is to make a to-do list for the day. Of course these past ten days since Owen was born we have gone list free. The blinds have stayed close more than they have been opened. The boys have sometimes found themselves in their jams past lunchtime. And the biggest sign that things have slowed down around here is that I have not put on my tennis shoes for eleven days. That's the big reminder for me that I'm still "taking it easy." Maybe next week I'll be a homemaker again. Or at least somewhat.

But I still don't want to feel like I am wasting my time and have realized that I should take the upmost advantage of my leisurely days while they last. So today I have a new list.

Before Baby

A photographer friend of ours asked us last week if we'd be up for a maternity photo shoot. At that point I only had a few "maternity" days left so we squeezed this session in a mere week ago, two days before Owen was born. Here are a few of my favorites. The rest can be seen here if you're interested.













Thank you Zane! You'll have fun looking at the Lloyd Zeffler blog and Flickr photostream to see some of his other stuff. If you're looking for a great photographer who doesn't do the same old stuff everyone else is doing Zane is your guy. We are looking forward to having him take some more pictures of our family now that Owen is here!

4 Days Old

I am so in love with this little boy. My life seems too good to be true right now. I am overwhelmed by my many blessings. Owen wakes in the middle of the night and all I can say is, "I missed you while I was asleep."

It will probably get stressful after Mark goes back to work next week, but I hope I can remember how blessed we are in the midst of it all. Those of you with three or more tell me this: How am I going to be able to handle it all? Advice, please.

For your viewing pleasure:

Don't you love the baby stretch?


My boys

More Owen

Monday morning we woke up at 4:30 am to get ready to go to the hospital. The c-section was scheduled for 7:30 and we were suppose to be there two hours early. We showered and got dressed, gathered our things, and got there right on time. Compared to other birth stories, a scheduled c-section is a pretty laid-back process. We checked in at the registration desk and they had me fill out forms while they prepped me for surgery and told me what was going to happen. We were pushed back just a little while for an emergency c-section but finally the time came and they walked me to the operating room. I had a great anesthesiologist who was like my best friend during the delivery. If you haven't had a c-section, here is how it goes down: They first take the mom into the OR and get her all ready, get the anesthesia just right and just before they begin, Dad is let in to sit by mom's side. All week I had been really nervous about the c-section. It is major surgery after all and there are always risks involved. Though I believe the risk factor is about the same for a regular delivery, but nonetheless, that week I was focused more on fear of something going wrong rather than excitement over my baby being born. Sunday afternoon Mark gave me a blessing. In the prayer, I was blessed that I would have peace and be able to enjoy the birth of my baby. The day Owen was born I had felt relatively calm up until the point when I walked into the operating room. It was cold (in more ways than one) and I started to shake a bit both from the temperature and from nerves. I remember lying on the operating table while they were getting ready to begin when I was remembering the words of this blessing and a peaceful calm overcame me. In my mind came the reassurance, "This will be easy. Everything will be fine." From then on I was not worried and actually it was really easy. I laugh now looking at the operating room shots of Mark, Owen, and I because we are smiling and happy while on the other side of the curtain the doctor and nurses are sewing my insides back up. Anyway....

All of the greatest sounds in the world are sounds of your own children: laughter, kind words, funny things they say. First on the list is your own baby's first cry. No other sound can evoke such emotion: joy, relief, love. I love that sound.

And most important: pictures.

Dallin and Adam came to visit after a trip swimming with their aunts.

Meeting Grandma J'net

And Grandma and Grandpa Smith

We went home late Wednesday. My doctor gave me the option of staying one more night but I didn't sleep so well in the hospital so I wanted to go home. A newborn gives you enough reasons to be up in the middle of the night. Add in nurses who check your vitals every couple of hours, draw your blood in the middle of the night and knock on the door just to check if you're awake (not anymore, thank you) and it makes for some sleepless nights.

Owen was apparently not excited for his first ride in the carseat.

Leaving the hospital. Sorry about the lighting.

Mark and I stopped at Pei Wei and he went in while I waited in the car to get some real food to take home. (I don't remember hospital food being quite that bad.) We had a nice dinner at home just the three of us then Mark's mom and sister Shauna brought the boys home. And yes, we do have nice people from church bringing us dinner, but that started last night, Thursday. We don't go out to eat ever so this was a treat to get some take-out.

All day I had been looking forward to having my boys all together. When the boys visited in the hospital they were in their swimsuits and so we only let them look at Owen. At home they got to hold him for the first time.

Adam realizing that now he is the middle child:

We call this shot "Owen: Hands On"

After the excitement over holding Owen wore off, Dallin and Adam were excited to get back to the toys they had missed for a few days. Thank you so much to Grandma Smith, Shauna, Courtney, and Stacey for giving Dallin and Adam such a great time while we were in the hospital. Here's Grandma Smith with Owen:


It has been so sweet to see how much Dallin and Adam love their little brother. Adam is a little less phased by having a new person in the house, but Dallin mentions several times throughout the day things like: "The baby is so cute!" or "I love Owen." Today after breakfast Owen was getting a little fussy. We figured he was getting tired so Mark wrapped him in a blanket and Dallin made up a song to sing him to sleep. "My baby brother. My baby brother. Go to sleep." Mix and repeat.

And please forgive my husband who can't even take the announcement of the birth of our baby seriously. Michael Something Smith-Jackson? Really? But I can't give him too hard of a time because he is the most amazing, supportive husband a gal could imagine. I love you, Mark. You are a great dad and you take great care of me.

Yeah, baby!

Now introducing... Michael Shalenko Smith-Jackson

No, just kidding. The new guy's name really is:
Owen Alexander Smith

(For a funny article involving baby names and Russian ligers click here).

7/13/09, 8:10 am
7 pounds, zero ounces
19 inches
Great set of lungs
Cute as a button

Tomorrow

The big day. I am having a really hard time wrapping my mind around this: I am having a baby tomorrow! I am sure that everyone I know senses the reality of the fact that we are having a baby tomorrow. Everyone else except for me. We are having a baby! Crazy. We left Dallin and Adam at Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house tonight since we are leaving early in the morning to the hospital for the c-section. Getting excited to meet our little guy. Mostly I am just trying to tell myself that this is really happening and tomorrow I will be a mom of three. Updates to come, but who knows when! Wish us luck!

In Memory

Last night we found out that our next door neighbor died. This made me sad because Mike always made me smile. He always had a something witty to say in response to a greeting. If I asked Mike how he was doing he would reply with a grin, “Oh, I’m alright...but I’ll get better.” And at church, as the elder Brother Shumway would slowly shuffle to class, Mike (who was normally clad in a black vest over his short-sleeve white shirt) would playfully accuse him of running in the halls. This made Brother Shumway smile too.

Mike Wood was a retired trucker (I’m guessing he was in his sixties) with short-cut gray hair. A lifetime bachelor, he worked in the temple once a week, liked to ride his motorcycle to church, and was almost finished restoring an 80’s era El Camino. He had the engine professionally rebuilt (it had a beautiful growly purr) and put a two-tone blue and gray paint job on the body. He had owned and used the car for twenty years and just decided recently that it was time to restore it. He was still working on getting some of the chrome trim and bumper pieces installed as the parts became available.

Mike was a helpful sort of guy with an easy-going manner. Just a few weeks ago he was offering to help me make a space-saving frame he had designed to hold 55-gallon water barrels. He let us pick lemons when they were in season. We still have enough of that juice in the freezer to make one more batch of lemonade. Last year when I cleared out the gravel from my side yard I had to replace it with fill dirt before planting the grass. While I was pondering about the best way to level the yard, Mike grabbed a rake and in about five minutes had the dirt leveled. Thanks, Mike!

So I’ve been melancholy today thinking about my departed neighbor. His death was a surprise because he didn’t have any major health issues that we know about, and earlier that day he had been seen working outside. When hearing about his sudden passing, my neighbor across the street (who is Catholic) said that Mike had been “called home”. I think she’s right.

I’ve been working on a piano solo for a special musical number in sacrament meeting this Sunday but up until yesterday still hadn’t decided which song I would play. It’s definitely going to be “Nearer My God To Thee”, in memory of Mike.

Mike, we’re glad to have known you and loved being your neighbors. Save us a spot next door to you in heaven.

38 weeks

Countdown to baby: 6 days



This little guy has the lucky privilege of actually having a nursery of his own. When Dallin was born we had one bedroom, when Adam was born we had two bedrooms, and now we have three bedrooms. We made the transition to shared rooms for the older boys a few months ago and now we have a nursery. Everything except for the crib was leftover from the older boys. We added a crib we found on Craigslist and a new gingham sheet and called it good. After we washed the newborn clothes we were surprised how few we had. Makes sense though, considering a lot of the clothes were handed down through two cousins then my own two boys. I guess I got rid of more things than I thought I did. So a few weeks ago I bought a few items of clothes and other newborn necessities. And I might find some time to squeeze in a decorative project for the nursery by the end of the week.

Lately I have been making a lot of freezer meals. I am not very creative anymore. I guess I have been feeling the nesting instinct, but it mainly has come out with this one question: What else can I freeze?

Are you interested at all?

Here is what we have in the freezer--all home made thank you:

• Whole wheat bread
• Chicken strips and breaded chicken patties for sandwiches
• Italian meatballs (for spaghetti and meatballs or meatball subs)
• Italian sausage spaghetti sauce
• Meatloaf cups (I used my own recipe, but followed these instructions)
• Chicken and Black Bean Taco Filling
• Macaroni and Cheese (I don't know how this freezes yet, but I was trying for something kid-friendly)
• Refried beans
• Taco meat for tacos or taco salad

I also plan on doing some mashed potatoes to go with our meatloaf cups, some pizza pockets with premade crust from Fresh and Easy, sloppy joe meat and jambalaya pasta. It's not too difficult if you just double dinner one night and put half of it in the freezer. But still, I might have gotten out of control.

Although I think it will be worth it next month.

Happy Fourth

This year we went down to Mark's office to watch fireworks. It was just the right amount of festivities for us. I wasn't really in the mood this year for braving a big crowd with children in tow, yet we still wanted to celebrate the holiday. His office is right off Tempe Town Lake and we had a decent view of the fireworks from the large windows of the executives. We brought along some good friends who we don't see too often anymore so that made it even more fun.

The kids were set up on the desk by the window and everyone else fit in where they could get a good view.

Air-conditioned fireworks. Perfect.

Also, you'll notice the boys are sporting some new capes. They got these from Grandma Smith and uncle and aunts who recently visited Magic Mountain. Could there be a more perfect gift for these boys? As Adam told his uncle Ryan, "Thank you for the Superman cape from the mountain!"

Hope you had a great holiday!

Catch Up!

Here are a few photos from the last weekend of June. We visited my grandparents who are spending their summer in Strawberry, AZ. The weather was perfect and we had nothing on our agenda for three days. Nice.

With Grams and Gramps Christensen by their RV

Enjoying some S'mores by the fire.

Trees with arms

Spending time in the forest

Adam was kind enough to spontaneously pose for me between a couple of trees.

Mark was there too. He did the majority of the picture-taking this time.

It was good to get away for a little while and enjoy some cooler weather.