Fun with Grandma, Grandpa, and Tifani!

The weekend of Aria's baby blessing Grandma and Grandpa Walker and Aunt Tifani flew into town! We had lots of fun with them and are so glad that they could come at such a special time :)

Saturday - I actually woke up with a head ache and just didn't feel well. The day for me was not a lot of fun since I was feeling awful (we had stayed up way too late talking and then I didn't sleep well after that). We played at home in the morning and then went downtown to see the American History Museum (always one of my favorites). There were tons of events going on downtown, so parking, walking, and just everything was a bit crazy since there were thousands of people in such a small area. But, we decided to go check out the Book Day.....I can't remember the actual name. I think it was the Library of Congress' National Literacy Day or something that sounded like that. Anyways, it was pretty cool, but so crowded that I just couldn't handle it (plus I didn't feel good). We stayed for a bit, then made our way back to the car and went home.

I got dropped off to feed Aria while everyone went to get smoothies (yes, they brought me back a dairy-free smoothie). She just seemed pretty fussy to me, so that did not help my situation. My parents and brother, Justin and his family (who also made the trip to DC for the baby blessing) came over to visit for a bit before we went to dinner. Reed loved playing with his cousins and it's always nice to see everyone :) After they left, we went out to dinner at Busara (our favorite Thai restaurant we have found here). We had just gotten our food and then Aria started stirring. I took her out to the car to nurse, but she just wouldn't. I was still feeling sick and tried to get her to nurse for what seemed like forever. Finally, I just started crying and got out of the car and swayed back and forth with her in the parking lot. Tyson came out and I just told him that I wanted to go home. She ended up screaming for a while after that (in hindsight, she was probably just adjusting to my recent change in diet - eliminating dairy, but at the time I was just frustrated), but thankfully, I had lots of people to help with her. Once I had food in me, I felt SO much better. Amazing! Aria calmed down, fell asleep for a bit, then finally ate. We both went to bed earlier than usual on Saturday.

Sunday was the blessing, which was fabulous (as I have already mentioned)! We ate ham, funeral potatoes (not me, of course), salad, and cake . The kids played, the adults chatted, and we all had a good time. Justin and his family had to leave and make the drive back to CT and then my parents were off. We went downtown and saw the Lincoln memorial and the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial as well. Then, we headed home, read books (even the new one that Grandma gave to Reed and Eve), and the kids went to bed. We stayed up chatting and playing our new game, Pandemic (I love it!).  I felt so much better on Sunday, it was amazing - again, having food and sleep = happy me. Aria ate so much better on Sunday, I was relieved. All-in-all Sunday was a wonderful day :)

Monday we played and played! We went to the zoo and the kids loved it! Tyson got Monday off work, so everyone had so much fun together! We spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon looking at all the cool things there! The zoo is always a cool spot to see :)

Tuesday Tyson headed back to work and we went to Clemyjontri park - another fabulous park in the area! The kids had so much fun, again! That's what life is like when Grandma, Grandpa, and Tifani come to visit! We met Tyson at the mall for lunch and Reed, Eve, Grandma, and Tifani even got to ride the train! That is always a special treat! Then, they had to come back and head to the airport to go back home. Reed and Eve were sad to see them go because it really was a fabulous couple of days! They both loved playing literally ALL DAY LONG!

I forgot to mention that Tifani brought the kids these glow-in-the-dark bones pjs and they were a hit! Reed and Eve call it 'charging up' when they stand by a light to make their pjs glow. That picture will be coming. Seriously awesome! Thank you, Tifani!

I probably should go into more detail, but I am so behind on our lives, this will just have to do. So, hope you enjoy the pictures!

Shot by Reed - the flamingos

Eve watching the flamingos - shot by Reed

Clemyjontri park

Going across

Everyone joined in on the fun!

Aria sleeping - she does that well.

Reed and Eve flying grandma in the airplane

Grandpa pushing Reed and Eve on the swings

The bouncy thing

The train at the mall

Aria's Blessing

September 25, 2011 we blessed little Aria. It was a beautiful blessing given by Tyson. Aria did a great job and slept the whole time :) We had a great weekend (which I will comment on later) with Tyson's parents and sister. Also, my brother, Justin and his family came into town for the blessing. It is nice to have family support in the things that we are doing! The older I get and the older my children get, I am starting to realize even more the importance of having family around for all sorts of occasions. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the plan of salvation and more especially for the sealing power that binds our family together! No matter what happens, our kids are always ours! That is an amazing promise :)

Thanks to Grandma Rowberry for providing the dress (she made it for my older sister and then all the girls wore it. Both of my girls have also worn it) and thanks to Grandma Walker for providing the bracelet, shoes, and blanket! Side note: Just so I don't forget. The handkerchief on Aria's blanket belonged to her Great-Grandma Walker!

Well, here are the fun pictures (I don't know why they are in random order, but ah well....at least they finally loaded after many attempts).

She found her hands.

Nice and relaxed

Found something interesting to look at

Beautiful Aria

Up close

Aria's bracelet provided by Grandma Walker

I just had to put this one on because Reed's smile was priceless! The Rowberry Side

Walker Family grows by 1

The Walker Side

Blessing Circle: Cody Baldwin, David Walker, Tyson, Walker, David Rowberry, Justin Rowberry

Daddy and Aria

Grandparents

Aunt Tifani has a picture will all nieces and nephews at their blessings!

So sleepy

I just love this one

Shoes also provided by Grandma Walker

Another favorite

Inquisitive

Sneezing :)

September Fun and September No Fun

September certainly had its ups and downs. There was a lot of playing when Tyson was home from work and then some really hard days when he went back to work. So, let's start with when he was still home.

September 5th - Aria just chillin in her bouncy chair. I know it's a bit fuzzy, but I just thought it was typical Aria.

September 6th - They had a 9/11 exhibit at the American History Museum that was only going to be there for a little over a week. We decided that we should go and check it out. It was quite amazing and humbling. I can't believe that it's been 10 years. I still remember where I was when I saw what was happening in NY (waiting for my Isaiah class to start at BYU). I also still remember being worried for my brother and his family who lived in the Bronx while he was attending medical. I also remember him saying they got out of their classes and were sent straight to the hospital to help wounded people that would be coming, but after waiting and waiting, no one came. That is an extremely sobering thought.

We also checked out the American flag (a favorite), Kermit, the ruby slippers, and the transportation section (kids' favorite).

Outing with all 3 kidlings!

Aria was mostly asleep, but had a few conscious moments.

Some of the things they had on display. It was quite amazing what things survived - a briefcase (completely flat), bits of metal all squished together, someone's pocket book.

September 12th - Tyson went back to work :( I felt completely overwhelmed after he left, mostly due to the fact that Aria had a rough night and I did not get nearly as much sleep as normal (I don't get very many hours in a row anyway). Yes, I cried a little bit. But, Reed got to go back to his co-op preschool that we do with 5 other moms in the ward. He was so excited! Eve, Aria, and I dropped him off and Eve cried when he got out of the car and she couldn't go with him. Reed is definitely her best friend. :) We went home after dropping Reed off and played with Aria. Here are just some of the things Aria does with her day:

Crying - never fun, but does happen

Reading time = play time (she loves all the bright colors) 

Looking cute

Intently staring

I think this is her excited face :)

September 12th and 14th - Reed now goes to preschool two days a week. Here are some of the fun things he did!

Some of the worksheets Reed did at preschool

We have decided to incorporate tracing/learning number, letters, and shapes into all our lessons.

He loved the caterpillar and talked about how they are circles. Yes, I forgot to turn the picture and don't want to do it now.

September 15th - Aria really does enjoy her bath time besides the entering and leaving parts. She loves being in the water. She also started getting bumps on her face. I was a little concerned, but realized it was probably a mix of sensitive skin and needing to be wiped off with just water more frequently. The bumps quickly disappeared.

September 15th - This is what Eve does during Aria's bath time! She LOVES the water as well. I usually have to change her at least once a day because her shirt is soaking wet. She will even sneak into the bathroom, shut the door, and play in the sink! Sneaky little miss!

September 18th - Matching! The girls wore their first set of matching dresses to church! It was so cute! This could be dangerous for me.

Eve trying to hold Aria up.

The best shot we could get.

There have been a few days when Aria has been super fussy. I was hoping it was just due to her not liking broccoli (which does give her gas) or something like that. But, deep down I knew that dairy was the major culprit. She has mucusy stool, but I hoped it would just go away. Well, it didn't. September 19th (Monday) I found a trace of blood in her stool. :( I didn't even have to call the doctor. I already knew what I had to do. With a heavy heart, I have given up dairy again. Let's hope it is just dairy. Time shall tell.

September 20th was a horrible day! There were points of the day when all 3 kids were crying and I wasn't doing much better. Aria screamed what felt like the entire day. I am just not used to that. Both of my other kids were not really screamers. She also was not nursing very well at all and spitting up more than normal. But, I discovered a rash that covered her entire stomach and back that afternoon. I quickly gave her a bath, hoping that would help. But, on Wednesday, it had not really gotten any better and I was worried. I just wanted to know that I was doing all that I could to help her. So, I took her into the doctor. Turns out it was some sort of viral rash and there was nothing I could do about it, but I was told it would be gone in 2-3 days. That made me feel a bit better. It spread to her neck and a little on her hands by Wednesday afternoon. Then on Thursday (21st) it spread to her face and her arms. As vain as this was, I desperately wanted it to be gone from her face before Sunday because she was being blessed. I just didn't want this rash all over her face in all the pictures. Yes, that made me cry a little bit - I am a bit more emotional than normal when I first have babies. But, by Friday, the rash was almost completely gone from her entire body and was completely gone on Saturday! Phew - one rash down, many more to go!

September 21st also marked Reed's first day of soccer! He goes once a week and learns how to kick the soccer ball, run, and just have fun. He and his friend, Brooks, are in it together. Reed had a pretty good first half of the class, but by the second half he wanted to go home (mostly because it is something new with kids he didn't know besides Brooks). I told him he didn't have to participate, but did have to stay until the end of the class. He ran and sat at the top of the grassy hill for the rest of the class. I know it's just a transition thing with him. New is tough, especially when he is naturally reserved and only 3. Getting him to the car after class was an ultimate disaster (we had parked far away from where the class was because I didn't realize it was outside and parked closer to the recreation center). He had wanted to go home so badly, but as soon as everyone else left, he refused to go home! Reed had to be carried most of the way because he would not come, Eve was screaming, and all this commotion woke up Aria. I wish I had more arms. It took us 40 minutes to walk to the car. It should have taken probably 3-4 minutes. Needless to say, it was frustrating. Oddly enough - after all that - when Reed calmed down, he told me how much he liked doing soccer with Brooks! So, the second week of Tyson being at work was not a picnic. But, we survived and that is my best on some days.

The transition from 2 to 3 has been a lot harder for me than from 1 to 2. I mostly think that it is because Aria screams more than the other 2 did put together. Half is her tummy issues, which is understandable and the other hald is being 'loved' by her siblings that just becomes too much for her, also understandable. It seems to be getting better, though. Since the dairy is out of my system, she seems to be a lot more content, like Reed and Eve were as babies. Hopefully, it continues this way!