Our Sweetest Daisy Belle

My due date was August 4th, one month before Watson's 6th birthday. We were so grateful for a healthy, normal pregnancy. My insanely swollen condition was inconvenient but not dangerous for me or our baby girl. Needless to say, I was very ready for the beginning of August to come quickly. Dr. Langer said it would be fine to schedule a C-section for our 39 week mark. That was a relief. We planned to deliver the baby on July 29. I was the one pushing for a July baby, then we could share a birthday month! Everything was scheduled and ready but at 1:45 am on July 27th our girl had a different plan. My water broke and Scott and I were a bit confused as to what to do. We woke up Chandler to let him know we were headed to the hospital, I changed my clothes and threw a few more items in my hospital bag. We were checked in and hooked up to a hear monitor within 30 minutes. I was excited and nervous and happy all at the same time. This labor experience was definitely different than with Watson. I started heavy contractions within the hour and really wasn't sure how long I could last. Luckily, the anesthesiologist showed up and started my epidural after two hours of contractions. Dr. Langer was ready for our delivery just before 6 am. Everything happened pretty quickly without any complications. Within 45 minutes we were holding our beautiful, perfect, sweet baby girl. She weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. She didn't have much hair (but a cute little tuft on her left ear) and two very distinct dimples, one on each cheek. It took a couple of days for us to decide on her name, Daisy Belle.  We love her so! We can't get enough snuggling with her. She is so sweet!

Cutest new Dad (again) on the planet!

I feel so grateful she is healthy.

Jordan Valley provided a special dinner for just the two of us.

I got a lot of one on one bonding during my 3 day stay.

Everything about her is perfect!

Summer O' Chandler

Chandler has grown so much since he was home for Spring Break! Every time he comes home we are in awe! I love that he has been home all summer for the last few years. I prefer not having to share him with anyone else...it's great to have uninterrupted time. This summer has been super busy for him so far. It seems once he became a teenager his schedule  filled up quickly. He came home June 15. He decided he'd like to try playing football this year in high school. (Charlene and her family decided to move back to Utah from Florida so Chandler will be attending Lehi High School in the fall.) So, we did our best to support him and started attending daily training and practice. Unfortunately, his football training wasn't part of our original summer plans so they were put on the back burner while we had our little family trip and when he attended EFY at BYU.
I dropped him off for his EFY adventure on a Monday afternoon the end of June. He protested a bit and seemed uncertain about having any fun. Luckily, and gratefully he had a fantastic time and said he wants to go again next year. We shall see...
Chandler's fun continued with Youth Conference with our ward. They had three days of excitement at Snow College. He really enjoyed spending time with the youth and leaders in our ward. 
Lastly, Chandler braved another Scout High Adventure trip. This time he was extra prepared, as pictured above. He made sure to have plenty of layers to keep him warm, food to keep him full, and his hammock chair to keep him relaxed. It was a great experience all around. 
I'm so grateful he's had a chance to be around so many good, dedicated people. He is growing into adulthood so fast but I'm confident he has great influences around constantly. I love our Chando Mando!

4th of July

I love the 4th of July! I love our traditional breakfast at my mom's house and watching the boys do fireworks. I love getting together with family, friends (old and new) and eating great food first thing in the morning on this holiday. We always say the Pledge of Allegiance and have a prayer together. It's the perfect way to start a day of celebrating Independence. We tend to allow the middle of the day to be relaxed and easy. In the evening we met with our neighbors for our own "Circle of Fire." We made cinnamon rolls again--the start of a new tradition, and enjoyed each other's silliness. I'm so grateful for the blessing of freedom I enjoy each day. I'm grateful for the men and women who work and sacrifice for me every hour. I live in a blessed country and hope to always treat my freedoms with care.

I love these two with all that I have!

Challey and her family and neighbors joined our celebration.

Chandler made sure to include me in the memory. I'm almost done growing our girl!

A Simple Birthday

Scott started a new job with a new company on June 29th. I think it will be a really good thing for our family, although the timing could have been a little bit better. This year my birthday was pretty low key, which I thought was great. I'm really nesting right now and just spending time at home is perfect for me. Scott was super sweet all day and added to my cupcake arsenal with a new carry case. My mom came over to help with some things for the baby's room. I spent a lot of time with my feet up and relaxing. We did celebrate at The Cheesecake Factory--that's always yummy. So, Happy Birthday to me! The best gift is knowing our sweet baby girl will be born this month and we can celebrate all together.