New family pictures

A good friend of ours, Becky Anderson, took some family pictures for us. I'm posting one of them here, but she posted a bunch more on her blog (once you get to her blog you have to scroll down a bit to see our pics):

http://www.bandersonphotography.blogspot.com/

Remembering Lily

This last week it has been two years since we were blessed with our little Lily for such a short time. I'm amazed at how clearly I still remember the feelings and emotions of that week. The pain isn't so raw, but we certainly were forever changed by her and will never forget that time. I never have a day when I don't think of Lily, just as I never have a day when I don't think of any of my other kids. We have lilies and pictures of lilies throughout our home as a reminder of our little angel watching and waiting for us. It's hard not to think of what she would be like now, or how old she would be. We feel so lucky to be able to raise three great kids who bring so much joy into our family. Trevor has certainly brought with him a lot of healing. He can so easily put a smile on any one of our faces.

"How many kids do you have?" is an innocent enough question for most people, but I continue struggle with how to answer it, and dread hearing the question. I tend to answer three to avoid explaining the one we lost, but it hurts a little inside each time to count her out. I delivered our little girl, we held her, named her, and had to bury her all too quickly, but we've had too many experiences confirming her part in our family to not know that she will be ours forever if we do our part. It's amazing how her brief stay in our life helped us to see so much more clearly how blessed we are, and how closely our Father in Heaven watches over us.

Footprints

How very softly you tiptoed into my world.

Almost silently, only a moment you stayed.

But what an imprint your footsteps have left upon my heart.

--Dorothy Erguson

Death Valley

Ted and I have gone to Death Valley every year in February or March since we were married, and his family has been going since I don't even know when. The common response we get when we say we are going there is, "WHAT is in Death Valley?!" And we pity those poor people who have never experienced it, because when we think of Death Valley, we feel like breaking out and singing.....

"ALLELUIA...."

because when you go to Death Valley in the middle of the winter, it feels like you have died and gone to HEAVEN. Granted, in the middle of summer, it may feel a little more like you have died and gone to hell. So don't go in summer. My sister Krista refers to our weekend there as "Sports Camp," and that's a pretty good description. The weather is usually close to 80 degrees this time of year. We spend the days swimming in an 80 degree pool, playing tennis, running, playing volleyball, bike riding, hiking, baseball, ultimate frisbee, and any other outdoor activities we can fit in to our bags and our schedule. Oh, and we eat a lot of really good food and may spend a little time lounging in the sun:

And yes, there is writing on JC's stomach. You can ask him for the story.

This year was especially great because my family was there as well (except for Eric's family which stinks because he would LOVE this place)

Along with the whole Paterson clan.

Thanks to Boppa for all the launches he gave Dylan in the pool. (And thanks to Dylan for NOT cracking his head open at this pool like he did at the YMCA a month ago.)

As you can see, Trevor was a natural his first time swimming. Watch out, Micheal Phelps!

This picture doesn't do justice to how great this game was. I will call it Pooltimate frisbee. We basically commandeered half of the pool and played a game of ultimate frisbee in the water with some kind of cloth frisbee that was perfect for it. I could go for some Pooltimate right now.

So the real question is, what ISN'T in Death Valley? (Except Cafe Rio, which we got in Vegas on our way home.)

You're never fully dressed, without a smile

You know what's great about this guy? (Besides that he doesn't talk back.) He's just so darn happy all the time. Unless you tease him and make him think he's about to eat, and then make him wait ten seconds, that is not funny. Food is very serious business, but other than that, he seems to be enjoying the ride. Notice he's a true cornhusker.

He even smiles when he's covered in spit-up and slobber, which is most of the time. There really seems to be more coming out than goes in, so it's a true miracle of nature that he's as big as he is.

Kara loves helping and is a great big sister. (Even though Trevor's a cornhusker, he hasn't forgotten his BYU roots). And yet another kid friendly G-rated photograph; the leg placement is priceless.

"Hey, I saved a spot just for you..."

A Whole New World

Wouldn't it be interesting to remember what it was like to be a baby when you were just bombarded by new strange things everyday? So much to learn. Dylan is an early riser, and so sometimes in the morning he will read to Trevor while everyone else is sleeping so I can get a few things done. I just love this picture.




We've never had a thumbsucker before, and I have very mixed feelings about it. It's cute now, but if it lasts much longer, it just seems like an open invitation to every possible germ to join our family.

Trevor checking out the craftsmanship of the jogging stroller before his maiden voyage. Although I should call it the running stroller, because I am NOT a jogger. Jogging is lame. And boring. And I think you have to wear a velour jogging suit. Running, on the other hand, is a whole different story. So please don't call me a jogger. I don't want my children learning those words.

In about half a second, a baby can go from happy to sobbing. I think I will burst into tears randomly more often and see what it gets me. Hopefully more than a bottle full of breastmilk.

Tis the Season

We had an amazing Christmas season. Having a brand new baby boy just helped remind us of why we celebrate and made it that much more special. Garrett took this picture of the kids at my parents' house. He's pretty talented, huh? When you have a girl, a boy, and a baby boy at Christmas, what choice do you have but to get a picture like this?

Making a gingerbread house every Christmas has become a family tradition. I didn't say it was a good tradition, but it's a tradition none the less, and it looks like it's here to stay. But this year Ted made the house with the kids. Now that's a tradition I can get behind. What a great guy! (Don't worry, we don't always make Dylan hold up the counter with his head.)

Dylan: "Santa, can you bring me a poorly made baking soda rocket car that will take my parents hours to assemble with instructions that are so badly written they will chase away all Christmas spirit, and then when it is put together it won't work that great and I will only play with it once or twice?"

Kara: "Are you the same Santa that was at the YMCA last week, because his beard was different."

Another Christmas tradition: Acting out the nativity story.

We had a great time spending three weeks over Christmas with both of our families and seeing so many wonderful friends as well. Thanks for the memories.

Turkey Day

This Thanksgiving was our first one out on our own, away from both of our families. Cooking my own turkey is a task I have wanted to check off for years. And thanks to lots of calls to my mom, we had a great thanksgiving. We got to spend it with fantastic friends, and the food all turned out just right. (The picture doesn't do the feast justice, by the way.) I'm thankful to have had my first thanksgiving when I felt like a grown-up, and I can't wait to do it again. So if you're in Nebraska in the next few years for thanksgiving, we'll give you a thanksgiving you won't soon forget.

Bedtime, Bubbles, and Newts

I think Trevor gives Kara and Dylan the same look that I often do, that says, "You guys are so weird." Because they are. But they are also very entertaining to their baby brother. And are happy to include him any way they can in all the crazy things they come up with.



The kids love to help with Trevor's baths. They haven't quite bought into the "less is more" theory, unless we're talking about brussel sprouts. With soap though, a little is good, and a lot makes a tub full of bubbles. I think they were just trying to make this a G-rated picture.

Speaking of water, Dylan was very excited about his first research project about newts. He has made it his personal mission to spread the word that newts have poison mucus. I know I haven't been the same since he told me.

Arghh! It's me blessing day, mateys!

I know, Trevor either looks like a pirate or like he's in the middle of a fist fight and just took one in the eye. But what a cute little fighter, right? He was blessed when he was just nine days old because we had family here then, so why not?

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

Trevor won't even have a chance to get in trouble...he has two mothers. And believe me, the big sister mother doesn't let you get away with anything.



He also has an older brother to look up to. I'm sure Dylan will have all kinds of things to teach Trevor. Hopefully fashion isn't one of them...scroll down and you'll understand why.

New Sherriff in Town

It's amazing how a tiny person who can't even speak or hardly hold up their own head completely changes your life and takes charge. And it's great. We were so happy to have this little man join us. You can't look at that brand new life and not recognize what a miracle they are.

We waited a long time for this little boy, and he was worth the wait! He was 21 inches long and 8 lbs 6 oz. I delivered him without any pain medication.... I felt like without feeling the pain, I couldn't fully experience the joy and exhileration of his arrival.

Kara and Dylan were so excited to meet their new baby brother. It was very fun to see their interaction with him. Trevor was even more exciting to them than the room in the hospital that was always stocked with free food for the whole family.

Spring Forward, Fall Back

I admit, blogging is not my priority. Not even in my top five. Maybe top 10, but that may be a stretch. But life has been so good to us, it's not right to keep it all to ourselves. So I am attempting to update the last four months over the next few days. If it doesn't happen, I blame the time change, because I know that would have been my most productive hour.


This is what our yard looked like last fall times 100. I have never seen so many leaves since moving to Nebraska. The kids loved playing in the piles. The first time raking it was a beautiful miracle of nature, the second time I could still appreciate burning a few extra calories, but by the nineteenth time I could think of a few other four letter words besides "leaf," but none of them seemed as bad as that word.

You can't spend more than two minutes in Nebraska and not realize what a BIG deal Cornhusker football is. As it turns out, their women's volleyball team is a big deal as well. One of Ted's professors gave us tickets to a game and we had a great time. When the team ran by us in the hall, it was the first time being around a group of women when I felt short. They are all HUGE!

This is just an average day; Dylan saving lives and Kara frightening smaller children. Just kidding. This was Halloween. An average day would consist of Dylan laughing about potty humor and Kara pointing out the flaws in any statement I make. And they probably wouldn't be dressed like that.

In case you haven't heard yet...

Trevor Allan Paterson was born November 5th, 2010. He is so much fun, but also a lot of work so that's why we haven't posted in a LONG time!