July

July consisted of a lot of swimming. I spent more time getting them in their suits, lathered in sunscreen, blowing up balls, and setting up pools and slip and slides than the actual amount of time they played in the water, but that's ok. It was fun to watch them. One day when Elise was sleeping I tried to show them how to do the slip and slide. They would run down it a little bit then land on their bottoms and scoot the rest of the way. It was funny.

The boys started to try and interact with Elise more. They thought these Mr Potato Head glasses were the perfect size for her.

The boys also made sure she was nice and healthy

Ryan set up the tent and took them camping in the backyard one night. Elise and I spent the night inside, but Ryan said they actually slept really well out there.

Just playing in the basement. They made a lot of airplanes, boats, trains, and who knows what else with chairs, pillows, and couch cushions.

I loved being able to catch lots more of these cute smiles!

Trips

In July we decided to take a little day trip to Jackson. It was a nice get away. We made the obligatory stop at the square ice cream store. Yum.

Since the boys aren't really into wandering through little shops we spent a lot of the time at the park and school playground.Which was just fine. We did eat at this little restaurant and I had my first bison burger.

Kegan really isn't in pain. This is the face he pulls when I say smile.

This is the one shop that the boys didn't mind. It had a ton of stuffed animals.

This is from a different little trip we took. Ryan's family went up to Henry's Fork and floated down the river. After the float, Ryan's parents were kind enough to watch Elise while we went biking. We got new bikes last month, and have loved going on bike rides. We also got this new Chariot bike trailer. It is a nice smooth ride apparently.

4th of July

We had a fun 4th. The boys called it "The July". We started out the day by going to the parade with our friends. My parents and two of my aunts also met up with us. It was hot! The boys had fun though. We had a good spot and I was able to stand back in the shade with Elise and still see everything.

This is one of the 3(?) fourth of July outfits Elise had. It was good that she had them though because we made it through two of them in one morning!

That afternoon we headed over to Grandma Eastman's house. All the cousins had fun playing in the water and we had a yummy BBQ. We also lit off a few fireworks.

 

That evening we lit off some fireworks with our neighbors. These little friends were sure cute together sitting next to each. Our boys kept waving their flags from the parade the whole time. It was funny! After our little firework show we walked next door and watched the fireworks from our neighbor's yard. It was a fun day and I love this holiday!

June

 June was a blur. I do have to say that the adjustment did go much better than expected. I had heard about a million horror stories about adding a third child. We had some adjustments, don't get me wrong, but it could've been worse. I was actually surprised at how easily she slipped right into our routine. People have constantly asked Ryan and I to compare having her to having the twins. I don't know if they are wanting me to validate the fact that having one baby is hard or what. It is. Having a newborn is hard. But if you want an honest answer, then yes, having one baby is easier than having two! I've found myself (writing this in December) wondering a few times how I did certain things with two babies. It is easier getting out with one newborn as opposed to two so I think that helped. I also am not 4 hours away from my family in a tiny apartment. That also helps.

The boys have done remarkably well. I have been surprised at how helpful they have been. It is so neat to watch them love her. I honestly think it was hardest for me. I wanted to get out and play with them like we always had done and felt guilty not doing so. However, they were fine. They play with each other and didn't seem to mind when I spent time with Elise.

 In June we also celebrated this amazing father.

 These two continued to make me laugh and made sure we never had a dull moment

 I just love generation pictures. Elise got one with her great-grandma when she came to visit us. Not many people can say they have a picture with their 87 year old great-grandma. I sure love all these ladies!

 I took advantage of lots of cuddles while watching the World Cup.

 We took a trip to the sand dunes to get Grandpa Eastman get some sand for his sandbox. The boys had fun jumping and playing in the sand.

She's Here!

As I'm sure anyone that reads this well knows, at the end of May we welcomed the sweetest new addition to our family. For the two days before she arrived, I was having contractions. They were about 30 min apart and would occasionally get closer than that. They were strong enough to wake me up when sleeping. It was exhausting and frustrating. We went on many walks around the neighborhood!!

Finally, I felt a change one evening and I knew that this was it. Ryan tried to get the boys ready for bed and pack us up. I was of little help. (We just happened to take a picture a couple of hours before I felt that change)

We ended up getting to the hospital around 9 pm. After we got checked in I found that the birthing ball was definitely my favorite position. I sat on that ball the whole time I was there! I was super disappointed to find that I was only a 3 when I got there. However, I dilated a lot quicker than I expected. When I reached 8 cm I was physically drained and was having trouble relaxing while working through the contractions, so I opted for an epidural.

Once that was in, I quickly finished dilating and was ready to push. I pushed through 3 or so contractions and then was able to watch my beautiful baby girl enter this world. (I had requested a mirror and am so glad I did!) I was so happy with the whole experience. My midwife, Natalie, couldn't have been better. She was so helpful and patient. I loved having her there during labor to support us. Ryan was beyond amazing. He completely surpassed my expectations. He sat by me, rubbed my back, fielded all questions and visitors, gave me ice and really anything I needed. He encouraged me and supported my decisions which I am so grateful for.

 My parents brought the boys by that afternoon. I was so anxious to see them and to have us all together. They were a little hesitant and didn't quite know what to think.

 These pictures just melt my heart

 First family picture

 The next day I was beyond anxious to get home! Everything looked fine, and they let us break out around lunch time. We stopped to get some lunch then spent a couple hours at home resting before the boys came home.

 It is crazy to think that I have 3 kids!

We are so in love with this little girl. She couldn't be more perfect!

May

I am so behind that it is a little overwhelming to me! So we are going to start in May and do some quick catch up. 

In May, the boys got to go camping with Dad and Grandpa Eastman in the trailer. They had a lot of fun. I stayed home and made a ton of bows for our little girl. I was a little nervous having them go because I was nice and pregnant, but Ryan had phone service and my parents were ready to spring into action if I needed. Nothing happened though, and I think we all enjoyed the weekend!

Ryan and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary. I just don't know how I convinced this guy to marry me!

The boys loved helping Dad mow the lawn with their new lawn mowers. It really was too bad they couldn't really cut because they loved it!

It was nice to let the boys finally head outside and play! They love their sandbox!

 These pictures just make me smile. I love these boys and their imaginations.

 We also got to Skype John for Mother's Day. He is doing awesome! One more year!