Life Back home with my BOYS

Before Asher arrived, I remember wondering how I would love another baby as much as Branson and thinking about how much I would miss Branson while we were in the Hospital. Our time in the Hospital for a couple of days without Branson went by so quickily and was such a good time to bond with Asher. Branson was not allowed to visit because of RSV season so by the time we were discharged we were so excited to get home and see Branson and let him meet his brother for the first time. He had been staying at His Oma and Papa's house and apparently was having such a good time he cried when he found out he had to come home- which made us feel fabulous! I couldn't believe how HUGE he looked after being with a 7 pound baby for a couple of days. He looked strangely large. Even changing his diaper seemed wrong- just too much booty compared to what we had been dealing with! Anyway, we were SO excited to see him and he was excited to meet his brother too! He just smiled and said "Baby" and wanted to hold him. He also wanted to rock him, singing, "Rock Beeee, Rock Beeee." So Cute! Asher has just mostly been sleeping, eating, and being precious these first days. Here are our newborn/family shots taken when Asher was 10 days old:

Side Note: He rolled over from his back to tummy and tummy to back during the shoot- crazy little guy!

Arrival of Baby BOY number 2- Asher Scot

I had a doctors appointment early the morning of September 8th. Moving along fine in pregnancy terms, but no "real" sign of labor in my immediate future. (My due date was the 18th). Then, later that day as Branson was taking a nap I decided to lay down myself for a few minutes- a regular occurrence at this point. I started feeling, crampy-ish, I suppose. I just couldn't fall asleep because I was having some pains. After a little while of this I decided maybe I should be timing this pain? (With Branson, my water broke so the whole labor bit was kind of a no-brainer) I began timing and interestingly enough I was having some pretty consistent pain, about 8-10 minutes apart. I decided to take a shower just incase. They were getting closer together and more painful with the passing time so I called Chris to let him know. I started to make some dinner and was getting ready for My brother Tavis and his wife Cindy to come visit. It was her birthday so I was planning a little party for later that night. The contactions were getting stronger. I called Chris to ask where he was and why he wasn't home yet. Apparently my call earlier wasn't clear enough because he was just working away, and kind of oblivious to the fact that I might actually be in labor. I'm pretty sure when he got home he found me lying in bed curled into a ball holding my breath- I think he started to realize maybe this was it. I was in pain, but the contractions were still about 5 minutes apart so I was doing what I could to finish dinner, not wanting to rush to the hospital if this was just a false alarm. Finally, we called the hospital and the nurse told me to come in once they were closer together and the pain was to the point I couldn't talk through it- yay! We had Christopher's sister on stand by so we called her and caught her right before a nice date out with her hubby, sorry Annick! Chrisopher decided we should head to the hospital so we did, and by the time we were at his sisters house dropping off Branson, I was SO GLAD we were on our way. Contactions were only 1-2 minutes apart and I was in quite a bit of pain! When we got to the hospital I knew they were going to admit be, or I decided I would stand in the waiting room screaming until they did. They admitted me and we were in a room with an epidural around 11pm. The epidural worked MUCH better this time around and I could barely feel the catheter, THANK GOD!! Annick ended up coming to visit after Branson fell asleep at her house with Uncle Jared and we called our photographer friend, Jess. She made it just in time, along with my friend Alexis. Annick and Jess were in the room during the delivery, snapping shots and capturing video footage- I was fully on display! :) The delivery went pretty quickly and although I still felt more than I wish I could have (Why epidurals don't work as intended on me, I have NO idea) It was so much better than my first delivery! We did not know what the gender was and decided to let the doctor tell us both. I couldn't risk Christopher mistaking parts, sorry babe! Out came the baby and the doctor exclaimed, "It's....a....BOY!" Ok, I was sort of hoping for a girl, but when he said BOY, it was as if I already knew. I just kind of said, of course it is!! And when I held him in my arms for the first time I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Boys, Sons, Brothers... and most importantly, A Healthy Baby!! What a blessing. And so we named him Asher Scot Liles. "Asher" comes from the Bible, meaning HAPPY, and "Scot" after his daddy's middle name, spelled wrong and everything. We had a great experience aside from Asher doing a bit of coughing up/choking and leaving us to call the nurses in a couple times. They had to clean out his lungs a bit and we were definitely on edge, but by the time we left the hospital he was doing well and seemed to be living up to his name. We couldn't love him more!

Joys Baby Shower

I had the pure HONOR of throwing a baby shower for my good friend Joy. It was a joint effort for sure, but we had fun planning a special little afternoon to love of our friend and enjoy some time with the girls. Joy is having a little girl, due October 13th and I am so excited for our kids to be friends (or to build a lifetime love??) But really, it has been wonderful to share in this pregnancy together and I am looking forward to our adventures in mommy-hood!

Fallons Birthday

This birthday being all big and pregnant, I decided to just spend a quiet day with my little guy. We started by getting some yummy FREE FOOD at Joe's Farmgrill and had a surprise visitor- Joy- a great start to any day! Next, we headed over to a public pool, Mesquite Groves (I highly recommend going) and had fun splashing in the water. It was a special time spent with Branson while I can still give him undivided attention. Later that day we spent with Christopher and my dad enjoying a great dinner and family time. I feel so big these days that a quiet birthday was just what I wanted!

Maternity Pictures

Before The Arrival of our second child, we were able to spend a warm afternoon taking some pictures with Jay and Jess from SessionNinePhotography. They are friends and wonderfully talented and creative photographers who have just recently started their business. We also have them scheduled to take pictures in the hospital and newborn shots once we get home. Taking pictures while pregnant is not a favorite of mine, but I am glad we captured this special time in our lives as we anticipate adding to our family.

Cabin Time with Friends

We got to take a fun weekend away with a couple couples to the In-laws cabin and had a great weekend away. We went on hikes, played games, chatted, spent time in downtown Prescott, and enjoyed the cooler weather. Thanks for a great weekend Lundbergs and Hermanns! We will have to do it again (But with our growing families I'm not sure how we will fit) :)

4th of July, 2009

We spent our 3rd Annual 4th of July at the Blocks House this year and had a great time as usual.

The boys took more pictures and they have grown up so much this past year. I love that I have some great friends going through similar experiences with having children and especially love that we all have boys that get to romp around together. Maybe more boys are in our future as Alexis and I are both expecting but the gender will be a surprise!!

Christophers MANY Birthday Parties!

Christopher turned 27 on June 2nd and we celebrated a few times. I am not sure how that really happened, but I guess we just love him so much we had to have more than 1 party! First, we had some friends over, then we had some family over, and then on his actual birthday a couple days later his sister and brother-in-law came over for dinner. I made a cake/cupcakes for each party, and by his actual birthday, we were so sick of cake we didnt even eat any... what a waste! Branson became a pro at blowing out candles!!

Fun in the Sun with Jack Jack

Lex came over with Jackson for a little WATER TIME for the boys, and a little break for the moms! Branson and Jackson had a great time splashing around in the water and being boys. They are so cute together! Branson is generally the little FOLLOWER of Jackson, but they both LOVE hanging out together. After they got all dirty in the backyard, it was time for a bath! CUTE BUDDIES!

HAPPY 5 Years!!

5 YEARS!! All this blogging is making me realize how quick it all goes! Its been an amazing 5 years married to the LOVE of my LIFE! We really have so much to be thankful for and feel so incredibly blessed in this life. Starting a Family has been the biggest change this past year, but it couldnt be a better change. Seeing Christopher as a dad just brings out a whole new way for me to love him! We got to spend a weekend away at Christophers Parents Cabin, which is a rare occurance for us these days. It was nice to have some alone time without the Kiddo, and we enjoyed being able to do some of the simple things.... going to a movie, walking along the steets, and sitting in the park with an icecream cone. On our actual anniversary day, we went fishing! (my favorite, but a bit of a sacrifice for Christopher) He actually caught a couple fish though and I think he had more fun than he had planned. He was the official boat driver and when I tried to take over, we were in a tree within about 1 minute. I will stick to the fishing from now on! And I learned not to complain about Christophers' steering either! :) Thanks for a wonderful weekend away and an INCREDIBLE 5 years!

BUBBLE BATHS!

Bathtime has always been a favorite of Bransons (I think he gets it from me). But, since we moved into our new home, Bathtime has become even more exciting. I think I was actually the most excited at the discovery of our Jacuzzi Tub, and realizing if you turned the Jets on with some soap in the water it POOFS up just like a bubble bath in the MOVIES! I really was beyond excited... its the simple things! Branson loves playing in the bubbles, if we try to get through a bath without them.... its a contstant cry for "Buuuubble? Buuuuubble?" And how cute is he covered in all that mess??

My Second Mothers Day!

...and chris remembered it this year! (But that's another story)

Chris let me sleep in for mothers day and when I woke up, he had branson dressed in a T-shirt he had made himself that said "I LOVE MY MOM." It was so sweet! Then he had me open a present he made for me, Which was a picture frame full of pics of me and Branson. Branson also colored on the outside of the present. We all went to a great breakfast at Liberty Market afterwards and ran into some good friends, The Warrens. Our kids played at the splashpad after we ate and it was fun to just sit around and relax while Chris was busy running after Branson! I took full advantage of it being "MY" day, and basically said I was off. I dont think I changed 1 diaper the whole day... how FABULOUS! I did, however, decide that it Branson was extremely past due for a haircut so 2 popsicles, 3 suckers, and some fruit snacks later I accomplished a low grade style! He didn't complain! We spent the evening with Christophers Mom and family. A great mothers day... Thanks to my wonderful Hubby and precious little boy!

LYNN~MOM~GRANDMA'S BIRTHDAY!

To celebrate Lynn's Birthday (Christophers Mom & Bransons Grandma) the whole family went out for a steak dinner at Texas Roadhouse- A FAVORITE! She might never go back again after we embarassed her by singing happy birthday as she rode on a saddle with everyone in the restaurant watching, but we had fun!