We kicked off September with a trip to Lyon's for Labor Day. We met up with the Merrill's and Bryce's and had an awesome day! It was sunny, warm, and perfect for water play. Jay loved the outdoor playground the most. He loves Uncle Jason and I was very grateful when Jason scooped him up to help him make it back to the car after a full day of play.
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| The carload! |
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| Jay and Betty Jane |
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| Jay about to "go!" |
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| Jay mastered this rope ladder by the end of our time at the park |
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| All the cousins, playing in the water! It was cold water, but all the bigs jumped all the way in at some point. |
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| Uncle Jason to the rescue! |
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| Tia, Kade, and Jay playing with bubbles. |
We got to attend beautiful Hope's baby blessing. She's already a lovely girl and it was fun to be close by for her blessing. I've made it to 4 of 5 of the Merrill baby blessings, and I feel very lucky! Oma and Papa spent Monday at our house helping us fix our sprinklers. Papa moved a couple of our sprinkler heads for us so they'd be more on the edge and lower in the ground. We broke the head off two times this year, so it will be super nice to have it lower and out of the middle of the lawn. Papa worked his magic pretty quickly, and we enjoyed the rest of the day on a walk and chatting. They had to leave too soon, it was hard to see them go.
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| Roxy, Kylee, Hope, Tia, Betty Jane, Allen, Abby, Jay, Kade |
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| All the boys - Jason, Kade, Hope, Jack, Allen, Papa, Brother Merrill, Jay, M |
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| Jack, Papa, Jason, Hope, Brother Merrill, M |
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| M, Me, Jay, Lindsay, Roxy, Jack, Allen, Betty Jane, Papa, Oma, Abby, Jason, Hope, Kade, Katey, Brother & Sister Merrill, Kylee, and Tia |
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| Like father, like son - they both got good naps in Sunday afternoon |
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| Jay helping Papa with the sprinklers |
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| Jay and Oma looking at a book |
On September 7th, we went to our 20 week ultrasound. M was able to get off work, which was a huge blessing. He's had minimal time off, and we found a sitter for Jay so we could go together. I love ultrasounds, they're fascinating and it's so fun to see the baby move. I've been able to feel this little one for a few weeks, which is way earlier than I felt Jay. We were so excited to find out we are having a boy! I really wanted a boy so Jay could have a buddy. I loved having sisters so close in age, and I hope these two little boys will be best friends someday. I had fun getting supplies to do a little gender reveal that involved Jay. One nerve wracking item they found was enlarged ventricles in his brain, the consequences of this are scary and could have some lasting effects. Every possible scenario went through our minds over the next two weeks as we waited to see the high risk doctor and get another ultrasound. I am grateful for all the family who offered prayers those two weeks in our behalf, at times it felt all-consuming and without prayers I am sure it would have been worse. No matter what we learned, we knew this baby was a son of God and God would make sure his son has what he needs to be successful on earth. A neighbor came and helped M give me a blessing the day before the ultrasound. Katey came and watched Jay, and we went to our appointment. The tech looked over everything again, and the baby was heads up, which allowed us to get a good visual of his brain. The ventricles went from about an 8 of 10, to a 2 of 10. The doctor reassured us at a 2 there was nothing to worry about. Tears flowed in gratitude for the miracle. The doctor said she wasn't sure why they were concerned, but we know it's through faith and prayers the ventricles decreased in size. It was an amazing feeling walking out of that appointment knowing our baby was as healthy as could be.
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| Sweet little profile, with his arm up |
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| It's a baby brother!! |
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Jay telling Katey to "go"! As she pushed them both Jay and Hope.
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| 20 weeks! |
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| Jay at 20 weeks, Baby Boy #2 at 20 weeks |
Jay continues to woo many people in the ward, including a couple of empty nesters who had us over for dinner. He grabbed their hands, took them everywhere, and gave them hugs before we left. He'd never met them before, but wanted to take Sister Thomas home with us when we were leaving. I love seeing the light Jay takes with him everywhere. He's so happy, joyful, and loving. He never judges and wants to be friends with everyone.
Uncle David and Aunt Gaylynn texted me late one evening and asked if I'd be home on Friday and if they could come visit. I was so happily surprised and it was the best overnight visit! They got here a little after four, and left early the next morning. Jay quickly noticed Uncle David's nice truck outside, and took him out there to check it out. We thought they'd gone on a walk, but Jay was just happily playing in the truck and asking Uncle David to put him up into the bed and out and back in, etc. I miss living close to them, their home was a home away from home for me during my time in Utah and they were like second parents. It was lovely having them!
We had some fun adventures with the Merrill's throughout September. M went and did archery with Jason, Kylee, and Tia. They all had a blast and later that night we babysat the kids so Katey and Jason could go to Stake conference. Kylee and Tia also performed at half-time at a high school football game. M went to his first every high school football game to support them. They did awesome, and it was very cool to see the excitement they had afterwards.
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| Dogpile on Kylee! As you can see, Jay is very relaxed |
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| He loves these sunglasses! He finds them every time we visit. |
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| How many kids can ride Uncle M at the same time? They loved it. |
The best part of September is when September 15th is past. M is still really busy, but the major deadline is met and he gets a little more sleep and a little more time away from work. He works so hard to support our family, and we love him for it! I am grateful I don't have to work outside our home, and I've been able to enjoy Jay and summer to it's fullest for the first time in a long time! Even during the small breaks, we tried to get outside and enjoy the sunshine as a family.
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| I learned from Kara that squirt bottles are way better than squirt guns. |
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| Jay is often sleeping in odd positions and pants-less. |
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| I made one more bib for a friend, this one turned out way better than my last two. |
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Jay blowing kisses saying BYE, as he heads to work for Dadda. He's got M's shoes, socks, and backpack all ready.
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| Naptime equals empty dresser time.... |
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I finally got our Blaylock measurement board hung up and finished! I love it!
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Here's a pic of our happiness when Daddy comes even for a small break outside.
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