Big Boys

Why is it that once you tell your kids you want to take their picture they do anything but look normal? I got Carson and Blake matching Paul Frank pajamas. I think Blake thought he was really big to be matching Carson. The pants were a little long on him so he wasn't a huge fan.

My two monkeys. Nice faces.

This is the best I could get, but is typical of each of them. Carson being a goofball and Blake sucking his finger totally oblivious to whatever I'm saying to him.

Entertainment

We don't get out as much as we used to that's for sure. The boys have done okay entertaining themselves too. Carson and Blake get along a majority of the time. These diaper boxes and Scentsy box have proved to be a great source of cheap entertainment.

Blake was fascinated by Carson's toes. He would touch every one of them.

Blake taking a little rest in Tanner's carseat. He thought he was pretty funny too.

Introductions

Matt just sent me these photos that were taken by his dad at the hospital. I thought they were cute of Carson and Blake meeting their new brother for the first time. By the looks on their faces I think they like him.

These pictures make Carson and Blake look like giants.

For memories sake...our very first family picture at the hospital.

Blake taking a break from his explorations to sit and say "cheese" with Grandma.

Week 1

I have officially survived Week 1 of being a mom to three boys. I have to admit that this recovery has by far been the best. My emotional instability has only been an issue a handful of times. What a blessing. I'm glad Matt still loves me even though I cry about things like him going to work. Carson and Blake have done pretty well. They have gotten a bit stir crazy here and there because we don't get out much, but overall I can't really complain. Carson loves his baby brother. Blake is soft when he realizes the baby even exists.

Is there anything cuter than a baby taking a little nap with his dad? I have pictures of all of our boys like this with their dad and it makes me smile. I love my boys and I sure love their dad!


Hello. I'm 1 week old. Tanner in his Sunday best. Tanner made a short debut at church this afternoon. We made it for sacrament meeting and then went home for a nap. All of the ladies loved him.

On the agenda for this week....newborn pictures for Tanner and LASIK surgery for Matt. Matt will be out of commission with his eyes closed for a couple days, but I'm just happy he'll be recovering here at home and that I get to see him a bit more. I'll take whatever I can get.

Brotherly Love

I think these pictures will show you a small glimpse of how Carson feels about his new baby brother.

Talk about melting my heart! I was watching them with a huge smile on my face.
Does life get much better? It's a simple moment like this that helps me to realize yet again what it's all about...family! I absolutely love mine.

1st Bath

Tanner enjoying his first bath.

All clean and ready for a little wake time before yet another nap!

1st Pediatrican Visit

3 days old and visiting the pediatrician. Luckily my mom had the two other boys. Dr. Salek wanted to know where the rest of my gang was and I laughed thinking about Blake climbing on everything and Carson wanting to be in on the action of checking out Tanner and asking the doctor a million questions.

The little guy passed with flying colors. He does have a bit of jaundice, but nothing major to worry about. He also weighed in at 6 lbs. 11 oz. I never thought we'd have a baby that size. Talk about a peanut!

Birthday Gift

Matt . Carson. Blake . Tanner

. i love you double infinity .

For my 30th birthday in March, Matt got me a gift certificate to the Vintage Pearl. It's an online website that does personalized charms, bracelets, necklaces, etc. Definitely check it out. I had been wanting a personalized necklace for a long time so I was really excited the gift! I ordered and have had this necklace for awhile, but didn't want to wear it just yet because Tanner hadn't arrived. I can now reveal my favorite piece of jewelry. It's simple, but means a lot to me.

Sweet Baby

Tanner is sure a sweet baby. We don't get to see his eyes very often just yet because he is always asleep. I wonder half the time if the boys even realize there is another little person in the house. I know soon enough he will be awake more often and life will get more hectic, so I'm enjoying the calm before the storm.

Blake really only notices Tanner when he makes his little squeeking noises. Blake will go over and talk some gibberish and softly touch his head. Here is Blake saying "cheese" for the camera. I've tried getting other pictures of them together but Blake is always off in another direction before I can snap the picture.

Mr. Tanner hanging out in his guitar onesie with his dad. This made Blake a tad jealous. Not bad, but he definitely noticed his dad was holding him.

Matt was back to work on Monday. He appreciates that I've had all our boys on a Saturday. It works out nicely with his schedule. I aim to please. We are all happy to see him after work! I'm especially happy. I'll admit I'm not the most stable person after giving birth. I think I've done better this time, but I miss Matt a lot.

Labor & Delivery

This is mainly for my own record. I wanted to get things written down while it's fresh in my mind. It's amazing to me how the 9 months of pregnancy seem to tick by so slowly and then the next thing you know you are at the hospital having a baby. Being pregnant in the summer isn't the best time of year. The last few weeks I have been so ready for this little guy to make his debut. In my mind I was really hoping for the timeline of events to follow more along with Blake's arrival. He arrive two weeks early - 38 weeks exactly. Carson was three days late. I went into my appointment on Friday, July 16th hoping Dr. Huish would strip my membranes and set me up to be induced in case nothing happened. I went in for my appointment - I was still at 3 cm and 50% effaced. He said it was too early to set up an induction time because the hospital was "cracking down" on that. I'd have to wait until week for that news. I left feeling discouraged because I really wanted this baby to come. He had stripped my membranes and said he'd see me the following Tuesday to do that again if necessary. I called Matt after the appointment needing a little bit of sympathy and I got a "your not due for another two weeks, so let's not get excited" response. Not what I wanted to hear. I burst into tears. Matt came home from work and I figured it would be nice to go to the mall and at least walk around to try and get something going. I had a spicy salad for dinner (another to help at this point) and walked the mall. We came home and I went on another walk in the miserable heat. I went to bed thinking I did everything I could and that I'd probably just see Dr. Huish again on Tuesday. 1:00 a.m. rolls around and I felt a contraction or two, but nothing to get excited about. By 1:45 a.m. they seemed a bit closer together and by 2:25 a.m. I was looking at the clock to time them. Sure enough they were every five mintues and getting worse. Matt woke up at about 3:00 a.m. to my whimpers of pain. I told him I didn't think I could last at home much longer. He was actually really surprised that anything was happening. He called his mom around 3:45 and hopped in the shower. I had my bags packed. I had bags packed for the boys. I got things set out for Gail and waited. She arrived and we were off to the hospital arriving at 4:15 a.m. How anyone gives birth without an epidural...I'm not sure. Sign me up for those things the second I get to the hospital please! I was at a 5 and they got me into a room. Our nurse was great. I had an epidural by 5:15 and was moving along. We were just waiting for my water to break. They finally called Dr. Huish and once he arrived he broke my water and sat down to get into his delivery clothes. Tanner arrived at 8:22 a.m. after a few pushes and surprised us all with his small size! I love 7 lb babies!!

Labor and delivery is such a special experience. I could do without the pain, but I'm grateful I had Matt there to cheer me on and let me squeeze his hand. This was by far my greatest labor and delivery. To finally be able to see an end result to many months of waiting is the best part. I look at our little Tanner and know that he's ours and part of our family. The love you can feel for a little person you have never met is overwhelming.

We left the hospital on Sunday {24 hour hospital stay} and headed to pick up Carson and Blake. We were anxious to get home with all our boys. We got them packed up and as we pulled out of Dave and Gail's driveway I was in tears. Matt smiled and asked if I was okay. It was a moment where I felt completely happy and content with my life. I had my family with me and we were heading home with yet another addition. I love my husband and all he does for our family. I love each of my boys and their different personalities. Right now I couldn't ask for more.

Tanner Ensign Evans

Introducing the newest member of our family!

Tanner Ensign Evans

July 17, 2010

8:22 a.m.

7 lbs. 19.5 in.

We are happy to be home from our hospital stay and ready to start life as a family of five! We love this little boy and are so happy to have him here and as part of our family.

Transitioning

The countdown has begun. Carson asked me yesterday how many more days until our baby gets here. Twenty-three. 23! That's really not that far away and if I have this baby early like I did with Blake he'd be here sometime next week. So, last night I left to get my pre-baby manicure and pedicure. When I got back Matt had put Blake to bed in Carson's room for the first time and moved the mattress up in the nursery so I could set up for our newest arrival. I have been slightly dreading transitioning Blake into Carson's room. It went great. Carson thought it was fun to "sneak" into his room quietly and not wake up his sleeping brother. Here is a glipse of the room I created for the two of them. There is still work to be done. Paint touch up here and there, but I love how it all turned out. We have a twin bed for Blake to put up in the future, but for now will continue to be contained in this crib.

Carson loves his solar system canvas. I had it matted and framed about a month ago. Blake is a climber and enjoyed folding the edges of the canvas up. I can often find Blake and/or Carson sitting at their little table looking through books. The lamp is not a permanent fixture in the room. We are working on getting a fan with lights installed in the boys rooms.

Our baby's new space. Now we just need a baby. I'm usually not a theme-y person, but fell in love with this Dr. Seuss bedding and went with it. Carson thinks it's the coolest thing ever. There are still additions to be made in the nursery, so once it's all done I'll put up more pictures. I just need to paint some letters and get a picture or two on the wall.

Creation by Heidi Lynn at Scrapbooks, Etc. I had the idea to put a canvas up with a Dr. Seuss quote, but nothing I came up with was quite right. I finally ended up hiring Heidi's services and boy am I glad. I told her what I wanted it to say, gave her cardstock colors and let her go with it. It turned out beyond adorable!

I just finished putting all the stuffed animals and books away in these buckets. I left the room and came back to find this. Blake had unloaded the bucket, turned it around and climbed in to look through a book.

I feel like I've been waiting forever for July to come. I have enjoyed putting the rooms together for the boys and now with Carson and Blake actually sharing a room it seems like it all came too fast. I have moments where I think to myself how on earth am I going to manage three kids? Luckily, I don't have to do it on my own. Matt is such a great dad and a huge help! It will take some time to adjust, but we are sure excited to meet this new addition. I know toting this kid around in my belly is much easier, but I'm starting to feel like I need my own body back. Hopefully the next post here will be to announce that our baby has arrived! Ready or not...he's coming!

Super Family

Carson is currently obsessed with dressing up in this costume. He takes it off and says, "Mom, my muscles will be back later."

Blake had to get in on the action. Doesn't he look thrilled.

Me and my boys. I sure love them to pieces! Hard to believe that we have another little guy on the way. Carson is really excited to meet his new brother. Blake is still clueless.

Happy {Fourth} of July

We had yet another fun filled 4th of July weekend. We always celebrate big with the Evans family because it's my father-in-law's birthday on the actual holiday. On Saturday we swam all morning, went home for naps and then came back for more swimming and a BBQ. On Sunday we celebrated with the Evans family again with a BBQ and fireworks. Blake sat still the entire time. His oo's ah's and wow's were so fun to watch.

My attempt to get a picture of Carson with a firework in the background. I tried. He loved playing with cousins and having all the soda he could drink.

Me and my favorite person!

Nate, Allison, Golden, Kate and Dallin

Dave, Karyn, Ellie, Cade, Kassie and Ashley

I love the holidays and the chance it gives us to celebrate with family!

Animals

Blake and Cohen were happy to climb right into the dog cage and play for a bit at my parent's house this morning. I actually had to bribe Blake with some pretzels to get him out.

Now that's one cute fish!

This kid absolutely loves the pool. We swim just about every day and his tan line can prove it. Although he's gotten to be a pretty good swimmer he tends to just play with pool toys, squirt guns and monkey around with his dad. Matt has lots of fun with his camera that can take under water pictures and video.

Here is Carson getting some rings by the steps in the shallow end. Matt helped him get one in the deep end and Carson was pleased. By Tuesday he was ready to try again in the deep end and with a little push from Grandma Gail he could do it pretty much all by himself. He did it several times in a row until he got too tired. He'll have to show his dad his latest skill this weekend.

I don't know what I'd do without our several pool options. Matt and I have both said our next house will definitely have to have a pool in the backyard. Yes, it has it's risks, but in Arizona swimming is a necessity in the summer for sure! The boys will continue their year round swimming lessons for now and we will continue to hit the pool every chance we get!