Family Pictures

Ok. Here they are....the results of our family pictures taken on Saturday!
Let me know which ones you love! I need help deciding which ones to have printed for around our house!

Merry Christmas!

Pictures of Lukey's first Christmas morning!

This is Luke with his Great Grandma NiNi and his 3 week old cousin Talan.
Luke looks like a TANK next to Talan!

3 Generations...sort of. ha ha Cory's Grandma Virginia, Cory & Luke - so cute.

I'm pretty sure this is our first somewhat legitimate family picture! Ignore my double chin and Lukes VERY sad face! ha


I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Ours was so fun and I can hardly wait to celebrate more holidays with Luke - especially when he'll have a clue what's going on! We had a fun time visiting Cory's family and spending time with them. This is my very first Christmas away from my family, and I am happy to say that I didn't cry all day! Now the days before on the other hand......:) Anyway, it was so fun to see Cory having such a fun time with his aunts, uncles and cousins.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

January-December

January

The typical, slightly depressing month it usually is...I remember working A LOT. I had just started some new responsibilities and was completely stressed out about them. I just remember really looking forward to February.

February

We found out I was pregnant this month. SO EXCITING! I was actually at work and had just finished working out when I decided to take the test. Amber was working at the time, and due to my complete shock - I made her look at the positive result just to make sure it was true. I went into the locker room and called Cory. I can only vaguely remember his response. ha. I then called my mom. I can only vaguely remember her response as well. We also had our 1 year anniversary this month. I had gotten 2 snowboarding passes for me and Cory...turns out we had to discreetly figure out how to get Cory's friend Nate to go without him and have a semi-valid reason that I couldn't go on our anniversary date anymore....

March

This was probably the worst month of "morning sickness". It was really only bad when I had dairy products...I figured that out the hard way. My life became much less crazy this month too because the Winter League at work was over. PHEW.

April

This was the month we announced our pregnancy to everyone we knew. How exciting!

May

If I remember correctly this was the month we found out we were having a boy! After playing a SO not nice trick on us during the ultrasound and making us think he was a girl....We called our parents to tell them the exciting news. This is when my mom pulled the name Luke out of thin air. It was a name we had totally never even thought a little about, and yet, it is the one that stuck! Then came many discussions about whether to name him Lucas or just Luke. I couldn't do just Luke...I couldn't name my kid a nickname name. I just couldn't.

June

I was definitely looking pregnant this month. I finally wasn't just questionably gaining weight. What a relief. I also started being able to feel Luke move around. He has always been a crazy mover. It just kept getting more and more realy.

July

I really can't remember a single thing of this month....

August

Tyler and Katy got married!! FINALLY! It was SO fun to go out and visit my family too! Too bad I was like 7 months pregnant and totally swollen in the heat of humid-wisconsin-summer. I couldn't even wear great heels. How sad. I am so happy for the two of them. They belong together and it was such an incredible time for me. Sitting in the sealing room, crying my eyes out, reminiscing about what it took for them to get there; the sacrifices that Katy had to make, all of it. I am so happy that they chose to get married in the temple and be sealed to each other forever.

September

Only one more month before Lukey! I definitely started feeling like a whale this month. Sadly, our lives were pretty much the same every day this entire year. A lot of work.

October

My mom came out on the 22nd (my actual due date) and sadly, Luke wasn't born until A WEEK later. To be optimistic (which we all know isn't my strong trait...) I was at least able to spend some great quality time with my mom and sister and sister in law during that week. Finally, on the 29th, after 12 hours of labor and an emergency c-section, Luke decided to grace us with his presence. He has been ruling the roost ever since. My mom stayed for 3 weeks, my sister basically moved in, my dad and brothers came out for a week, we blessed Luke when he was 3 days old (I only made it through thanks to the ibuprofen/percocet combo I had inside me). This was quite the month.

November

Amber still lived with us; our house was a little crowded but full of life. I had the month off of work, and oh man - I really got used to that freedom! Ha. After a few weeks of recover, I was able to carry Luke around on my own so there was a lot of time filled by walking around Target and the mall. It actually kind of gets boring just chillin at home all the time. Not boring enough to wish I could work though....

December

Work started again, although this time it's MUCH less than it used to be and much easier to handle. Luke is growing and growing and I am consistently torn between loving every minute of it or hating it and wishing it would stop. It has been incredible how quickly he learns things and how fast he changes. If he is awake, he has to be sitting up so he can look around and see the world. He is a very curious little boy...I can only imagine what this will be like in a few months when he can control where he goes and when he goes there! It is quite convenient being able to lay him on the couch, come back 5 minutes later, and have him still be in the same place! He is the sweetest little boy. He smiles at me everytime he sees me. He LOVES to be with Cory when he's home from work. I love that he can hear either one of us talking across the room and he will look around until he finds us. There is nothing quite like having him search, make eye contact, and smile - with basically his whole body. What an angel.

I can only imagine what the next year has to bring. This one will be a hard one to beat! Although, in 2 months Cory and I will celebrate our 2 year anniversary! (seems totally weak though - I swear we have been married longer than that!...and I mean that in a good way:) ) In July we will be going to Canada for the first time in like 3 years. I am so excited to introduce both Cory and Luke to the Canadian side of my family. Ryan graduates from college in April, Jared turns 16 in February, Katy graduates in April/May, Jake starts high school, Luke will turn 1, Amber will turn the big 2-1 and Tyler will complete his fire fighter/army training.

We are in for a good year and I am really excited about all the joy it will bring!

Christmas Sunday

Here are some pictures of cute Lukey in his Christmas outfit from Grandma!

And really - I have no idea why his hair looks so red in these pictures! For those that don't see in real life - it is more blonde than red. So funny.

Dear Sister

It was your birthday yesterday - I hope it was great! Now to reminisce about birthday's past...

Starting with the original - there are only things that I vaguely remember, like that I was somewhere between excited and pissed to have another girl in the family - I could have ruled the roost as the only sister if it wasn't for you! Ha. Or I could have fun sharing my toys and shoes with you. Looking back, I'm happy you weren't just another boy.

There are many birthdays that passed that I am sure I wasn't even nice to you. Remember that time in life when we hated each other? And we lived in COMPLETELY different worlds? That went on for way too long. I played with Barbies, you pretended you were Magic. Magic ate Barbies - hence the beginning of the hatred. ha ha

I am sorry for all of those years I let go without cherishing and celebrating every passing year with you. I am sorry for missing your 18th birthday - the biggest one of them all. I am sorry for missing your graduation - another huge moment in life. I am sorry for screaming and yelling when you wore my shoes without asking, and then stealing yours the next day.

I love you very much sister. You are my greatest friend. You make me laugh like no one else. You make me feel comfortable with being weird. Because you are always one level of weirdness above me. You are beautiful and smart and wittier than I will ever be.

I hope your birthday was as spectacular as you wanted it to be! Welcome to the "adult" world.

and yes megan evans - another blog about one person. you won't hate it so much when it's your turn to be the focus! :)

here's to you cotter

you spoke...i listened :)

talents

I know I mentioned before that we have a talented little boy. Well...here's some more good news.

Luke can puke out his nose and mouth now! It's just such great fun getting to experience all the "firsts" of life with him......

Christmas Party

So, we had our work Christmas party tonight. This is the first time in the 3 Christmas's I have worked there that we've had a Christmas party. I guess that's what happens you have peppy cheerleader types that start working there.....

Check out our sweet outfits! and ignore that i look ghostly white. and the terrible angle the pictures were taken from - thanks sis! :)

It was funny because the lady that hosted it couldn't figure out if we were serious or not because we acted like we were, but then other people all made fun of them and we just laughed. ha. it was great. and one of the more awkward dinners I've ever eaten.

Growing Up

It's official...Luke is a big boy now. He slept in his very own room for the first time last night! And get this - HE LOVED IT!

I was totally worried that I wouldn't be able to sleep thinking that he might stop breathing or something. I am proud to say, I only checked on him twice. He slept for almost 5 hours too - went like 7 hours without eating. A serious accomplishment. And the best part - I just got to lay him back down and didn't have to listen to him getting himself back to sleep. And believe me - listening to that would keep most people awake. He is so noisy.

Anyway, he is 6 weeks old today and officially a big boy. Good job Lukey. Let's just hope he keeps up the good work. He's been in there for an hour now and seems to be going strong.....keep your fingers crossed.

Dear Santa

I definitely just found what I want for Christmas...


https://www.keyboardforblondes.com/index.cfm

3,2,1 BLAST OFF

I am sitting here FINALLY doing some laundry and I just have to start out by saying that I am SO grateful for our washer and dryer...drier...however you spell it. Until about like April-ish of this year we were doing laundry at friends houses, parents houses or the laundromat.

Can I tell you what a drag that is? It's just so inconvenient to have to only do laundry once a week and spend the entire day/night at someone elses house just waiting for the machines to do their jobs.

So, like I said, in about April I had had enough of that. We had a drier...dryer...whatever...for a while just wishing for it's second half. So, I went on ksl classifieds (one of my favorite places to buy things) and found a washer for $100! SWEET! So, we splurge and buy it.

One minor detail...the seller failed to mention that the machine sounds like a ROCKET when on the spin cycle. No joke. I have guilt doing laundry at night because it is so loud I think our neighbors can hear it. Seriously.

The best part is, I don't even care. I L O V E the washer and the fact that I can wash things WHENEVER I WANT that it really doesn't even bother me. I just love it.

thankful.

Now that it is "officially" Christmas season, I have been trying to figure out what presents to get for Cory this year and what I want too....both of us can not think of a single thing that we are in need of.

That is what I am most grateful for - the fact that our family is not in need of anything. The best part, is that this extends out to my brothers and sisters as well. My mom and I were talking the other day and we were discussing how great it is that everyone in our family is exactly where they want to be. Life is good. Very Very good.

Here's a little of the good news...

Ryan has been accepted to law school in Iowa - with a full ride scholarship for the first year! That is $33,000 in tuition they are no longer responsible to pay!

Tyler is coming home from basic training on the 19th - just in time to spend Christmas with Katy!

Katy gets Tyler home for Christmas!

Amber found a GREAT new apartment with a roommate she loves. I know how much anxiety she had about finding a place and I am so happy for her.

Jared and Jake are going strong with everything in life. They are 2 of the most impressive little boys I have ever known. Their ability to stand up for what they believe and who they are is such an example to me.

I couldn't ask for better siblings to set examples for my little Luke

I am so thankful for all that we have in our lives. It is totally overwhelming to think of all that we have been blessed with in life - Cory having a secure job, Luke being healthy and strong, a great place to live, loving family all around us (or just a phone call away).

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and Merry Christmas too!

one month old!

Luke turned a whole MONTH old yesterday! In some ways I can't believe it's been a month already and in other ways it feels like he has been here for so much longer than that! He is such a sweet, cute little boy - i don't know what i'd do without him now!

Here are two birthday pictures...

I love his cute bum...

And his cute little feet...

He does this all the time - apparently he thinks a lot in his sleep. ha!

Dear Luke,
Happy one month birthday sweet boy! I can not believe how fast the time is flying - I wish it would slow down a little! You are such a great baby and have taught me and your dad so much. I am so grateful that you are healthy and growing stronger every day. You are starting to hold your head up now. The past week or so you have been working on that a lot! You are a great sleeper - going for about 3 hours at a time. You still sleep better when there is a lot of noise...we go walk around Target and the mall during nap time - it works like a charm!
We love you more than we could ever express. We are so excited to watch you grow and learn more about you!
Love, Mom and Dad

Tag #2

The 5th picture in the 5th folder on my computer....

I love that it's such a cute one! We are using this picture as a decoration in his room...he's so sweet.

Again, I tag Amber, Meagan, Megan, Nikki & Katy.

I'm IT

Lucky #7

7 Things I Can Do:

1. change diapers!
2. decorate...usually
3. paint. not like the artistic paint, but the decorative kind like furniture and walls
4. play the piano
5. ummmm.....this is hard! oh, i can cook. when i want to.
6. i can type really fast
7. speak with all sorts of different accents. it's really kinda lame haha

7 Things I Can NOT Do:

1. watch the discovery/history/animal channels for more than 15 minutes without having to get up and leave the room. so boring
2. sleep through the night...thank you lucas
3. live without cory
4. eat an entire hotdog
5. listen to people complain about things they have control over. i mean, if you aren't happy about something - do something about it!
6. go a day without diet coke
7. go a day without flossing my teeth.

7 Things that Attracted Me To Cory:

1. his dark hair/blue eyes combination
2. his funny personality
3. the fact that he seemed up for a week-long fling
4. he was slightly unavailable...sorry nikki :) ha
5. his cute sense of "style"
6. his incredibly easy going personality
7. his ability to calm me down whenever i have anxiety attacks

7 Celebrity Admirations:

1. Gwen Stefani...she's so hot. even if she did name her child Zuma
2. Reese Witherspoon...so cute!
3. Jennifer Garner...i swear if she knew me we would be best friends. And ALIAS...oh yeah
4. Meg Ryan...not so much now because she's kind of become a weirdy, but back in the You've Got Mail days...definitely
5. Mariska Hargitay...she's the girl on Law & Order SVU and I seriously love her. seriously.
6. Will Smith...his movies are always so great!
7. James Marsden...I already told Cory that if I meet James and he is as nice as Cory, I might leave him. ha!

7 Favorite Foods:

1. Ham & Grandma Potatoes...oh man. my all time favorite meal
2. pot roast & potatoes
3. cafe rio. i could eat it almost every day
4. tony's frozen pepperoni pizza
5. chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips
6. french fries
7. diet coke

I tag Katy, Meagan, Megan & Nikki.

Post Script: Dear My Friend Kaitlyn - this blog was very difficult! I had to think for a long time!!

Talents

I must say, we have a very talented son....he peed, pooped and threw up all at the same time today! And I must add....this all occurred immediately after I removed his diaper. Awesome. True talent.

Life As We Knew It

The life that used to revolve around work and socializing almost every night has turned into this world revolving around a little human that can barely even hold up his own head. It's amazing how fast it changes and how welcome those changes are.

And it's true what they say...It will never be the same.

Here are a few things I've learned over the last 3 weeks:

1. Sleep is a great and wonderful thing.

2. Showering is definitely optional. No need to do something so frivolous on a daily basis.

3. Yawns are the cutest thing a baby can do.

4. Even baby farts are adoreable. The fact that they just slip out as if nothing just happened....fantastic.

5. Baby swings are one of the greatest inventions.

6. A mom can never get enough of watching their baby get all the attention in the world.

Luke's umbilical cord fell off on Monday so we decided to give him his first "real" bath tonight...He handled it incredibly well! The lotion-ing after the bath is what pushed him over the edge. And of course, we took the typical embarassing pictures. yay!

He sleeps with his hand touching his face. Every time he sleeps. It is so funny. And usually he has at least one arm reaching above his head. We have an ultrasound picture of him in the same position...I hope he keeps it up his whole life and I can use it against him when he is 17 and has his first girlfriend. I can't wait for embarassing story-telling time.

This is his favorite sleeping position. Please notice that his foot is above my arm. We started with hisl egs between me and my arm - he grunted and moved and moved until his foot was above my arm. In that weird kinked position. Happens every time. What a funny little boy.

I still have guilt that Cory has to go to work every day while I get to hang out. Pajama days are my favorite thing. I pretend they are Luke's too. :)

One Week Later

What an incredibly eventful week it has been! Luke turns a whopping 7 days old today and I can't help myself but post about what a fantastic little boy he is and how incredible it has been getting to know him and experience life with him!

He is so much like his dad - it's very good news. The most mellow baby in the world - incredibly patient when being passed around and admired by all his many fans, sleeps better with lots of noise, and very stubborn :)

He makes the absolutely most adorable faces ever...his smiles are my favorite thing. When he smiles I like to pretend it's because he knows who I am and recognizes my voice....who knows if that's really the case, but that's what I tell myself.

He snorts when he's hungry and when he's asleep. He's very alert for a brand new baby.

My favorite thing is morning-time naps. He is a great sleeper, usually sleeping 3-4 hours at a time. Which means we go to bed around 12, wake up around 3:30 and then not again until about 6:30 or 7. We wake up, say bye to dad when he goes to work and then have nap time...we lay on the couch with him on my chest and sleep for another 3 hours and just cuddle. He is so fantastic.

Being a mom is the greatest thing that has happened to me. Besides marrying Cory of course, because without him this wouldn't be my life right now....:)

Anyway, here are some more cute random pictures of him. I love being a mom - i know, totally cliche, but totally true. I am so grateful to Cory for being such a wonderful dad...he is so hands on and willing to do anything and everything he can to help.

I am also so grateful for my mom for being here and helping keep me sane during this crazy week!

This is the biggest smile I could get from him while the camera was in his face....he's so cute :)

Lucas Cory Daley

On Wednesday October 29th at about 5:15am I woke up to my water breaking - yay yay yay! I got to experience that perfectly cliche moment...."umm cory, i think my water just broke" ha ha

So, he gets up, takes a shower and we leave for the hospital!!

We got checked in and were ready to have this baby by about 7am. After a long 10 hours of labor (thank goodness for the greatest invention on earth - the epideral - it wasn't a completely terrible 10 hours) the nurse came in to check and see what was taking so long, and all of a sudden Luke's heartrate fell to 80 beats per minute - not a good thing considering their heartrate is usually at like 150, then before I even knew what was going on there were like 7 nurses in my room and I was hooked up to oxygen, wearing a surgical cap and they were wheeling me out of the room.

Insert COMPLETE PANIC here.

I look up to the nurse with tears streaming down my face and she explains to me that his heartrate was at about 40 beats per minute right now and they were taking me to the operating room. At about the same time I hear pages for the dr "STAT" and the Neo-Natal team "STAT" - not words you want to hear while in labor.....

Seriously, before I even knew what was going on I was moved to the operating table and the doctors were there saying that if "husband" (because they didn't know his name....) didn't hurry, he would miss it. my arms are strapped to the table to the sides of me, my legs are strapped to the bed, i have an oxygen mask covering most of my face and a blue sheet blocking my view of what is going on. I have tears running down my face as I scan the room for Cory. Finally, he makes it. he stands next to me, holding my hand, comforting me as much as he can, as I am still panicking that my baby's heart isn't beating properly!

In what seemed like an eternity later - and was really only about 5 minutes - I was cut open, my insides on my outside and there was a baby. I heard his cry...the greatest sound a mom can hear in the midst of terror. The nurses grab him, quickly get him to cry and cry and cry to get all the maconium-filled amniotic fluid out of his lungs (another bad thing...) and to make sure his lungs are functioning. After a few minutes, they put him on the scale - a healthy 8 pounds 2 ounces and 20 inches long.

They hold him up so I can see...while i'm being stitched up and still laying on the operating table...and whisk him away to the nursery for test after test.

Needless to say, it was the longest 15 minutes of my life. The nurse came in to check me at 5pm, Lucas was born at 5:15. Complete chaos.

They kept him in the nursery for about an hour and a half before I got to see him. Cory went and took some pictures so I could at least see what my baby looked like...

Anyway, after all the drama - here are some pictures of the cutest baby ever! ...well, at least I think so :)

these are some of him in an oxygen helmet to help him breathe and hooked up to all the testing things...

Aunt Ambie was his first official visitor...

Here he is hanging out with Dad on day 2 of life

here he is all ready to go home on Saturday afternoon

and his crazy hair is my favorite thing ever - this was after his bath last night!