Photo Shoot

Sorry in advance for this LONG post, but I can never choose which pictures NOT to post... so I just post ALL the favorites! I took the kids out for pictures last week before all the Fall colors fell from the trees. They get so sick of me and the camera, I am sure! But they were pretty good sports (except for Emma who can't pose for a "normal" picture to save her life!)

Action Jaxson

Emma Blemma

The Two Nutcases Together

Big Sister and The Babe

Big Brother and The Babe

The Sunday before, I happened to have my camera in the car, so after church I snapped a few shots of the kids by the church parking lot. Sometimes the best pictures come when you don't "plan" for them!

I LOVE this one of Jax and Emma. They are such good little buddies!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

A girl from our ward took these shots of the kids at our ward party.

My kiddos

Ready to go Trick or Treat!

Here is the gang out in the night

Jaxson, Jonah, Emma and Jackson

Two Months Old

I can't believe my little newborn is not a "newborn" anymore. Time goes by way too fast and our little girl is changing (how dare she!) She is becoming a lot more responsive and LOVES to smile, except for when I try to get a picture of her smiles, then she just looks at me with her serious face.

She has officially taken to the binkie. Having not used a pacifier with the other two, I never thought I would. However, I needed her to take it so she could soothe herself better than Emma ever did. It has taken almost two months of persistence, but she has finally taken to it. I never knew what a lifesaver a little binkie could be until now!

I can never get good pictures of eyes! I love how blue Ellie's eyes have turned out to be!

All of our kids have held their little fists like this. It is one of my favorite things!
Her hair is a little crazy in these photos, but I love it!
Chillin' in her crib with her little bah lambie

Oh! There is a smile for the camera!

Our Visit to the Circus!

A couple weeks ago, we took the kids to the circus. It was fun to see all the traditional acts that I remember as a kid... shooting a person out of the canon, the tight rope, the tigers, the clowns. One of my favorite acts were the dogs - many different breeds doing every trick imaginable, including back flips. The kids seemed to really enjoy it.

What Emma WASN'T for Hallween

When people asked Emma what she was going to be for Halloween, I couldn't help the thought, "what ISN'T she going to be?" We pulled out all of our costumes to contribute to a Halloween Costume Swap we hosted for our ward at our house, and ever since, Emma struggled to decide which of the many costumes she was going to wear. Many of them were old ones that my sisters and I all wore growing up... all made by my mom. So, for Halloween this year, Emma was...

A Purple Crayon,

A Witch (picture, coming soon) and a Black Cat

She was a CRAYON for our ward Halloween party, a WITCH for Jaxson's school party, and a CAT for the night of trick or treating. I just hope I haven't roped myself into a bad tradition. Next year, we are sticking with ONE costume!

Jaxson was easy (thank goodness) and was thrilled to be "The 'ORIGINAL' black Power Ranger." (Thank you Lisa for letting us borrow it!)

Little Cousins

I love these pictures of Ellie with her cousins! She is lucky to have younger cousins who will be close to her age (unlike Jaxson and Emma who don't have any their age). This one above is of her and Koryn.

Elizabeth with her HANDSOME cousin Easton (they may end up being in the same grade in school).
Koryn giving lots of loves
Easton trying to figure this whole baby thing out!

Patterson's Family Fall Fest

One of my favorite things about Ohio is all the farms and orchards, especially in the Fall time. Every year, the kids and I have driven east to see the colors, pick some apples, visit the farmpark, etc. With Kolby's crazy schedule during school, he was never able to come. So I was excited this year to take him with us and share one of our favorite things about Ohio.

The day we visited Patterson's, it was SO cold and the corn maze was pretty mucky. Kolby took the kids anyway and between that and the slides, they all got covered in mud. The picture above doesn't do it justice.
They could have spent all day on these little carts. I am glad the kids could have cared less about the cold, because I am a wuss!
I wish I had more pictures of how pretty it is out there; but I was keeping the baby in out of the cold for a good portion of the time.

The Story of Elizabeth's Baby Blessing

Dear Elizabeth,
On Sunday, Oct. 11th 2009, your daddy blessed you with your name, Elizabeth Lenore Day. You were blessed in the home of your grandparents, Byron and Lesa Day, in Midway, Utah. You wore the same dress that your mommy was blessed in when she was a baby and were surrounded by many family members who love you very much. When you were born, mommy and daddy decided on the name Elizabeth Grace, a very pretty name. You are named after your great grandmother (daddy's grandma) Elizabeth Luke. She is a very special person to your mom and dad, one whose courage and faith we hope you can emulate in your life. As your father held you in the blessing circle to pronounce upon you your name, he felt a very strong prompting by the Spirit that he was to change your middle name from 'Grace' to 'Lenore,' after your other great grandmother (mommy's grandma). She is also very special to your mom and dad. Her optimism and fortitude are also qualities we hope you will try to follow in your life. You are a very special spirit and this experience has taught your parents that your Father in Heaven is very aware of you. By honoring your heritage and keeping your name un-spotted from the world, you will be blessed. We love you and are so happy to have you in our family!

Love,
Your Mommy and Daddy

Lenore Nielsen (Alison's grandma), Elizabeth, Elizabeth Luke (Kolby's grandma)

The Story...
We always knew that if we had a girl, she would carry the name Elizabeth after Kolby's grandma. We expected it would probably be a middle name; but as soon as she was born, we knew she was to carry it as her first name. All our indecision came to an end when we saw her and it just felt right. The fact that she carries physical attributes of her great grandmother also helped :) Well, as for the middle name... it is obvious from the letter above that, YES! Kolby changed our daughters middle name! He had feelings on the matter as soon as Elizabeth was born. When we were in Utah, we visited my grandma (Lenore) prior to the blessing. She has recently been diagnosed with Cancer and I am so impressed by how she has handled this trial. Both her and Kolby's grandma Elizabeth are burdened with Cancer; Kolby's grandmother has lived with it for years. My grandma's cancer seems to be pretty aggressive, yet we NEVER hear her complain, even when she SHOULD complain. She is such a strong woman who inspires me to be better. When motherhood gets tough, I have often thought of her raising seven children in the same old 3-bedroom pot rock house that she lives in today, and suddenly my challenges seem very menial. Both grandmothers have set a strong example by their enduring faith and I feel overwhelmed with gratitude by the wonderful heritage we have.

Anyway, moving forward to the blessing day... as Kolby began to pronounce the name, "Elizabeth... " he paused. My dad, who stood next to Kolby, said afterward, "I thought he'd forgotten the name!" He said he was ready to lean over and whisper "Grace!" Then, in a voice full of emotion, Kolby pronounced the middle name, "Lenore." My mom who sat directly behind the circle did an audible gasp followed by immediate sobs to which my sister and I contributed to for the rest of the prayer. Kolby did well to control his emotions (better than me) and continued with the blessing. I will never forget when my sweet grandmother laid her head on Kolby's shoulder and wept, "That was so neat,"she said. (My grandma uses the word 'neat' for everything, it's so cute!)

So, here are some pics of our special day. Don't mind my bloodshot eyes in the pictures!

Those who stood in the circle: Alan Day, Michael Nielsen, Jordan Day, Kolby, Byron Day, Gerald Day, Boyd Luke, and Joe McCarthur (not present in picture)

Grandma Beth and her little namesake
Grandma (Lenore) Nielsen and her little namesake
proud mom and dad
Us with Elizabeth's Grandparents
Elizabeth and daddy

HE PASSED!!!

Words cannot express how PROUD I am of my husband! He has officially PASSED the Massachusetts Bar!!! No more waiting, no more stress. The news that I expected and that Kolby hoped for arrived today! We have been living with butterflies in our stomachs the last couple days knowing that the results were on their way in the mail. I was anxious for confirmation that my confidence was justified. Koby was anxious because in his mind, there were still the "what if I didn't pass" thoughts. I never doubted him for a minute! I am SO grateful.If I can brag more... the news that Kolby passed the Bar earned him a standing ovation tonight at a benefit dinner for Governor Strickland of Ohio. I can imagine a room filled with businessmen and dignitaries, including the Governor himself, all on their feet in honor of MY husband. The fact that his boss would announce it is one thing, but to receive a standing ovation..! So cool! His boss even gave him a big HUG today in congratulations!

Thank you Kolby! Thank you for all your hard work! Life didn't just get easy after you took the bar; on the contrary, your work life became more demanding and challenging. I am proud of you for always stepping up to the plate and doing what needs to be done! You make it possible for me to be a mother at home and for that I am SO grateful! I love you! I Love You! I LOVE YOU!!!

Elizabeth Lenore Day

Stay tuned for the story of how Elizabeth got a NEW name!

The CRAZY Day HALLOWEEN Party

The day we arrived to visit Kolby's family, they surprised us with a Halloween Party that night. It was complete with pumpkin bowling, doughnuts on a string, homemade root beer, cookie decorating, a "skeleton parade" and boyscout dinners the guys cooked out over the fire.

My sneaky mother-in-law dressed all the kids up in these adorable matching pj's and paraded them down the stairs to the song... "the neck bones connected to the back bone..."

Homemade Rootbeer

Emma pretended to be a witch stirring her brew

Doughnuts on a String

Chase it Jax!
What a determined face!

Hey, that's cheating! Tunie was really in it just for the sweets!

Emma thought she would help mommy and zee zee out.

Apparently, Koryn wasn't the only one in it for the sweets! Smashing it up against each others faces proved to be a great strategy!

Lesa and Aunt Michelle

Sorry Lesa and Michelle! I had to post this one with the tongue action. It looks like Koryn and Emma weren't the only ones in it for the sweets. You couldn't wait to get a taste, could you? HA!

Cookie Decorating

nice cookie decorating Jax (I think you used all the chocolate sprinkles on ONE cookie)

Getting some cheer leading from aunt Kaylene (who Emma says is "so cool")

The Crew

Cooking dinner over the fire

Elizabeth Meets the Family!

A few weeks ago, we went home to bless Elizabeth and she met her family for the first time. It was a quick trip, but it was nice to be home and spend time with family.

meeting Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen

My sweet Grandma Nielsen (Elizabeth's Great Grandma) has recently been diagnosed with Cancer. Each time I see her she is more and more frail, but her spirits never waiver. She is one of the most optimistic women I know - a true example to me of always looking on the sunny side of things. She NEVER complains (even when she should or has reason to!)

Grandma couldn't snuggle and kiss baby Elizabeth enough!

We also visited my Grandpa Hansen (who Emma gets her middle name, Lee, from). He seems to be getting weaker each time I see him too, but is always so glad to see the kids and they always remember both grandparents in their prayers... "please bless Grandpa Handsome to live a little longer."

My sister and her dog, Syd, who is as big as Jaxson!

Emma loves playing with the dogs. This is her with my sister Lindsay and puppy Kota.