Big Weekend for Lila: Blessing Day

We drove up to Richfield on Friday, April 8th after I got off work. Lila slept the entire way! She is a great traveler, thank goodness! It was my dad's 46th birthday that day so we arrived in time to celebrate with him and my family! We had grandma Carol and grandpa June over for dinner as well as his sister Lisa. My mom made yummy chicken in lettuce wraps and BBQ'd steak! It was definitely a treat and I am sure my dad loved having Lila home for his birthday :)

Saturday we prepared the Youth Center (a building in Richfield) for the blessing. We were planning on around 80-90 people so we had to set up tables and chairs ahead of time! My dad and Kambry had been in our backyard pruning the beautifully blossomed peach trees and my mom had the brilliant idea to take some of those branches and put them in vases to set on the tables for the luncheon! So we did just that and they looked amazing! And smelled good too :)

My friends Alyssa and Barry, and Joey all came to Richfield that evening to spend the night with us. We played games and even had a ping pong tournament. Kambry won of course! It was so fun having them there to support us. We love them so!

Sunday morning my nerves were crazy! Lila had her shots a few days previous and since then hadn't been quite acting her normal self.. kind of cranky and lately a mystery because she would cry out and we wouldn't know how to soothe her sometimes. So I was nervous she would cry during her blessing, and during the entire sacrament meeting! 

Well with a constant prayer in my heart we got to church and Lila fell asleep! It was a miracle. Now I was just hoping she wouldn't wake up. When we arrived to the church building I immediately started to tear up. I had been emotional that morning anyways and thought I had got all my tears out but nope! We walked into the chapel and it was completely packed with people! Friends and family were all around me waving and smiling and I could barely look at them without crying! I was so overwhelmed with happiness and love, it was incredible!

Because there were so many people in that tiny chapel, Drew and I had to sit on a bench by ourselves because there was no room for us by our families! I was a little sad, but it actually turned out really well because we were in a good location and I was able to gather my emotions and compose myself a bit better haha...

Lila wasn't the only one blessed that day. There was another little boy being blessed too so his entire family was there as well! The entire overflow was packed full! I'm tellin you, there were sooo many people there. It was amazing!

Well it was time for the blessing and Lila was still asleep (yay!) so I handed her to Drew and he took her to the front of the chapel. My mom surprisingly came up to my bench to sit with me during the prayer so I wouldn't be alone. I was so glad! (THANK YOU MOM!) Anyways, we only asked our dads and grandpas to stand in the circle so we could keep it smaller and intimate. My dad, Drew's dad, Grandpa Perry, Grandpa June, and Grandpa Doug were all able to be there for Lila! We are so happy with how it turned out! It was so special! Konner got to hold the mic for Drew and it was all we could have ever dreamed of! Lila didn't even make a peep. It was an answer to our prayers! Drew gave her a beautiful blessing and I cried the whole time. He said she has been blessed with so many talents and he blessed her with Christ-like attributes. Lila is lucky to have a dad who can use the priesthood to give us both blessings!

After the blessing it was testimony meeting and the spirit was strong. My mom bore her testimony and talked about how her patriarchal blessing mentions her sitting at the Savior's feet learning about his teachings and how her daughter's (mine and Kam's so far) mention the same thing! So that we were all together learning about the Savior and his teachings. It was super neat! Linda and Bill bore their testimonies as well! And so did I. I am a bawl baby and cried the whole time I was up there but I thanked my Heavenly Father for my blessings and for my sweet baby and I testified that I knew Christ lives and because of him we can be a family forever.

I also mentioned that I sing "I am a Child of God" to Lila every night and how she smiles as if she already knows that! She is a doll and she knows far more than I know, I am sure of it! She tries to talk to us every single day! If only she could communicate with us, I bet the things she could tell us would be amazing.

So it turned out to be a lovely meeting. I am grateful for Drew and his courage to stand and give his daughter a blessing. I am grateful for all our friends and family who came to support us that day too!

We celebrated afterwards with a luncheon at the Youth Center. We had lots of different salads, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, and a couple different desserts. Of course I had to feed Lila a couple times while we were there, but it was fun to introduce her to everyone that was there and to visit with them all.

"It takes a village to raise a child," and we definitely have the best village around! Thank you to everyone who came to support us today and always. We love you and are so grateful for you! And to Lila, you are more loved than you will ever know! Stay golden, stay happy, and stay true! Your mom and dad love you.

Love,

Kate

It's the little things...

Every single day there are little things that happen that make the deepest impression in my heart... they are such a unique yet simple little moments that have such an enormous impact on me!

For example, the other night after Lila's bath I was changing her into her pj's and I was talking to her/singing to her like I always do. She started to "talk" back to me so I egged it on and I listened intently. We stared at each other as we continued to "chat" and she got teary eyed, as did I! I don't know what she was trying to tell me but I feel like it was something really special.. it was such a beautiful moment I will never forget it!

Another example is from the other night. As I was nursing her, I was also singing to her to put her to sleep. We gazed directly into each other's eyes almost the entire time as I sang, A Child's Prayer, Families Can Be Together Forever, Purple Skies, and You'll be in my heart from the Tarzan soundtrack. It was magical! 

And lastly to end on a funny note, she has been so curious with her hands and her mouth! She has been sucking on anything she can manage to pull up to her face-- although she does not have that great of coordination yet. But anyways, I had her on my shoulder for a bit while I was patting her back. When I moved positions I noticed my shoulder was breezy and cold! She had been "tasting" my garment top and had slobbered all over it! It made me laugh, ha she is so funny!

I love this life of mine!

Love,

Kate

Lila is 2 Months Old!

I blinked and Lila is 2 months old. Say what!? That happened fast! She is getting so big and has changed so much already! She weighs 11 lbs 10 oz, and measures 23.5 inches long! She is big, healthy, and strong! She holds her head better and better each day. She loves playing with us by kicking her feet either at mom's hands or by kicking her toys on her play mat. She's a smart one I'm tellin ya! She catches on to things really quickly. It's amazing to see how she learns and grows each day.

She likes bath time but hates when I get her dressed afterwards! For some reason she has never really liked getting dressed. And by that I mean she does not like when I put her arms through her shirts or onesies. She hates it! It's strange but it only lasts for a second and then she's completely fine.

She is so aware of the things around her and she loves looking around at her surroundings. She can definitely tell mom and dad apart and can recognize both of our voices! It makes us so happy to see her react to us and her smiles are our favorite!

She enjoys holding on to my clothing as she feeds, does not like formula but will drink an ounce or two while I'm away at work for a couple hours, and absolutely loves playing with my hands!

She has recently discovered her hands and will stick her whole fist in her mouth and suck on it! It's funny and it makes the funniest sounds! She also tends to suck on her left hand more often than her right, and sometimes sticks her fingers up her nose while she is trying to suck on them-- it's hilarious because she pulls the funniest faces when that happens! She's a hoot!

She doesn't grunt hardly at all anymore, rather, just makes noises to let us know when she is hungry or uncomfortable. But don't think it's that simple! She is continually learning how to control mom and dad that is for sure! She is learning how to communicate with her cute little voice! She still hardly ever cries.. she just whines or whales when she is upset! She literally says "wah" sometimes as well as "maamamama!"

She's such a doll! And her hair is looking like it may be a bit wavy/curly! Some people comment on her hair being tinted red or auburn! If that is the case we have NO idea where that comes from!

Also, her eye color is incredibly beautiful! They have been dark blue since she was born, but a light ring is developing around her pupil! It's stunning :) She is so beautiful we love her so much in every single way possible!

Love,

Kate

Lila's first Easter

Our little Lila looked so precious on Easter Sunday.. of course we had to have a mini photo shoot via iphone camera haha!

We dressed her in a fun Easter dress, took some photos, and headed to church for the first time with her! She slept for the first half and then woke up and wasn't too happy for the rest. She was hungry and wouldn't really settle down. Luckily Drew held her for most of that time but boy oh boy I sure hope she does well on her blessing day!

She is such a gift to us. We are so blessed to have her and because of Christ and his atonement we get to be together forever!

I love my husband, my beautiful little girl, and my forever family!

Love,

Kate

March Snapshots

Some snapshots from Lila's second month of life.

I'm not kidding when I say my favorite time of the day is the morning when we cuddle in bed!

Look how long she is!!!

Her boyfriend Grey Shepherd came over to meet her ;)

They liked each other! They made eye contact and stared at each other for a few moments. It was funny!

I created a sign for my friend Alyssa's baby's nursery!

I love how it turned out!

Love,

Kate

Two Weeks in Richfield!

Drew and I decided it would be okay for me and Lila to go to Richfield to stay with my family for a couple weeks! My parents bought us tickets for the David Archuleta concert which was on the Wednesday before Easter and it was in Richfield, so we made it a big trip!

Drew drove us to Cedar where Kambry and Shay came to pick us up. We got to Richfield on Saturday March 12th! My family hadn't seen Lila since she was 2 weeks old and now she was 6 weeks old, so it was exciting for us to come home! Plus so many people who hadn't seen or met her yet were able to meet her so that was also another reason we came home. 

What did we do for so long up in Richfield you ask? Surprisingly we were pretty busy with different activities every day! For example, on the Saturday we got there my mom was hosting a baby shower for a good family friend. There were a bunch of people at my mom's house so that was my first big experience having Lila around lots of people! It was a bit nerve racking for me (first time mom nerves probably) and not to mention the time of the year (cold & flu season), plus she's still kind of a new born so I was nervous! But things turned out fine!

The next day I got to attend Kambry's best friend Emmie's homecoming! I left Lila home with my dad just for that hour and a half but boy I sure missed her! haha!

The next Monday was the season finale of The Bachelor so of course we had a party! It was also national "Pi Day" so we made homemade mini pies out of pie crust and apple pie filling-- just put them in little muffin tins and topped them with some homemade icing. SO YUMMY! We took them to our party which was up at Grandma Micki's house.

Then on Tuesday Grandma Carol (who has been struggling with shingles for the past few weeks) made my family some Mexican food for dinner! Chile rellenos, cilantro lime rice, refried beans, green salad, and sopapillas for dessert! She's amazing! It was so delicious! Also, it was fun for Grandma Carol and Grandpa June to meet Lila. She's number 55 in the Jensen family! And Grandma thinks she is adorable because she thinks she looks like how her own children did when they were babies hahaa! So that was fun and cool!

The next day I made "Boobie Bites" which was a recipe I found on Pinterest. They were so simple to make and soooo yummy! They tasted just like cookie dough but they're HEALTHY! And they're apparently suppose to be good for milk production.

My dad built Lila a fort! He put the creepy wildcat blanket over the top of her and she just stared at it!

Then St. Patrick's Day rolled around! March 17th is my parent's anniversary! We went to Konner's basketball game that evening, ate corned beef and cabbage for dinner, and ended the night eating donuts that had green icing on them to celebrate my parents! 

My dad looked forward to holding Lila every day while he was home for lunch. I think she liked it too!

Grandpa Perry came by as soon as he knew we were in town to meet Lila and he was immediately in love with her! He stopped by many more times while we were in town just to see if she was awake. Unfortunately he had pretty bad timing because she was either asleep or feeding most days when he popped in. But he got some good time with her and just kept saying how special she was! I think we all agree! :)

We also had some fun friend visitors come by! My friend Kenzie who had her baby a couple weeks after I had mine came by and Lila was able to meet Tycie! Tycie has so much hair and seemed sooo teeny tiny compared to Lila! But she was a complete doll and didn't even make a peep the whole time they were there! 

Also my friend Chad stopped by with his wife and their new twins. His twins are 4 months old now and so it was fun for Lila to meet Emma and Cove! They are all about the same size although there are 3 months difference between them! Holding Emma and Cove was crazy though because although they were about the same size as Lila, they were not flimsy at all. They were strong and sturdy and stiff! They held their heads up and wanted to be sitting up! Whereas Lila just flops around and likes to be cradled still, haha!

Little Ryklin came over as well to meet Lila! She liked her! But Lila was a bit grumpy. When we tried to snap some photos of them together, Ryklin kept trying to put her hands on her head like she was giving her a blessing! It was hilarious! She also tried telling Lila a story about how she saw a cow! We were laughing our heads off. It was a fun time.

Before we knew it the first week was already over and we were headed up north to surprise my friend Alyssa at her baby shower! Me, Lila, my mom, and sisters drove up together and picked up my friend Tiana in Orem. It was a fun surprise for Alyssa and I think she was really happy to see all of us. The ride up and back though was definitely great-- Lila travels so well! We are lucky. She really likes her carseat and driving puts her to sleep so  we only had to stop to feed her once on the way up and once on the way back. It was perfect!

Back to Richfield we went. On Sunday my friend Corrie and her little boy Eli came by to visit along with my friend Kirsten. Eli is about 16 months old and was so interested in Lila! He was soft with her and kept giving her open mouth kisses on top of her head. It was adorable! 

Later that afternoon we had a big family BBQ at Grandma Micki's house. Lila of course was passed around and got lots of lovin' by her aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The next day was Monday and Drew surprised us by coming up a day early! We weren't planning on him until Tuesday night, but he showed up on Monday and it was so fun to have him back with us! We had been missing him. But while we were apart we made sure to FaceTime every day and Lila would stare at my phone screen and smile every time we chatted with Drew. She sure loves her daddy!

Wednesday I went out to lunch with Kambry to Munchies-- one of Richfield's best little quirks! You get to make your own burger there! Our lunch was sure tasty. Definitely a favorite of mine for sure!

  

 Then later that nigh was the David Archuleta concert. We left Lila with Aunt Staci for the concert. I had pumped a couple ounces of milk but we got some formula too just in case. I was definitely nervous leaving her for that evening! It turned out to be the longest I had left her! But she seemed to do okay. She chugged the breast milk down when she got hungry and then Staci introduced her to formula... poor girl gagged on it. She did not like it at all! But she did end up eating an ounce. So thank you Staci for taking care of her!

The concert was a blast otherwise! David Archuleta sang some great songs and covers and my family and I all had a wonderful time together. Thanks mom and dad for the tickets!!!

Thursday Drew and I took Lila out to Twelve Timbers where we met up to talk about some business I have done for them. My artwork is going to be sold in Hobby Lobby!!! So keep your eyes out. They should be out in May! I'll definitely post more information and pics when I get the chance.

Later that evening we drove out to Monroe and Lila was able to meet her "Great-great" aunts Kathleen and Jennifer! They are my grandma Micki's sisters. They're so darling and were so excited to meet Lila! They loved her. Also, uncle Peter was there and was able to love on her too. We visited and laughed a lot while we were there. Uncle Peter shared some jelly bellies with us and we loved all the yummy flavors! I haven't had those in a while so that was fun to eat.

How beautiful is she!? ^

Friday Lila slept for a while giving me the uninterrupted opportunity to paint easter eggs with my family! It was a blast as we all sat around the table together joking and being creative. That is a tradition I will always love!

The next day Lila gave us another little stretch of uninterrupted time while we went out to Castle Rock! I got to explore the rocks for a bit with my family and then we built a fire. By that time Lila was hungry so I was able to nurse her while I sat by the fire and everyone else roasted marshmallow peeps and made smores! That was probably one of my favorite memories of the weekend. I loved being outside with the smell of the fire, sitting around with my family, joking and laughing and playing... I love it! It was chilly though and a bit breezy so we kept Lila covered the entire time. She still loses her breath from the wind.

After Castle Rock we went to another location to shoot our easter eggs and clay pigeons before it got too dark. The kids all got to shoot at gallon jugs of water while I sat in the car and fed Lila. But I eventually got my turn to shoot at some clay pigeons! It was a blast!

Sunday was Easter! Lila's first Easter! We woke up and headed down stairs to see what the Easter Bunny had dropped off. Then my siblings had a small little Easter egg hunt around the house. That Easter bunny knows us well because he left us tons and tons of candy! Our favorites are the mini cadbury eggs, reeses eggs, and peanut butter eggs! Yum! But you also can't go wrong with the original jelly beans, malt eggs, a package of peeps, and a cadbury cream egg. Yum hahah..

We took Lila to church for the first time that day! We dressed her up in her Easter dress and attended sacrament meeting. It was a bit stressful for me because she cried for probably half of it because she was hungry :( But drew was a trooper and stood up to soothe her. Thanks sweetheart!

Kmart was closing in Richfield so everything was on sale! Sad to see it go though.

Who's who!? HAHA faceswap with my sister Kambry and my mom.

Lila loves her baths!

Look at those lips!!!

My favorite thing. She likes to either grab onto my clothes when I nurse her, or grab onto my finger. I love it!

We left Richfield soon after sacrament meeting, and went to Cedar for Easter dinner with Drew's family. Mark hadn't seen Lila since she was born so that was fun for him to see her because now she was 2 months old! We plan on spending some more time with them over General Conference weekend so Linda can have some "Lila" time ;) Those grandma's need it I've learned ;)

We have the best family and friends around though and the time we spent in Richfield surrounded by everyone was absolutely wonderful! We will never forget it. Over the two weeks we were there I feel like Lila changed so much! She became stronger and bigger right before my very eyes! By the time we left she is now holding her head up by herself longer, and does not like to be cradled as much anymore! Time is flying by!!!

Love,

Kate