Donuts!

Riley has been very considerate to me, especially in regaurds to my sitting.  She is always making sure that I have my donut everywhere I sit.  If I don't have it, she gets worried and strongly expresses that I don't have my donut. 
When I first asked Jared to buy me one, all the kids thought they were going to get donuts.  Little did they know it was an air-filled plastic one.

Sunbathing in February

We were instructed by our doctor to have the baby go outside 3 times a day for 15 minutes in order to reduce bilirubin.  How fortunate that we live in El Paso, where it has been really warm and sunny.  We had no problem following those doctor's orders.

Home from the Hospital

The hospital had a policy that children under 18 couldn't even enter the maternity floor.  I had a difficult time not seeing my kids for 2 days, but fortunately, we could come home the next day.  The children were delighted to see the baby and their mother. 
The next day, Eli asked to hold the baby and of course we let him.  I felt confident to let him hold her on his own and walked away for a little bit.  I came back to check on him and he was rocking and singing "A Child's Prayer." 
One morning, a few days later, I was waking up to feed the baby and Riley came to climb in my bed and say good morning.  She asked to hold the baby and I said she could.  She held the baby and said, "I am so glad your here."  I love that my kids love the baby.

A New Arrival

After nine months of carring the child, I finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl.  I didn't use an epidural because apparently, I am either tough or not in my right mind.  Either way, she was healthy, born at 2:10 PM, weighing 7.5 pounds and 20.5 inches long.  We named her Morgan Louisa.  Louisa Cook was Jared's great grandma and she went by Lucy.  We went back and forth for a long time between the name Lucy or Morgan, even after we came home from the hospital.  No matter, what she was named, she was easy to fall in love with, and fits right in with the family, looking like Riley and the coloring of Eli.

My Cute Kids

I like to take pictures of my kids before the baby comes because I love how their world hasn't changed yet due to their nievity. Plus I like my kids and I love to take pictures of them anyway. 

Riley's Jokes

Eli came home from school with a joke.  "What do you get when you cross a crocodile and a chicken?   A crock-a-doodle-do."  Riley decided to take it to the next level.  She took everything from a puppy to a plate and made it a "puppy-doodle-do."  Her favorite was "What do you get when you take a pirate and a chicken?  A yo-ho-doodle-do." 

Balloons!

For Eli's Valentine party at school, their class gave them the red heart balloon.  They played with them in every room, including the living room with high vaulted ceilings.  They got stuck and the kids tried to get them down with stools and the picker-upper.  I eventually, tied a longer string on them so the kids could get them down.  They also got stuck on the fan and slowed it down.  After that, we said no more balloons in the living room.