Blessing, garments and boys

We blessed Alexis yesterday and it turned out to be such a special day. All of our family came to church and we had everyone over to the house after. It was so nice to see my sisters and have my granpa there. I love that having a baby brings everyone together. She looked so beautiful in her dress and was such a good baby through the whole day. I'm so thankful for how blessed we are to have such great kids. We couldn't ask for better. And I'm especially thankful for such a wonderful husband who honors his priesthood and sets such a good example for his sons to follow. It is such a comfort to me to have him around and to make me want to do better myself. Thank you so much honey for everything yesterday. You made the day perfect!

Ok, now for the fun stuff. Saturday night Eli was getting Alexis in her pajamas and changing her diaper. She was only in a little white onsie and Zach came in and said..... "is that her garments??" This coming from the kid that during sacrament yesterday got sick of his bright blue gum so he took it out of his mouth and looked at his Uncle Spencer and asked him if he wanted it (after it had been chewed on for about 30 minutes). When Spence said no, he said..."but it matches your shirt!". Makes sense.

And just to finish up...this is what happens when boys get sick of having their sister get her picture taken and get a hold of the camera......how can you not love those little faces??

6 weeks old

Our little Alexis is already 6 weeks old. She is such a fun little girl to have in our home. She found her smile about 2 weeks ago and loves to flash it around. She is extra smiley in the morning. (Maybe she'll be a morning person.......definitely not like her mama!!). She is still so little but getting some chubby Peña cheeks in a hurry. We love her so much!

Happy Halloween!

Our ward had it's Halloween carnival last night and the kids had a blast. I think it took me longer to get them ready than it did to play all the games, but it was worth it. Tyler was so mad at me because we missed his school carnival. He was so bummed because he didn't think he was going to get to dress up. Anyway, dress up he did, and it was a hit!

Our scary little werewolf. Everyone at the carnival loved his fur.

Zach insisted on wearing Tyler's Darth Vader costume from two years ago.



Our little angel...little girls really are so much fun.

LUVING MY FAMILY

Tyler, Zach and Alexis right before we left for church. She loved church so much she had her first blowout, clear up to her hair.....and you'd think after 2 other kids I'd remember to pack extra clothes in the diaper bag....nope!! Our pretty little 3 week old. Her cheeks are getting chubbier and cuter by the day!
I tried all day to get a picture of her smiling, but every time she would grin I'd be a second too late.....this was as close as I got.
The last couple of days I've caught her holding her binky. I finally got the proof...what a smart little girl!!

I can't believe that Alexis is already 3 weeks old. I swore when I was pregnant that I couldn't make it one more week, I was so ready to be done. And here it is 3 weeks later already. The time is already going by so fast. I really have been trying to enjoy every moment that I have with her because I know that time doesn't slow down. Even doing that it is still blowing by me. Having the boys running circles around me all day long might have something to do with it. And as much as I have been a big fan of spud harvest break since I was a little kid, I think I've decided after the last 10 days that kindergartners probably would be better off at school (at least their moms might be better off). The kids have had a blast being at home, running wild, disappearing while I nurse the baby, slashing our couch/end tables/entertainment center with a utility knife, playing in the mud and snow, riding around the farm with their dad, drawing on our dining room table with a sharpie, learning to change diapers so their wives will appreciate them even more when they have kids of their own, having "sleepovers" almost every night on the bottom bunk because they don't have to get up, making cookies to take to the farm, making cinnamon rolls for the first day of snow.....did I mention I'm kind of tired??? Yes, Tyler slashed our couches, I should take a picture but I still don't know how I feel about it. He wasn't mad, jealous or anything else I can think of. He just saw the knife and thought it might be fun. I'm pretty sure he has decided that it wasn't very fun at all. I don't think it is possible for my head to get any closer to exploding than when I discovered his little art piece. Thank goodness for once in my life I remembered to excercise some self control.....after a little bit of yelling. I just keep reminding myself that our furniture is just "things" and that I am thankful for the real "things" that I have. I do love my family so much, even my crazy, independent little boys. I have been reminded of how much I love being a mom and how important my role is to my family. I know I still don't have enough patience, and I realize that might not ever change...and that's ok. What I get to wake up to every morning is a blessing. I'm thankful for a husband that is not afraid to work hard to support our family, that is still so helpful when he is home, that he honors his priesthood and sets such a good example for his boys to follow. I'm thankful that now I have a little girl that I can set an example for, that she may grow up to be a good mother some day too. I've got my work cut out for me, but I'm grateful for the extra responsibility. I know this is a loooong post, but I have been filled with the knowledge of the blessings I've been given, and since this is the closest thing I have to a journal this is where it goes.

MORE OF OUR WEEK

Just some more pictures to finish up our week. The fun never stops! My cousin Michelle had a little boy a few months ago and her sister and mom made some letters for her to put in his room. I thought they were so cute so I decided to take on the project for Allie's room. It took me longer than I thought thanks to nursing every two hours but I'm so proud of how they turned out. If anyone wants some for themselves, I'd love to do some more. It was a lot of fun and I think they turned out pretty cute!

Ok, now this is what I usually walk out to after I'm done nursing, or changing a diaper. Usually Zach has run off to one of the neighbors because he knows I can't come and chase him down, but if he sticks around, he does something like this. This is his flag football uniform. He stole his brother's flags, and I still haven't figured out why he doesn't need clothes to play.

I laid Alexis out on our living room floor while I was cleaning the other day and this is what I came into. Zach was laying by her copying all her faces. He was having a ball, and it was pretty cute. She kept him occupied forever.

This is Tyler's new routine before he takes off for school in the morning. He has to hold his sister and give her a hug and kiss. He really loves her so much and loves watching over her. She is such a lucky little girl. (We'll see if she still thinks so when she hits about 16).

WHAT A WEEK

Well, we have already had Alexis home for more than a week. It will always amaze me how fast time flies by once they get here. She is such a good baby and still hardly fusses. I'm sure she is saving it for some time down the road. The boys are really enjoying her and are even better helpers than I thought they'd be. Tyler loves to hold her and has even tried picking her up and packing her around a few times (yikes!). At least he remembers to hold her head up. Zach watches over her every move and gets so concerned when she cries. He loves to help me put her bows in every morning, it is so funny. He'll go and get the container I keep them in and bring me her brush, the "sticky stuff" and baby gel. All I have to do is stick it on her head. Her dad loves coming home and "bonding" with her over a game of NFL Blitz every chance he gets. She really is so much fun just to hold and watch. I had forgotten how much I love babies. I didn't think it had been that long. I forgot what they smelled like, how sweet they look when they stare of into nothing, how comforting it is to hold them. She has reminded me how much I love being a mom. I knew I would like having a little girl, but I didn't think I would enjoy it this much. I have loved everything about my boys... their rough and tough attitudes, the balls, bats, trucks and dirt. Now I have something new to enjoy. I get so excited to get her dressed every day and match her socks and bows to all of her little outfits. I love the pink and purple and flowers and all the little girly things she already has. She has truly been a blessing to our family and to have in our home. I never thought she would make it here after all we went through at the beginning of the pregnancy, and I never want to forget the miracle she is. We love our little Allie so much! Here are some pictures from her first week home.

Zach and his little sister, what a pair

I thought this picture was kind of neat. It is Tyler letting Alexis hold his finger. He has really taken on the role of big brother with flying colors.

Right after her first bath (that she hated!!!)

Ok, she wouldn't be a Pena if she didn't like the Broncos. So we dressed her up for last Sunday's game to show her support. The orange and blue bows were so cute but we all decided she does look better in pink.

ALEXIS NICOLETTE PENA

She's here! Our 9 months of waiting are finally over. Alexis arrived on Tuesday the 23rd at 11:08 in the morning after too many hours of on and off labor. She is such a pretty little girl, and so tiny. She weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces and was 18 inches long. I never thought I'd have such a teeny baby, but I love it. She is already such a good baby. She doesn't cry, and hardly even fusses (unless we change her clothes and she gets cold). It didn't even take a second for her to melt her dad's heart, and her brothers love her more than anything. They just want to hold her all day. Tyler has been singing her lullabys and Zach loves to hold her hand and tell her "it's alright" when she's getting changed. We are so thankful that she is here and a part of our little family.

I just like this picture because you can tell a little bit better how small she is.