The Big Event

June 27th was Tommy's Special Day. We had lots of family come to offer support and celebrate with us. While my nieces and nephews were here we went to a baseball game (David's t-ball game), the Water Park, a Parade, and took pictures with some Celebrities. It was a busy weekend, but I loved it. Thanks to all who were able to come!

Rebecca with Princess Presto. Her cute cousins Whitney and Lauren are the other 2 blonde girls right by the Princess.

Sarah with Princess Presto. David was too sad that it wasn't Super Why to be in the picture.

For those without Small children, Super Why! is a TV show on PBS that teaches reading and problem solving through familiar children's stories.

The Blog is Back

So...um... I've been kinda busy and couldn't find my camera cable so it has been forever since I last updated. I thought about giving a two sentence update on a few things we've done, but I felt like that was cheating. So my new plan is to post a couple updates over the next few days. We'll see how it goes.

First, The Grandkids. These are just a few random pics to keep the grandparents happy.

April Excitement

April continues to be a busy month. During General Conference and Easter Weekend we went up to West Valley. We had an Easter Egg Hunt and celebrated Sarah's 2nd Birthday. (Sorry, we don't have any pictures because our camera was in the car and I was too large-with-child to go get it.) Sarah got an almost-life-size Dora doll and a fun book. She was pretty excited. We decided to celebrate early since I was planning on being in the hospital on Sarah's actual birthday.

David, Rebecca, and Sarah continue to adjust to life with a little brother. They are glad that Mommy continues to feel better too.

While Ganon was home to help with Tommy, he taught David to ride his bike without training wheels. David has been so excited and continues to practice whenever I let him.

Tommy continues to eat and sleep, but not as predictably now. I think he's going through a growth spurt. He is still pretty easy-going, but has found the volume control on his voice box. He can cry pretty loud now, but he doesn't cry for long. We love having him here. He definitely adds to the excitement of life.

Thomas James Connelly

Yesterday we welcomed little Tommy to our family. We had a voluntary induction and were in the hospital for just over eight hours before Tommy arrived. Labor and delivery went smoothly. The doctor and nurses have done a great job taking care of us.
Tommy was born at 2:20 pm with a full head of hair. He weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz and measured 20 inches long. He wins the award for biggest baby and easiest/quickest delivery.
Tommy's brother and sisters have been very excited for the baby to come. They have been well cared for by their Grammie and Grandpa while we've been at the hospital. We look forward to going home tomorrow and resuming the adventure we call "normal life."

Old-Fence, De-Fenced, Pre-Fence, New-Fence

On our list of "Home-Improvement" Projects has been to install a new fence. Ours had become increasingly more wobbly, so much that the kids could move it back and forth in a worrisome way. We decided to have a vinyl fence installed before the baby comes and before the garden gets underway. After a lot of negotiating and working with our neighbors and the fencing companies, we made it work.

Ganon and some very kind neighbors tore out the old fence while I was at a meeting (Ganon didn't want to put me into labor). They had fun using a jack-hammer, grinder, and chain-saw along with some new fun tools that I bought. I was limited to the hammer and shovel. The hardest part was the walnut tree that we had to chop down and remove. Luckily no one was hurt (much).

The fence posts were installed and left to set for several days. They provided some semblance of a fence so the patrons next door were less likely to see our yard as a park. (I only actually had to shoo kids out once). The installers finally came this morning to set the last two posts and installed the pickets. I think it looks great. We have increased privacy and increased safety. It looks very clean and has little or no maintenance. Once the weather clears we will have a party in the backyard.

Nesting Part 2

I finished the other half of my sewing project last night. The girls look so cute in their matching outfits. If only it was warm enough to wear them outside.

I've also been working on my garden. I haven't been able to do too much outside yet, but I actually have life growing in my "greenhouse" downstairs. I have a few lights hooked up that I turn on for about 12 hours each day. The plants are on the table next to the furnace. The kids enjoy watching the little sprouts come up. So far we have pumpkins, watermelon, cucumber, zucchini, and tomatoes. No sign of any peppers yet, but we haven't given up hope. My dad is going to come and help get my garden started outside when the baby comes. I'm so excited!

(Pumpkins: front, tomatoes: back)

Nesting Part 1

I am 35 weeks pregnant today and am counting down the weeks until we become a family of 6 (4 wks 1 day). I have been nesting, but not in the usual way. I have not been wanting to wash the dishes or get the baby's stuff ready. Instead I prefer to spend my time sewing stuff for the girls or working in the garden. Here are pictures of my current project. Rebecca is very excited and has been helping me sew her new dress and pants. (I am proud of myself for actually using and following a pattern- it worked pretty well). More nesting pictures will be coming soon.