Who ever said, "Sleeping like a baby?"

We have no idea why Wyatt was sleeping this way? He wasn't crying before he fell asleep or anything. I felt so bad every time it happened though because it sounded like he was in pain or sad. I couldn't do anything to comfort him--I don't even know if comfort is what he needed! Weird. Whoever said that they "sleep like a baby" must not get very good sleep ha ha.

All laid up my friends... COME VISIT!

I apologize for the lack of info on my family's life right now. I have a good reason though. About a month ago I experienced my second knee surgery and have been laid up for quite some time. Yes, surgery number two.
Why, you may ask? Well...I don't know. All I know is that the first surgery failed and I'm re-living the nightmare of last year all over again. I thought I was through with crutches, pain pills, elevating my leg all day long, lack of sleep, armpit rashes, greasy and unwashed hair, baths instead of showers (with my leg hanging out of the tub), soreness and whatever! The hardest part is reliving it again.

All the many hours spent at physical therapy with the old people... this is the hardest part. Not only is my competition full of wrinkles, broken limbs, missing teeth, lack of hair, and stinky perfume, but they are all at least 30+ years older than me! I sit down on my bicycle next to my 65 year old competitor and put on my game face--who is going to win the race? Which one of us will be able to make our legs move one complete cycle on the bike without crying? The race begins and sadly, the old geezer to my right usually wins. This is what it's come to for me.

ON THE FLIP SIDE....

I spend my days and nights on my king sized bed with my son right next to me. We get to bond 24.7 and I love it! Wyatt is probably getting way more stimulation then he should be, but boy he seems to like it. Many of you have asked, "How do you take care of him by yourself?" It's simple really. As long as he's on my bed, everything is under control. I change his diapers, feed him, play with him, dress him, and take care of everything on my bed. Once he falls asleep I get up on my crutches and do things myself like: making myself some lunch, doing the dishes, checking e-mails, writing letters and thank you cards, watching movies, picking up odds and ends and whatever else I can manage. How wonderful is that? I get to spend all day with my little boy with hardly any interruptions.

It has been so wonderful watching my son grow and reach his milestones. His newest accomplishment is using his hands to grab things, and occasionally he'll even draw it to his mouth. Wyatt is in the beginning stages of all this, but I it is so fun to watch him discover what his hands can do. Something else, Wyatt has started to LAUGH and it is so cute. Of course, Grandma Anderson can make him laugh the hardest, but I'm starting to catch up. He's a growing boy with chipmunk cheeks.

Thankfully, I have some really great neighbors and a wonderful family nearby to help me with everything. Many of my ward members have so willingly brought us dinner, volunteered to watch Wyatt, and they come pay me visits all the time. My mother especially has been a great help during the daytime with all my errands and physical therapy trips. Then, my dear husband, who helps me at night even though he is dead tired from school and work. Not once has Ethan complained about having to wake up and get Wyatt in the night if he needs to feed. Every time Ethan goes in to see Wyatt I hear, "Heeeeeyyyy buddy! Good morning..." and it just warms my heart. I want to thank everyone who has helped me with this surgery; it really means a lot to have people who care about me and want to help.

Grandma has been such a great help to me and Wyatt this past month. Wyatt loves his Gramma!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 here we come...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2010

Party Hardy! Wow, it's a new year already; I can't believe it. What have I done in one year's time? Hmmm, I finished two semesters in college, I recovered from surgery, I got pregnant, I turned the wonderful age of 21, I got my first body piercing (haha jk), I was called as the 2nd counselor in my ward Relief Society, I made it through another year of window washing, I watched the last of the Anderson sisters participate in Jr.Miss, I watched two more sessions of Conference, I wished my brother off on a mission, I attended many of my friends weddings and showers, I went camping for the first time in our marriage, I attended my family's very first family reunion, I got certified in Wilderness first aide and CPR, I experienced our first Father's Day for Ethan, I made a float and entered in to be part of the Rexburg parade, I played in a softball league with Ethan during the summer, I had a girls party with the Hyde family, I went to Lagoon, I went grouse hunting for the first time in my life, I had my first baby shower, I was introduced to Braxton hicks, I bought my first crib, baby clothes, Binky, diapers, wipes, car seat, rattle and more! This year I had my first child. And this year has been one of the happiest years of my life :) I can't wait to see what the year 2010 will bring my way......

Ethan and I were fortunate enough to travel to Arizona and back in one piece. Wyatt was amazing and slept pretty much the entire way and hardly gave a fuss. ( I think something is wrong with him? j/k, but he is a very good baby so far.) We got to spend the New Year with Grandma "Nana" or Mary Lou, and our Aunt Melissa. They were ready for us when we pulled up and spoiled us rotten from the moment we walked into the house. You notty little ladies :)
The other fun part about the trip is that Ethan's sister Hannah and her family got to come up too! This made things even more fun. The entire living Felix family was together this trip and it turned out to be a treat. (Logan, Hannah, Chase) We're so glad we could coordinate the trip with them.
In the backyard of their darling home, two huge trees full of Grapefruit and Oranges are rooted in the ground. They produce so much citrus delight that we ate oranges almost every morning. I cannot tell you how great it was to walk outside, whenever we wanted, and pluck a fruit off the tree at free will. They were so delicious too! No sugar needed to be added at all. Wow. We took home an entire duffel bag + some home with us. So here we are underneath one of the scrumptious trees. Aahh, what a cute picture.
COUSINS!!! These two little guys aren't aware yet, but they are going to be best buds when their brains start to realize who the other one is. Wyatt and Chase are only 6 days apart from each other and they are going to reek havoc when they get older. Look at em' just chillin' there.
On our way to Grandmama's house we passed over the Hoover Dam. We could have stopped and parked the car to see the entire drop and stuff, but after waiting an hour through traffic, I didn't want to. Instead, I got a great picture of the enormous bridge they're building across the canyon. To be honest, I don't think I would drive over that bridge...that would be for stupid people who like to come as close to death as they can. That is not for me. I know that pictures sometimes don't do justice to what the thing actually looks like, but believe me, this thing is huge!
Another new face for Wyatt: this is Uncle Levi (Ethan's older brother). Levi spent a lot of time with all of us at the house and we all had a good time talking to each other. He even treated us all to dinner at McGrath's restaurant where he works. Oooo the coconut shrimp and Cajun chicken I ate was to die for. Thanks Levi.
This is Ethan's half sister, Mary. We had the privilege of visiting her home where she taught me how to make a wicked Steak Salsa, Guac, and Green Chile. We worked together and things went pretty fast, but the reward in the end was well worth the time and work by golly. That was the best stuff I'd ever eaten! She even let us take some home with us. Yummm.

You gotta love these kind of pictures. Baby boy smiling up at his great Grandma Nana. Wyatt loves Nana so much and was a good little boy every time she held him.
Here's the whole Felix/Davis clan: Front- Melissa, Wyatt, Nana, Chase, Hanna Back- Ethan, Levi

Grandma and her two little ones :)

Okay, this picture was just funny because this grapefruit was bigger than Wyatt's head! haha I laughed so hard and had to take a picture of it. I think Wyatt was a little offended by it or something hee hee.

Altogether we had a wonderful time! On Christmas Eve night, everyone was wanting to just go to bed. Are you kidding me? I was not going to stand for that kind of attitude, so I made everyone stay up and watch the ball drop with me. We played some cards, talked, and had a much funner time staying awake together. (The funny thing was, as soon as the ball dropped, everyone else stood up and said, "Well, good night." and slid off to bed.) We also celebrated Christmas with Nana too and boy were we spoiled. Wyatt got some neat blocks that I'm excited for, I was given a blender of which I absolutely LOVE and have made a smoothie almost every night since, and Ethan got a lot of good lookin' work clothes ( suit and tie stuff) shoes, a telephone and much more. We are so grateful to Nana for everything she did to make this trip possible. We couldn't have done it without her. WHAT A WONDERFUL VACATION!

New Faces and Holiday Fun!

What a wonderful Christmas vacation we had as a family! First, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Ethan's family in Star Valley Wyoming where we had a wonderful time with the family. The children acted out the nativity (which was hilarious) and I played some carols on the piano. Christmas morning was definitely an adventure watching all the boys rip open their presents and scream with joy. I love seeing the happiness and joy of the season. It warms my heart. Mamma Jan and Pappa Hyde sure did spoil us this year... we thank them so much for the much needed gifts they gave. We had a wonderful holiday this year!

Also for the holidays, Wyatt got to meet a lot of new faces he's never seen before. On our way to Arizona, (to go visit Ethan's grandma) we stopped at the Bestor home where Wyatt met grace and Grandpa for the first time. Kristin and Bill were there too so Wyatt got to meet their whole family too. Then we stopped in St. George and stayed with Aunt Carrie, Uncle Lon, and Sara Clara where all of them adored Wyatt. Sara and Aunt Carrie held him the entire time we were there and kept fighting over him ha-ha. Surprisingly, Wyatt handled all the new faces really well and loved being held by anyone and everyone.

This is probably my most favorite part of Christmas (above). I spent quite a few hours making these cute wooden picture blocks for Ethan for his Christmas present. I enjoy and appreciate homemade gifts much more than store bought gifts, so I thought I would do the same for Ethan. They mean so much more to me because of the time, effort, and love that is put into them. I was thrilled with these because they are not only packed with some of my favorite pictures of us, but they also made for some great decor in the house! In years to come I will continue to make blocks for each of the children and put their pictures on them too. I think it will be a wonderful family tradition.

We sure do love the Henderson family!

Aunt Carrie and Wyatt :)
(he looks like he's trying to punch someone)

Bill, Kristin, Kayla, Will, Ethan, Me and Wyatt

Our wonderful Grandparents! Rollis and Philly :)
Wyatt's GREAT grandparents

Grandma Phyllis helped bath Wyatt while we were there.

CHRISTMAS MORNING 6:00 a.m. Ethan's holding Wyatt and I'm holding baby Chase.

This was such a cute picture--sorry it's so dark. Wyatt stared at the Christmas tree lights for a long time. It was so cute to watch him smile and kick his little feet in excitement.

This is Dayton and Ashlynn who proudly took on the roles of a Shepherd, (or as Dayton thought, "I'm a ninja!") and the beautiful virgin Mary. They all did such a great job that day. All the parents were proud of course.

Despite the many gifts we received, I want my Heavenly Father to know how grateful I am for the many gifts he has given me.
I thank thee for:
*The birth of thy son, Jesus Christ, and that he was willing to die for me.
*The prophet, Joseph Smith, who sacrificed so much to restore this church on the earth and for all the prophets that have followed him.
*The spirit, which guides and directs me each day.
*A loving and wonderful family who has loved me from the very beginning and supported me in all my many activities.
*Two amazing parents that have protected, loved, and taught me so many things and have loved me since the day I was born.
*An amazing and humorous husband who has made my life worth living.
*A healthy and strong body that functions properly and supports me.
*A beautiful and healthy son that has brightened up my life and made Ethan and I so happy.
*Everything I have been given and blessed with throughout my life. For the many talents I've been entrusted with, the many friends I have made, and the many spiritual moments I've had.

For everything that I have, I thank thee.

A baby blessing already!?!

Baby Blessing: DECEMBER 6, 2009
I can't believe it. I've already had a baby blessing for my own child..... what!? How can this be? Where did the time go? What happened to my baby boy who was 5lbs 9 oz. Better yet, what happened to all the nights of continual sleep? All of them are gone and part of the past now. My son will never be a tiny little guy again. He will never wear NB diapers anymore. He has already progressed and made it to size 1 diapers. That may seem like a silly thing to think about, but it's really a big deal. His little bottom is growing.

Sunday ended up being a wonderful day full of family, friends, and happy attitudes. I can't explain how fun it is to get your child ready for an event such as this. It's one thing to get nervous, anxious, or exciting about a piano recital, basketball game, or giving a talk, but it's quite another thing when it's your son's big day. I wanted him to look perfect for his special day. I wanted him to be fully fed and happy when he was brought into the middle of the circle surrounded by men. It felt just like I was going to a dance or something, except I just prepped him up instead of myself. Wyatt got to wear the same outfit my brother, Tanner, wore when he was blessed. The whole outfit was so cute and fit him rather nice. One yellow stain from baby Tanner added a nice touch and later that day, Wyatt decided to add his very own special smear to the outfit as well. He pooped right through his diaper and it got all over the cute little outfit. Oooooops!

The actual blessing was beautiful. Ethan did such a great job and I was so proud of him. As I listened to the words that were spoken I couldn't help but shed my happy tears. I was thinking about my little boy and how special he is; how much he means to me. There's not a better sight in the world than to see the backside of a bunch of men in a circle when they're using their priesthood power to bless a little child. How grateful I am to have a husband, father(in-law), brothers, and family members who hold this priesthood and can use it to bless others at any time. The Lord has blessed his sons with the gift and authority and I'm so glad to be a part of it. Altogether, the blessing was wonderful and the meeting was spiritual. Both Ethan and I were able to share our testimony to our son for the first time. What a wonderful day!

"Did ya see me Mommy....did ya see me today? I was a good boy while Daddy was holding me. There were a lot of big people staring down at me in the circle. I don't know who they were, but I know that they love me. I felt special today Mommy."

Grandpa Hyde holding his newest little grandson's. (Only 6 days apart)
Wyatt & Chase

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to the blessing, and we appreciate those who tried to come, but had other obligations. We still love you :) The support means the world to us and we really do appreciate it. Family is what it's all about!
Back row, from L to R: Dane, Dayton, Marie, Logan, Ethan & Wyatt, Kevin, Jan, Maddie, Ron & Azeley, Megan, Taylor. Front row: Hannah & Chase, Me and Courtney, Jill.


A special thanks to Mom (Jill) for throwing a delicious lunch before the blessing :) Thanks again to everyone who participated in the circle and for the families that joined. We love you all!

Baby Wyatt 7-11 weeks old

An update on Wyatt:

• Wyatt is starting to "track" things; however, he constantly looks up to the sky, clear off to the right and left side, and off into the distance for some reason. It's kind of funny, but we're wondering why?
• Wyatt has grown out of his NEWBORN clothes and diapers!
• He weighs 10 pounds and is super L-O-N-G.... 22 inches already.
• He snorts like a little piglet. When he gets crying (which doesn't happen very often) he snorts multiple times- so funny :)
  
• Wyatt hasn't peed on his face for over a month.
• Wyatt has begun to blow out of his pants. He is getting oh so powerful with his S-bomb explosions. (You can guess what the "s" stands for hee hee)
• WYATT HAS STARTED TO SMILE ON PURPOSE!
• He is experiencing his first cold. Mommy has to use the booger sucker all the time now.
• Wyatt is completely, 100% off "the shield" now and eats directly from Mom.
• Wyatt is learning Shakespeare--thanks to Mommy always reading it to him for her class.

Below are some pictures from when he was 7 weeks up till the present:

He's already practicing his basketball skills.
"I'm a baller. Check out my Jordan's."

2 Month old picture with teddy

Wyatt's first smile(s). This was not on purpose though. Probably just having a dream of a chocolate milk factory or something.

One of my favorites: As you can see here, his wrinkles are starting to fill out and he doesn't look so much like an old man. Plus, he loves to be naked, and I love to play with him naked ha-ha

He looks so grown up here

These are Wyatt's humongous hands. I'm definitely going to teach him how to play piano & basketball. Can't wait.

FUNNY!

Wyatt has started to open his eyes really, really wide. I think he was watching a scary movie with Dad at the time.

We are having so much fun with him and are learning a lot! He is starting to stay awake a lot more during the day and it's so much fun. Anyone is welcome to come visit; he loves visitors.

Hap, hap, hap, Happy Birfday! (NOV 8)

Ethan's birthday landed on a Sunday this year, so I decided to plan a couple of activities for him that weekend. On Friday the 6th, we had a huge BUNKO party with eight other couple friends from our ward. We had pizza, fruit salad, drinks, cake, and prizes! We all had a really good time and this was Ethan's first time playing the game. (We only got to be partners once though)
On Saturday night I arranged and called 6 of Ethan's guy friends to meet up at Applebees to enjoy "HAPPY HOUR" and half off appetizers together. You know, "Girl Time" but with guys. (They just don't like to admit that they like to have that time together too ha-ha) When Eth walked in the door after his two hour "guys session" he was grinning from ear to ear. He loved it.
On Sunday we enjoyed sleeping in together, but the rest of the day was just like any other Sunday. I let Ethan open his two little presents that I could afford to get him: an 8-pack of red gatorade and a package of socks. Not much of a gift, but that's why I tried real hard on planning his other two activities and surprises for him--those were also my presents to him. That night we went over to my parents house briefly where we read Birthday Cards and ejoyed dinner and cake at the end. Even when there's only a few Anderson's at home, we still go through our famous Happy Birthday Randition for the birthday victim. That night we just relaxed together.
Hope you had a wonderful birthday Eth,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!

24 reasons why I love Ethan:

1. He is crazy and weird like me; we do whatever comes to our mind no matter how ridiculous and embarassing it is.

2. He makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE DAY, without fail.

3. He looks handsome in any color. Even pink.

4. He knows exactly how to calm me down when I get frustrated or over-excited.

5. I feel safe when he's around.

6. He knows how to work hard.

7. His imagination and ideas are fascinating and impressive.

8. He serves people all the time and he loves it.

9. He has introduced me to Mexican Food which has become my new edible love.

10. He's the most amazing grocerie organizer! Every time we go to the store, my job is to unpackage the goods and Ethan will then grab a chair, sit down infront of the fridge, and proceed to place all the food exaxtly where he wants it. He actually does a really good job too.

11. He explains things too me that I don't understand in a nice, loving, and helpful way, without making fun of me.
12. He loves to go out to eat as much as I do.

13. He takes care of Wyatt for me when I'm at school. He is a great father already and offers to take shifts late at night when I need to go to bed.

14. He knows how to laugh at himself, like when he impersonates the chunky kid off of the goonies ha-ha. Makes me laugh every time.

15. He takes constructive criticism very well.

16. He constantly thinks about what he can do for other people and how he can help them.

17. I love it when Ethan randomly says to me, "Ashley, I want you to take this money ($2.00) and go buy yourself a shake. Can you do that for me?" He knows I love shakes and he says this when he wants to do something for me, but just doesn't know what to do.

18. He listens to me when I have my emotional breakdowns and constipations.

19. I can ask him for a blessing any time.

20. He laughs really hard when I "pooter" or "poof". That makes things fun :)

21. He is an amazing speaker! When he gives a talk or a lesson it just blows me away.

22. I love it when he will actually let out his emotion. Like when we watch touching movies together and he'll look over at me to see if I'm crying. (Which I almost always am) Then he laughs at me and says, "I almost cried." That's good for Ethan ha.

23. He thinks my ideas are good ones and he handles my bossyiness very well.

24. Most of all, I love him because he loves me. It feels so good to be loved. He was the only person that ever made me feel pretty. He was the first person to look past my strong body and personality and recognized the person I was on the inside. Thanks Eth.

I love you more than Wyatt loves milk... and that's a lot.

Hahahahahahahahahhaa

Halloween Fun!

We started our Halloween fun on Monday night with my parents for FHE. We had a great time carving pumpkins and taking pictures of Wyatt in his dinosaur costume. On Halloween day Ethan and I dressed up again for our ward party, but this year I had to come up with something fast... I didn't have as much time as last year to come up with something, so I just found some odds and ends in my closet. I came up being a mime. The only problem was: I couldn't keep my mouth shut! So I didn't play the part very well, but still enjoyed myself and all the weird looks :)

We were also invited to a mystery dinner party at a friends house and got to dress up in completely different outfits. The dinner was amazing, the game was a blast, and we really enjoyed ourselves. I discovered that 5-6 hours away from Wyatt was much too long!

MIME FACE

These are two of our very good friends: Garrett & Jessica Pace. They actually won a prize for their costumes.

This is Darla. She has some issues. Jeff and Darla decided to finally come and meet Ronald. He's been wanting them to show up for a long time. They came to wish Dad a Happy Birthday in their own special way haha

Mom carved a pretty sweet "Trick or Treat" pumpkin.

I outlined the pumpkin character and Eth did the wonderful carving job.

Look at my Dad's pumpkin. If you aren't laughing yet, you should be. This is a total reflection of my Dad's drawing and pictionary skills. Sadly, nobody really wants to be on his team because we all have such a hard time figuring out what he drew. No offense Dad, but you know its true. Thanks for the laughs though!

Awww, the whole family together for Wyatt's first Halloween experience.

Mom and I tried really hard to create our own background for a cute picture. Wyatt did pretty well through the whole shoot, but this is about as good as it gets. Babies don't understand the smiling and holding still concept yet.
(Look at his huge hands! They are always spread out)

What a cute little Dinosaur :)

Welcome Home WYATT!

Wyatt decided when it was time to come home. Seriously. See this large tube taped to his face, well, he decided to rip it out of his nose on Tuesday. He was done with being fed through a tube. This was his way of saying, "Hey you stupid nurses, I don't need this tube anymore... I'm ready to go home! Go and get Mommy and I will show you!" Ha-ha That's my boy :-)

In his excitement to come home . . . Wyatt wet himself . . . on Daddy.

This is the little crib Wyatt stayed in for a few nights on his own; no tubes attached. (Some of his information is on the blue paper in the back if you can see it)

Before he could come home, Ethan and I got to spend the night with him at the hospital in a room as a "test" shall we say. They wanted is to act like we were at home and to handle things accordingly. They were just there in case we had questions or needed help. We enjoyed ourselves and did just fin by ourselves too.

Grandma came to visit that night- she couldn't help herself. We could see Grandma's house out of our hospital room window; it was funny.

Ethan took over and gave Wyatt a bath.

We had a lot of snuggling time together on the bed. We were so excited to finally have him to ourselves, it was hard to stay away from him and put him in his crib... so we put him with us.

His first car ride went really well- he slept through the whole thing HA

We were so ready to get him inside for good.

When we walked through the door, this is what we found in our apartment. Some dear friends of ours (Nate & Marlice) had put up a little Welcome Home Sign for us and hilarious sticky notes all over the house. It was a fun little surprise. Thanks guys!

This is Wyatt's sleeping quarters. We don't have a crib quite yet, but to all of you who are worried (you know who you are) STOP. We will have a crib very soon. In the meantime, a laundry basket works just fine.

Enough Said.

This is one of the latest pictures of him. He's already gained quite a bit of weight and you can see his cheeks and jowells starting to fill out. He is feeding on a schedule 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 etc... and it's wonderful! What I've learned from this whole experience is this: there are goods and bads, pro's and cons to every situation... we must simply choose to focus on the good. You can always find the good in every situation if you take the time. We are so happy to have him home now. Thanks to all of you and your prayers!

We Love you WYATT-

WELCOME HOME BUDDY

Sept 21, 2009
What a glorious and unexpected day for the Felix family. Our little boy decided to come 5 1/2 weeks early to grace us with his presence; what a wonderful gift. Although it was scary to think he was coming so early, both Ethan and I were surprisingly calm. I guess that when you're living right and doing what you've been asked to do. . . the Lord does the rest. And that's exactly what happened:

5:00 p.m. My water broke while at church; I was about to play prelude; Ethan was so excited!
-since we weren't prepared for baby yet, we had to scramble around the house and figure out what to take to the hospital etc... it was a little hectic; I asked for a blessing.
6:00 p.m. Checked into hospital; confirmed water breaking; dilated to 4 cm already
7:00 p.m. All hooked up to chords & medicine; dilated to 5 cm; painful contractions began
8:00 p.m. Resting time; I took a nap; Eth secretly coordinated flight plans for my sister, Aubrey to come up
9:00 p.m. PAINFUL CONTRACTIONS! Finally asked for the Epidural; not fun
9:45 p.m. It took the guy 45 min to come give me an Epidural! All the while enduring the pain and trying to breath
10:30 First Epidural was in; cut the pain in half; I was pleased, but not comfortable; Epidural didn't work 100% had to try again.
11:00 Epidural #2 successfully in place; AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! No pain at all; loved it
11:30 Drained my bladder & baby dropped completely; dilated to 10 CM
12:00 a.m. Practice pushes; called Dr. Merideth; babies head was visible... time to go!
12:15 a.m. Moved me into the Operating Room by the NICU; began pushing; Ethan watching in amazement
12:25-12:46 PUSH, PUSH, PUSH! I did 3 sets of 3 pushes to get him out. Once the head made it out, Ethan got to catch the rest of his body :)

12:46 A.M. WYATT ETHAN FELIX 5 lbs. 9 oz.

12:00 a.m. Getting ready to move into the Operating Room. They made us wear these cute outfits for sanitary/safety reasons. We were so excited :)

Now if this isn't a proud father. . . I don't know what is. He was like a little boy on Christmas morning.
12:46 A.M. Baby Wyatt Ethan Felix was born. Also, to all those who haven't had a baby yet- there is NOTHING more precious and special in life then to have your little child placed in your arms for the first time. The feeling is indescribable and overwhelming. You will never fall in love faster...it's one of those things you have to experience to understand.

A very happy Mommy

Day #1: Wyatt had to be hooked up to a lot of different machines. I am so grateful for the knowledge and care we have in hospitals today.

I put the snot sucker next to him for a size comparison. He's a tiny little guy, but pretty big for a premature baby.

Monday morning: This was the first time I got to see him all cleaned up. As soon as I turned the corner and saw him there, the tears began to flow. Not because I was sad, but because I was so overwhelmingly happy I couldn't hold them in. I couldn't hold him yet, but I could place his little hand in mine.

Tuesday Sept 22, I got to hold my son for the first time. It was unbelievable. I think this picture can say a thousand words...
(Thanks Mamma Jan)

Wed 23: I got to change his first diaper!

Here's the monitor that calculated his weight and things.

Wed 23: Daddy got to hold his son for the first time. Once again, this picture says a lot about Daddy.

This is how we feed him for now- through a tube in his nose.

His precious little hand. He loves to hold Mommy's hand.

Here's one of the funny faces he can pull already. Luckily for us, he doesn't cry much they say. I don'tknow about you, but it kinda looks like he's about to cry?

KANGAROO TIME: This is a time for Mommy, Daddy, and Baby get to bond and grow close to one another. It's skin-to-skin contact for a few hours. It's wonderful and so snugly. This is basically the only chance we get to hold him for now so Eth and I take advantage of it. This procedure helps the baby to grow and develop faster as well as help the mother to heal, recover, and be comforted through the hard time. Trust me, it is hard.

On Friday we let Grandma do a feeding so she could hold baby Wyatt. She was so gitty and excited. She is going to be a great Grandma for Wyatt.

This is the first time we got to feed him through a bottle. He did really well for his first time and everyone was pleased... especially me. This is a lot of hard work for such a little guy. Way to go my son!

KANGAROO TIME w/ DADDY: Like father, like son.

Altogether Wyatt is doing pretty well. He is making little impovements every day and that's all we can ask for. He is such a good baby so far and the nurses say he's the best one in there. (As far as crying and cooperating goes) We discovered that Wyatt has a lot of Ethan's features: ears, sideburns, hair, the shape of his fingers, and his big fat toe. No joke- it's cute.

Having a baby is an amazing experience. Ethan and I are so excited to be parents and to learn and grow together. Babies and families is what brings this world together. I know this and will never deny it. We want to thank all of you for your kind and uplifting words of encouragement, as well as your love and support.We don't know how long Wyatt will be in the hospital, but we pray for his health and strength every single day. If you can all keep Wyatt and our family in your prayers we would love and appreciate it. He is truly a blessing in our life already and I am overwhelmed with the instant spirit, love, and affection that comes with having a baby. I wouldn't trade it for anything! We love you all!

We will try to keep you all posted on what's happening...stay tuned.

Much Love,
Ethan, Ashley, & Wyatt

"Please oh please take me camping!"

I have been bugging Ethan to take me camping ever since we got married and he finally decided to take his wify--probably because I was getting on his nerves? No matter the reason, I was definitely a "HAPPY CAMPER" during the whole trip and I had a blast with Ethan. I do admit, I was a little freaked out about spiders and bugs crawling in the tent, but I was gun-ho about everything else. I love wearing no make-up, smelling like fire and B.O. and eating tinfoil dinners.

OH YA!

We also went Skeet Shootin' one of the days and Eth showed everyone his perfect shot.

Maddie has never shot a gun before so we called her up and told her to come with us.
She actually ended up being the most accurate out of all of us that day! Way to go Maddie!

This is Marlese and I and we are Prego's....hence the Prego shot.

This is the first time I've actually said to myself while looking at a picture, "Oh my gosh Ashley, you look like a horse!" I think I look rather large in this picture.

We might have been away from kitchen and home, but we sure ate like Kings.

Oh how I love camping! Girls camp anyone? You might remember this scary face...

Eth did most of the work and cooking while we were there and he did a great job.

BANANA BOAT ANYONE?

These are our friends that came with us: Nate and Marlese Seaver

THANKS FOR THE FUN TIME ETH . . . until next time :)

Don't EVER forget your sunscreen

We made one of our annual trips to Lava this year and had a great time in the pool...just not a great time afterwords. I feel bad to say that I was somewhat responsible for inflicting the sizzling pain my husband had to endure. I assumed, (when you assume it makes an ASS out of U and ME) that our other company would bring the sunscreen so I neglected to grab it. I am so sorry Eefie. This picture of his back is nothing like it was in real life! I called him "Hell-boy" for a couple of days because that's exactly what he looked like. Not to mention, his attitude and rage toward the burn was pretty hellish too haha. Then there was the healing/peeling process. This was disgusting, painful, and gross. Yes, that is a large piece of skin I am holding in my hands. All in all I want to say to everyone reading this, "DO NOT FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN!"



Below:
Yes, we are smooching. I just wanted you all to know that we are still madly in love with each other haha! :) Actually, I just wanted to say that I had the funnest time in Star Valley our last trip. Eth took me on some Razor rides in the mountains and we got to look at the sunset like we used to Ahhhhhhh. The only difference now is that Ethan actually gets a smooch out of me hee hee. AND- although I did not capture any footage of our grouse hunting, Ethan was still able to shoot 9 grouse while we were there! If you don't know what that is then try Google.com Then Ethan taught me how to rip off feathers and get rid of all the guts and stuff so we could eat it! YUMMMMMM, it was amazing! I'm not a meat person, but this was definitely a delicious cut of meat. I recommend it to ANYONE, even you Aubrey.

A First Glimpse at Daddy

Story of the Day:
I was minding my own business and going about the day when I peeked around the corner to see what Ethan was up to. After all, it was abnormally quiet in the other room and I thought something must be wrong. When I peeked around the corner my heart skipped a beat and my lips were drawn up in a smile. This is what I saw: Ethan had our pile of baby books at his feet and he was reclined in his chair. He picked up the books one at a time and proceeded to read each one...page by page. SO CUTE!!! I quickly grabbed my camera and snatched a couple shots of this tender moment. When he noticed I was watching him and taking pictures he said, "Come in here Ash.... I wanna read them with you. I'll read them out loud." Although I had things to do around the house, I went over to the couch and sat down with a huge smile on my face. This is one of those times where you just have to put everything else in the back of your mind and realize what is most important in life. (Family. Isn't it about......TIME :)

Later in the week we decided to go to the nature park with our good friends Chase and Kiya to feed the duckies. I thought it would be fun to ride our bikes.....little did we know that it would rain and then poor on us in the middle of the ride. It was a cold and rainy day after that and all of us got a bit chilled, but I still had a good time. Ethan teased me about the rain and things, but I know he secretly enjoyed himself too.

Kiya, Chase, Ethan, Ashley

Check out the rain drops on Eth's jacket ha-ha-ha

Kiya's my good bud :) We are prego buddies.

Duckies, Duckies, Duckies!

Video Description:
I managed to catch a bit of the book Ethan was reading and had to hold in my laugh because he was actually starting to make fun of it. Every page you're supposed to push this laughing button and after a while it got real annoying as you can see from this video.

First FAMILY REUNION

We enjoyed a nice, hot day at Rigby Lake...
Had quality time with my dear big sister....
Eth is full of hot air- it comes in handy at times :)
PREGO SHOT- I'm still pretty small, but check out those curves...come on!
Aaaaahhhhh, enjoying the rays
Jay and Brett had some bonding time in the kiddie pool- so cute! Jay enjoyed splashing Daddy's face haha
Food, Glorious food! We all love it.
Cute baby Jay getting a thrill from walking.
Me and Jay. I was a little obsessed with this little one at the reunion. A & B I am sorry, but he's just so cute and I'm getting so anxious to have my own I think?
Leaf Blower Contortions....
Good one Eth....
Wow, he has a huge mouth...
Aaaaa hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHA!
Aaaaaa hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hee hee hee
Megan played a horrible trick on the whole family. She faked her water breaking at the dinner table with a water balloon. It was 100% believable because she was crying and her acting was ligit. I will admit, this brought me to reality. She really woke me up. I thought, "Oh wow. This could happen to me. My water could break anytime, anywhere."
Steak Cook-off competition. All were a success
Here's Eth with his raw steak. He got 3rd out of four which he was pleased with.
Here's my ridiculous mother trying to play basketball. As you can see, she is making fun of herself and laughing histerically haha
All the boys tried the ball smashing game. It was funny to watch everyone.
The point is to hit that black thing and try to get as many balls into the dogs mouth.
PREGO SHOT! Megan was only 4 days away from her due date and I am 10 weeks from my due date. I know, I know, I'm not very big.
HOLE IN ONE! Not kidding
The miniture golf was really fun.
Sisters! Love, love, love
Eth and I worked as a team to try and kill Jax and Brett. They were our biggest threat. Put a gun in my hand and watch out!
Blasting each other is great fun.... even though I pulled my hamstring.
The girls made crafts together....
The thing on my chest is what we made....
And the guys played guitar hero :)
Jax loves to sing
This was perhaps the funniest sight of the entire reunion. Dad trying to play the drums ha ha
Cute little Courtney was entertainment for all.
And dear Elder T-man was with us all the time.
Oooo we have good looking boys!

THANKS FOR ALL THE FUN AND PREPARAAAAAATION BY ALL.

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!

Ethan's Favorite Game

Ethan loves playing and watching Baseball. I've enjoyed watching him play his guts out on the field in slow pitch softball this summer. I just wanted to say, "Good Job this season Eth. You are fun to watch." I love you Eeefie.

Anderson Family Reunion @ Lagoon!

We had a wonderful full-day pass to LAGOON for our family reunion and boy was it fun!

I taught Ethan how to steer this airplane to get the optimum performance :)
He LOVED IT!

Since I couldn't go on any of the cool rides, Eth had some quality bonding time with
mother-in-law haha I don't know if they're scared to go on the ride in this picture or if they both are thinking, "Oh crap! I'm stuck with him/her all day!"

We went on all the rides that twirled in a circle. Honestly, this Tilt-A-World gave me a huge thrill

You might be wondering what this is exactly? Well, Ethan is in tights. Each family was supposed to perform a lip sync. Since only Ethan and I were there for this part of the reunion, Eth decided he would represent the Anderson clan. He performed "Another one bites the dust!"

He not only performed a lip sync, but he was also asked to be the "MC" for the night. Once again his Jeff outfit stole the show, along with his redneck jokes.
"IFFFFF your favorite Mexican food is DOR I TOS....... you might be a redneck!"

The whole reunion was great and we had a really good time. Whenever family gets together, I'm reminded of how much I love everyone. Families are forever!

*G*I*R*L*S* D*A*Y*

The Hyde Family girls decided to have a "Girls Day" up at the ranch so we could all bond together and get away from the kids. Things were planned out to the T and we had so much fun together. Thanks to those who did most of the planning and preparing, and a special thanks to the manly men in the fam who babysat for hours haha! Here's what we did.........

These crazy ones above, (Steph, Melissa, Michelle) decided to plaster their beautiful faces with avocadoes, yogurt, honey, and cucumbers. Why, you may ask? Well, I don't know haha. You will have to ask them. I believe these foods exfoliate the skin and tighten the wrinkles or something.

Each of us were partnered up with someone and proceeded to perform pedicures to one another. Lukily, the two who knew the least about this suff were paired together :) Love you Melissa V! I think Marie looks a little too comfortable in this picture.
We also played the "Favorite Things" game where we each bought 3 little gifts of the same thing that we consider to be one of our "Favorite Things". Then we drew names and we each got to swap gifts with each other. Everyone brought random things but we all went home happy. It was like Christmas in July! Woo-hoo. We will be doing this again.

I had a blast watching this hunk of love--Sterling. Just trying to prepare for the near future. I have a lot, a lot to learn.

This is what the living room looked like with all the gifts and goodies. The two large baskets on each end were the shower gifts for me and Hannah. We were definately spoiled by our dear sisters and I personally want to thank each of you for everything you gave me. It is such a blessing to mary into such a great family and I love each of you so much. I appreciate the gift(s) so much, but more important, the love you have shown me. I love you all!

We enjoyed opening gifts, eating food, doing facials, watching a movie, and bonding with each other. I think we all had a great time together and our toes and feet look 10x's better than they did before. Thanks for the fun sista's!

Summer Softball

We decided to play on a co-ed softball team for the summer to help keep our sanity. Ethan loves baseball, I love softball, so we both decided it would be a healthy and fun activity for the both of us. Ethan kicked trash at pitching and I was bored out in right field. ( I requested to play in the outfield to avoid any line drives at my belly.) Coach put me as 4th batter which I was very happy about because I love to crank the ball. Eth did really well at batting and improved a lot. Altogether, we had a great time and ended up in SECOND PLACE! We barely fell short of winning the title and getting a T-shirt.

Terrik, Chelsea, Me, Ethan


Honestly, our team was made up of the most random people. Take a look for yourself and just imagine the possibilities/personalities.


Oh yes, and this is just a random picture of me and Hannah at her little Birthday party.

Ashley = 5 months along Hannah = 7 months along

Hannah is very large, but it's ok. She is exactly what I'll become...

"THE POWER TO BECOME!"

4th of July FuN!

We decided to be adventurous this year and make our own little float for the 4th of July parade. This is was Ethan's genius idea last year and I was impressed that he stuck to it. We spent quite a few hours putting it all together, but it was well worth it and we had a blast. It was Ethan's idea to build a wall with a window, and the rest was up to his wife. Hee-hee.
This is Ethan and Rusty putting the plywood on the wall to make it look more realistic. Thanks to Bradley Bateman for building the whole wall for us, and thanks to Rusty for letting us use his tools and expertise. We have some great friends!

I made most of the signs and things and had to wear Ethan's booger hankie to keep out the gaseous fumes. I have to protect my little one especially.

Here I am just making the signs for the side of our truck, "SHINE SO FINE!"

We bought some spray paint to cover the plywood. We were hoping it would make it look more like a house or something, but who knows?

Here's what the float ended up looking like. Very simple, but cute. I think the people got the message we were trying to send, so that's all we needed. (Notice the flowers in the pot- I stole all of them from Mom's house haha. When she came home she noticed her house looked really bare in certain areas :)

This is the sign we put on the back of the trailer. What's funny is that a lot of people snickered at us when we yelled, "Our favorite color is clear!" during the parade. I think it's rather clever actually.

Ethan and I the morning of, just trying to get everything together.

Our friends Alan and Nicki were kind enough to join us on our adventure. We wanted more bodies and more advertisers, so we picked our dear friends.

Try to ignore and look past Ethan's sexy legs and notice his TIGHT shoes! Can you say, "patriotic". These shoes are so cool and he doesn't get to wear them very often, so I made him put them on. They brought back some memories of when we were first dating and he was his crazy old self. Fortunately, these were actually one of the items of clothing that actually still fits him haha.

This is the whole crew: Trevor, Kyle, Me, Nicki, Garrett, Alan, Ethan, and Mom.
Besides Mom, Nicki, and Garrett, everyone else works for us and they are great. The boys had fun with the super soakers while the ladies (and Ethan) advertised and yelled for Shine So Fine.

Dad was kind enough to drive the truck for us in the parade. Check out his shirt too--very festive Father.

On the way down Main Street we ran into the Bateman's! Some of our favorite people :) It meant a lot to us to have some family there supporting us in the parade. Jaxon, Megan, and Courntey also came to watch the parade.
Oh, and Ashlynn is probably my favorite niece. I love ASHY!

This is just cute. I love it when we match.

Later that night we headed to Idaho Falls to spend the evening with Jax, Meg, and Courntey. We had a delicious BBQ with them (of which Jaxon made some wicked steaks! Our cook-off is going to be a tough one for sure.) Then we were smart and went to Denny's to get some dessert so we could park in their parking lot for the fireworks. Smart, I know.

We sat on the grass outside of Denny's and watched the amazing firework show. The fireworks were right in front of us too. I love fireworks!

Here's a little Prego shot of Megan and I. I'm still not showing a whole lot, but it's coming. I can feel it....every morning.

Here's me and Jax just hangin' out. We all ate too much , that's for sure, but we all had a great time. Fortunately, we got out of there fairly quickly too.

I've always loved the 4th of July because of the festivities and the fireworks, but also because I get really patriotic. It allows me to really focus on our country and our freedoms. I know that the Lord has blessed this nation and he has placed us here for a wise purpose. I hope our country sticks together and always remembers that God is the head of this country. He will protect us if we are on his side. "IN GOD WE TRUST." I love this country and I am grateful to those who fight for our country. May we all stand up for what we believe in and thank the Lord for our freedom of choice, speech, religion, and everything else! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

We're Having A...

Maddie was so funny when I went into her room to tell her. It took her a while to figure the picture out, but then she got it RIGHT ON! Way to go Poopy :)

Mom was a little off at guessing the gender, but then she figured it out. Oh, and Dad is saying, "Weanis" not "P****" by the way. We discovered that "Weanis" is not a very nice word, so we don't say that anymore... thanks to Grandma and her knowledge in English.