Million Dollar Smile

This is what makes everything worth it!

Swiss Days and BYU I

So the last couple weeks have been a little crazy, but so much fun.

On the 5th of September we journeyed up to Midway for Swiss Days. It was always the highlight of the year when we lived up there. So, since McKay was here in Lehi, and Shannon and Travis back from their honeymoon, the 6 of us drove up there to have a little fun.

For some reason we decided to be INSANE and wake up early to drive up there for the chuckwagon breakfast which started at 7am. So when Clara woke up for her 5:30 feeding I just stayed awake and got things ready. The true challenge was trying to rouse my husband at the last possible second, but also give him enough time to gain full consciousness since he would be driving.

When we got up there it was raining. Fortunately, we were able to eat our delicious breakfast under some large tents. Joe really liked the fact that it was all you can eat pancakes:)

Then after a quick nap in the cars, the sky had cleared and we were able to watch the parade. We were also able to explore all the millions of booths that were there. Of course there are many cutsie things there...(who do you think their biggest spenders are?) but everytime Shannon and I would walk into a booth with girlie things, the boys would just roll their eyes and give us a look that said, "how long is this going to take?" Trying to appease them, I said there were plenty of things there that they would like to look at. Travis then protested that none of the things here were useful. I laughed and said that we would go and find a "man" booth. This was one of Travis and McKay's favorites.

I love Swiss Days!

Then on Labor Day we drove McKay up to BYU-I for his first semester of college. I was so sad to leave him there, but I was way excited for him to be able to have the experience before his mission. I can't believe he is in college! We miss you McKay!

Last but not least, Clara turns two months old tomorrow, none of her clothes are fitting because she is growing so fast, and so I whipped out a dress that I thought might fit. It is still a little big, but she looked so darn cute I snapped a bunch of pictures. Anyone know of any good baby clothes sales?

The New Ride

Yay! So a couple weeks ago we sold our little Nissan Sentra. It was a great little car and got 30mpg, but it didn't work too well with a car seat! So, we decided upgrade to a "klunker" and we love it. It is a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer, the LT edition, so it has leather seats, sunroof and power everything. We absolutely love it. We can't wait to break it in when we take it to Swiss Days up in Midway this weekend, and when we take McKay up to BYU-Idaho on Labor day!

Bath Time and Cousin Tom

So Clara has decided she loves to take a bath! Here are some adorable pictures that I took of her after she got out the other day. She was just cooing and smiling...unfortunately I haven't been quick enough with the camera to catch a smile yet, but I will keep on trying.

Exactly three weeks after Clara was born, my sister in law Candis had her little boy Thomas Thayne. Up until then everyone kept saying what a Smalley baby Clara was, but seeing her next to Tom really brings out the Ellis side of her I think. They are so adorable!

Here are the proud moms.

...and the proud papas:)

A New Addition...

So here is a summation of my final days of pregnancy....

Yep, that about does it.

Our little Clara came five days late. I was due Friday, the 10th of July, and my doctor said if she didn't come on her own by the 17th, he was going to induce me. So early on the morning of the 15th she decided to come. I woke up around 1am with labor contractions and we got to the hospital by 2:15 (after stopping at McDonalds for a hamburger and chicken nuggets!). By 5:30 am I was complete and was pushing to get her here. A couple hours later she still hadn't arrived and every time I'd push her heart rate would drop. At 10:00 am my doctor came in and said he wasn't happy with how things were progressing and that we needed to get her out now. So four pushes and a pair of forceps later, Clara was born at 10:30 am.

Joe and I always knew that the addition of a baby to our family would be a lot of work. What we weren't prepared for is how much fun it would be. Clara is such a joy to have in our home. We constantly find ourselves in awe of this precious little girl.

We brought Clara home on the 17th of July to her Aunt Erinn, Uncle Spencer, and Grandma Smalley.

Ten days later, on the 25th of July, Shannon and Travis were married in the Timpanogos Temple. It was a beautiful wedding. Shannon looked like a princess. Her colors were plum and silver, and Clara looked adorable in the dress we got her even though it nearly drown her.

The next day, on the 26th, Clara was blessed. We were worried about doing it when she was so little, but we were also worried about passing up an opportunity when we had so many family members in town for the wedding. It worked out all right. Joe did a wonderful job. He had put so much time and thought into preparing for the blessing that it turned out beautifully.

Clara is actually named after my Great-Grandma Evans. She was raised in Malad, Idaho and was an incredible lady. I wrote my senior seminar paper on my Grandma Smalley (Clara was her mother) so I was able to get quite acquainted with this remarkable lady. Here is a quick little snapshot:

"Ilene remembers her mother as a neat and tidy person who, like her grandmother, was never idle. Clara made a different kind of commitment than her mother with the things she chose to busy herself with. Ilene said it was Clara’s resolve to not have her daughters have to wash diapers in the family. There were never lost shoes in the Evans home. Clara taught her children to take care of their things. Everything had its proper place and needed to be put back where it belonged, a trait very similar to the one seen in her grandfather, John Winters Lusk. Clara never told her children to go and do something, but invited them to come and do it with her. She never expected any work from them that she wasn’t willing to do herself. She would frequently turn work time into an enjoyable time to be with her children by singing to them as she worked, or talking to them about different things.
Clara was a small woman, with dark curly hair. Her slender build was a reflection of the work that she dedicated herself to day in and day out. Evan described her as a “pretty little dark haired girl” who was “all business.” There wasn’t much she wouldn’t do. She was shy and quiet in many ways, but she knew what she wanted and would work until she got it."

Another cool thing about Clara's name is that it fits her perfectly. Clara means "clear or bright." Right from the moment she was born she had her eyes wide open and she was just looking around observing things around her. She actually didn't even cry when she was born until they took her away from us. As soon as her daddy went over and started talking to her, she calmed right down and just kept looking around. She is probably the most alert newborn that I have ever seen. She is so engaging and really responds to her surroundings. Like I said before, being a mom is just plain fun.

A couple days after the blessing, all of us flew back to New Jersey and then drove up to my grandparents lakehouse in upstate New York. That was when we finally had some time to relax after all the madness of the summer. My Great-Grandma Benson lives up there, so (how cool is this!) we got to take a 5 generation picture!

My Grandma Benson was so cute. She didn't want to take her eyes off Clara long enough to look up at the camera! It was awesome. At the age of 96 she still has plenty of spitfire!

Clara's cord also fell out up there so we were able to give her her first bath in the kitchen sink where all of us were bathed as babies. She didn't really enjoy the experience as much as we'd hoped.
Now we've been back for a little while and are settling into things a bit more. It has been a wonderful summer.

If you are curious...

We have officially passed the due date. She is biding her sweet time, but we aren't really in any hurry to make her come.
My mom and Spencer came to visit on the 4th of July. I don't thing Spencer actually believes this baby is really going to come...fortunately, as my mother said, it won't be terminal.
Don't worry I promise we will let you know when she makes an appearance.

Time Bomb

So I am sure that everyone gets to the point during pregnancy where they just feel like a walking time bomb. You have no idea when you should start getting that hospital bag ready, how soon is too soon to set up the crib, how far is too far away to go on a vacation....

Joe and I wanted to take one last little trip before this baby comes. We've been working like crazy and so we decided to take a weekend off from all the chaos and just get away. The problem was, we had trouble figuring out dates (every weekend seemed to be filling up so fast!) and where to go (Joe was even uncomfortable going as far as St. George, just in case...). We finally settled on going up to Midway, since it is close, but far enough away to feel like we were going somewhere. We ended up at the Homestead, which I'd loved going to as a kid for fancy dinners on special occasions, but I'd never actually stayed there.

We loved it! We had perfect weather, not too hot, but not too chilly either. Everything was so green, we ate at some wonderful restaurants, and were just able to relax. We even turned our cell phones off for the full two days. It was wonderful!
Then it was time to get back to reality, which was okay. Joe was just glad that while we were up there I didn't go into labor!

A couple fun things have happened since then. Joe's sister Sara came back from her mission the Philippines!

Sorry the picture is a little blurry (Joe was taking the pictures!:). She is so amazing, and worked some miracles for the Lord out there, but we are glad to have her back. Joe made the comment that the family is now "complete" again.

Also, since graduation I have been working 2 jobs (don't ask why, I'm ridiculous....I got two offers). One job is the same job I had through most of college, working for BrainStorm, Inc. developing end-user software training, and also honing my accounting and finance skills (which, at a corporate level were basically at zero - but I am learning a ton!). The other job actually uses my major and minor. I teach English to Korean students that actually live in Korea. All the lessons are via web cam. It is pretty cool, but makes for some interesting hours considering we are 15 hours behind them. As much as I've enjoyed these jobs and appreciate the paychecks, I'm so excited to be a mom. I really can't think of any other job I would rather have. So although I know that this baby is going to bring changes I never could've anticipated, I feel motivated and excited to tackle this role head on.

Well for an update with the wedding plans, Shannon and I found a dress for the baby for the wedding. Shannon's colors are plum and silver, and the dress goes perfectly. I just hope the baby will be able to fit into it; it looks a little big although it is a "newborn" size.

Isn't it adorable? I love it!

Also, I couldn't resist taking a picture of my flowers. With all this rain my gardens are actually looking decent this year. This garden is the one I struggled with the most, and it finally looks like something beautiful is growing. The other gardens have a lot more color and variety, but I was just proud this one is doing well.

Less than one month left until the baby arrives! (Due date is July 10th)