Literacy Center

Seven-year-old Paloma Torres, left, speed reads through a list of three-word phrases as her literacy tutor 10-year-old Ashley Amaladhas times her progress at the Family Literacy Center in Lehi Monday July 27, 2009. MARIO RUIZ/Daily Herald

This photo was in the Daily Herald yesterday! Kaylee's name isn't mentioned, but that is her on the far right! She was so excited to show it to me!

So since she did get in the paper while at the literacy center, I thought now would be a great time to tell everyone in this area how much I LOVE this place and would recommend it to everyone!! I especially love it for my 4-5 year olds so they know how to read before they start kindergarten. It's 45 minutes twice a week and it's free!! However, because I LOVE them so much we pay a little extra at the wonderful Green Eggs and Ham breakfast and at the summer picnic. Once my kids are in school I only have them go in the summer, but they do have math and reading tutors year round. And the tutors are awesome!! Kaylee can't wait to be a tutor in a year or so!

Anyway, there is my plug! This is an incredible program!!

Foam Fest and More

Have you ever seen anything like this?!

The city put on this foam day at the park right behind the girls' school. Kaylee and Taylor had a blast!! Emily (who I didn't even get a picture of--sorry) and Kierra wanted nothing to do with it. Thomas and I just hung out and watched!

Later that night we did a picnic and fireworks with some great great friends!!

(I really wish I had taken more pictures here--I'm also noticing that I really don't have any pictures of Emily lately. :( I'll have to work on that!)

Speaking of great friends!! I have had so much fun showing off our little boy and visiting with many friends who have come to stop by or who I've been able to get out of the house and visit (yeah for 2 nights with my BC girls!!) These are just a few pictures--I'm so bad at having the camera out all of the time, so those of you that have come over and didn't get your picture on the blog, I apolgize!

Kierra has been cuddling nicely with Monica lately--especially if she can play on her phone. :) And look at Heather--doesn't she look like a pro with a baby?! We are anxiously waiting for her baby girl to arrive! And hey--who is that on the right?! Yeah for a surprise visit from Jordan who has been in Florida all summer! We were so excited to see her again!

And here is our center of attention lately!

Thomas is still a little yellow--especially his eyes. We took him off the lights on Monday. Sometimes I get paranoid and think I should take him back in. I've also heard a lot of people say that it takes a while for the yellow to go away and so then I don't worry. He's eating and pooping great (in case you wanted to know) so I guess we'll just keep an eye on him...which I don't mind doing anyway! ;)

Home Sweet Home

As you can see we had some more visitors in the hospital. Grandma and Grandpa Gardner drove down to see Thomas. They were also able to come later in the week while our Houston cousins were here.

The girls had a lot of fun visiting us in the hospital, when they weren't holding their baby brother they were playing in the hospital bed! Now they have fun showing him off to their cousins and friends. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures while the cousins were here. We had a great visit with them! We miss them a ton! I was a little too out of it for the big kid games--hopefully we'll get there for Thanksgiving to really have some fun!

Matt and I had fun dressing him in blue to take him home. Our first two nights went really well. He had been eating so great and going right back to sleep after each meal. Well, yesterday they brought us the glow bed. His bilirubin levels keep going up so hopefully this will help. Our sweet little boy that hardly cried at all his first 3 days, screamed every time we tried to put him in this. He loved being swaddled really tight and never took/needed a binkie. Now he has to lay in just his diaper sprawled out on what Grandpa H. thinks is a tanning bed. We've been scrambling to find a binkie that might work, and the perfect position to keep him content. Matt was great to stay up with him a lot last night while I got some rest.

His levels did drop a little this morning, but he does need to stay in the bed until Monday morning when he will get tested again. He is doing much better in it, so hopefully tonight will be better for everyone.

More pictures of Thomas, TJ, Tommy....

The girls love to call him Tommy! I have a hard time saying just Thomas, so I'm not really sure what to call him for now. He is definitely my little man and like Nikkii and Michelle reminded me last night he will be my little boyfriend! I've already really enjoyed our quiet middle of the night time together. We had a good night last night!

Matt hacked in again and put some pictures up, but these are some that I really liked. I love our family picture! 4 girls and a boy! Crazy!! As you can see, Kierra couldn't keep her eyes off him. She is going to be such a great big sister, as all of them will. I know Kaylee would stay here in the hospital room with me all day if I'd let her and Taylor and Emily are always wanting their chance to hold him.

Below are pictures of our view from our labor and delivery room. Can you believe that?! What an amazing experience to have the temple right there in view as you bring a child into this world to be with his family and know that it is eternal.

Here are more Kierra pictures! She has been such a good girl for Grandma. I'm glad to have a baby boy so that she can still be my baby girl!

My mom has been an incredible help with the girls. She was so great to still get them to all of their summer activities and then up to visit us a couple of times. I'm sure we wore her out, but they all seem to be having fun! My dad was also able to come for a few hours on his round about way home from Star Valley. Labor was going soooo slow all day and so we were worried that he wouldn't be able to see his new grandson. At 6:30 we were still thinking we'd be here all night and then all of a sudden things progressed and after 3 pushes (less than 5 minutes) Thomas was here! It was crazy fast!!

And Traci--these pictures are for you!! I love how you think Matt looked so exhausted! Here are some smiling ones of him! Sometimes I do feel bad for the Dad's because they do get neglected a little during this whole process. I'm sure he was starving at this point. He is amazing though!! I have loved this time with him! It's the best! Everything has really been so perfect!

Ok--and now we have to do one quick shout out to Uncle Dale and his friend Carmella!! This picture was on the Denver Fox 31 news website. Carmella is in the tie die looking shirt on the right and Dale is the tall blonde just to the left of her. They are in Denver at the American Idol auditions! He just sent me a text saying he's about to see Ryan Seacrest!! He's having a blast I'm sure!! I can't wait to hear how it goes.