Watch out Nemo...

here she comes. Gracie started swimming lessons today. You would think that seeing how it is June 9th and all the weather would be perfect for swimming. Not so. During the entire lesson you could hear the kids in her class saying "mommy I'm cold." If the wind hadn't been blowing it wouldn't have been so bad. Despite the cold temps she had lots of fun. I hope that she learns a lot and will have more fun when we go swimming. She did really well. Her teacher told them a secret about the pool but she wont spill the beans. I guess thats a good thing that she can keep a secret.

Chubber Wubbers

Well Kohen had his 2 month check up this week and holy cow is he getting big. He now weighs 11 lbs 9 oz. He has gained 3 lbs in 2 months! I guess I am used to Grace who was always so tiny. She only weighed 14lbs at 12 months!! I was a little worried that he wasn't eating enough because he could sleep through feedings during the day. I guess he is getting enough because he is growing. I can't remember how long he is but he is in the 25th percentile for height and when I told Frank his stats Frank's comment was, "oh great my son is going to short and fat." Just like the rest of us I said. He is starting to coo now and is smiling all the time. He has just started to grab for his toy that hangs from his carseat. He can't grab it but he's trying hard. He has slept through the night the past three nights. Of course I am happy to have gotten more sleep but I sure am thankful for my pump. I think I could feed a small country with all the milk I produce. Sorry if that is too much info. I figure I will give him a few more nights in my room and them move him to his crib. It's a little bitter sweet, I know I will get a little bit better sleep but now he won't be an arms length away.

Tea for Two

A couple of days ago Grace begged me to make some cookies. I try to keep a few bags of cookie mix on hand for an occasion just like this. I prefer to make my cookies from scratch. I just think they taste better and I also think it's just more fun. However it is time consuming and much messier (especially with a 4 year old). While the cookies were baking Grace disappears for a bit only to return with a teapot, two plates and two cups. (notice that they are glasses and not teacups, silly girl). She proceeds to "invite" me to a tea party. It was very fun, even though she spilled her milk not once but twice. After the second mishap Grace says "maybe I should have a smaller glass of milk." I told her that I didn't think we could find glasses any smaller. What a character. She makes me laugh.

Has it really been six weeks?

Man how time flies when you are sleep deprived. I can't believe that it was six weeks ago that our precious miracle came into our lives. Kohen is such a sweet child. He still sleeps alot. But when he is awake he loves to be held and talked to. He is not sleeping through the night yet, but he only wakes up about every 3 hours to eat then he's back to sleep. He has started to smile and is trying out his voice. I love to listen to him. Grace loves to sit and sing to him. The other day I heard her "reading" him a Curious George story. She is such a wonderful big sister. She has been so helpful. Before Kohen was born I was a little sad that they would be 4 1/2 years apart but now I am thankful. She is so excited to help in anyway she can. She is pretty independent so I don't have to do everything for her and she is always asking what she can do to help with the baby. She takes her baby doll everywhere we go and sometimes I even let her take her doll stroller. The only thing she gets upset with is that she can't feed him. Only mommy has the right equipment. Sometimes I will pump and let her feed him the bottle. Unfortunately he is suffering from a bad case of baby acne and I think cradle cap. Grace never had either. I must have given him an extra shot of my hormones before he was born. The books I have read all say it should be gone around 8 weeks. I hope. My brother is getting married next month.

Dr. Grace Dolittle

Gracie loves bugs! She can spend hours in the yard looking for potato bugs and other creepy crawlers. For Christmas she got an ant farm which I am sad to say the ants did not make it. I blame that on Frank for not watering and feeding them. This past weekend Grace went snail hunting at Nona's house. Usually she only finds the empty shells but Sunday was her lucky day. She found one. She was so excited to finally have a snail to add to collection of other "friends". She thought he was dirty so she decided to give him a bath. (the picture of her and the orange bucket). Surprisingly he lived through his bath. She was very entertained by watching him peek out of his shell and she would touch his eyes and watch him suck back inside. I love children's' curiosity. It's funny, when Grace was born her nickname was "bug". I guess it is fitting now. I love my Gracie Lou!!

Kohen's Dedication

On Mother's Day we had Kohen dedicated to the Lord at church. This a covenant that Frank and I make with God that we will raise our children in the way of the Lord. I pray each day that God gives me the strength and wisdom to do what is right by him in raising my children. Being a parent is the most difficult but yet most rewarding job I have ever had. We are not only responsible for the physical and emotional wellbeing but the spiritual as well. It is a task that I don't want to take to lightly. I don't want to regret anything. My Pastor made a comment in church on Sunday that really hit home. He said that he would rather fail at all other aspects in his life but he would be crushed if he failed as a parent. I feel the same way. I want to thank our family and friends who came out to support us. I love each and every one of you. I believe God has placed us in each others lives for a purpose.

Mother's Day

A friend sent me this e-mail and I think it pretty much sums up how I feel. There is no other sound in the world more precious than your child saying "Mommy, I love you." I truly feel blessed to be a mother.

Before I was a Mom:
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom:
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom:
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up l ate hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom:
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom:
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom:
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every
10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Maggie & Grace

We have two Miniature Schnauzers, Schatzi and Maggie. They are so good with Grace. They take everything she dishes out and they never bite. The dogs sleep in Frank and my room. One night Grace refused to go to her room to sleep. She wanted to sleep with Mags and this is how I found them. Isn't that just so precious.

Catchin' up

It has been a while since my last post. I have been a little busy and haven't much time to update it. So here it goes.
Two weeks ago my good friend Ginger and I took our chickadees to the Aquarium in Sandy. Grace loves hanging out there. Her favorite sea creature is the octopus. She thinks it is so cool that it doesn't have any bones. She's getting a bit more daring when it comes to touching the stingrays.


On Sunday we went for a family walk around the neighborhood and Grace showed off her bike riding skills. Last year she got very frustrated because she couldn't pedal and watch where she was going at the same time. This year she has made a vast improvement. She was smiling from ear to ear. She also finally learned how to use the breaks instead of dragging her feet to stop her.

This past Monday we packed a sack lunch and headed for the park. The kids had a blast. It was such a nice day. I wish we could have more days like that. The sun was out and there was a cool breeze to cool you down just enough. I miss spring.
The highlight of the week was Thursday. It was Gracie's first gymnastics class. She has wanted to do gymnastics for quite a while but our schedule before I quit working made it too difficult to do. She loved it. Her favorite are the bars and the balance beam. I hope this will help channel some of her energy to something productive.


Well I think that gets me caught up. I'll try to stay on top of things better.
Blog with ya later.

I've been tagged

A- Attached or Single: Happily attached
B- Best Friend: It's a tie between my husband Frank and my mom.
C- Cake or Pie: Marie Callendar's pumpkin pie
D- Day of Choice: Saturday. I get to spend the day with Frank
E- Essential Items: Diaper bag, sunglasses, my sanity & patience
F- Favorite Color: shades of green
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: cinnamon gummy bears
H- Hometown: West Jordan, Utah
I- Indulgences:Chocolate, bread, 32 oz Coke (more of an addiction than an indulgence)
K- Kids: Two. Grace- 4 1/2 & Kohen- 4 weeks
L- Life is incomplete without: My wonderful husband, beautiful children and my family.
M- Marriage Date: May 20,2000.
N- Number of Siblings: 1 amazing brother. (3 sisters-in-law and soon to be a 4th!)
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P- Phobias or Fears: Small places, crowded rooms, spiders, wind and being alone.
Q- Quote: "I know not what the future holds but I know who holds the future."
R- Reason to Smile: Being a mom. Being alive. Being an American.
S- Something New: Kohen
T-Tag: Ginger, Steph & Amber
U- Unknown Fact About Me: my right foot is bigger than my left
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor Of Animal: bring on the beef!
W- Worst Habit:I'm a major procrastinator
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Y- Your Favorite Food: anything my mom cook! Probably Mexican or Italian
Z- Zoo Animal: Polar Bears

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Last year we tried to fly a kite with Grace and she screamed the entire time. She was afraid it was going to blow away. This year we bought a really big kite shaped like a butterfly and thought we would give it another try. It has been really windy lately but it hasn't been very warm, so we hesitated on taking her out. Saturday was windy and fairly warm. Much to our surprise and excitement, Grace had a blast! She screamed her head off but this time it was out enjoyment. She wanted to hold the string and run so it would fly higher.

Being a Mom.

So as many of you know I have only recently become a stay at home mom, or as I like to say, a full-time mom. While I was working full time I only felt like a part time mom. I have to say that so far I am really enjoying the time I have at home with Grace and Kohen. Kohen doesn't really do much yet except for cry, eat & poop. Pretty much in that order. He is only 2 1/2 weeks old so I don't really expect much more. Grace and I have had a lot of fun together. She is handling the transition better than I had thought. We have put together every puzzle she owns, at least twice. We have played "Go Fish, Old Maid and Memory" more times than I can count. Grace got "Guess Who" for Christmas and didn't really care for it too much until about a month ago and now we play it at least once a day. Today she told me " I get confusing when I play. I need Daddy to play with me." She loves her daddy. Grace was being such a good girl today that I decided to pull out the finger paints. She had a blast. She played for about an hour. I thank God everyday for the chance he has given me to be a mother. I look at my children and cry. Before Kohen was born I wondered how I could love another child as much as I loved Grace. I didn't think it was possible. It is amazing how much love one person is capable of giving. It makes me realize how much God loves each of us. Even when I am so overwhelmed with Gracie and I don't know if I can take any more, I look at her sweet little face and I melt. I am so blessed to have the worlds best parents. I grew up with so much love and appreciation. I only hope that I can be as great a mom as mine. Thanks Mom, I love you! Well I best be getting Grace in the tub now.

Welcome to the world Baby Kohen

He's here!!

Kohen Spencer Atkinson
Born at 3:46 pm on Sunday April 6th weighing 7 lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long. Much to our surprise he had brown hair. The first on Franks side. He is beautiful. We got to the hospital around 7:30 am and was induced around 10:30. I only waited an hour and decided to get the epidural. I didn't want to relive my labor experience I had with Grace. The anesthesiologist got started right away but was having a difficult time getting it in the right spot so he had me change positions. That was attempt #1. After changing positions he was able to get it in and as he was trying to fill the line with medicine he found the tube had no hole in the end. No medicine was going to get through. What are the chances? Attempt #2. After removing everything, he proceeds to stick another 6" needle into my back and continue with the procedure. He successfully gets me numb. Attempt #3. After about an hour I start feeling the contractions and when I try to get more medicine I still find no relief. The nurse calls for him but I am fourth in line. I sit for an hour in pain before he is able to check on me. He finds that the epidural hit a blood vessel and that is why it wasn't working. So we start the whole process over again. Attempt #4. Yes #4! By this time I am in so much pain I don't even realize what is going on. But I did go from 3 centimeters to 7 in one hour. I ended up only needing to push for 15 minutes. I had such wonderful nurses and words can't say how much I appreciate Dr. Barton. He came in (on Conference weekend) just to deliver my baby. It was not his weekend to be on call. He's the best.



Grace is having so much fun being the big sister. I think she is feeling sad because everyone is always telling her "don't do that". She is so sweet with him. She loves to hold him and sing to him. It seems to calm him down sometimes.

Still waiting

I decided to take this past week off to spend some one-on-one time with Gracie since I am sure she is going to feel a little left out when the baby finally gets here. I took her out to eat at her favorite restaurant, Fazolis. That girl could live on noodles and Parmesan cheese. Next we headed off to the car wash. She has been begging me to take her there for a couple of weeks but it has been such bad weather I didn't want to waste the money. So I bought a cheap $4.00 wash at the Holiday Oil. She loved it. Too bad it didn't last longer.




My doctor and I thought that the baby would have come by now, but we are still waiting. He put me on the schedule to be induced today. I was supposed to be number 4 on list but I kept being bumped back. My doctor finally called and asked if we could bump it back to Sunday. At this point I don't really care. I am convinced he is never going to be born. I decided to go to the park and take a few pictures of us since I really haven't taken any since I have been pregnant. It's not that I don't want them, but I don't like the way I look in pictures. But we braved the cold and took a few pictures for memories sake. Well I will let you know how tomorrow turns out. I am not betting on it.