We bought a house.  We move in on Thursday.  Come by and visit if you want.

Levi

Levi smiles, we really like it. Hope you like it too.

Feelings

Levi loves you.

8 weeks old

Its definitely time for a "kid update" and I've been informed of that many, many times :) Let me preface this post by saying- I have 7 weeks worth of photos here. (whoopsie!) I tried to collage as many as I could, so if anyone (particularly those who requested photos) wants a particular photo, just let me know and we'll send you a full sized version of it.

Now, let the photo attack begin!!

Mara has been very excited about her brother since long before he arrived, so he's gotten plenty of hugs and kisses.

It amazed me how similar newborns could be...but that didn't last long.

Levi doesn't sleep as well or as often as Mara did. She actually likes that a lot!!

Especially at 5 in the morning... yay, no sleeping!!

Except for during the day when it seems everyone gets to sleep except for mom. (In Ian's defense, there was a picture of me sleeping, but I refused to put it on the blog, haha!)

For Memorial day, we honored the many who died serving our country by going to the park and grilling hot dogs. Levi didn't care much, but Mara thought it was pretty awesome.

Levi also had his first snuggle from a girl. They are only a week apart in age- so adorable!

Levi started out really small...

But he quickly outgrew his receiving blankets, and his newborn sized clothes!

Needless to say, he has been an exciting addition to the family.

In Mara news: She turned two!! She thinks "icecream," "cake" and "presents" are fantastic words :)

Speaking of presents, she loved hers!

She didn't mind the cupcakes and cookies we made recently, either.

When playing she can be quite hilarious. Here she is lining up her toys on the bookshelf and using the sugar as a chair to watch sesame street. She really loves playing in the living room- especially when daddy is involved. A child sized tower? I think we should! A wooden ski turned into a race track? Why not!

She's growing up so quickly!! Officially in toddler sizes and walking in mom and dad's shoes. I remember when she was just my little baby girl...

Its been crazy around here, but we sure love it!!

A New Badge

I got a new badge at work. This is my old one.

This is my new one. It came with some other new things; like a salary, corporate card, and benefits. I like my new badge.

Baby Levi's Story

So Levi will be a week old tomorrow...allow me to enlighten you all about his appearance :)

At my 37 week appointment (on a Tuesday), the midwife informed me that I was progressing nicely and she "wouldn't be surprised if I had a baby within the week." So needless to say, as the following Monday drew to a close, I was pretty disappointed. Lucky for me, I awoke at 3 AM thinking to myself, "oh yea, this is it." I labored at home until about 6:30 when the next door neighbor (whose baby was only a week old) came over with her little family to be with Mara. I had hoped to labor in the jacuzzi tub at the hospital, but by the time I arrived at the hospital, got checked in, and had the mandatory 20 min monitoring of contractions, I was getting to the breaking point. I received my epidural around 8- remembering suddenly all of the reason why I got one last time. I took a nap, started pushing just before 11, and by 11:15 AM, I was holding my cute little boy in my arms. Waiting for that moment was the longest 8 hours of my life! (except the 23 hours it took to get Mara...)

As he was lying on my chest, the nurses were cleaning him off and chatting with me. I don't remember exactly what I was asked, but my response surprised me more than it did Ian. I said "With Mara ...(it was this way)... but with Levi ...(it was that way)." I caught myself and with bulging eyes, turned to Ian and said "I guess his name is Levi!"

We hadn't chosen a name before going to the hospital. We like to have multiple names that we like, and then after seeing the babe, we pick the one that looks right. When Mara was born, we had 5, but with Levi, we only had 3. Levi David, David Graham, and Christopher David. Ian was leaning towards Levi, and I was leaning towards Christopher.

David is a family name, courtesy of Ian's Father, and we knew we wanted to use that name somewhere since (a) we like him and (b) this is the first of his 20 grandchildren to carry on the Pierce family name.

Levi was actually put on the list before we even knew what gender Mara was. We were watching the Giro d'Italia (cycling- think Tour de France, but its in Italy) and one of the American riders Ian was rooting for was Levi Leiphemer. Ian asked how I liked the name Levi, and we joked that if it was a boy, his name would be Levi. Instead, it was a girl, so Levi was filed away until we were looking for boy names. (The funniest thing about the name Levi is that my brother and his wife also liked the name Levi. After they chose not to use it for their first son, we joked that it would be a race to see who had the next boy... I guess we won, sorry guys! Hehe)

Graham was just a name we heard in a movie, and we both liked it. Eventually though, I had a hard time thinking Graham without following it with cracker.

Christopher is Ian's middle name, so I thought it would be fun to use it to kind of chain the fathers and sons together. I wanted to avoid a name that was too popular, but when it would have significance like that, I didn't mind.

So anyway, Levi David Pierce was born at 11:12 AM on the 16th of August; weighing in at 7 lbs 9 oz, and measuring 21.5 inches long.

He's been on photo therapy since day 2, and according to the Doctor's orders, he's got to be on there 2 of every 3 hours. That basically means feeding time and then back into the lights, so hopefully today will be the last day and we'll get to snuggle him more.

Either way, we all love him!

A New Baby Bump

In case you were wondering, Christen is no longer pregnant. We are happy to introduce the newest little addition to our family. Mom and baby are both doing fine.

Levi David Pierce

born: 8/16/2011 at 11:12 am

7 lb 9 oz, 21.5 in

Mara is a proud big sister.

Baby Bump

Christen's pregnant. In case you were wondering.

Picture-less

I know the only reason you check blogs is for the pictures and if you don't see any, you skip on...but I figured I'd sit and blabber about life since the fire...so if you are brave enough to continue knowing full-well that there will be no pictures, read on :)

So, two weeks ago tomorrow, we were alerted via text that we should "call ASAP, your house is on fire!" so we rushed back to SLC from Provo. Upon arriving, the fire chief told us that we'd have to find somewhere else to stay for a few days. A few days?! Ha! More like a few weeks!!! (I'm currently writing this from the hotel room, hence the lack of pictures...)

The fire began on our neighbors back porch. She smokes, and according to the fire detectives, thats what started it all. Her porch was loaded down with bags of clothes, rugs, a chair, a microwave and other random items. Needless to say, her smoldering cigarette butt had plenty of fuel, and a fire began. Smoke was smelt at LEAST as early as 5 PM, but the flames didn't start until almost 8. According to the fire chief, they believed that they would lose the entire structure, due to the heat and size of the flames. A power line was melted into and burned down, the kitchen upstairs was charred really well, and the flames burned right through the roof over her bathroom. We arrived home at 9ish to discover that our apartment was not damaged past smoke damage.

Its lame because we are still in the hotel, but we're waiting for the electricity and gas to be fixed and turned back on so we can go home. Its frustrating because I want to get Mara home and settled before the baby comes and rocks her world, but I really can't complain- we've been very lucky, and very blessed.

Here are some "we were really blessed" moments we have reviewed over the last few weeks:

1. We were together and unharmed. Blessing in and of itself.

2. Our belongings only had smoke damage, and the neighbors were willing to take our meat and cheese so we wouldn't lose too much food.

3. We had renters insurance, so we didn't have to worry about a huge financial burden. Everything has been cleaned and its all waiting in our apartment in boxes. (Though I wish I didn't have to "move in" again, its better than having a stinky place!)

4. We had left at 5:30AM so we had Mara's pillow, blanket, Mr. Hooters (her safety blanket), some stuffed animals, and her PJ's. She's been confused by the hotel hopping, but at least her bed feels familiar.

5. We had planned on going to Seven Peaks in Provo, so we had our swim stuff...thus we can all play in the pool at the hotel, without going out to buy swimming gear.

6. Speaking of the hotel- its bigger than our apartment! The insurance recommended that we get one with a kitchen to cut down on eating out expences...and then they gave us a free upgrade from the 1 room suite to the 2 room suite!!

7. The 2 room suite- yea its got a laundry room...and Ian and I officially have a dryer for the first time in our marriage. Too bad its only temporary.

8. Also, Mara likes the 2 bedroom more than the cheapo rooms we stayed in at first. The suites were not available on the first wednesday, so the first two nights and the fifth night, we were in a double queen, single room. She actually sleeps better in her own ROOM than in her own BED in the same room.

9. We did NOT have extra changes of clothes, so I got to go shopping for maternity clothes. I needed some anyway, but this gave me a good reason to do it :) And they were very affordable- thank you sales at Old Navy!

10. Also, the Red Cross took care of us for the first two nights until we could get things sorted out with the insurance. That was a huge blessing, and everyone should give some of their money to them after giving some to the Church, because now I know first-hand what happens to that money.

11. Back to the fire- there was a car parked right next to the balcony, and our propane (along with our grill) were sitting DIRECTLY under the porch. Luckily neither source of fuel exploded.

12. A "good samaritan" as we have called him, saw the smoke from his house further up the hill, and came down to check it all out. He called 911 and got the fire trucks there really fast, and even got inside to make sure no one was in the apartment. He came out choking, but luckily he was also ok. If he hadn't sounded the alarm as soon as he did...again, the results would be bad.

13. I actually have AC and a pool for the last bit of my pregnancy! Thats my favorite part :) I'll be 36 weeks on Tuesday, so its been nice for the last few weeks. And Ian says I'll go into labor when we get back, just because of the shock of the heat...I guess its ok we won't be back in until next week!

14. And the best, most awesome and fantastic thing about all of this? I get waffles with strawberries and whipped cream...Every Single Morning!! :)

I know its a long list, but we really have been blessed through it all. This post is more for me and my posterity than it is for anyone else. I just don't want to forget all the feelings from when I was in the middle of it all.

What a night...

So, this was the fun tonight.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=16409220

That's our house in the video. We're now staying in a hotel.

Update

Still not a city girl, but I made the trip to the library again today, and I'm glad to report that it was smooth as margarine. Not quite as smooth as butter, but much better than Monday's adventure :)

I am NOT a city girl

Here's a little picture show to entertain you before my awesome story...

Mara loves playing outside- whether she's hiding behind the trash cans, playing with bubbles, or enjoying a meal in our cool camping chairs, she has a blast. Oh yea, and when she's ready to go, she doesn't like wasting time waiting for us.

Once we come inside, she keeps herself entertained in the normal kid way- with a box! She sleeps and eats a lot too- if she's hungry, she'll climb into her chair and wait for us (still not sure how she managed to get over the tray...) She even puts herself to bed sometimes. She was so happy about her new shoes, and so exhausted from a day in the sun, that she climbed into bed and went to sleep with her shoes on- without Ian or I knowing- until we found her sound asleep.

Ok, now to the story (its long, but its worth it...)

Yes, I grew up in the military and yes, we lived in Japan and the DC area. Yes, its been 8+ years since I moved out of my parents house and began my college adventures. Yes, I spent about 9 months, traveling to London all by myself, and then working on the cruise ships. But yesterday I learned that no, I am definitely not a city girl.

About a week ago, I was told that riding the trax trains within a certain area is free, and the nearest trax station is a 20 minute walk to my house. Yes, the library is within the "free" area, as well as the gateway mall/outdoor fountain. This tidbit of information is very valuable to me- Ian has the car at work, leaving me without transportation to entertain the munchkin during those hours. Yesterday I decided to experiment with a trip to the library, and now I can safely say that its going to take a few tries before it becomes comfortable.

It wasn't the short jaunt up the steep hill in front of our house, or the walk down the crazy hill to temple square. It wasn't crossing streets or finding the trax station. It wasn't even figuring out which train to get on. The excitement began when I attempted to board the train.

The door directly in front of me didn't open (I don't know why.) So I walked down to the open door. Three steps- even with a stroller, not too hard to manage. A gentleman jumped off the train to help me get up the steps- what a nice guy! ....wait, whats that beeping sound? And why can't I get the stroller past this last step? Oh no, Mara's cup fell! Oh, thank you nice man for picking it up---but now the doors are closing on my good samaritans shoulders!!! Oh the wheel is stuck on a bar in the doorway- thats why I can't get it up any higher- quick adjustment and we all make it inside the train. I'm backing up so he can get up the stairs- but wait, there are stairs on the other side! Careful not to fall, I attempt to find a chair while the train starts moving, and everyone is staring.

Did I mention that somewhere between the sippy cup falling and the doors closing in on his shoulders that Mara started crying- that "whats happening!?" terrified cry? Well, she did. A woman (maybe early 20s) tried to console her after we sat down- but Mara just stared at her and pouted. As we got off at the library, the same woman was getting off too, so she helped us off onto the platform. Whew!! That was quite the ordeal :)

But it didn't get any better!! This library is huge!! Its beautiful, but its sort of...modern style? Its all glass and metal- really pretty, but there aren't really any obvious signs giving you any sort of direction. So I ask a guy at the information desk where to sign up for a library card. He points in a direction, I go that way, but feel like I'm in the wrong place. So I find another information desk, and he tells me a different line. So I go there, get my library card, and am relieved that Ian is now done with work, and willing to come get me as soon as he fills the car up with gas. I go outside to find the parking lot....but all I see are more store areas outside- no parking lot. Weird.

I'm still flustered from the trax chaos, so I call and tell him I'm going to walk across the street to an area that looks like it'll be easier to pick me up from. He asks what road I'm crossing. There is no sign, so I give him a bit of babble which was honestly my best answer, but it must have been somewhat understandable, because finally my knight in shining armor is loading the stroller into the car, and giving me a hug. I tell him I couldn't find the parking lot and he, city-wise man that he has become, informs me that the parking lot is underground. I try to tell him all about why I'm so stressed and flustered, and he just doesn't get it. Finally, I find the words to help him understand how I feel.....

"I felt like I was an 80 year old woman trying to work a computer. I just couldn't figure it out, and everything I did made it worse."

At that, he laughed, I laughed, and I was glad that I have such an awesome husband. And it also left me hoping that when we put down roots we can find somewhere that is a little more Alaska in feel... because no, I am not a city girl.

Memorial Day

This year for Memorial day we decided to take advantage of what would potentially be the only sunny day for the weekend, and headed out to Antelope Island on Saturday. One of Ian's co-worker's was in charge of the Annual Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival, and since we had talked about going to Antelope Island for a visit since we had moved, we decided to combine the two adventures.

We enjoyed a beautiful drive across the causeway onto the island and down to the south end. We saw buffalo and deer, as well as tornados of bugs :) We literally saw hundreds of thousands of gnats in swirling pillars all along the causeway as we headed home.

Luckily, we didn't have any bugs at the festival. History was all around us as we listened to live musicians and toured the 160+ year old farm. There were booths set up with cowboy vendors and there were even activities for children. After Mara (and Ian and I) finished 6 activities, she was given a bandana as a prize.

Although there were some doubts, we had a lot of fun at the festival! Even after all that fun, Mara delayed her already late nap to play in the sand at the beach. Oh, her joy cannot be properly described by words!

She even took the opportunity to taste the beach. And as much as I fought her, she liked it so much she just kept eating it....*sigh* what are you going to do...

She's also using a stick as a tool to get the sand... just like a monkey

Changes (video at the end)

Mara keeps amazing us everyday. A few weeks ago we decided that with a new baby coming, she needed to move into a toddler bed. So, two days ago we finally found one that would work and the crib was replaced. She was ready. We were expecting to have to walk her back to her bed repeatedly, but she goes right to sleep- and then sleeps better than ever. Tonight she decided to start doing her own hair as well; our little girl is growing up.

She also learned how to eat Reeses Pieces like a vacuum. There's no wrong way...

Our weekend

*If you don't like reading blogs, scroll to the end for a picture!*

Our new house is in such a great location. We live less than a mile from temple square!! How awesome is that!! I mentioned to Ian that we'd be in trouble if we lived so close but never took the opportunity to visit, even if we are only here for 2 months. He informed me that somewhere in Leviticus (or was it Numbers?) it actually stated that if you live less than a mile from temple square, even if its only 2 months, and you don't visit, then you can't get into heaven :)

So on Friday, after he got home from work, we took a walk down the hill. It was a fun adventure...and a steep walk home! Mara loved all of the water fountains and the pretty flowers. She ended up with one soaking wet pant leg, and had a blast dropping her rocks into the water and watching Ian retrieve them. Ian and I enjoyed the buildings, reading the plaques posted around the plaza, and taking in the general beauty of the area.

But of course, the best part was when President Uctdorf casually walked by us, showing off the beauty to the three people walking with him. Should I say that again?! We saw PRESIDENT UCTDORF! (It makes sense, we were right outside of his work building...) But don't worry, we played it cool. Of course, we wanted to follow him like groupies, but we didn't. I do have one complaint though- of all the times for Mara to stay with me and NOT get in the way of people walking by, why did she have to choose that moment!! I'm not saying that I wish she tripped him, but at least I could have had a reason to say hi without feeling like I was invading his space. SIGH... maybe next time. :)

Saturday was a trip down to Provo for a baby shower, and on the way back, we went to the Tanger Outlets in Park City to get some clothes for Ian. Fantastic day, trust me. As we were walking, I saw a sign for Pretzelmaker, and I wanted one....so Ian suggested we make our own!!

On Sunday, we did, and they were delicious. Amazingly delicious. No pictures, sorry.

Also on Sunday, Mara kept standing ON my shoes and everytime she took a step and the shoes DIDN'T follow, she got annoyed. So I helped her put them on. Thanks to Ian, we have a few cute pictures of Mara's first moment of dressing up in mommy's shoes :) Enjoy!

Morning Rituals

Two things that Mara does in the morning that make me smile everytime...

1. When I'm still lying in bed, but she wants me to wake up, she'll pick my glasses up off the end table and hand them to me, almost like a parent would when the kid won't wake up for school.

2. After getting dressed she runs to the full length mirror on my door. Now remember, I said "after getting dressed", not "having her hair done." It wasn't hung for a toddler so she can only see from her shoulders up but that doesn't bother her, she just wants to check herself out, bed head and all.

I totally love this girl!!!

P.S. to The Update

Two more collages that didn't make it into the original post.... so don't forget to read the other one :)Cell phone pics showing some of the "in the moment" fun from the last month- including her "I want the butter, not the bread" episode.

And Ian started work today! Mara likes his key card :)

The update

So, as Ian already mentioned in his post last night, we moved. And its been about a month since the last post...so rather than forcing you all to enjoy all of MY memories via pictures, Ian found me a collage app, and now, you get to see 15 images in one picture- aren't you glad!?!!

As Ian mentioned- he graduated!! It was an exciting event, and all of us had a ton of fun with his parents, especially the spoiled grandchild :) She didn't mind the spoiling, and recovery hasn't been nearly as nerve wracking as I expected it to be. We were sad as they left, and Mara looks to every "grandparent" as if they are her own, and then gets confused when its not who she was looking for. That part is plenty entertaining and cute!!

Graduation was soon forgotten as we began to move. As evidenced by the graduation robe in trash can, things were a little hectic. Lucky for us (but not so lucky for him, haha) Dad was still here when the move began. It was a huge help to have an extra pair of hands to help lift the heavy stuff and entertain the toddler. Speaking of the toddler- she liked moving! She "helped" when I was packing the "early baby" clothes, thought the wardrobe boxes were the best thing ever, and decided that she liked the bottom of the bookshelf even more when it was empty.

Before any of this happened, in early April I saw a tutorial online about making a toddler dress from a t-shirt. I just so happened to have a t-shirt that I didn't want, and a toddler to make the dress for, so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately, the neck is too large, so I think I'll just save it till the fall and hope it will fit a bit better!

Speaking of early April, we got this ultrasound of the baby in my belly!! I decided that his first public picture shouldn't be quite so revealing, so I blurred it, but you get the jist, I hope :)

But back to the child that is a bit more entertaining at this point- Mara loves food! She likes smoothies, and yogurt, and cinnamon rolls, and butter (preferably without the bread, but she'll eat that also if she has to.) She likes ice cream, and just like every other red-blooded person out there- she loves oreos!

She likes pretty much everything (except red sauce with pasta)- and while she's teething, she'll even go for a bite of her arm. Wow, child!

And of course, at 19 months, she's a whole lot of laughs, smiles, and snuggles. She is fascinated by pictures of her parents, sesame street characters, toys, "hopping on pop," playing angry birds, drawing with chalk, playing outside, and of course- being the center of her parents world....for now, at least :)