A new baby, dirty laundry, and the FBR Open...

Yippy it is almost time for the Superbowl!!! Sure has been a great week already...It started out with me doing all of the dirty laundry left from vacation. I believe there were 12 loads total. I had lots of help from Jalen putting it all away. My little angel owes some money after throwing a rock in a tree to get a ball out so he has been trying to work it all off. I am going to be kinda sad once it is all earned because I will loose my mini maid.

Tuesday worked out nicely since the person that Chris was taking to the FBR open cancelled. Chris and I were able to attend, we enjoyed a yummy luncheon in the penthouse, perfect 63 degree weather, and a little peace after 5 days at Disneyland. We were even able to make a quick stop by Last Chance.

Wednesday couldn't have been more wonderful, Amber delivered Branson. Weighting in a at whopping 8lbs 4oz's at only 38 weeks was a little surprising. He is absolutely perfect, round pink cheeks, a sweet turned up nose, and a head full of brown hair. Amber is feeling great and should be able to go home tomorrow. I was able to go to the hospital ans see him this evening. It felt so nice to hold a little baby in my arms and snuggle him. I came home and told Chris it is a good thing he already had the snip done because I really loved baby Branson.


Hope you all have had a amazing week and are going into the weekend happy and healthy.

P.S. Little funny thing happened today. Liam was out of milk in his bottle and kept bringing it to me for more but I wanted him to eat lunch and not just drink more milk. I went over to open the fridge and start lunch when I noticed he put his bottle in the watter/ice dispenser. Guess this was a hint to get him more milk!

Goodnight all of you,
Kristen

New family photos of the other Self clan!!!

This is the work of Amy Fraughton, she has been blessed with such a amazing gift. I can't wait to have her shoot our family soon. Here blog address is to the left if you would like to view some of her work. You can also follow her Flickr-site to see more pictures of Jason, Jaime and the kids.
Jason and Jaime,
These turned out fantastic! You guys are so gorgeous....Thank you for making such beautiful babies for us all to love!


Have a wonderful day.

God Bless,
Kristen

Olivia's dream came true...

Video located on the bottom of the page.....

Thank you Grampy and Mimi Rolinger for a WONDERFUL vacation to Disneyland!

Born into the hands of Jesus

My spirit is heavy this week thinking of a dear friend that I love so much. Her sweet Tristan was born sleeping on January 21, 2008, his 1st birthday soon approaches. I know her heart aches along with her wonderful husband, their families and their friends. Please take a moment to add their family to your prayers. Feel free to leave your scriptures and comments for her here I am sure she will appreciate it.

…and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…
Isaiah 61:2-3

Blessings to you, my sister in sorrow. Your season will come soon, Tristan is taking his time picking out the perfect brother or sister.

Love always,

Kristen

Liam's baby boy is done!

I attempted at making Liam a boy doll to look similar to him. The hard part was the clothes. I need some practice on boys clothing a dress would have been allot easier. Now on to Olivia's doll/kitty/giraffe she wants. =)

The scripture I used was,
And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith.
Matthew 21:22


It kinda looks like him right?

Hugs,
Kristen

Birthdays and Anniversaries.....

I wanted to wish Papa and Nana, a.k.a Jim and Sue Hancock a happy 53rd wedding anniversary. They have been in Cabo San Lucas since Sunday celebrating. Seems like just yesterday we were all together for their 50th...many more to come.





The 14th is a very special day for Max my nephew as well. He turned 2 yesterday!!! Max is such a sweet quite little guy who just soaks it all in. It is going to be so much fun when Liam is a little bigger and they can run around and play together more. We are excited to get together with Jason, Jaime and the kids to give Max his birthday presents.






Hope everyone is having a great week!

Lots of love,
Kristen

Gilbert Fire Department makes a visit....

Monday evening I went out to the patio to cook some salmon for dinner on the BBQ. As soon as I opened the back door I could smell gas. I went over to the grill and could hear the gas leaking. I tried to turn the knob all the way to off to make sure it was not a slight bit turned but it did not work. I came back inside worried about what to do next....Chris came home from work about 2 minutes latter and tried to turn the gas tank off but was unable to. He called the fire department to come out since we had just refilled the tank about a week or two ago.

As soon as Jalen ad Olivia got wind of the fire department was coming they had their hair combed and were ready for action. The fire fighters showed up in full gear and came though the house into the back yard, turned off the gas and then stayed to make sure it was still not leaking. The guys were nice enough to take the kids out in the truck and show them all of the different hoses. They all even got a special hat. It was a pretty exciting night for them. This morning Olivia asked me if the fire fighters could come back today.....Thank you Gilbert Fire Department for keeping us safe and allowing the kids to have such a great experience with you.
The grill is no longer safe to use. Apparently it has a leak in the hose that runs to the burner. Fortunately it was purchased at Costco! Now that Chris is probably on there black list for returns I am not sure if they will exchange it or not but we will see.

Have a relaxing evening!

With Love,
Kristen

Bunny completed...

I finished off Max's bunny this week by adding the scripture I wanted. I decided on Psalms 118:14, I thought it fit him.

Hope you are having a great week.

Yours truly,
Kristen

Amber's baby shower

Amber had a great shower Saturday afternoon. Baby Branson will be set for the first few months with clothes, diapers and wipes. Amber's family is all so talented, they made Branson some adorable blankets and burp cloths.
The lunch was delicious, there was this strawberry spinach salad that I got the recipe for!

Hope you had a wonderful day Amber! Good luck on the delivery ahead.

Tea Party interrupted....

Whose kids are these?
Poor Olivia was trying to have a quite tea party but Liam was not having it. Every time she set her table he would come over, take the cups off and hide them in different spots in the room. He really like the sound they make when hit together. Livie was such a good big sister, allowing him to have some animal cookies and two cups and a plate. Liam started to pull the table cloth down so he could play peek a boo under it......She was thrilled about this part. BUT in the end Olivia finally gave up and played with Liam under the table cloth and they had a great time!

I feel so privileged to be home with the kids to soak in all of the innocent play between them.


All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. Isaiah 54:13

Wipes case!!!

SO excited the wipe case I ordered from Jessica sassyone610@aol.com is finally here! Just in time too, I am putting it on Branson's diaper cake for the baby shower tomorrow. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. Plus the same ribbon she used on the front is also on the cake. I will take some shower photos tomorrow and share them with you all.


Hope you have a terrific weekend!

Love you friends,
Kristen

Bible verse bunny......

I wanted to make something special to go along with my nephew Max's birthday gift. I was having a hard time finding a Christian gift that he would enjoy now while he is almost two and in the future. When I finally came across the perfect stuffed animal with a scripture on him he had a $60 price tag....Needless to say I am sure you can guess what I did next right? Made my own. I am making him the bunny to start with, since it is my first "toy" to sew I wanted to keep it simple. I made my own pattern and used some chenille that I had. So far I have just embroidered Max on the foot and placed a small made with love tag on his behind. Tonight after the kids go down and Chris heads off to softball I am planning on picking out a scripture for him, I have a few in mind. For those of you that know Max know what a sweet tempered little boy he is.

After I make my final decision on the verse I will embroider it on the belly of the bunny. I would also like to attempt a lamb, monkey, and baby doll to look like you little one complete with yard hair. Looking forward to sharing them with you. I am sure some of your kids will be receiving them as birthday gifts!

Diaper cake for the Murphy's

I wanted to share the diaper cake I made for my lovey friend Amber. She is been a good friend since 2003 or so. We met working for the University of Phoenix. Amber and her husband will be welcoming their 2nd baby, Branson is due in the end of January. Saturday is her baby shower and I thought this would make a perfect gift! Kellie Rae, Amber and Dustin's daughter is going to make a wonderful big sister.




Dustin and Amber,
I am so excited to meet Branson, to hold him and to smell his little baby head.

We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him. - I Samuel 1:27

Olivia's haircut......

I had a little time on my hands yesterday and decided I was going to cut Olivia's hair. After her bath I just sat her on the counter and it took me about 10 minutes. I am not a licensed hair stylist all though maybe I should be. It did not turn out half bad for amature. She would even look cute bald though!

P.S. I will be booking appointments immediately and I will not be charging a fee, tips will be excepted.