Christmas Catch Up

I am behind on my blogging ... Big surprise, right? Well, I want to do better. I need to do better. I would like to start by sharing our Christmas festivities this past December. As Haylee gets older, Christmas becomes more and more special and more traditions are created. Here is our Christmas story...

It began with a car ride over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house. Literally. We headed up to Bear Lake for the weekend to celebrate Christmas with my family. We enjoyed a fancy Christmas dinner at a cozy Bed and Breakfast. We headed back to the cabin and celebrated as if it were Christmas morning. Everyone got into their pajamas and we started the fire and played Christmas music. We sat around the tree and exchanged gifts. I loved watching Haylee open her presents. She was so excited and it was contagious for what was to come on Christmas Day.



I sure love visiting Bear Lake and sharing time with my parents. I really hate leaving. I always get sad on the drive home that we don't live closer.

Our next festivity was the annual Grandma Nell Christmas party with Richard's family. The party was a huge success. Richard's sister and I decided to cater a bit more to the children this time around. Our macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets with dipping sauces were a huge hit with all of the kids!


The kids enjoyed a coloring table and they colored sheets to compete in a coloring contest.

There was a lady that was swarmed by children the entire night making anything possible out of balloons. Haylee got a flower and a bracelet!


All of the kids adore "Aunt Ti Ti"

Jeni and Kristy

The next week was "Christmas week". It was the final week to prepare for the big day. Haylee and I spent spent two straight days baking. We turned on the Christmas tunes and got to work! We made a double batch of oatmeal, cranberry, white chocolate chip cookies, a batch of snickerdoodles, and a batch of peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses in the center. Haylee's favorite part was adding the kisses to the cookies. It was a new tradition to include Haylee on the baking this year. She loved helping and being a part of one of my favorite things about the holidays.

Next was the annual Reynolds Christmas party. It's my favorite party at Christmas. The food is the best part! And seeing my family of course! My Aunt Janet makes these homemade rolls with homemade jam that are to die for! I could seriously eat them for dessert and be satisfied. And don't forget about my Grandma's slush and sugar cookies! She brought me a zip lock bag so I could take some of her cookies home and of course I left without them. I was so upset! I tried a new recipe this year for jell-o. I made a strawberry jell-o with a pretzel crust and a whip cream/cream cheese center. It turned out so good!


We held our annual Christmas program with all of the kiddos. The kids use hand puppets to share the story of Jesus' birth and we sing Christmas carols.

My awesome Grandma. She is 83 years young and can out shop me anyday of the week!

Christmas Eve

We headed to Rich's parent's house for Christmas Eve dinner and our gift exchange.

Grandma gave Haylee a new drawing pad. She has been drawing a lot lately and loves to draw spiders, circles, and rainbows.

Everyone headed outside to leave some food for Santa's reindeer.


Santa made an early stop and dropped off the kids' Christmas pajamas. Santa left them waiting on the fireplace while the kids were outside. While the kids opened their jammies, the reindeer had their snack.

We returned home to put the kids to bed so we could get started on the final Christmas morning preperations, but not until we got cookies and milk set out for the man in red. I am almost certain that Haylee was thinking about Santa coming to our house all night to bring presents and eat the cookies and drink the milk she left for him. The first thing she said when she woke up Christmas morning was, "Did Santa eat the cookies? Lets go see."

I stayed up way too late (until 4 am to be exact) Christmas Eve - wrapping, stuffing stockings, assembling toys, and even moving furniture. I wanted everything to be perfect because I knew it would all be worth it. And it was.

Christmas Day 2011

Christmas morning was pure magic. It was so special. Once the entire house was awake and Emma had downed her morning bottle, we made our way downstairs together. It is always exciting to see what Santa left and what he did to make it feel extra special - candles burning, Christmas music playing, and furniture moved to accomidate extra large gifts and present opening around the tree. Haylee was a bit overwhelmed at first and was not sure what to do first. Of course that did not last long. She went to her new doll stroller and bike first. Then she wanted to open presents. Well, she wanted to open ALL of the presents. We made a deal and let her open Emma's presents as well as hers. It was too much fun! Haylee was really excited to see the cookies mostly gone and the milk drank that she left for Santa.



Daddy's gift: a microphone. I think we are regreting this one...

Santa brought Haylee a "Puter". (AKA a computer, an Innotab to be exact)

After we exchanged all of our gifts and the orange rolls were baked and iced, we left our stockings and headed to Grandma's.

We enjoyed breakfast at Grandma Vicki's (and my delicious orange rolls, of course) and exchanged more gifts. Grandma Vicki was naughty and gave Haylee a Baby Alive Doll. Fortunately, Haylee is still unaware that the doll will pee when given a bottle of water. Thank goodness! I really do not need any more diapers to change! Later, we traveled down to Grandma Angel's to have lunch and visit with extended family. Grandpa Bob was so cute and had gift bags for the older grandkids and gifts for all of the little kids too. He got polar bear stuffed animals for all of the girls. The store ran out, so Emma got a lion! He did it all himself! I was so proud of him!

By the end of the day, we were all exhausted. Haylee was excited to get home and play with all of her new treasures. Richard and I were just ready to crash and relax because the next day would start a new week full of Christmas cleanup. Our house really looked as if Christmas exploded and threw up all over our living room! Although it sounded better to just stay in bed for a week to recover instead.

We spend so much time preparing for Christmas and then it is gone in a flash. Christmas really was good to us this year. We were so lucky to spend time together with family and friends. Before we know it, Christmas will be here again and we will do it all over once again!

Thankful...

I could list everything I am thankful for, but pictures are more fun to look at...









Aren't they beautuful? I feel so blessed to be their Mom.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Emma Lynn: A Birth Story

Introducing Emma Lynn Prescott
Born Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 7:14 PM
Weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long
This is her story...

Since this was my second pregnancy, my doctor gave me the option to induce one week early at 39 weeks. This worked out perfectly! My parents were able to come down from Bear Lake to stay at our house with Haylee. It also worked out for me because I could not be pregnant one more day! I was extremely uncomfortable and huge! Emma was definitely out of room because any movement, kick, or punch was very painful. We scheduled the induction for Wednesday, October 5th.

I was contacted by the hospital that Tuesday and was given instructions. I was told not to eat anything after midnight and that I would be called Wednesday morning with a time to come in. They do not give an exact time because my induction was elective so anyone that comes into the hospital in labor takes precedence and they never know how busy they will be. Well, obviously! They said that if | had not heard from someone by 10 am to call them. Well, 10 am rolled around and I had not heard from anyone. I called and spoke to the nurse in labor and delivery and she said that they have had an extremely busy night and did not have any rooms available for me! She did not want to give me a time and said to call back around 12:30. This was not a big deal, but I was told not to eat anything after midnight and was starving and still did not know when I was going to be induced. I called the nurse at my doctor's office and she said to go ahead and have something light and to keep hydrated so I would have energy to have a baby! My Mom fixed me some toast with jam and my Dad had gotten me a coke from the gas station. This was my last meal pregnant with Emma. I got ready and waited. The nurse called me around 12:30 before I could call her and said to come in ASAP! We loaded up the car and said our goodbyes to my parents and Haylee and drove to the hospital in the rain. It felt weird driving to the hospital to have a baby and not be in labor. We got checked in around 1:30 pm, but still had to wait for a room to be cleaned. It was a very active night and day for deliveries due to the storm that had come in overnight. The pressure drops and puts woman into labor. This was pretty significant because a snow storm had put me into labor with Haylee and it had snowed the whole time I was in labor and delivery. The storm on October 5th had not put me into labor, but it rained the whole time I was in labor and delivery. Just kind of crazy to think about.

Our wait was over and we were taken all the way down the hall to room 6. We took some last pictures of my prego belly:

I got into my gown and got settled into my bed. It was 2:10 pm when the nurse came in and got me hooked up to monitors, started an IV drip for hydration, and took some blood. I was checked for dilation, and I was at 2 cm. Then we waited for Dr. Terry. In the meantime, the nurse's shifts changed at 3:00 pm so I got a new nurse and thank goodness! I was told that Michelle would be coming in to take over. I wondered, could it be the Michelle that helped deliver Haylee? When she walked in I felt so much better about everything! It was the same nurse that was there when Haylee was born. Another sign! She did not remembers us right away, but we helped her remember. She was the best nurse and calmed so many of my fears then and now.

The doctor broke my water to start labor. Instead of just breaking my water all at once, the doctor inserted a monitor that attaches to the baby's head. This does a couple of things. It acts as a monitor for the baby's heart rate and also breaks the water. When the monitor is attached to the baby's head it creates a hole in the sack. As the baby moves down, more fluid is released. So instead of my water breaking in one "gush", it drains slowly. This was so painful! I hated it! Once that was done, the Pitocin was started. The Pitocin causes the uterus to contract and puts you into active labor. I tried to go as far as I could before getting an epidural. The contractions did not start out very strong, but were close together from the beginning. Once I could not bare the pain anymore, we called for an epidural. Getting the epidural was so painful this time around. It really was not too bad when I was in labor with Haylee because I was on Fentanyl to take some of the edge off. Plus, I think different doctors have different methods of administering the epidural and it seemed like this doctor was having a hard time or something. It seemed like it took forever! I was squeezing Rich's hand so hard that it was turning red and going numb! The epidural kicked in right away, but did not take the pain away 100%. I could not feel the contractions, but I could still feel a lot of pressure. Once I was feeling better, I was checked again and was only at 3 cm! I thought, "This is going to take a while!" Since I was at 3 cm and it was dinner time, Dr. Terry decided to pick up his wife and take her to dinner since he had not seen her very much in the last couple of days. Dr. Terry was able to drive home, change his clothes, and start driving to Mimi's Cafe across the street from the hospital before he got a call from Michelle saying I was at 7 cm! He headed straight to the hospital along with his wife. Once he got back, I was at 9 cm! His wife decided to wait in the waiting room. Apparently, this was not the first time! At this point the epidural started to ware off and I was really uncomfortable. Dr. Terry had the anesthesiologist come back and give me another dose. It took the edge off and I could not feel the contractions again, but still felt pressure. I needed to push! I could feel Emma's head and she was ready! I pushed for about 18 minutes. It was a lot harder and more tiring this time around. When I delivered Haylee, I felt NOTHING. I was almost over numb! This time around I felt a lot of pressure and could feel Emma come out. Luckily, it was over fast! When she came out, Michelle says, "Wow! That's a big baby! At least 8 pounds!" I thought, no way! Emma was weighed and we could not believe that she was 8 lbs 3 oz. Haylee only weighed 6 lbs 10 oz and Dr. Terry thought Emma would only be a bit bigger than Haylee because I was measuring right on.

Emma was perfect in every way! My delivery went pretty smooth. I only tore a tiny bit which required a few stitches. I was bleeding more than normal so I stayed in delivery a bit longer for observation. They gave me every drug and shot possible to get the bleeding under control. Luckily, I did not lose enough blood for a transfusion. When the epidural started to ware off, I got the shakes really bad. I was shivering so bad! I also felt really weird like I was congested and needed to cough, but I couldn't because I was so sore. We stayed in delivery for a few hours and then we were able to get into our room.


My cute nurse, Michelle

We stayed in the hospital until Friday. My Mom was able to stay with us until Monday so we could get settled with some extra help. The first few days and nights were pretty rough. All you want is a routine and a schedule and Emma was so mixed up between days and nights. The most frustrating thing during the first little while was getting Emma's feedings figured out. I was trying to breast feed, but it seemed like she was never satisfied and would still be hungry after just being fed. I was worried that I was not producing enough milk for her. I started to pump and could see that I was producing enough, but she just had a hard time eating. I like to call her a lazy eater. She would not suck hard enough to get anything. So I started pumping and bottle feeding and supplemented a bit with formula, but I felt like all I was doing was feeding and pumping and with a two year old it makes it that much harder. It was such a relief to hand a bottle to Rich and have him take a turn. I needed that! This caused my milk supply to decrease. After talking with Emma's pediatrician, we decided to make the switch to bottles 100%. I felt really guilty as if I was being selfish by not breastfeeding. Emma's doctor eased my mind and made me feel better. Emma is still very healthy and will be healthy even if she is formula fed and I can bond with her just as easily with a bottle as with breastfeeding. Once we found the right formula, Emma started doing much better and her feedings are on a better schedule. I call her my little porker because she is always hungry and loves to eat!

Haylee did really well at first. I was extremely surprised. She has been our little helper. She loves her "baby Emma". Sometimes too much. There has been an abundance of hugs and kisses and sometimes they aren't as soft as they should be. We did have a big meltdown at first regarding the binky. As you know, Haylee was very attached to her binky. Haylee has not had a binky for a while now, but when she saw Emma with one, she wanted it back. We used chap stick as a distraction. She loves chap stick so my parents took her to the store and let her pick out some chap stick and told her that big girls like her get chap stick and babies get binkies. Thank goodness it worked! Once Haylee realized that Emma was here to stay, the jealousy set in. It gets worse when Haylee gets over-tired, but when we realize what's happening, Rich and I will team up to give Haylee some extra attention.

I think we are getting the hang of things. Life seems so crazy right now. We are still working on a schedule and daily routine, but it gets better everyday. Having two kids definitely has its challenges, but also has its rewards. There is so much love flowing within our family. We feel so blessed to have two beautiful and healthy daughters. Life could not be any better.

It has been so long since I have made a blog post. I don't think I even made an official blog announcement that I was pregnant with our second child and I am now nearing the end of my pregnancy! I just wanted to give an update on what has been happening with us during the last nine months!
January 2011
We found out that we would be welcoming our second child into our family October 2011. We were a bit shocked, but we could not feel more blessed.
February 2011
I wrecked Rich's precious jeep. You can read more about that on my previous post.
Richard's Dad, Richard Lynn John, passed away on Sunday, February 20, 2011 due to a heart attack. It was the hardest thing Richard has ever had to deal with and it was extremly hard to see him hurt like that. Rick John was such an amazing man. He was talented in so many areas. He was best known for playing professional pool and winning many tournaments. He was also an amazing bowler and golfer. He loved traveling and playing poker. We do have one regret now that Rick is gone. We wish we would have spent more time with him. He was just getting to know Haylee and they shared such a special bond. This tought us a valuable lesson. Live life to its fullest and spend as much time with your family as possible because it can all change in a matter of minutes.
March 2011
Haylee celebrated her 2nd birthday! We had a Yo Gabba Gabba party at Red Robin complete with a Foofa cake and all! It was so hard to believe my baby was turing two! She is definately growing up and becoming a little lady.
April 2011
We found out we are having another girl! Rich is really out-numbered now! I am so excited for Haylee to have a sister!
May 2011
This is the month of my half-way mark! I had my 20 week ultrasound and confirmed the baby is growing and developing right on track. We are so blessed!
June 2011
My Dad celebrated his 60th birthday! Haylee and I were able to go up to Bear Lake and celebrate with him and the rest of the family.
Also, my Mom and I took our annual Shop Hop trip around the Wasatch Front. We took 3 days and drove to all of the quilt shops from Brigham City to Springville. We stayed in a hotel in Sandy and vegged out and sewed too. It was so nice to be with my Mom for some girl time and have a little break.
July 2011
We were able to spend some time up at Bear Lake. Rich's family purchased a cabin this year so we are able to spend time with his family and my family when we go up there. The lake has filled up this year and is almost to the road on the east and west sides. To actually enjoy any beach you have to go to the North and South ends. We did spend some time at those beaches. Haylee loves to play in the sand, but wasn't too thrilled with the water.
August 2011
Rich celebrated his 26th birthday on the 2nd. I took the night off of work and planned a little surprise party for him up Milcreek Canyon. It was extremely difficult to get him up there without him suspecting something, but the gesture was nice! We got a 6 foot sub from Subway, added some fruit and chips and some brownies and rice krispy treats and had a party. We celebrated with family and close friends. We lucked out and the rain waited until we were done, but got us out of there in a jiffy!
We were also able to head back up to Bear Lake for the yearly Raspberry Days festivities. It was nice to see some extended family. We went to the chuck wagon breakfast put on by the Fire Department, shop at the craft fair, and go to the Lake Town rodeo. It was a blast!
September 2011
We have made it to September! I just celebrated my 26th birthday. It was a pretty low key birthday, but a definatley a good one. I am now 36 weeks along and will go to the doctor this week to schedule a day to be induced. Our little angel will be arriving the first week of October sometime as long as she doesn't come a little early. The nursery is done and I am getting the bags packed just in case ;) Since I am not so good with this blogging thing, the next post will probably be the the birth announcement of our second little princess.

The Wreck

One week ago today, I experienced something I hope I will never have to experience again. It was very traumatic for me and something I will remember forever. It has definitely reminded me of the important things in life and that it can all change in seconds. I was headed home from work around 11 pm. I had just gotten on I-215 Westbound and was in the right line. I can't remember how fast I was going, but I am going to guess around 50-60 MPH. I noticed a tire ahead in the center of my lane. I remember thinking, "Could I run over it, should I just hit it?" Then I remember looking in my mirror and did not see any other cars so I decided to change lanes. By then it was almost too late, but I changed lanes anyway. I was closer to the tire by now so I swerved to miss it. I turned the steering wheel too much and my jeep began to lose control. I could not regain control at all. It was going all over the place if that makes any sense. The jeep began to lean to the left and I was preparing to roll. At that moment I remember bracing myself with my hands clenching the steering wheel and pushing on the brake pedal with both feet as hard as I could. I am not sure if applying the brakes was a smart thing to do, but it caused the jeep to turn 180 degrees before slamming into the cement barrier that divides the freeway. As soon as I stopped, I began screaming. Thankful to be alive and thankful to have stopped. The next thought filling my head was that I was facing the wrong direction towards on-coming traffic. Luckily, I was in the emergency lane. I began praying that no one would slam into me. The jeep had died so I could not move it. I ended up calling UHP (bad decision) and they helped start the jeep. I filled out a report and then received a ticket for improper lane travel. Perfect way to kick me when I was down! So much for my FREE roadside assistance with my insurance carrier. Why didn't I call them? I am just going to blame it on shock. My mind was racing and I had never been in this kind of situation before. In the end, I have learned a lot from this experience. Both good and bad. The jeep is a total loss. Besides the noticeable body damage, the axles are bent, the front sway bar is snapped, and both right rims are bent. It would cost our insurance company more to fix the repairs than the jeep is worth.
I have speant a lot of time thinking about what could have been or what I should have done differently. But then I stop and think that what's done is done and this is how it happened. Maybe for a reason, maybe not. I can not go back and change anything now. I can just be thankful. Thankful to be alive and thankful to not be hurt. I feel like an angel was watching over me that night. It could have been worse and I am so glad it wasn't. I feel like I am here for a reason and my time is not done. I have a lot more to give. I feel so blessed with all of the love that surrounds me. I hope to live each day to the fullest and will use this tragic day as a reminder that our lives could change in a matter of seconds and to not take any of it for granted.

These Are Special Times

We are counting down the days until Christmas is here and Santa visits the Prescott home. We have been staying busy with family parties, shopping, wrapping, baking, and everything else that goes into preparing for the big day. I am so excited for Christmas this year. Christmas is such a fun holiday as a child and as you grow older it starts to lack a bit of the excitement, but once you have a child of your own you are able to be somewhat of a kid again. A part of my childhood has returned this year. All of my attention has been on Haylee and making her Christmas magical and memorable. I had wonderful Christmases growing up. Some of my best memories were at Christmas time. It was not about the presents, but about the traditions. That is what I want to carry on for our family. Some of our traditions include walking around Temple Square admiring the lights, driving to Christmas Street on Christmas Eve and reading the story of Christ's birth on the billboards, Christmas Eve pajamas, baking cookies, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, and all that goes into making Christmas morning special. I can not wait for Christmas morning and to see Haylee's face light up. I am sure it is something I will treasure forever.

All dolled up to see Santa.

So happy!
Haylee's Christmas dress.

Haylee HATED sitting on Santa's lap. She was terrified! As soon as we left, she kept saying, "Ho, Ho!" and "Santa, Santa!". I couldn't tell if that was because she wanted to go back and see him again or because she was angry with him (or me).

Haylee did stop crying for a brief moment when Santa started telling her he could bring her a baby doll to rock. She got pretty excited, then looked at Santa and remembered what was happening and started to cry again.
Poor Santa. He stayed so calm with a screaming kid on his lap. I am sure he is very use to it by now!
This one makes me feel bad. Like I am a bad Mom for torturing my child to sit on Santa's lap for a silly picture. Poor girl. Every Mom does it though, right? That is what I keep telling myself.


I hope everyone has a Merry and Magical Christmas! I know I will!

Come join us at this year's Holiday Boutique! There will be different vendors selling all kinds of fun and unique gifts! Perfect for anyone on your Christmas list!

Hope to see you all there!