There is sunshine in my soul today

It's either that or the 6 1/2 hours of straight sleep that Bentley gave us. Either way, it's a great day! We spent the morning at the park with friends and then continued our outdoor play when we got home. We had a picnic and just soaked up as much sunshine as we could. Who knows when it's going to be coming back around.
A friend of mine did a little preschool twice a week during the month of March that Andi and some little friends went to. Today was the last day so they had some cupcakes at the park to celebrate. Thanks Tessa!

Emmett

I don't even know what I want to say in this post. There have been so many thoughts running through my head since Friday, March 11. That was the day we lost our brother-in-law. We truly loved Emmett, and still do. He loved his family. He loved being a part of our big extended family. He was a funny guy and a people person. He was always networking with everybody, trying to connect people he knew to help them out. He made the best ribs I have ever had and he left before he could fulfill his promise to teach me how to make them!
During this time my testimony has been reaffirmed and strengthened as I have seen the Lord's hand in so many sweet moments. I know Heavenly Father is so aware of our needs. I have been strengthened by my knowledge of eternal families. I have been uplifted by the power of the priesthood. How grateful I am that my husband holds the priesthood. It has been a gift to many around us. I am grateful for family and amazing friends, not only of mine, but of the Corrigan family. They have been so mindful of our needs. We have felt the prayers and thoughts of so many.Some sweet moments over the past few weeks:
*Jefferson was able to bless Tytus after Emmett's viewing. It was a very spiritual event. There were about 10 men standing in the circle and I am quite certain that Emmett was there looking on, helping Jefferson say what he would have said. It was a beautiful moment.*Jefferson's Grandma Berna stayed with us a few nights and she and I were able to sit around and talk one afternoon and she shared a lot with me.*Being able to spend some time with extended family that we don't usually get to see. Not the best of circumstances, but we'll take what we can get.
*A lot of family was able to meet Bentley for the first time.
Like Grandpa LJay and Grandma Mitchy:
*Seeing the support of so many people for the Corrigans and for us. A lot of friends and ward members have been concerned about our well being and have helped out where they can.
*Seeing how strong and amazing Ashlee is. She is such a great mom and there is a whole lot of love in their home.
*The services were all done so beautifully. The spirit was there and there was a lot of love and support.

Bentley: 1 month

I cannot believe Bentley is one month old already!! I feel like I have missed this whole past month and yet, I also feel that I have just really enjoyed this baby more than ever! I keep thinking that with each new baby the magic of having a newborn will wear off, or that I'll be too caught up in the other kids and life to enjoy them, but it just isn't true. I hold this girl any chance I get. She is delicious!
I also can't believe that she is only one month. Due to some events that have transpired in our family, I feel like we had to jump right out of that new newborn phase. People will comment on how little or new she is and I stop a second and think, "You're right, she is really new still." I forget.Bentley is a pretty sweet tempered little baby. She is a very awake and alert newborn. Even her pediatrician commented a couple of times about how alert she is. She doesn't sleep as much as my other babies have during the day and is just not as sleepy in general. My other babies I could put in a swing or bouncy seat and eventually they would just drift off to sleep without my even knowing it, but not Bentley. She will either remain awake or cry before she'll fall asleep. I remember in the hospital the first day she was born she was awake almost the whole day and I remember being very afraid!She's pretty typical in the crying department for a newborn in the amount she cries. It is funny though, she goes from being perfectly content to screaming her lungs out in less than a second. There is no warning or build up to it. She has had a few moments where she is inconsolable and I feel like I am going to lose my mind, but for the most part she calms down pretty easily. She is great at putting herself to sleep. If I can't hold her I'll just put her down and she'll cry for a couple of minutes and then go to sleep and sleep like a champ. She eats every 3 hours during the day and every 3-4 during the night. She has been a good sleeper at night and there's only been a couple of times where she has woken up and not gone back to sleep.
She gave her first smiles a few days ago and they are yummy! We haven't caught them on camera yet, but we are working on it. She will track me around the room if I'm not too far away and will always turn towards my voice. She loves her mom, what can I say?

We are really loving having this baby Bentley around!

Taternot

I feel like sometimes this girl doesn't get as much attention as she should. She is really independent and does her own thing a lot of time. She isn't super whiny. She can't talk yet. She's not demanding. She has two older siblings who have activities that demand our time and attention plus a newborn sister who demands a lot of mom time.
Well, today while Carter and Andi were at preschool/joyschool, I decided to head to the library with Taytum (and Bentley, who was asleep the whole time in her carseat). Lucky for us they were having a special "Winnie the Pooh" story time. They read Winnie the Pooh books, sang songs, had a craft, handed out balloons, and gave each child a Winnie the Pooh cupcake holder full of gummy bears. It was fun to have some one on one time with Taytum and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. And I thoroughly enjoyed being out with just my Tay-tah. I just love this girl. I look at her and just have to smile.

Spoiler

I couldn't wait to post some of the pics we took of Bentley for her birth announcement, so if you are receiving a birth announcement, sorry that you saw the pics beforehand. She's just too cute, and we all needed a Bentley fix, right? :)










PS... she was being such a pill when we took these!
PPS... we are still trying to figure out our camera and editing and all that.

Bentley Bug

(*Thanks for the nickname Aunt Alli!)

Bentley Bug, Bents, Bentleykins, Boh (bow)

We are loving this little girl! She has been a pretty good little sleeper at night waking up every 3-4 hours to eat and then going right back to sleep (for the most part). She is super awake and alert during the day and not very newborn in that aspect. She loves being swaddled and not sure she loves her binky... yet. She will. :) The girl has a set of lungs on her. She doesn't cry a whole ton, but when she does, she goes from 0-60 in no time flat. She is nursing great and packing on the pounds... or rather ounces at least. She weighed in at 7lbs 1 oz today. (she was only 6lbs 8oz on Friday)
Bentley pre her first bath. Nice and content.
Not so content. Not loving her first bath.
Finally, she gave in to the warm water and enjoyed it for a minute.
Jefferson washing the poop out of the tub. :) Good man.