Simply Jaimie

Click here to see all the fun we had with our Elf last year!

Today, Hannah and Lilly thought it was hilarious that Noel was inside the cereal box. 

It is hard to believe that my baby boy is already two weeks old! It is crazy how fast time goes by. I swear I just found out that I was pregnant!  Beck has been doing wonderful since he was born.  He is a really calm baby. I am not sure if you can tell in any of the pictures but we think Beck has a birth mark on his right eyelid. He also has dark brown hair, blue eyes, and long fingers. He loves being curled up and has just started to straighten out his legs.  Beck loves to eat. The doctor said for a formula fed baby he is eating more than average. Beck is eating around 3-4 ounces every 3-4 hours. The average is around 2-3 ounces every 3-4 hours. Despite being a really good eater, Beck only weighed in at 8lbs which puts him in the 28%. The doctor didn't seem worried about his weight. All they look for at the two week appointment is that they have gained back their birth weight. Beck was 7lbs 9ounces when he was born, so he gained his birth weight back and then...

Recovering from childbirth sucks! However, with each day that passes it gets better. Much like with Lilly Belle I had a 2nd degree tear which is a lot better then the 4th degree tear I had with Hannah. While in the hospital, I was able to get quite a bit of rest. Aaron did all the diaper changes and feedings while we were there. Thankfully, we were discharged the next day. There is something about being home, sleeping in your own bed, and showering in your own shower that makes you feel instantly better.  A few days after arriving home, I passed a golfball size blood clot. This instantly freaked me out. I called the doctor who asked me a bunch of questions, and then reassured me that everything was fine. I, however, was not convinced. This worry led me into a spiraling meltdown. Every time I looked at my kids, I would burst into tears. I kept telling Aaron how much I loved them! I also had to turn off the TV cause the show I was watching had me in tears. My fear was another cl...

On Monday morning, we woke up to snow. It is always so beautiful to see everything covered in white.  Coming from California, the snow on the ground would have lasted till about 10am. By that time, the sun would be out and all the snow would be gone.  Not here. It snowed all day! Hannah and Lilly Belle were so excited to go play in the snow.  That excitement lasted for maybe five minutes.  These California girls aren't quite use to the snow and cold yet.  They came back in the house looking like icicles, even though they were wearing there thick snow jackets and had sweaters underneath.  They still take super cute pictures despite being absolutely freezing. By the evening, it was a full on snow storm.  Eventually, it did stopped.  When I was feeding Beck at 3:30am I could hear men shoveling the walkways and trucks plowing the roads.  This is what we woke up to this morning.  For now, the ...

For day four, Noel decided to relax in our manger. It must be exhausting flying back and forth to the North Pole every night.  Today, Hannah was very concerned because she couldn't find Noel.  Finally, she found Noel on the counter in the bathroom. Noel is dressed up as a snowman with a note asking do you want to build a snowman.  It must be because of all that snow we got yesterday! 

Hannah was really worried Noel wouldn't have enough magic to make it to the North Pole and back (we found Lilly Belle (18 months old) playing with Noel yesterday.)  You can imagine Hannah's excitement when she saw that Noel was NOT still in the carseat from yesterday. Instead she was reading her scriptures on the TV stand. 

This Christmas Season our family is going to take the light the world challenge. For 25 days in December we are going to light the world in 25 ways. This don't have to be big elaborate service projects, but 25 small acts of kindness. Below are some videos explaining more about the challenge and some links to some ideas. Steven King, manager of media for the LDS Church’s missionary department said,  “What we’re trying to do with this campaign is for each of us to act in the way our Savior would act as opposed to focusing on gifts and gift-giving — to make ourselves available to others, to serve them, to help them (and) helping light their way,” I am really excited to get the girls involved and teach them the true meaning of Christmas.  I hope your family can also participate and together we csn light the world. “We have lights — all kinds of lights on our houses, on our trees, on our dining tables, so if we link those wonderful traditions with the source of truth, even ...

My sister, Kerri, and her four kids decided to spend their fall break up here in Utah.  They spent their time cooking, cleaning, and watching my kids while I recovered from having Beck.  I didn't ask her to help, in fact I didn't even realize how much I needed the help. I can't put into words just how grateful I am that she came. It gave me time to just relax and enjoy my new baby and their company.  It was actually pretty difficult to watch her leave, but I think I have been surviving pretty well.  I really love and miss my family.  Thank goodness I have another sister who lives close so I don't get too homesick.  Here are some pictures of the fun we had while they were here.  On the first day they were here it snowed! It wasn't much, but just enough to make these California kids happy. We made sure to fit in some time for shopping. The girls went to the grocery store to pick out some goodies for lunch and snacks, and then ...

Noel is ready to take a road trip! I wonder where she wants to go?

It seems like people either love the elf on the shelf or they hate them. We happen to love having Noel the elf around during the Christmas season. It is fun to watch the girls roam around the house trying to find her. It brings an added joy and excitement for the holiday season that goes by way too fast.  For day one, Noel was sitting on our counter with a letter to the children. I will link the letter below. It talked about Noel being back and reminded the kids to be good. Hannah woke me up so excited that Noel was back!  I wonder where she will end up tomorrow . . .  click here to see the letter

One reason I don't mind nighttime feedings is because I get to sit and think. The house is quiet and I am holding the worlds most beautiful baby. Last night, I started thinking about some things I am grateful for. Here are just a few : My Faith - I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and Saviour, Jesus Christ. My religion is my foundation that keeps me going when things get tough. I know with all my heart that I am constantly being watched over. I also know that I can turn to my Heavenly Father in prayer and communicate all my thoughts, emotions, concerns, gratitude etc (basically everything and anything.) I do that knowing that my prayers are heard and answered in a way that is best for me and my family. I am grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost to led me in journey to be a better wife, mother and daughter of God.                                             ...

I found out about this sweet surprise around Easter. I was shocked and excited and completely                                        speechless. All I knew for sure was November was so far away. I suffered the same symptoms as with the girls. I was sick from start to finish. The only problem with this pregnancy, as opposed to the girls, was doctor's are very reluctant to prescribe zofran because it has been tied to birth defects. This meant I had to switch my first doctor and convince the next one I really needed the prescription. All I know is no zofran equals a day full of puking. I did try to go without the medicine a couple times but no such luck. My only other pregnancy symptoms were a lack of energy which made sense because I had a low iron count. I could also get quite moody and had an intense craving for gummy fangs. I may get sick (which sucks) but on a good note my a...

For me, finding a boy's name that I love has always been a struggle. I could give you an endless list of girl's names that I love; however, a name for a boy, not so much. I like a lot of names like Landon, Russell, Evan, Ryan etc but none that I would use to name my little guy. I was convinced that he would be baby boy Craig forever.  The Sunday before my gender reveal ultra scan (although they make it clear that this is not a gender reveal scan) Aaron and I rented a movie called, God's of Egypt. . . . Awesome movie by the way. . . In that movie their is a scene where the God, Horus, keeps calling his mortal companion mortal instead of his name. Eventually, the mortal says to Horus that his name is not mortal, it's Beck! As soon as he said that I turned to Aaron and said I like that name. From that moment on it is all I could think about. Aaron wasn't ready to commit to Beck. Over the next couple months he mentioned other names to me, but nothing compared to ...

On Thursday November 10th, I went to my 38 week doctor's appointment. I was almost 4 cm dilated and 70% effaced. This was very exciting news because I had never been more than 1 cm at that time in my previous pregnancies. The doctor decided to strip my membranes (which really is not fun at all!) She was confident that this would kick start my labor. For the rest of the day I felt some cramping but nothing more.                                                                                                                                                                     ...