ZZZZZZZZ . . .

I think I have one of these pictures for each of my kids:The classic "sleeping on Dad" pose. Sorry the quality isn't so great, but you get the idea. Warm snuggly baby + warm snuggly Dad = a very nice nap.

Sleep & Sibling Sweetness

Here are some cute pictures I took in September:
Halley loves to hold Dallin.Talk about brotherly love.

Dallin fell asleep on the couch like this, and I thought he looked so precious. He always has his little fists up close to his face. It is so sweet.And of course, Connor wanted in on the camera action.
Connor has been so sweet with Dallin. He always calls him "Baby Dallin," and he is constantly reminding me how much "Baby Dallin" loves him.I love sleeping babies!!

He's Here!

We are proud to announce the arrival of

Dallin Blake Power

August 1, 2010

6:01 pm

9 lbs. 15 oz.

22 in. long

Here is the whole Power family!

The Name Game

So, pretty much everyone I talk to has asked us what we are going to name this little boy. And, honestly, we still don't know. When we found out we were having a boy, Bradley was adamant we name him Peter Parker Power. Yes, that is from Spiderman. Connor insisted his name should be Sam-I-Am. What do you think?
It took us a couple months, but we convinced them that those names weren't that great and that just because we asked for their ideas, it doesn't mean we are going to use those names. He he he . . .
Anyway, my dad now calls the baby Bam-Bam-Peter-Sam. I think that will be Grandpa's nickname, but here are our top choices:

Robert "Robbie" ( I like Robbie, but am not a big fan of Robert.)
Dallin
Blake (This is Wes' middle name.) &
Garrett

We have pretty much decided we will use some combination of these names, but we haven't felt very strongly about any of them. What would your vote be??

Connor

Connor is really growing up fast. He finished his few months of preschool in May and is extremely excited to start kindergarten in August. He is also VERY excited for his birthday on Aug. 27. He has not stopped talking about it since June. He even has his party all planned out. He wants to go swimming at his grandparents' house and then have a water balloon fight. Oh, and of course, he has to have an animal cake. We let him decorate his own animal cake when he turned two, and I don't think he's ever forgotten it. He is so funny.
One of Connor's latest achievements is learning to read. He has really started picking up on how letters sound when they are all fit together. It's really funny because I can never work with him on it, but if Bradley sits down and works on flashcards or any kind of reading with him, Connor just soaks it all up. I wonder if Bradley will ever realize how much Connor looks up to him. They may fight and argue all the time, but I am still really glad we had them so close together. They are "best brothers."Connor is still one of the most positive children I have ever met. He was climbing on me the other day and hurt me somehow. I got a little frustrated, and he just gave me a hug and said, "At least I only hurt you a little bit, huh, Mommmy?" That is his attitude about pretty much everything - it could be worse. He is constantly looking on the bright side of things, and he is ALWAYS telling me how much he loves me and everyone else in the family.
I've been a little worried about his health because he has been so tired lately. I have tested his blood sugar a few times because I am totally paranoid about one of our kids being diagnosed with diabetes, but it's been fine. I have worried that he has allergies or asthma or something, but I haven't actually taken him in yet. He'll be fine for awhile, and then he'll get sick and I'll start worrying again. Right now he's doing well, but I think the next time I get all worried, I'll just take him in.
Most of the time he has a lot of energy, and he is constantly on the go so maybe that's why he is so tired. :)We love Connor and can't wait to see what this next year in kindergarten will be like for him!

I will be updating more about the other kids in the next few days!

Halley Mae

Halley is such a sweet little girl. We have been having a lot of fun with her. She has the most unique personality. She can be so sweet and loving and tender and shy, and then BAM! She turns into this screaming terrible two year old! "MINE! NO!! AAAAAAAA!!!!" It's quite the adventure. We never quite know what we're going to get.The latest big event in her life was taking away her beloved binkies! She has actually done really well with it. She was only using them for sleeping, but we figured it'd be best to get them out of the way before the baby comes. Part of the reason she has done so well is because we have been sitting in her room to help her fall asleep. She moved into a "big girl bed" right after her birthday. At first she was an angel and would just stay in there, but then she started coming out over and over again.
Because I am so far along in pregnancy I just decided we will sit in there with her until after the baby is born. I don't have the energy to do any kind of "cry it out" thing at this point in my life. I also don't have the stamina to just put her back in her bed 100 times each night. :) Sitting in there isn't exactly fun, but it's going to have to work for now.Halley is talking like crazy. The boys were gone for a week with my parents, and I think Halley talked nonstop the whole time. She also loves to sing. She makes up songs about everything, and sings all day long - "ABCs," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Jingle Bells," and her latest favorite is "It's Raining, It's Pouring." She is so fun to listen to.
I know there are a million cute little things she has been saying lately, but my brain is fried right now. I have a hard time remembering my name. :) I call it "Mommy Brain." This condition may improve after the baby is born, but I doubt it. Anyway, Halley is our little angel. We love her smile and her sweet personality. I am also really excited to see how she reacts to this baby. She LOVES babies!