Happy Halloween!

Thought I'd share some fun Halloween Pictures. (Yes, these pictures are all from the same year. I could only convince my kids to be cowboys and Indians for the professional picture. Oh well, it was a compromise I could live with!)

Family Pictures

You moms know how stressful family pictures can be--finding coordinating outfits for the whole family, making sure your children are clean, hair done, stomachs full, and happy. All this to get capture the perfect moment when everyone is smiling, looking at the camera, and pretending to be enjoying themselves. Needless to say, I'm glad it is over and we have some pretty great pictures to show for it. SUCCESS!

A Blessed Day!

Today was a wonderful day. Clark had the opportunity to bless Ashtyn in Church today. It was a very spiritual. He did an amazing job. We were blessed to have so many family members there, and we missed those who couldn't come. Ashtyn was beautiful in her long white dress and was an angel during the blessing. Unfortunately, she got a little fussy and had to be taken out. At the same time Cannon had a melt down and had to leave too. I'm proud to say two of my four children behaved themselves the whole time. Pretty typical for us. Anyway, it was a lovely day I'll always remember.

Our Soccer Star

Kamryn just started her first season in our community soccer league. She and her other 4 year old friends swarm the ball, all trying to kick at once or just following the crowd, not knowing where the ball is or what direction to kick. It is fabulous to watch! Kamryn's favorite part was the outfit, especially the pink shin guards. She was disappointed she had to cover them up with her blue socks. We are so proud she scored her first goal---for the other team. Who cares! Definitely not her! Go White Spiders!

The Difference Between Boys and Girls

In my experience being a mom, I've noticed in some things there are no difference between boys and girls. For example, my girls LOVE to catch bugs and keep them in jars. The difference, however, occurs when they name their newly acquired pet. Please meet "Diamond Jewel Hannah Ashley Sharpay Cotterell"--the grasshopper. Just thought I'd share.

A big step for Rylee--EAR PIERCING!

Rylee told us last week she wanted her ears pierced. She has said this before, but when she asked if it hurt, we told her the truth and said yes, but only for a minute. She isn't exactly the toughest when it comes to pain, so she wasn't interested. I'm not sure what changed her mind, but she did GREAT! No tears (unlike her mother's experience at age 4). She is so proud and can't wait to show her friends at school!

Baby Ashtyn

Isn't she precious! Thought I'd share some cute pics and her birth announcement. Her announcement was more work than I originally anticipated, but look at that face, I had to do something cute. Anyway, hope you like it.

Our Funny Kids

Since I'm new to this blogging thing, I thought I would share some funny moments of the past few months. This is Rylee, our six year-old. She loves gymnastics and we find her in this position often. She is probably our most observant child and some of the things she says makes you laugh because there is some truth in what she says. This isn't always a good thing. For example, the other day, out of no where, she asks, "Mom, why are you nicer to all the other kids than you are to me?" "What?!", I gasped. How could she ask that? "Well, at Primary you always talk to the other kids in your nice voice." Hmm, that was probably a little true. I don't always use my "Primary" voice at home. I told her that I love her more than anyone else in Primary because she is my Rylee, and I do more things for her than anyone else. This seemed to answer her question, but it made stop and think. I could probably use my Primary voice more often.

This is our four year-old, Kamryn. I love this picture. Don't you love her sassiness?! She is always at least a few inches shorter than anyone else her age, but what she lacks in height she makes up in personality. Our favorite "Kamrynism" is watching her hold her fists in front of her with her toe pointed, and yelling "Giddy-up Horse!" Then she gallops at full speed wherever she is going. I asked her the other day what she wanted to be when she grew up. She told me she wanted to ride ponies and be a mom. Sounds good to me!

This is Cannon, our two year-old. He is constantly into everything. I had a good laugh when I discovered this during nap time. You can't see the entire room, but he emptied his whole closet of clothes, diapers, wipes and shoes. Apparently he felt his own diaper needed to go as well. Very funny.

Hope you got a good laugh. We sure did!

Our Poor Baby Ashtyn

Unfortunately, things didn't run so smoothly around the second week of Ashtyn's life. When she was nine days old, I noticed she was breathing a little funny. I took her to her pediatrician and after examining her (her temperature was actually below normal), they sent us to Primary Children's Hospital for more testing. Little did I know that would mean blood and urine tests, two spinal taps, IV's, and a six day hospital stay. The first day and half were terrifying! Hearing possibilities like bacterial meningitis are pretty hard on an already emotional mother of a newborn. Luckily the scary tests came back negative and we found out she had a common virus. Unfortunately, she had a difficult time keeping her oxygen levels up, so they ordered more tests. After a sleep study test, they diagnosed her with severe obstructive sleep apnea (even though Clark has this, they say it isn't hereditary). The doctors hope she will outgrow this problem. So, for now she is on oxygen (mainly while she is sleeping, but that is just about all the time) for three to four months until she can be tested again. We are so grateful this trial seems to be more of an annoyance than a major problem. We are hoping Ashtyn doesn't catch any other bug so we don't have to repeat this whole process. Consequently, we have become quarantined germaphobes. We love hand sanitizer!! In spite of our stressful week, things are going really well. Ashtyn is sleeping like a champ (six hours in a row last night--not bad for a three week-old). I will eventually need to figure out how to get myself and my family ready before two in the afternoon, but for now we are having a great time taking it easy!

Ashtyn April Cotterell

She's finally here! Ashtyn April Cotterell was born on Saturday, July 12th at 8:57 pm. She was a whopping 6 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 in. long (pretty long for a Cotterell). She is our first brunette, has a cute dimple on her right cheek, and has beautifully long fingers and feet. We couldn't wait to meet her, especially since we didn't know if she was a her or a him. The labor was fast and painless. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. My favorite part was hearing Clark tell me she was a girl and then being able to introduce her to our children and parents. It was amazing (just a little plug on being surprised--it was worth the wait!) The kids just love her and constantly want to hold and kiss her--especially Cannon--what a sweetheart. Ashtyn is very sweet, loves to sleep, and makes you smile just looking at her. So far, the transition has been pretty smooth. It may be a different story once all the carpooling, preschool, and school starts. Right now, we are loving being hermits and taking care of this little "Bright Eyes."