The last pheasant hunt of the season was bitter sweet for Dan. On one hand he wouldn't be able to go shoot pheasants until fall, but Kate did amazing! Between her great natural skills and Dan's training she is becoming a great bird dog. The owner of the hunting club even offered Kate a job as a bird dog. Here is Dan's dad with one of his pheasants. Here is Dan, Adam, Kate, and the pheasants they got.
While searching for pheasants Kate came across a mouse hole. She went to town digging trying to catch the rodent. She literally kept digging until half of her body was down in this hole. But, little did Kate know, the mouse had an escape route! We saw the mouse run out of a different hole on the other side of this little hill. I guess the mouse didn't want anything to do with Kate's massive jaws of death! Dan has heard from several different hunters that mice give off the same scent as a pheasant to a dog. Dan isn't sure whether or not that is true, but it would explain why she was so interested in this hole! It was pretty entertaining to watch.
We went over to the parents house two weeks ago and got Jacob's hair cut. What you can not see in this picture is my Dad distracting Jacob by jumping around the kitchen trying to avoid getting wet by Jacob squirting water on him.

Derek is growing up fast, now he smiles when he not only gassy, but when he is happy. He will even start laughing if you tickle him or play peek-a-boo.

It has been a crazy few months for us. We had a ton of stuff going on, a new baby, a wedding, sicknesses, and spring cleaning.

My Brother-in-law David got married to an amazing girl named Janna! We are so happy for them!
I don't have any good pictures of just the two of them... David's eyes where all half open, making him look drunk. They got married in the Manti Temple at 9am. We had to get up crazy early so Jacob got to sleepover at Grandpa and Grandma Glassford's House. We also had Heather tag along to help with Derek while we where in the sealing ceremony. I am so thankful she was able to help. This is Derek and his cousin Hailey at the wedding reception.

We sat next to Jim and Kayla at the reception, their little boy Jonah is so cute, he looks like a mini version of his dad with his mom's eyes.
Jacob got chicken nuggets, but all he wanted to eat was my salad.
Dan's sister Bonnie and family came out for David and Janna's wedding. While they where here we had a birthday party for their son Matt. It was fun to hang out with them since they live so far away. The birthday party was at a Pirate themed party place. It was like Chucky cheese but with boats and waiters with a lot of eyeliner.
Whack a mole... classic.
The modified sea worthy version of whack-a-mole. Jacob loved the racing game. We must of sat and let him play with the wheel for a half hour. Jacob eating the cupcake, actually just the frosting.
Heather has not only been a big help with babysitting, but become one of Jacob's favorite play buddies. He frequently asked to go to Grandpa's house to play with Heather.
About three weeks ago Jacob started to get sick, turns out it was RSV. Fever, runny nose, cough, two ear infections, and lack of sleep made him a crabby kid. Even though I did everything I could to keep the two children separate, and after using tons of hand sanitizer to the point of excess, Derek got sick. It was horrible, and I felt helpless since you really can't give any medicine to an infant. We had to take Derek to the hospital 2-3 times a day for a whole week plus have him on a nebulizer at home. he also had a fever and ear infections. I am so thankful to everyone that has helped us, it was a very stressful and tiring few weeks. Lets be honest, it has been a stressful and tiring year so far. I am currently demanding a break from drama and trials. Even though he has been sick, Derek still is in the 50 percentile in weight, he is just over 12 pounds. He is already growing out of his three month clothing. He is growing fast, and looking more like his dad and brother every day.

It has been awhile since my last post, and a lot has happened since then. Derek is a loving baby that always wants to be held; which made things hard the first two weeks while I was extremely sick with the spinal headache fiasco. That was a huge trial for Dan and I, thank you to everyone who helped us during that time. I am sorry if I have not thanked you personally, my memory of those two weeks following Derek's birth are fuzzy at best.
Jacob has been a big help (as much as a two year old could be) He loves his little brother and always try to share his toys with him. When Derek cries he tries to give him his binki and says, " its okay baby".
After my spinal blood block, I was able to enjoy and get to know our newest addition. I also had my family over a few Sundays ago for dinner and football. It was the first time my Dad and Richie had seen Derek; they had been sick when he was born. The Colts won that day, too bad they didn't go on to win the Superbowl. My only consolation is that the Vikings ( Bret Favre) did not even make it to the Superbowl.

I was pregnant at the same time as my sister-in-law Sherrie. She gave birth to Hailey 5 days before Derek came. It has been awesome having someone who is going through the whole new baby thing at the same time. We have had fun taking pictures of the two of them together.
This is Jacob playing with Kate in the kitchen.
Because it is so cold outside and with Derek I am unwilling to go anywhere , Jacob hasn't been able to run around and get out some of his energy. My solution... let him play with Kate. Our dog is great with him, she lets him chase, pet, and torment her without complaint. She is a great dog.
we have gone over to my parents house a few times so I can take a breather while Dan is at work. Jacob loves hanging out over there. Between playing with the Grandparents and hanging out with Heather and Richie, he just has a ball. That is just a bit of an update on our family. Hope everyone has a great Valentines Day this weekend!

Our new bundle of joy!

Derek Brewster Astin was born Saturday at 9:13. He weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce. I am extremely glad that we decided to go ahead with an inducement, because even in a controlled setting it was an extremely fast birth. I went from a 6 to a 10 in twelve minutes. I had to push through only 3 contractions and Derek was born. Dan was great, he held my hand and helped me with my breathing.
He was a bit blue, because he had his umbilical cord around his neck. Luckily it didn't cause him any stress because he just slid right out. Derek has dark hair and long fingers and toes. His feet are so big! They are as long as his cousin Jonah's feet... and he is over 6 months old!
Angie and Heather came to the hospital to chill and play games with us while we waited for the labor to start, They brought games and books.... didn't have tons of time to read or play. They got to see Derek and hold him.
Heather and Angie then took over babysitting duty at my parents house so my Mom could come see Derek. (My Dad has a bit of a cold, so he has been unable to see Derek yet) My sister Rachel also came down to see him. Dan's parents where able to come down to see Derek Saturday afternoon. Noreen forgot to check in and almost got taken down by a nurse ( Steve thought it was pretty funny). The same time Grandpa and Grandma Astin where there, Great Grandpa and Donna Nielson stopped by.
Jacob stayed with my parents for a couple of days while I was at the hospital. This was a true blessing, and I am very thankful they where there to help. My Mom brought Jacob yesterday to the hospital to see me and Derek, He was so busy worrying about not leaving my side he was indifferent to Baby Derek for most of the visit. He just wanted to sit next to me and eat my fig newtons.
Our little family!
Thanks to everyone who has helped us and prayed for Derek's safe arrival. We feel very blessed to have this adorable new addition to our family!

Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Even though it wasn't the most pleasant experience being 9 months pregnant during the most family party oriented holiday, and the time of the year where the most pictures are taken.... I have to say I can look back on this Christmas and smile.
It was are first Christmas in our new house and I loved watching Jacob opening his gifts under the tree. He is the most dainty gift opener, it takes him forever to open one gift.
We went over to the Glassfords for Christmas breakfast and to exchange gifts. My parents, like always, surprised us with a great gift... a huge barbecue. Now Dan has to learn how to use it.
Jacob ate bacon! that is right, he ate meat willingly! Jacob ( the child that will eat broccoli and lima beans over chicken nuggets ate bacon! )
This year I wanted to give my parents something that I know they would really love and that I don't think they would do themselfs. I turned their wonderful blog into a book. This was truly a labor of love, but I am so glad that I did it. I did tons of resurch concerning 'blog to book' websites and found nowhere I was satisfied with. So I decided to format and publish the book through a book publishing and printing company. It turned out great, and now my parents have a family journal/scrapbook.
This was at the Astin's Christmas Party, jacob had a lot of fun playing with his cousins!Here is the Family Christmas picture, It turned out good, especially considering my hugeness and Jacob freezing.
We also took family photos this weekend. I am hoping that the next one could be in the warm months and without me being pregnant. Angie and Chad better come down for a vacation TOGETHER in the summer months, none of these separate vacations. I want a family photo with that has flowers and grass in the background.
Jacob was a good trooper, he was cold which made it difficult to get him to smile.