Blessing Day

Emily was blessed on Sunday November 7th. It was wonderful to have Grams, Grampa, Auntie Lindsay, Grandmommy, and Grandpa Higbee with us. We are so blessed to have such a loving and supportive family. Below are some pictures of Emily in her blessing dress. It is the same dress that little Lindsay wore for her blessing day.

I love her sweet little face in these pictures. She is such a doll. She is now smiling at us and trying to make sounds.

Here are all of the people who were there for Emily's blessing. What a good looking group!

We had to get a shot with Auntie. The kids were ecstatic that she came to visit. They miss her already and can't wait to see her again. I was so happy to see her as well. I am hoping she can move to Utah soon!

We are so glad Grandpa and Grandmommy could travel out for the blessing. Grandmommy just spent the last week helping us. We are so grateful for everything she did while she was here.

We are also grateful for Grams and Grandpa. It has been wonderful to have Dad retired and to get to see them more often. Mom was a great help while she was here. She even stayed the night when Emily wouldn't stop screaming to give Michael and I a much needed break.

A picture of the proud mommy and daddy.

This was the best picture of our whole family after the blessing. It is hard to believe that we have 5 kids.

Michael should win an award for Father of the Year. He is so helpful with baby Emily and all of the kids. Even his mom had a hard time getting Michael to let go of Emily so she could hold her. I am so thankful to have him as my husband and the father of our children.

This was just before church. It was challenging getting out the door. Emily was overtired and screamed while Michael put on her dress. I was trying to hurry and get ready.

Halloween 2010

The kids did Trunk-or-Treat on Friday night and then Trick-or-Treating in the neighborhood on Saturday night. They were thrilled to have so much candy and I am worried about my future dentist bills. Each of the kids had somewhere between 80 and 100 pieces of candy by the time they were done with Halloween. They haven't really wanted to share with mom and dad though.Laurel was a detective this year, Lindsay a witch, Jonathan was Batman, and Evan was Luke Skywalker. They were super cute and had a lot of fun dressing up and getting lots of candy.

Pumpkins and Caramel Apples

Our family is continuing a Stewart family tradition. For Family Home Evening on Monday night we carved pumpkins and I made caramel apples. We did this when I was a child and it was such a good memory that I wanted to continue the tradition with our children. The kids did the majority of the carving all by themselves.
Jonathan used some small carving tools that helped him to do most of the work on his own.

Michael helped Laurel to use a pattern to make her ghostly pumpkin.

I think Jonathan's pumpkin resembles his grin a little bit.

Evan did his pumpkin all by himself. I was really impressed.

Lindsay poses with her pumpkin. Doesn't she look pretty here? She loves to wear her apron any chance she gets.

New Pictures of Emily

The kids love to hold Emily as long as she is happy and not wiggling too much. They love to shower her with kisses and lots of love.

She took a snooze on Uncle Ryan one afternoon. She loves to curl up.

She makes a great O shape with her mouth. We have started seeing a lot more of her eyes now that she is awake more often.

Of course when she sleeps we are always glad to get a little break.

Michael has been really good about remembering to take pictures. If it was up to me then we wouldn't have very many pictures of these first few weeks.

You can see a little bit of fat starting to stick to those cheeks.

She has finally decided to enjoy her baths. It took awhile but they seem to be more soothing to her now.

Baby Emily

Baby Emily Elise Higbee was born on September 30, 2010. She was 7 lbs 6 oz. We are so excited to have her as part of our family.

We brought her home on Saturday and here she is taking her first nap at home.

Michael loves holding his baby girl.

Lindsay enjoys getting to hold her little sister. She was sick over the weekend and really missed being able to hold the baby.

A little sleepy after her bath and exam in the nursery.

Laurel loves her baby sister and is always asking when she can hold her. Hopefully that offer continues when mom needs to make dinner.

Notice Jonathan's sweet little hand holding the baby's face. He is very gentle with her.

Some of these are before her bath so she looks a little white all over.

This picture really surprised me because I couldn't believe just how big and handsome Evan has grown in the last few months. He loves to be around Emily whenever he gets the chance.

It is very hard to believe that I have 5 children. They are each precious and I am grateful for each of them.It was so nice to have the kids visit us in the hospital. It was even nicer to come home on Saturday to be with family and sleep in my own bed.

Emily makes a lot of different faces. After she was born she played with her tongue a lot and makes smacking sounds with her mouth when she is hungry.

Lindsay's Baptism Day

Lindsay was baptized yesterday. It was a beautiful day filled with lots of joy for our family. The first pictures of the day are at the bottom, so you may want to scroll down and work your way up.

Here is one last shot of the sisters together. They grow more beautiful each day but I think it has a lot to do with their sweet hearts and desire to do good.

Lindsay loves to be a little mother to her brothers, cousins, and just about anyone who will let her nurture them. She has talents for making things look beautiful, cleaning, decorating, cooking, and taking care of little ones.

Our friend in the ward made a beautiful cake for Lindsay's baptism. It tasted really good.

Two little monkeys swinging in the tree. The boys were ready for some action after sitting for a long time in the restaurant.

The boys liked being able to color on the paper covering the table at the restaurant. Their dad had given them haircuts just a couple days before the baptism and they looked great.

It is so wonderful that Lindsay's grandparents were able to travel and support her in her decision to be baptized. We love them and are so grateful for each of them.

Grandmommy and Grandpa Higbee were also with us for the baptism and lunch.

Since I am 35 weeks pregnant and trying to stay that way, we decided to go out to eat after the baptism. Lindsay wanted to eat fish so we had to find a place that had fish and non-fish options. She chose the Macaroni grill. I think Grandpa enjoyed indulging her love of seafood!

Here are all the kids (until the new baby comes) with Lindsay just before the baptism started.

These are my two beautiful girls. They are great friends and very sweet girls.

I did Lindsay's hair in braids to help with the quick change between her baptism and confirmation. She lost both of her top front teeth just 2 days before her baptism.

The baptismal dress Lindsay wore was also worn by her sister Laurel and her aunts on the Higbee side of the family. She looked beautiful in it and has a very handsome Dad who was able to baptize and confirm her.

Lindsay's Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Higbee were able to attend her baptism. They are both in their 90s and we really appreciated their efforts, and the efforts of Michael's Aunt Kim to help them come to the baptism.