That Time We Went to Yellowstone

Brooks turned three weeks old on Wednesday!  He is probably the most adventurous three week old you have ever met.  In his short amount of time on Earth, he has been hiking, to bonfires (well, he was in the car sleeping and then when he was awake we were over by the playground because I didn't want him to breathe in those fumes), to the park, to the river, and to Yellowstone. By the time the kid is one month old, he will have been to five states. He is very cultured.
The anxiety freak inside of me worries that we take him out too much.  But at the same time, he is usually outside bundled next to me and NO ONE is allowed to touch him. So. I think we are okay. And I think if we keep Porter inside the apartment because of Brooks, he would develop a little animosity. We try to refrain from saying, "We can do {insert activity here} because of Brooks."  Unless the activity endangers him, of course.  And Porter is always allowed to give him as much love as possible.  
Yesterday, we went to my school to check out Field Day.  Brooks and Trent stayed in the car while Porter and I went to say hello to everyone.  When we got back into the car, Trent had taken Brooks out of his car seat and was playing with him in the front.  As soon as Porter was buckled in, he turned over to check on his pal.  Immediately he started saying, "Brooks. Brooks. Where Brooks." We could tell he was worried so Trent turned around and showed Porter that Brooks was with him in the front.  I. was. so. proud.   
During our car rides, when Brooks makes a squeal we will say, "Porter, is Brooks okay? Will you check on Brooks?"  Porter will reply with, "Brooks okay!" or "Brooks crying." or some report.  We kinda naturally started it as soon as Brooks got home from the hospital.  We all take turns checking on Brooks and making sure he has his pacifier and is okay.  I am really glad Porter helps with that responsibility!
Every morning Trent and I take turns sleeping in.  He will usually wake up with Porter around 6 or 7 and let me sleep for an hour or two. Then, I will wake up and he will go back to bed for another hour.
You guys, we are so lucky. I am going to miss that in two weeks.
Anyways, Trent woke me up one morning after sleeping in for a bit and said, "Chelsea. Wake up. We are going to Yellowstone."  I woke up to find our bags packed, the kids ready, and everything set for Yellowstone.  Trent reported all the supplies he had packed, making sure he didn't miss anything. And I threw on some clothes and we were off!
I'll admit, I was super hesitant at first.  I am NOT a spontaneous person.  Well, I am if I decide to be. But when I am not the one deciding it, I get all flustered and nervous.  But in the end, as always, I was glad we went.  And once again, I took minimal pictures.  And Brooks isn't even in any of them. 
But I swear he was there.

The kids were asleep and I was upset with Trent because I wanted a family picture. I told him we should do it at the beginning, but he said, "No, let's do it at the end." And then everyone fell asleep. Hence the reason for doing it at the beginning! So, I made him take a picture with me, And I may have screwed up the self timer and tripped.

I love us.

And a little throwback Saturday to when we took Porter to Yellowstone when he was 5 weeks old.  Trent and I were sure missing the Merrells on our trip! We all went up together the first time. I wish we could have all been up there together again with our boys!

 
 

Brooks: Newborn Pictures

Is it sad I wasn't even going to do a newborn photo shoot??  
There are two types of people who I feel get taken advantage of the most:  - Cosmetologist - Photographers
People want their hair dyed, cut, and magazine perfect. But they don't want to spend the $$ to get it done.  Understandable. I am one of them. 
Same thing with photography: Most people want those beautifully, naturally photo shopped (I seriously LOVE photo shop), magazine ready photos -- but not the price that goes with it.  The problem is when we enlist our "friends" to give us a discount and in some ways abuse their services. 
Guilty. Can I bow my head in shame and admit I have been that "friend."  Which really is no friend at all!  Shout out to Samantha who did pictures for me for Mrs. Rexburg, took pictures of my family and I when I graduated, and photos of Porter in the hospital (which have been turned into a HUGE book), and countless other occasions. And shout out to all the other photographers (for events like my wedding, family pictures, etc.), who I know charged us a lower amount due to the fact we were low income college students or maybe because they wanted to give their friends a discount. Regardless, I always feel bad about it.  I have some serious favors to return.  Free preschool, anyone??
So where is this going?? Some things you can't put a price tag on. Some things are priceless.  And photographers capture those moments. I have learned to really appreciate that special skill. Which is easy to appreciate when you can't even take a good picture on your iPhone because your so impaired in photography.  Trent always teases me that I need to go get my photography merit badge.
Anyways, we have like 10 pictures of Brooks from the hospital and that's it. All from the iPhone of course. I couldn't bare swallow the fact that Porter has a huge novel about his newborn days and Brooks would have nothing! So. I am so glad that I contacted a photographer (a week after Brooks was born...) and that she was able to schedule me in.  This very first picture Trent and I looked at each other and said, "Yup, that's our Brooks."
And I just don't ever want to forget. Look at those little ears that stick out at the top. Brooks. You're just adorable.

Seriously. One of my absolute FAVORITE pictures.  I love when these crazy moments are captured.  Porter is like, "What kinda pose is this?"  It was so unnatural for him. I wish you guys could have seen us trying to get this pose right. Hilarious!

I am hoping to do family pictures this summer. I don't know who is worse with pictures, Trent or Porter.  Love you, babe! And 

Adjusting

I think postpartum recovery is the worst part of the whole childbirth process.  And it's the one least talked about.  Even those scary birth stories have NOTHING on what happens as your body recovers.  Well, that's my opinion.  When other people have great labor, I am always genuinely happy for them.  But when someone has a great recovery and bounces back super quick, I am always slightly resentful.  I am grateful though that this recovery has been a lot better than Porter. But those contractions after delivery. Like the ones that happen for the next week after they are born.   KILL ME NOW!
I would rather save my epidural for those moments. Those were incredibly long and painful. And breastfeeding during those times - excruciating. I remember having a few with Porter.  But with Brooks -- ugh, Uuuugggghhhh! I shed the most tears during the first week of postpartum than my entire pregnancy and labor combined.  It's the absolute worst.
But. I really have nothing to complain about.  Especially because Trent and I are both home together for the next five weeks.  On the scale of blessings, I would give that a 10. I'm going to go ahead and assume this will never happen again.  So we are soaking it up.  Trent has been busting out woodworking projects.  Which is funny, because our apartment is still only 600 sq. ft.  So... we really have no room to build all these projects.  After our dining table, Trent has built a learning tower, a book box for the boys' playroom, and he is in the middle of taking Porter's old crib and turning it into a toddler bed. 
Make do or do without, right?

There is the learning tower put into action.  Porter is always wanting to see/do whatever we are doing in the kitchen.  This way, he can "help" with dishes, make dinner with me, and is completely safe.  The tower also folds up for easy storage. Thanks, Trent!
We are also starting to pack! We have a moving date, May 28th!  Wish us luck as we travel 20 hours with a newborn and an actively hyper toddler.  We are packing something small each day, which is hard because we really do use everything we have. We don't have any room for unnecessary items. Also, how the heck do you pack with kids?? 

Oh, that's right.  You stick them in a cardboard box.  15 minutes of heaven.
Speaking of Portmaster, he is doing well with Brooks.  He is super sweet and nice to him.
However, he is a little less patient with Trent and I.  I think he is taking out his frustration of change on us.  He has also tripled his energy level. So our house is destroyed, our couches are disgusting, and we better have perfect weather every day until we leave.
Overall, we are adjusting well. We are just soaking up the time we have now together.