We Get To Carry Each Other

 {This is part two of little Ezra's birth story.}

The day after Ezra was born, his brothers and sister got to meet him!  It was kinda hard getting out of the door with all the kiddos in tow (especially with everyone still being a little sick), but we finally made it.

Kim, Zekey, Phoebe, Dave & Noah in front of West Valley Hospital

Into the Maternity Ward

And then to Lexy's room.

Apparently, it had been a break room before it was converted to a patient room, and it had a HUGE bathroom.  It was at least as big as the bed area, if not bigger.  It also had a lovely view of the air conditioning units on the roof.  We gathered all the kiddos into the bathroom so they could come out and meet him one at a time.  First up was Zeke.

Zekey's first peek

Then it was Phoebe's turn.

"Are you sure about this kid?"

"Yeah, he's all right."

Phoebe: "I think he might be the cutest boy in the family."
Zeke: "Oh, no she didn't!"

And {last but not least} Noah.

Noah: "I'm going to have to find a new hiding place for my Legos."

The Big Brothers

All four of the Nolan kids

The boys: Dave, Zeke, Ezra and Noah

The girls: Lex, Phoebe & Kim {Lexy's sister}

I tried to get some pictures of the handsome little man with his eyes open; I wasn't very successful.  His skin is super sensitive, so his face was really red.

Sweet baby Ezra

Everyone trying to get their hands on the baby

Ezra: "Too much love!"

Trying to wrangle all of them on one hospital bed

Phoebe: "I want to go to the butterfly museum!"

After feeding him for a few minutes, Lexy let the kiddos hold him for the first time.

I love the look on Zekey's face!

Poor Zeke did manage to bonk his head on a chair, and he got a pretty sad bump on the head.  But he was okay.

Kim, Zekey and the goose egg

And . . . I'll throw in a picture of my Benji for good measure.

We left shortly thereafter, to let Lexy get a little rest before she came home.  This is one of the last pictures I took at the hospital, and I love it.  Not only are they beautiful, but they are some of the most down-to-earth, good people who I know.  I'm so very blessed to call them family!

Family of Six

I love you guys!

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Change is in the air!  One thing I truly love about living in Utah is the changing of the seasons.  Each season has a distinct personality, and I love seeing nature's transformations.  It was a LONG, HOT summer, and it was a good one, but I'm very glad autumn is finally on it's way.  The colors of the trees are beautiful at the moment.  Spring is my favorite season, but Fall is a very close second.  I love it.

I do need to write about a few things, now that September is nearly over.  It has been a busy month, though now that "birthday season" is winding down, I feel less guilty about not documenting them.  I hope I didn't miss anyone, though I probably did.  Here are links to the albums for Noah's 5th birthday party ("Puss in Boots" theme), and for Tessa's 4th birthday party ("Barbie" theme).  Both were lots of fun, and Lexy and Rachael did phenomenal jobs putting them together, especially considering their extraordinary circumstances.  Mach had carpal tunnel release on her left (dominant) hand just a few days ago, and Lex just has a lot going on.  Bravo, ladies. 

I love this little tradition of the Niusulu family: we always take a picture of Rachael and Seuao giving the birthday girl kisses on the cheek.  It's so cute.  (Click on the picture for a link to the online album).

I helped out a little bit by making silhouettes (using GIMP) for each of the birthday guests.  It has been a learning process, but I really like the way Benji's turned out.

Kinda fun.  Anyway . . .

Back to Noah's party.  For months and months it was going to be an "Angry Birds" party, but a couple of weeks before, he decided he wanted to go with Puss in Boots.  More power to you, kiddo.  It was fun.  He may hate me someday for getting this picture, but I have so many fantastic ones of that photogenic child that one candle-blowing shot is okay.

Did I write about Dave's big 30th luau?  I don't think so.  He turned 30 on August 27th, and they had a big party on Labor Day weekend.  And boy--it decided to rain.  A LOT.  It was pretty epic.  In the album, there are a lot of pictures of people, but they are all interspersed with shots of the sky and the gathering clouds.  Kinda funny.  But there were some awesome rainbows to be seen afterward.  I love this picture of Dave, Lexy and Zeke.

Come to think of it, I don't think I wrote about Sabrina's birthday either.  We all went to Bear Lake that day, which was fun.  I don't know what it is; maybe it was getting over the "terrible twos," but Sabrina has just become the cutest stinking little fern.  Every time I see her she is just happy and hilarious and sweet.  This picture of Sabrina checking out the nailpolish she received for her birthday . . . it just cracks me up.  The look on her face is priceless.

And here's from the North Shore @ Bear Lake back in August.  The Sortor Girls are just amazing in the water--they went swimming almost every day this summer, and it shows!

Sabrina & Ella splashing in Bear Lake

Mia the Mermaid!

And here's one of all the kiddos.  I hope this will be a yearly tradition!  Yes, it shows my weakness as a photographer, because I don't know how to keep the background from becoming so overexposed.  Oh well--this one was the best of the pictures I took (Benji is actually looking up!).

L-R: Zeke (1), Lily (5), Noah (4), Benji (4), Tessa (3), Phoebe (3), Sabrina (3), Mia (4), Ella (8)

Oh, gads.  I still haven't blogged about the Bryant Family Reunion in Yosemite.  Or finished the Cruise, for that matter.  *sigh*  I don't know if I'll ever catch up.  Well, writing about it may or may not happen.  At least I have gotten this far (and at least I'm feeling well enough to do something)!