Since Brianna has started eating solid foods she seems to like just about anything we feed her. A few nights ago she had her first serving of spaghetti and meatballs and she loved it. She probably ate as much as the big kids, well - except Travis. The funnest part is seeing how messy she gets while eating like the little piggies do. Her favorite is to squish peaches into her hair, works really well as hair gel. Most of the time she goes straight to the tub after dinner time. Jolynn usually has to clean Brianna up as it really grosses me out with my fear of all things sticky.

Tuesday was Brianna’s first birthday.  On Monday, we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a birthday/football watching party. We decided on this little fat piggy cake because even though Bree is small, she can out eat any one of her siblings.  She loves food almost as much as we love her! 

Our friends have started a very cool company in California designing and selling cute baby clothes. They sent us this adorable t-shirt set when Brianna was born. She is such a dainty little thing that she is barely fitting into the small shirt now. The t-shirt set came with a cute pair of matching pants. They specialize in sets for parents of twins. But, we think they have some really cool designs that would make perfect baby shower gifts for twins and singles alike. Thanks again to our friends Trey and Maggie for this generous gift. You can read more about them and their adventures with in vitro fertilization on their website. The results of the IVF were two adorable children Jack and Ella (twins).

Last week we were able to have Brianna’s baby blessing. In the LDS faith it is customary to give a newborn baby a blessing after they are a month or two old. Usually the father will bless the baby which is simply a special prayer to wish the baby well in this journey called life. In some ways it is similar to a christening practiced by other faiths. After the Sunday service we had a luncheon at our home with family and friends. In the end, that’s a large part of what the mormon faith is about - the family and raising our children in Christ-centered homes.

Usually, we have a “no TV on Sunday” rule at our house. It helps us to keep the sabbath day holy and to think of others. We use the time to visit family and neighbors who might be ill. But, since it was Super Bowl Sunday - my wife allowed us to switch the TV on for a few hours. Many of our friends and family stayed after the luncheon to watch the big game. I love football, and I love to eat - so it was a natural fit. This seven layer dip was made by my Sister-in-law Crystal. We also enjoyed hot wings, meatballs, little smokies, chips and dips and my favorite - IBC root beer and cream soda on ice. Although, I watched the football game I found that I enjoyed the company of good people more than anything.

Our new baby Brianna will be two weeks old tomorrow. The kids are adjusting well to a new sibling in the house. Travis and Alyssa especially love to hold the baby and still the novelty hasn’t worn off. Brianna has been sleeping okay at night although her schedule is still a bit messed up and sometimes she sleeps all day and wants to eat all night. On Monday I hope to get back to somewhat of a normal schedule myself since I have been helping Jolynn a lot the last couple weeks. I am ready to get back to work and I have plenty of things to do to keep my websites performing as they should.

A few nights ago I took Alyssa and Hannah to a regional High School drill team competition and they had a blast. I try to spend time with my kids as often as I can whether it is just doing stuff around the house or going on a “date with dad”. Alyssa said she would like to be a cheerleader and get thrown up in the air. I told her that in college big strong boys throw the cheerleaders up in the air. She replied with a sparkle in her eye “Ooooooh Daddy, I would like that”! Heaven help me when she is a teenager.

We spent the last few days in St. George at my parents home anxiously awaiting the arrival of our fifth child. We traveled to St. George so that our favorite Doctor could deliver the baby. One of the few downfalls of living in rural Utah is a lack of medical specialists including OB docs. Jolynn’s official due date was supposed to be January 27th. But, her body said it was time and this morning Dr. Richard Ott induced labor at 10:20 AM with a slow drip of Oxytocin. A few hours later, Brianna Lee was born into this world. She came out face up without any problems and was quite healthy at 7 pounds and 5 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches long.

Jolynn and I both agreed that she was a keeper. It’s always fun to see what a new baby looks like. After the fatherly check for 10 fingers 10 toes and no visible defects - I started noticing her fine features. To me she didn’t look anything like any of our previous children although she did have a disctinct Lee family resemblence. Brianna was very hungry and ate right away and filled up a diaper for me to change. The nurses all complimented Jolynn on her toughness as she chose to deliver the baby without the use of pain-killers or the ever popular epidural. Jolynn was a trooper and is resting quietly now after a hard days work.

We hope to be released from the hospital tomorrow so we can get back home and settle into life with five crazy kids. We also want to get home to beat the next winter storm that is headed our way on Thursday and Friday. Thank you to our family and friends who have called, sent gifts, flowers and kind words. We feel blessed to be entrusted with yet another special spirit from Heaven. We know that together Jolynn and I can provide a stable and loving home for as many children as our Father in Heaven will allow.