A Name and Blessing

On June 6, Bryan was able to give a name and blessing to our little Hoyt Riley Lyman. I wanted to share a little bit about his name. I have always wanted to name a son after my maiden name because I think Hoyt is a cute boy name. We weren't sure what to do for a middle name so I told Bryan I wanted him to choose a family name from his side that he liked and sounded good with the first name. He decided on Riley which was his Grandpa Swanson's name. Bryan never met his grandpa because he died before Bry was born, but we know he was a great guy. The thing that sealed the deal for the name was when I looked up the meanings for both names: Hoyt = spirit and Riley = valiant. So he's our little Valiant Spirit...I loved that! The blessing Bryan gave was sweet and I know this little guy is so special and will do many amazing things in his life.

Here he is in his little blessing tuxedo posing for us.

He was so tired, but he looked handsome!

Hoyt with his Daddy who gave a great blessing!

Hoyt with his Grandparents and Great Grandparents.

Our family.

The entire group at the blessing.

Hoyt family at the blessing.

Lyman family at the blessing.

We want to thank everyone who traveled to be with us for Hoyt's special day. We missed those who could not be here and want to thank you for your well wishes, thoughts and prayers. It has been such a blessing to have our little boy here; he makes our home so much more complete. I love being a mother and I'm grateful for having Bryan who holds the priesthood so we can be blessed by having that power in our lives.

A Little Catching Up

I have a lot of catching up to do. It isn't very easy going from 1 to 2 kids and takes some getting used to. I would say so far it's not as hard as I expected but that's not to say it's super easy. Lexie loves her baby brother and wants to hold him all of the time. She never intentionally hurts him, but likes to bounce a lot around him. He has been partially fallen on and kicked in the head a few times but nothing serious...he's tough!

These pictures are funny. First Hoyt sticks his tongue out at Lexie then he looks over like "Mom, are you sure this is a good idea?"

At his 2 week checkup Hoyt weighed 7 lbs 12 oz (21%), was 21 in (60%), and head was 13.5 in (7%). He is healthy and strong and has been lifting his head since the day we brought him home. This morning in bed he rolled from his side onto his stomach and he loves to push up with his legs when you hold him. He is a happy kid unless he is cold (when you change his clothes or diaper), or hungry. We still don't know exactly who he looks like, but we know he is super cute!

Giving me the "I love you" sign. Little genius or just coincidence?

As far as sleeping goes, some nights are better than others. He usually only gets up to eat around 2:30 and 6 a.m. and has gotten better at sleeping in his bassinet most of the time, but unlike Lexie who has never slept a night of her life in our bed, Hoyt has spent part of many nights in bed with us which has not been fun. I do love how cuddly he is and love spending many hours each day just holding him and snuggling and not caring that my house isn't getting cleaned or I don't get showered until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. These babies grow up so fast and I am enjoying my time with a tiny baby for as long as I can!

Hoyt at 3 weeks old giving me smiles.

Cute boy being good getting pictures...and then he's done.

My 2 kids! They are both super cute and I love the one where they are looking at each other. Lexie is such a great big sister and Hoyt is sweet!

For Memorial Day we went on a picnic and let Lexie play on the slide. I forgot my camera so we didn't get pictures, but she loved the slide and went up and down, up and down, until we had to go and we had to drag her out of there kicking and screaming for more. She is loving the warm weather and begs to go outside every chance she gets so she can pick up rocks and help water the plants.

June 1^st my brother Pete came home from his mission in Houston, TX. We traveled to St. George to see him fly in. This was the first time Pete got to meet his niece and nephew and Lexie was excited to meet another uncle!

Lexie had fun playing with her aunts and uncles at the airport.

Great Grandma Mickelson got her turn with the baby.

Here is Lexie meeting Uncle Pete and our little family with the new RM.