Sarah

I feel like all my posts have been about Grant and his growth, but Sarah deserves a post all to herself. She is an absolute doll and I love her so much. I can't imagine my life without her (sounds so cliche, I know, but it's true). One of her favorite bedtime things we do is to play "I love Sarah because..." She thinks it's so cool that I can come up with all these things I love about her and I think it's cool because I get to tell her all the things I love about her. SO, here it is....I love Sarah because:

• she has such a sweet demeanor


• she loves her little friends and talks about them all the time


• she says her name is "Saya" or "Bitties" (Steve's nickname for her)


• she loves her Daddy and will follow him everywhere he goes


• she is beginning to speak in full sentences


• she reminds me of her rules constantly (ie, "Saya no touch a CDs...only mama touch 'em.")


• she sometimes will add a "SO much" to a phrase ("I yuv you SO much!" or "I hep you SO much")


• she always reminds me when she's been a good girl...and she thinks that every time she is a good girl she gets a treat. Sometimes I give in!


• she wants to be independent...I hear her say "no, I do it" at least 15 times a day


• she loves to chew gum and she knows that she shouldn't swallow, although she does swallow about 80% of the time. "Saya no swallow, jus chew it."


• she love to play hide and seek. Once she finds a good hiding spot, she returns there for the next 5-10 times.


• she loves to tuck anybody into bed at any time of day. She'll give a kiss, close the door, and say "I yuv you, nigh night."


• she loves her church coat. Last week she wore it the whole time. The church wasn't cold, she just wanted to wear it.


• she is very sensitive to what people need. For example, one day last week when I was feeling a bit low and tried to boost my mood by doing my hair and putting on makeup, Sarah touched my face and said, "SO pretty mama." And that did it...my mood was 100% better.


• she loves to help me cook. She will sit on the counter next to the stove, open the spice cupboard, and season anything I'm preparing. This is usually ok because most of my spices have lids that she can't open, but last week she put pepper in a big pot of hot chocolate! Thanks Sarah!


• she loves her baby brother Grant....loves to kiss him, hold him, pick him up (yikes!), sing to him, etc.


• she loves to play with one of my dad's old stethoscopes. She'll put it in her ears and say "I listen heart." Then she'll move the drum part all over my back and chest and say, "Sounds really good."

Here are just a few pictures of my sweet Sarah. I just can't get enough of that girl!

Oh, how they grow!

Just a few pictures of Grant's incredible growth over the past ten weeks. He was born at 6 lb. 8 oz. and at his doctor's appointment last week he was 13 lb. 4 oz!

Snow Day

Last weekend we had the first snow of the season and Steve took Sarah out to build her first snowman....only the snow wouldn't stick! SO, Sarah just burried her legs in the snow instead. A pretty good substitute, right? Well, Sarah thought so. Then yesterday Steve's school was cancelled because of an ice storm that covered everything in almost 1/2 inch of ice. It's really beautiful, but really dangerous. Luckily we didn't have to drive anywhere and our power didn't go out. We only had a few branches break from the weight of the snow and ice. But other than that we had a pretty great day off!

Ten Weeks Old!

Grant is ten weeks old tonight! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. He is getting really good at smiling and is even beginning to coo and gurgle back at me. It's so fun to watch Grant go through these developmental milestones. We sure love him and are so happy he's here. This is a little clip of Grant's mad smiling and cooing skills.

Kite Runner

I did something today that made me feel like a normal person again. I must say that there certainly is an adjustment period after having a second baby. For almost ten weeks I've felt just a little behind in everything, feeling like I'm never on time, never quite prepared, never quite presentable...but today I did something that gives me hope that I can be a normal person. I finished a book! And I'm not talking about one of Sarah's board books, I'm talking about a real novel written for grown-ups. For months I've heard people talking about The Kite Runner and I even bought it last June. I started reading it in July and then became busy with other things. I began reading it again about ten days ago. And today I finished it! I really enjoyed the book and would suggest it to anyone. There are some very intense parts, so be warned...but overall I was impressed with the theme of introspection and being true to oneself.

I'm thankful for...

well, so many things, really. But here are a few that I'm particularly grateful for right now (I meant to write this over the Thanksgiving weekend, but didn't get to it):

• Firsts. It is so fun to see Grant experience or do things for the first time. Smiling, cooing, sleeping for four hours at a time...I thought that these things might not be as exciting with the second child and I'm very glad that I was wrong. It truly is a privilege to be a parent and I'm loving my second go of it. Some of Sarah's firsts: speaking in full sentences, seeing things that are common to me for the first time through her eyes makes so much more meaningful and special (like the fact that she can open the cupboard door and find a strainer).
• Distance: Being so far away from everything and everyone I knew so well has been one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. Before moving to Kirksville I thought I knew myself pretty well, but I've become much better acquainted with me, my husband, and our children. I'm still figuring out who I am and how to be and I owe it to distance.
• Government Programs: WIC (gives us milk, cheese, eggs, cereal, dried beans, and peanut butter...and saves us at least $75 a month!), Medicaid...makes it possible for us to have our beautiful baby Grant and also my gallbladder surgery all at no cost to us.
• Stability: not talking financial (because that won't happen for a few more years), but because of my husband. I can always count on him to be himself. He always pulls through and does fantastically. He steps up and helps with the children on a daily basis, he makes dinner (he even made a delicious turkey roast the other day), he studies SO hard and does really well in school, he manages to keep the stress of school outside the home, he keeps us all laughing, he is the MVP of his basketball team (and loves to tell me about every play he made), he is very tender-hearted and always wants to do more for those he loves. I love him and am very grateful for the stability he provides in my crazy life.
• Enlightenment: I love to know that I can seek God and find him. I feel so secure knowing that He is interested in me and will enlighten me with what I need to accomplish what I should and want to accomplish. I wish I always felt enlightened...perhaps I should work harder on that one. But I guess it's those times of unenlightenment that make the enlightened moments so profound. I love when I feel that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to provide more information...what a blessing!

Sarah & Grant

Many of you have requested updated pictures of the two little ones...so here they are tonight in their jammies. Sarah is in the stage of giving a very fake smile for the camera, so this is the best I can do. Grant is just learning to smile and it's the sweetest smile ever. We love our kids so much!

I'm back!

The past two months have been a bit crazy, with the arrival of baby Grant, having both grandmothers visit, going to Utah for two weeks, finals for Steve, getting my gallbladder removed, having Jane visit, Sarah's second birthday, and Thanksgiving....it has been crazy, but I'm still alive and finally feeling like blogging again. I'll do my best to get things caught up in the next few days. It feels good to be back!

The Latest Little Later

We are so happy to announce the arrival of our newest addition to the Later family. Grant Steven Later was born on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 10:08 p.m. He was scheduled to be induced on the morning of the 4th (which also happens to be my birthday), but he decided he needed to have his own birthday. I began having contractions around 4:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday finally went into the hospital at 7:30. My labor was progressing so quickly that I barely had time to get an epidural, which finally kicked in when I began pushing. I am happy to say that it was all worth it when the doctor handed me a beautiful baby boy. I can't begin to describe the instant love I felt for this little person. It's such an incredible experience to become a mother, even the second time around. Here are some pictures of the past few days as we've watched little Grant grow. He is a great baby and we're so happy to finally have him here.Kasey, Steve, and Grant--just minutes after delivery.
Grant being cleaned off after delivery.

Steve and his two little ones hanging out at home.
He is a great baby...only cries when he wants something. But when he does cry, boy does he cry! Is it wrong that I think this face is cute?
There's nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby.

Touchdown!

I love my little family!

I just want to say how much I love my own little family! Tonight we took a walk to the park and Steve and Sarah took a detour into a neighbor's lawn to catch a butterfly...they actually caught it and Sarah held it between her little fingers for a few seconds! I just stood on the side of the road watching and was overcome with a feelings of happiness and gratitude for my own family. I love being a wife and a mother and although both jobs are quite difficult at times, I can't think of anything that I would rather be doing. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful husband who puts up with all my craziness and puts a lot of spice in my life. He is such a great example to me in so many areas and I'm so glad to have a partner who challenges me to be better, even without saying a word. I also feel so blessed to be a mother to Sarah...I never knew motherhood could be so fun. Every day Sarah amazes me with how smart she is becoming, her cute sense of humor, and her sense of knowing how to give and receive love. I am very excited to be welcoming another little one into the family in just 10 days. I know this addition will change things, but I'm hoping (and banking on what others have told me) that it will be changes for the better. I just love my family and I'm so grateful I get to be surrounded by these good people!

Happy Birthday Steve!

Happy 28th! Today is the one day of the year that we all get to celebrate Steve! We love Steve for so many reasons and we're so happy we get to celebrate with him today. Here's a little clip of Sarah wishing her Daddy a happy day.

About a week and a half ago the three of us took a little mini-vacation to St. Louis. We've lived in Missouri for over a year and haven't been there to visit yet. One of our main purposes was to go to a Cardinals game for Steve's birthday (yah right, you don't like your birthday, Steve!).We had a great time seeing the sights and just being in civilization. I didn't even mind being stuck in traffic! We did lots of eating at great places, a little shopping (a couple Cardinals onsies for the new baby), visited the temple, visited the famous St. Louis Zoo, and Steve's all time favorite was the Cardinals game on Friday night(it was his big birthday present). We took the metro from our hotel to the game and Sarah loved riding on the train...she kept saying "choo choo" the whole time. The Cardinals played the Cincinati Reds and we even saw Ken Griffey, Jr. strike out. The Cards won 8 to 4 with a Rick Ankiel's grand slam in the 6th inning. One of Steve's favorite stories of the game was when I was screaming my little heart out for the Reds as they scored an in the park home run. I couldn't tell who was on what team--they both wear red. What can I say?....I never was the most sport savvy! Sarah loved the game as long as she had a different treat every inning...popcorn, hot dogs, root beer, fruit snacks, etc. We had a great time and can't wait to go to more games. St. Louis is a great city and we had a wonderful time having a break there.

Steve and Sarah on the carousel at the St. Louis Zoo. We were there just after the zoo opened, so we got to go on the carousel for free for the first hour! Sarah was in heaven...she thought we were at Disneyland and kept asking to go on Small World. She was a little hurt when she finally understood that we couldn't go on Small World, but all the cool animals made up for it.More pictures of Steve and Sarah at the zoo.

The Saint Louis Temple. It's just off a major freeway and it's gorgeous. Steve and Sarah outside the brand new Busch Stadium....also, the arch in the background. The Cardinals fans are crazy and very devoted. None of us had on red and we felt very out of place....at least we know for next time!

This is Ankiel's grand slam...it was AWESOME!!

Steve is so happy! Hope you have the best birthday ever!

Isn't Sarah the cutest!?!

We had these pictures taken while we were in Utah. Sarah was 19 months then....and now she 21 months! Time is going so quickly. I love this close up of Sarah because it shows her cute smile. I love this little girl so much. I love that I get to hang out with her all day long. She always has been such a sweet person and I feel so blessed to be Sarah's mother. She is learning to talk and it's so fun....one of my favorite things she says is, "Mama. Mama.........I yuv you!" I melt every time!

This chair was my great grandmother's, then my grandmother's, and now my mother's. As a little girl, I always had my picture taken in it and now it's Sarah's turn. She loved sitting in the soft blue velvet. In fact, when we were staying at my parents' last summer and we couldn't find Sarah, she was most likely sitting in this chair all by herself just feeling the fabric. Gotta love that girl!

KCOM Lawnmower Man

Steve and a few of his friends created this short clip for the incoming student orentation. You may think riding to school on a lawnmower is a bit ridiculous, but I've actually seen (on more than one occasion, mind you) two grown men driving on a lawnmower around town. I guess it's a cultural experience around here!

Also, you may notice that these guys all have terrible facial hair...it's what is known as the "osteostache." Steve had this brilliant idea that all the second year students should grow a mustache as a way to bond and welcome the new students. I don't really understand how growing facial hair accomplishes these objectives, but the idea caught on like wildfire. Within a few days all my friends were quite angry with me for Steve's awesome idea of the "osteostache." Perhaps it would be better if they could actually grow facial hair, or if Magnum P.I. were still on TV, or if there would have been a prize for the best 'stache....but apparently, the reward of male bonding trumps all these!

Rumor has it that this is the first video of many more...I'll keep you in the loop as they come. It's been a huge hit at school and Steve is revelling in its success. Hope you enjoy!

More from Maine

My dad (Gus, as the girls call him) bought fairy wings and wands for Sarah and Beth and they had the best time prancing around in them. A cute side note: Gus went up to Amy and with the wings in hand and asked, "The girls need these, don't they?" And he went straight to the sales clerk. What a softie!
Somehow I was able to get all this stuff into our suitcases and all the way home to MO. Thank goodness the worker at the airport didn't check them for being overweight.

Beautiful shots of Maine...you can't tell, but the ocean is just beyond the houses. It is absolutely gorgeous!
Beth and Nate in Ogunquit while we were waiting for a table.
Amy and Beth on the rocks...that's the Atlantic behind them!
Kasey and Sarah...
Jane with Beth and Sarah on her lap.
Ryan was super excited about his lobster.
I brought this microderm-abrasion kit from this fancy spa (thank you XanGo!) and everyone, including all the boys, did the treatment to themselves. Everybody was so amazed at how fresh and smooth their skin felt. It was great to all be so in touch with our feminine sides. Enjoy the pics!