Emma's First Solo Steps!

On Thursday night we had the missionaries over for dinner. We are so lucky to be able to have them over every month. My kids really enjoy having them and I love that they leave us with a lesson each time...I must admit sometimes I purposely have them over on Monday night so that I don't have to prepare a lesson! Works great. In January when they came I told them that Emma would probably be walking by the time they came again but she wasn't. Elder Taylor (the one with black hair) is going home next week, and as a going away present Emma took her first steps to him. Here she is looking at Elder Taylor and thinking I would love to walk over to him.
And there she made it.
That is Elder Baumgarten from Columbine, Colorado in the background.

He was so tickled and she was so excited with herself. It was only a shuffle of
feet one or two times, but it was a first.
Ryan said "oh, how sad, that could be the last time we ever have a
child take their first steps."
I just slapped him and said "oh, be quiet."
(I have always said I can't know when it's my last or I would never let it be,
so we can't say it's the last.)

What color is your FAIRY?

Caleb lost his very first tooth. The others that have been absent for three Christmas' now were pulled, so they don't count. He came to me last night and said his tooth was really loose, and then he just pushed it until it came out. I can't believe how brave he was. He didn't freak out or cry or complain or anything. It was just a matter of fact thing. It hardly bleed at all. Now Caleb has a complete hole on top and bottom. it will be even harder to chew now. My friend Megan taught us that you can see what color your FAIRY is if you put your tooth in a bowl of water, the fairy has to go through the water to get the tooth and the color that they are is left in the water. We were so excited to try...Guess what color Caleb's FAIRY was....

Caleb's FAIRY was orange. It looked just like the reflection of his red desk, so at first he thought that the fairy had not come, but when the sun came up...You could see that it was definately a diffrent color. And the FAIRY left a dollar...I can definately see the inflation...I used to get 10cents.

Love the cousins!

My last blog was a downer, I guess, I didn't mean for it to be, I was just having an epifany that I am not ever going to be the best at everything, but I can still try! I was wanting to get a new post up sooner, but...I seriously have had an incredibly crazy two weeks. So I am happy to say...We got to go home to Utah for Elijah's baptism. It was such a great excuse to get us down there and while we were there we were so grateful to go to the temple. It was a much needed filler of our reservoir that was getting depleted. The kids had such a great time with there cousins. Definately the thing we miss most about living so far away is of course, FAMILY. Osten thought that Emma was a great toy! He was so cute with her! You could see that he just wanted to Hug her and Squeeze her and pick her up, but he tried to control himself. They were so cute together. They are seven months apart.

Emma loved to "hold" Cale. Like she is any bigger than he is, but she thought it was so funny to "hold" him and she just giggled.

Hannah and Mara had a great time playing together! I love it when they figure out that they can entertain each other. Mara loved being the older one and instigating the "let's play house". There was a hay-day going on in the basement!

Max, Rex, Caleb, Gabe and Sophie.

Sam, Kyle and Noah all hanging out in Kyle's bedroom. This was the first time that they were together where the "older" kids hung out by themselves...They are getting way too old to play with the "little ones"

We love cousins and totally look forward to hanging out with them whenever possible.

A visit to the colony

I know that we joked about Ryan growing a Hutterite beard, and leaving to join the colony,but here is Emma as a Hutte baby.

For my history of Midwifery class I have to do a project, and I decided to interview an old Hutterite midwife. My preceptor, Ems and I went to the top of Montana to see her. It was so interesting. The women of the colony were all concerned about Emma getting an ear infection because she was outside without her ears covered up. It was a really warm day and for once the wind wasn't even blowing...I had her wrapped in a blanket, but they insisted that she wear a hat. Then every where I went, people were confused and wondered whose baby I had and why I had her (hutterites are very superstitious) People came flocking out of their houses to investigate if I was hutterite who had left the colony because I had on "outsider" clothes, but was holding a Hutte baby.

A woman at the colony showed us all around their colony. She showed us where they ate. It was this huge long dining hall where all the colony eats all meals together with the men on one side and the women on the other in order of age. She showed us where they cooked. The women have a cook week once every ten weeks and boy oh boydo they have every advanced piece of kitchen machinery available. Huge ovens and fryers and skillets and pots for soup. It was incredible. Their bread mixer was as big as the room it was in. She showed us where each family had their individual fridges and freezers and all their storage for the food that they preserve each year. It was so cool.

I was so glad that I got that opportunity. It was nice to meet with them and get to know a little bit more about another culture. I thought it was very interesting how they strife for the benefit of the colony and share everything. I also thought it tragic that they don't promote education. 8th grade is all that is required for them. I met a few younger women who weren't married and didn't want to get married and wondered what they did. If you don't get married, then what would you do if you can't read and learn, or travel or anything. I would go insane I fear if my mind was limited.

Anywhoo...it was quite an adventure, and if you ever get the opportunity to go to a colony I highly recommend it...it was very insightful

Flexibility

With six kids life requires flexibility. Things don't always go as I plan them, in fact it's a rare occasion that things go even remotely like I plan them to. Let's face it with eight diffrent schedule plans, overlapping and being flexible are a must. I sometimes feel like I make it through the day only by the skin of my teeth, and feel like I do lots of things half-way. That old saying "do what you do and do it well" I think that person probably only had one or two things that they did. That saying has caused me some grief, because I can't say NO. If someone asks me to do something, saying No doesn't really register as an option. So, I wind up doing lots of things, but nothing perfectly or up to par. Then I get so down on myself for not being perfect at everything. Times like these require me to step back and realize that I have complete trust in my Father in Heaven. I know that he knows me and I know that he will give me only the challenges in life that I need to mold me and refine me and make me into who I need to be. I am so grateful that I understand, in part, his love for me. What I understand is: that he loves me no matter what and that I can't comprehend just how much He love me. That understanding though, helps me to see people in a diffrent light. It helps me to be more patient and tolerant and love them for who they are. It even helps me to do that with myself, on occassion.

Emma's First Walk

We were so shocked when we put Emma behind the stroller and away she went! She has been letting go of things and standing, but she has never dared take a step until tonight. What a nut she thinks she is so big...let's face it she is so big! I can't believe she will be a year next month.

My Max!

I was creating a bullentin board for the primary room and I was taking pictures of all the kids. Everyone just stood there and smiled, and then it was Max's turn. He immediately grinned from ear to ear and put his two hands up in "thumbs up" postion. He makes me smile! Oh! how that kid can make me insane and adore him all in one breath! He was having such a hard time sitting still in primary and I could tell he was trying with all his might to stay on his seat, and he says to me in all seriousness "mom, it is sooo hard to sit still." The truth was I was right there with him. Sometimes it is so hard to sit still. Kudos to him for trying.

-11 Never Stopped Him!

Boys don't ever grow up and by that I am speaking of the Father in this household. Sometimes I wonder what goes on when I am not home....other times I am just glad to be left in the dark. Ryan dared Sam to go outside in his underware in -11 temperatures. So of course, Sam did it!

Celebrating Caleb's Birthday

Holding up his seven fingers!
Night vision goggles! He waited so long for them....seriously all he wanted!

blowing out candles on the Indiana Jones Birthday cake!

All the kids so excited to finally be opening presents! Caleb had a great Birthday. Ryans parents and Sister Jamie and her family came for the big day...you know the day everyone in the world celebrates January 1st ........Caleb's birthday.

(What? Did you think I meant New Year's Day?)

We went and saw "Bedtime Stories" at the theater!

We sure love this kid!

CALEB IS SEVEN! What?

I love this outdoor kid. He loves bugs and snakes and fish and learning about animals. He is an excellent artist who loves to doodle and take lots of time on his art projects.

He is a great soccor player, and an awesome "shred head"(skier).

Where has it gone. I feel like it was just yesterday that Caleb was a baby and we were living in my mom's basement awaiting the completion of our house in Farmington. Now he's seven! How did that happen? Did I blink? I am so lucky to have Caleb for my own. He is always good for a laugh and such an easy go lucky kid who takes life as it comes and runs with it.