Oddest!

I was making a dress for Emma, and because I had lost the instructions to the pattern, I was unpicking....A LOT! I finally figured out the top, and had Emma try it on. Because it was only the top, it didn't cover much of her belly.

"Mom" she said, "This makes me kinda oddest"

After I quite laughing I said "do you mean immodest?"

I love those moments when I see life through their eyes...for just a moment!

8 Months Today! {Annalee}

Eight months today. Three teeth are in two on bottom, one on top. The other one is so swollen, but hasn't popped through yet. She crawls, eats cereal,squash, and potatoes. Loves it when all the kids are home as she is constantly entertained. She loves her daddy, but hates her binki. Seriously lives up to her middle name

JOY!

Look at her! Stinker. She missed the memo that she is not allowed to crawl. She is off and already standing on her feet! Come on! Not allowed...but so cute!

{She did this for the first time today.}

Tangled

In the tree skirt! That is because she is crawling everywhere. And turning, turning until she got all wound up in the tree skirt!

Heaterditioning

Driving home last nightEmma was cold and tired.
From the back seat we heard "Turn on the heater-ditioning Dad!"

Boxing

Max gave Sam bocing gloves for Christmas and was so excited for him to open them. Needless to say they haven't been off of someone's hands much.

This is a familiar sight each day!

Even when all Ryan wants to do is fix his lunch, he is pestered.

Me?...yeah, I tried them, but I got to laughing so hard and the serious expressions on my boys faces as they tried to hit the punching pads, that they soon stopped asking me to play!

Outdoor Soccor

This Winter has been so crazy! Not that I am complaining in the least, but we have had 50 degree weather. It has been perfect. A jacket and the sunshining and we are outside much! I love it. The kids have loved playing with the soccor net Max got for Christmas!

Mara is always keeping up with the boys. She even found her soccor shin guards.

Love this weather! But alas.... The forecast says it will be 19 on Sunday!

Here's hoping we will still see the sun!

Avocados and Annalee

It is love, true love. She loves Avocados. She devours them. She thinks they are the greatest. She smiles when she sees them coming. I love that she loves them.

Oh! and look at her poor eyes. In this family we are all about sharing, even Pink eye. First Mara shared with Emma and now Emma has shared with Annalee. She has it the worst though. Both eyes. Both goopy. Both pink and swollen. Poor Baby!

What I Never Want to Forget! {Annalee}

This little lady is the most cuddly, snuggly, happy baby we have ever had. All my kids have been happy, and so much fun, but there is just something different about her. She is content...not just content, so happy about everything. She is patient with me. She knows her needs will be met, even if she has to wait a minute. It is like she knows when I am busy with the other kids, and patiently waits her turn. I have tried to figure out what is so diffrent and why, I think maybe her calm, gentle birth has much to do with it, I think maybe all those school classes I took on newborns and how they respond and communicate with their mothers changed me, but truly I just think much of it is her.

At night when I lay next to Annalee she scoots right up next to me. If I move over so I am not touching her, she picks up her little body and uses her chubby little legs to scoot her body sideways to snuggle up right next to me again. She is a snuggler. When she is ready to eat, she reaches out her leg and pushes against my body again and again until I am brought back to consiousness and she grunts at me until I can roll over and fed her. Maybe she is so content because there are so many who love to hold, entertain and play with her. Maybe she is just happy to be here, at least that is what I feel most from her huge spirit...She is just happy to be here! And I am so happy to have her!

Two whole Hands for Caleb!

Ten
Nine


Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

Love Caleb for his great sense of humor, his caring attitude, his cute smile, his compliments, his infectious laugh, his smartness, his love, his excitement for life and his love for animals...among lots of other things!

Happy Whole Decade!

Christmas Morning!

We found Santa's Footprints in our fireplace!
We had to be at the Church at 10:00 since I was in charge of the Sacrament program and Sam had to play the bells.

We didn't want to rush opening presents, so we woke up, opened stockings, ate a nice breakfast, got ready and went to church before opening presents!

It was so nice.
Everyone just before church.

On the way home, Ryan drove slow, teasing the kids, it took them along time to notice, they were so busy talking and excited. After a few miles of going 25mph, Caleb finally said "Hey, How fast are you actually going?" We giggled and Ryan went slower while everyone moaned and yelled at him to speed it up. Max finally pushed on his leg to make the gas pedal go down. Then Ryan pretended he was going to take the long way home. It was so fun to drag out the suspense.

We finally made it home and opened the presents, one at a time.


Emma got an Innotab, and she has used it so much that we have had to change the batteries 3 times.

Caleb and Mara got rollerblades

The favorite gift of Noah and Caleb was bomber hats and 5-finger shoes!

All Caleb wanted for Christmas was a Kindle Fire. It was hard to make him understand that we don't always get what we want.

Thing is Ryan wanted one really bad also.

His parents completely surprised us and Ryan opened a Kindle Fire up amid screams from Caleb and gasps of surprise!

What a fun surprise.

Max's favorite gift was his Vikings football set.

I can't wait for August to use my gift....Tickets to WICKED in Salt Lake City!!!