February Catch-up

This year, my sweetheart was out of town. (I discovered in hindsight that he was also out of town this time last year, and he had the flu the year before. He already has me on his calendar for 2018). Mark's wife had parent/teacher conferences, so we had a cousins dinner and invited Grandpa over. Hannah kindly shared the balloons from her prom invite.

Cousins!

 

 

Eleanor is super cute. She left this out for us to find after they all went home.

Look at what Camden got for Valentine's Day! Heirloom grape tomatoes. He was thrilled.

I took a rare night out with a friend - we had dinner and then went to see the broadway Newsies at the movie theater. It was a GREAT night. When I got home, Hannah said I looked so cute and said I needed a picture. Daughters are so sweet.

Hannah checked out several books by Melanie Jacobsen and we both binge read them. I'm not sure whose idea it was to do this photo shoot but it made my day. My sons are such good sports!!! I made it clear that these are for my own personal use to smile about, and add they voracious readers that they are, they still would never willingly pick up this kind of book and read it.

 

 

 

E entertained herself for 2 hours while Hannah tried on prom dresses. She was pretty good for the first hour and a half, but after that she was done. The kind store owner let her rummage through her clearance bin treasure box and let Emmie pick out a prize. This headband has been a favorite ever since.



 Last time is a charm - the very last dress Hannah tried on was a keeper.



Jacob and Hannah tidy up with the youth after church and the younger children are usually anxious to get home.  Drew had a solution one Sunday. Nice try - maybe in 6.5 years, bud.



This picture pretty much sums up the extremes that go on in our lives - the huge van or the Mini. Oh yes, we also have a Honda that is 24 years old.



 Drew took scissors to his head one day. He was in need of a haircut, and he needed one even more after he went at it. Small problem:  I didn't have time to fix it for about a week. This snap to Callie documents it.



 Emmie is growing up and it shows on her school papers. Melted my heart that she chose to draw her name-sake (because her full name, after all, is Emmie Bunny _______, as she told her Primary teacher last fall).

 

Camden did a lot of 100th day of school activities. For the sake of posterity, I thought this had some interesting information.





  The kids used to ask if we could get a dog again when Hannah moves out of the house. For obvious reasons, right?  She is just so much trouble and we need to be rid of her before we take on a dog, of course!  Camden's new idea is even better:  every time one of the kids grows up and moves out of the house, we should get a dog. That way, by the time Drew leaves the house, we'd have 4.  Brilliant!

From dress-ups to grown-ups

These cousins. They used to play together multiple times a week. You would not believe the hours they spent dressing up and singing and dancing. 

March 2003

They don't play dress-up anymore. These days they are playing at being grown-up. They are students at two different great universities, both planning to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Callie surprised us by getting a ride home for a brief 24 hours so that she could be here when Haley opened up her mission call at our house. Ecuador, here she comes!

February 2017

Sunshine and magic

One nickname that I have for this girl is Sunshine, because that's what she is to my soul.

We usually have a little time to spare between dropping the boys off at school and when preschool starts.  Sometimes we read, sometimes we sing songs, and sometimes she uses that time to primp (or even get dressed).

 She's trying hard to grow up.

 

 When the family went to play laser tag together, it made Emmie's world to go with me to the Dinosaur Museum instead. I'm pretty sure we have a picture somewhere of her big sisters posing with this same dinosaur when they were cute little things.

 The holidays were exhausting, and it was a treat when she was so tired that she fell asleep snuggled up with me one afternoon.

 She loves all things sparkly and fluffy, and thanks to Aunt Mandi, she has a healthy supply of both kinds of dresses. She is all things that are wonderful about being feminine.

But, she also happens to have three older brother, and by golly if she doesn't try to keep up with them.  She might look sweet, and she is, but this girl has spunk and I love it! It warms the heart to see how much she adores her big brothers, and I think her sunshine works on them, too.

One November day, we had run some errands and had a little time before we needed to pick the boys up from school.  We stopped at a park that we had never tried before and had a most amazing time building things out of bark chips, playing tag, and soaking up the warm sunshine in the middle of November.  It was a magical afternoon, and that pretty much sums up my experience mothering this little sweetie:  sunshine and magic.

blowing dandelions in November

Majorly excited

Callie began her education at Utah State as an English Teaching major with a French minor.  But first semester, her French and English classes were among her least favorite and she began to wonder if she was in the right major.

Fast forward to semester #2.

A few days later...

Yesterday she called to share more good news about how well she was doing and about a future opportunity as a writing fellow.  Then she basically said, last semester when I was having such a hard time, I felt like Heavenly Father was saying just hold on, keep going, and I did. And now he's saying see?  

You are in the right place.

Love. It. 

Happy kids = happy mom. Callie, I am MAJORLY EXCITED for you.