Kimberly's 3rd Birthday

Kimberly just celebrated her 3rd Birthday & we're SO glad we have her!  We started off the morning with our traditional "Mickey-Mouse Birthday Pancakes" (because what kid doesn't like to blow out candles TWICE in one day?!).  Kimberly had spent the previous afternoon pretty miserable from an ear-ache, so we were worried she'd be sick & grouchy on her Birthday, but she did pretty well considering.

After church, a neighbor came over & gave Kimberly a present... A new baby & stroller wrapped in a REALLY big box!  I'm not sure which the kids were more excited about... The present or the really big box!

While Kimberly took a nap because she wasn't feeling well, I finished up her "Butterfly Cupcakes!"  It was definitely a step-up from my usual last-minute cupcakes with sprinkles that I normally end up with, but I couldn't have done them without the help of Heavenly Father.  You see, I was planning on going to the store the day before to buy the last-minute ingredients I needed (pretzels & jelly beans for the bodies), but Kimberly was SO miserable & needy the day before, that I just never got around to it.  After going to our "Ward Christmas Party" Saturday night & then putting Kimberly to sleep multiple times because of her ear-ache, it was suddenly 11:30 PM, & I wasn't really feeling like a quick trip to the grocery store for 2 ingredients.  But I also really wanted her to feel special on her birthday.  So I went over to my pantry cupboard & said a silent prayer that I'd be able to find SOMETHING I could possibly use for butterfly wings for her cupcakes...  It wasn't long before I found 2 mini bags of Halloween pretzels that the kids had gotten from Trick-or-Treating, that I'd been saving to take as a quick snack on an outing or something.  I almost started crying as I counted out the pretzels & found that we had almost EXACTLY enough pretzels to make cupcakes for all our family members that were coming!  I know that Heavenly Father cares about even the littlest details of our lives.  He cares about things like "Butterfly Cupcakes" because he cares about ME!

After she woke up from her nap, it was time for present-opening!  Her favorite present was some new Chapstick!  What a girly-girl she is becoming!

 We were SO happy to be surrounded by family & Kimberly LOVED being the center of attention (like always!).  And we're always glad to have Grandma's & Grandpa's around, because they spoil us & love us, no matter whether we're sick or healthy!

Bailey & Skyler both figured that Kimberly had WAY too many new toys to play with by herself, so they graciously decided to adopt one for themselves... Bailey seems to have officially adopted the baby & stroller & Skyler seems rather attached to a stuffed animal cat.  And by some miracle, Kimberly seemed to be okay with that!

 Our sweet little Kimberly!  It's hard to believe that you were only 3 months old when we moved into this house & now you are a grown up little lady!  You definitely bring a little SPUNK to our family & we wouldn't have it any other way!  Love you Kimberly!

Ward Christmas Party

The kids were SO excited about going to our "Ward Christmas Party" this year, because they had heard that SANTA was coming!  Skyler had been stewing all week about what to ask for for Christmas & finally decided that night to ask for a stuffed animal dog, which was fabulous since I actually already got him one!

Because I'm the "Primary Chorister" in our ward, I was asked to have the kids sing a couple songs for a short little Christmas program after dinner.  We had been practicing for weeks & I was sure they'd do AMAZING, but I hadn't realized until we got there that night that our church doesn't have a stage & there were wall-to-wall tables, so there really wasn't anywhere for the kids to sing without being spread out in a thin layer all along the wall.  And then they changed the order of the program on us last minute, so all of the sudden they told us it was the Primary's turn to sing, so we were scrambling to get ready.  And then we had no piano in there, so we did the first song without the piano, then decided we REALLY needed the help of a piano, so paused everything while we pushed down a piano from another room, which was kind-of tacky, but it really helped the next song go a lot better.  And then for our final song we did "Jingle Bells" with CHIMES!  I was really excited about this song because I thought the parent's would be SO impressed with how well their kids did on the chimes, but this meant that we had another pause between songs while we passed out the chimes to the kids, so it just didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped for.  All-in-all, the kids did pretty good, but if I'm still the "Primary Chorister" next year, there's a few things I've learned from this experience that we'll have to do differently next time.  But what a fun chance to use my musical skills to direct my own little children's choir!

I have to say that our Santa this year was pretty unique!  I can't say that I've ever seen Santa play a guitar before, but it was a fun twist! :)  The only problem with our Santa was that the guy they got to dress up like him lives 2 houses down from us (Brother Smith), so when he first got up & started playing Christmas songs on his guitar, I could see Skyler's eyes narrowing as he skeptically studied him.  Finally he concluded, with a shock of dismay, "I think that guy's just pretending to be Santa... I think that's Brother Smith!"  Laron & I tried to act shocked at his conclusion, and neither confirmed nor denied his statement.  Kimberly on the other hand was just thrilled to be in Santa' s presence!  We were sitting close to where Santa came in, so she practically walked right up to his feet & starred up at him, just hoping to be noticed.  When we finally got to sit on Santa's lap, Skyler asked for what he wanted for Christmas, but Kimberly just grinned from ear to ear, soaking up every glorious moment in his presence.  As we walked out into the parking lot, surrounded by newly fallen snow, Skyler exclaimed, "Wow!  Maybe Santa made it snow while he was here!"  and "Maybe I've just never heard Santa TALK before... Maybe his voice just sounds a lot like Brother Smith & I just never knew it."  5-years-old is FAR too young to stop believing in the magic of Christmas, so we readily agreed with him.  And although we know that Christmas really isn't supposed to be all about Santa & the presents, it IS about the magic & wonder of a power higher than ours that can make all our dreams come true.  What a magical night it was for us all!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was good, although a little less conventional than normal, because Laron had to work.  We were supposed to go to Laron's Mom's house this year, but I didn't really want to go without Laron, so instead I just took the kids over to my Parent's house & we had a nice Thanksgiving dinner there.  Then afterwards, we met McKay & Kajsa (Laron's brother & wife) at our house for pie.  It was nice not to have to travel so much & to keep things simpler, but it would have been even nicer if Laron had been able to spend the whole day with us as well.  Oh, and I know you probably can't see what the girl's shirts say on them, but they say "Sweet as Pumpkin Pie"!  A Neighbor brought them over for us & they were PERFECT for Thanksgiving, especially because my family's signature dish is always the PIES!  Thanks again Stephanie!

And like always, the things that you are Thankful for CHANGE depending upon your circumstances for the year... So this year, I am thankful for a Husband that's a hard worker, that constantly is learning new skills to make our house a better place, that inspires me by going above & beyond at his calling, and that tries to make the best of things, even when they're hard.  I'm thankful that my kids have other siblings to play with, giggle with & to learn from.  I'm thankful that Skyler loves school, is still excited about learning & that he's got a good teacher that works perfect with his personality.  I'm thankful for a Mother that loves to babysit my children, that I can still call up at late hours & ask my parenting questions to, & that inspires me to be a better person.  And I'm thankful for my testimony of the gospel... the wonderful spirit it brings into my home, the guidance I receive from my Heavenly Father when I pray to Him, & the knowledge I have about Eternal Families & our purpose here on Earth.  How I wish that everyone in the world could have the same peace & joy as I have from these things!  So, "Happy Thanksgiving" everyone!  We really are SO blessed!

Jumping in the Leaves

Our leaf pile wasn't quite as big this year, but the kids still insisted in jumping into it from off of the trampoline.  It definitely gives more of a thrill that way!  Here's the best ACTION shot I could get... :)

 Bailey was too scared to even TRY to jump off, even with our help, so she mainly just ran around on the trampoline, trying to be included in the feeling of excitement in the air as the kids jumped off again & again.

My brothers Chris & Jeff came over that day, so they were our official "leaf-pile fluffer-uppers" & they did a great job!  Thanks guys for helping to make the experience more exciting for the kids!

Isn't it GREAT that we have 4 different seasons to look forward to each year, so that we can do things like jump into leaf piles with our kids?!  Our weather has been a little more mixed up lately it seems, but with each new season, comes new opportunities for fun.  How grateful I am to live where we live!

Skyler's New Room Downstairs!

We've been busy this summer with house projects, as many of you know.  Well, I FINALLY finished painting Skyler's new room downstairs in September, which ended up being a lot more work than I had at first anticipated.  It was a Pepto Bismol PINK to start with, so Laron said that had to go!  Skyler said he wanted a green room, but I was a little worried about an entirely green room being TOO MUCH color, so we broke it up a little by painting the bottom half tan & the top half green, with white chair-rail dividing them up in the middle.  We painted 2 layers of primer to cover up MOST of the pink, then 2 coats of green on the top, 1 coat of tan on the bottom, Laron helping me add the chair-rail between, & painting a final white coat on top of that.  Way too much painting for just one room, but I really love it & so does Skyler!  What I didn't tell him was that I tried to paint it a color of green that would work for a girl-room too someday, just in case one the girls ever change into this room instead!  :)  Saving me time down the road really sounds good to me right now!

And then Laron of course has been busy outside... He's got the front door all installed, the last window in in the back (which ended up being a headache because the company we ordered it through mixed up the measurements, etc, etc, etc!), he's got half of the new rain-gutters up & about 1/3 of the siding left to do on the back (that we had to wait until the last window was installed to finish up).  Our goal was to finish it all up before winter, but luckily it hasn't been too snowy this winter, so he's still been able to work on things here & there.  Yeah!  We're almost done!  What an amazing husband I have to just be able to watch a few YouTube videos & be able to figure out how to do any home improvement project!

The First Snow of the Year

Our first snow this year came on October 25th.  The kids were SO excited & could hardly eat breakfast because they wanted to go out & play in it so much!  So after breakfast I got them all bundled up & sent them out to play (thinking I might actually have a few minutes to myself!).  After about 5 minutes, Bailey's mittens had come off & she was crying because she had fallen in the snow & her hands were cold, so she came in.  After 10 minutes, Kimberly came in because she had to go to the bathroom.  Of course.  Skyler tried just playing by himself for awhile, but after 20 minutes he was bored & was back in as well.  A lot of work getting on all those snow clothes, for only a few minutes of free-time!

A couple weeks later my brothers came over & helped the kids make a massive snowman!  It was even barely taller than Laron!  The most creative feature was the ARMS, which my brothers made out of the old raingutters we had up on the house that we haven't gotten rid of yet.  So now, every time I look at this particular snowman picture, I'll be able to remember that that was the year we were working on our house!  Very clever boys!  It certainly gives Mr. Snowman a little more character!

Our Fall Adventures

This fall has been a fun one with the kids...  The older the kids get, the crazy & sillier they get too!  Now when I tell the kids to pose for a picture, I usually get silly/crazy looking faces like this... Yikes!

Usually when we tell the kids it's time to read scriptures, they all swarm around Laron like this... I love that they love their Daddy, but sometimes it's kinda lonely over on my own couch all alone.

I finally figured out how to do Kimberly's hair another way besides just pigtails... 2 cute little braids!  It looks adorable on her & yet still helps keep her front hair from falling out.  Bailey, on the other hand, usually just has pigtails, but she looks pretty cute in them!  Lately she has been an AMAZING eater & has been out-eating all the rest of the kids!  Love that girl!

I love seeing how well the girls have bonded lately... Even though Bailey is only 18-months-old, her & Kimberly have a special bond that is SO precious.  They can be goofing around, tickling each other or something & Skyler will come along and try to join in the fun, but when HE does it, it only bothers them & makes them scream or cry.  Poor guy... He really needs a brother to play with.

Lately Bailey's latest trick is to get up on the arm of our Rocking Chair and rock herself forwards & backwards, almost as if she's riding a horse.  It's pretty funny to watch, unless you're her Mother who's worried about her falling off & breaking her arm!

My greatest discovery over the last few months was how to get the kids ready for Church on time on the weeks that Laron has to work.  It's been a big struggle for me, but I've finally found what works for US... We eat breakfast, then immediantly start getting the kids dressed in their "Sunday best".  As soon as they're ready (hair, shoes & everything), then I turn on a Sunday-appropriate movie for them to watch to keep them occupied until just before we need to leave (with time for a quick snack, since we have 11:00 church).  Their incentive is this: If they get ready early enough, they get to watch a longer movie.  If they take a long time to get ready, they get to watch a shorter movie.  And then that gives ME time to get ready, pack bags up for church & do any finishing touches on my lesson for church, without the kids being right at my feet, or messing up their hair from rolling around on the ground.  It's seems simple enough, but it's been a lifesaver for me these last few months!