One Sweet Girl

Gotta love this face...

Fire, Fire, Fire

 Yesterday we had our first encounter with fire.  Nothing real serious, but enough to make my heart pound and my legs go weak in the knees.  I was upstairs helping Hyrum clean the bathroom when I heard William start crying downstairs.  I thought Thomas had probably just hurt him and kept on doing what I was doing.  A moment later William was upstairs screaming/crying, "FIRE, there's a fire downstairs!"  My heart immediately started pounding and I took off down the stairs.  On the way William, still terrified, cries that the fire is in the microwave.  I ran into the kitchen and saw that the inside of the microwave was filled with orange  flames.  I stopped the microwave, unplugged it and opened the microwave door.  Black smoke poured out.  I ran to open windows so the fire alarm would not go off and then ran back to the microwave and blew out the fire (thank goodness that's all it took to put it out).  It was then that I saw the culprit of the fire; a set of play keys.  Apparently Thomas had put them in the microwave and started it.  Now that I look back it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but in the moment I was really scared.  I was shaking for a while after it happened.  I don't know if the microwave could have exploded or if the fire would have just gone out once the microwave turned off, I'm just grateful that Thomas was not hurt.  I'm also grateful that William knew exactly what to do.  He ran right to me and told me what was wrong and exactly where the fire was. He's our little hero.  Hopefully now the boys will never play with the microwave again.  :) 

After the fire the, boys got all the rescue heros and lined them up on the ledge to keep us safe.

Preparing For Conference

Last night for family home evening we had a lesson to help us get ready for the upcoming General Conference.  I set up a play tent in the living room with the door opening towards a picture of the temple.  We sat (quite snugly) in the tent and read from the Book of Mormon the account of King Benjamin gathering his people together at the temple to hear his words (Mosiah 2:1-8).  I asked the boys why it was important for the prophet to speak to us and they replied, "to teach us, it's kind of like going to school," "to tell us things."  It was fun to hear their simple yet truthful answers.  We then talked about things we could do to help us listen to the propthet during conference.  We set a goal for each of us to listen for one thing during conference that will help us be like Jesus.  I then had the boys draw pictures of our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson.  Here are their masterpieces.  It's fun to see the difference in details from the youngest to the oldest.

This was one of the first times Thomas has drawn a recognizable person.  Notice his circle head, two eyes, mouth, arms, legs and the line below the mouth is his tie, according to Thomas.

William's prophet with a super-human arm.

Hryum's very detailed picture including, stand, microphone, flowers, audience and a message from the prophet telling us, "do not smoke."

Oh, how I love it when family night is a success, ending with priceless memories instead of contention and  frustration.

Six Months Old

Our little Emily is growing up so fast.  It's still hard for me to believe that she is our little girl.  I find myself at times just staring into her blue eyes, trying to take in all the goodness that she radiates and thanking Heavenly Father for sending this angel into our family.  I'm not sure I can find words to say how much we love Emily and the joy she has brought into our family.

Here are some things about her at this stage:

• she loves to snuggle her blanket (or anything soft) by her face
• she tries to such her thumb (I quickly remove the thumb and insert a binki)
• she sits up
• she likes rice cereal
• she does not like to be wrapped in a blanket to sleep (she likes to kick her legs and move them around)
• she has a very serious face that almost looks like a scowl
• she smiles with her eyes
• she is a peacemaker in our home
• everything she gets her hands on goes straight to her mouth
• 13 pounds 10 ounces, 26 inches

Happy Birthday Thomas

Today we celebrated Thomas' 3rd birthday.  He woke up early (I'm sure his big brothers had something to do with that) and ran downstairs .  A huge smile came over his face when he saw the happy birthday sign and balloons Dave and I had hung up last night.  One of the things I love most about Thomas is how easy he is to please.  He truly delights in the "small and simple things."  With the help of his brothers, he opened his presents and then we headed off to spend the day at an indoor inflatable jumping place.  It was fun seeing him play with Hyrum, William and other kids, as if he were a big boy like them.  Later in the evening we ate hot dogs (his choice), cake and ice cream and watched his birthday video.  As I put him to bed  I held him in my arms and told him all about his birth and how special he was to me.  Oh how we love our little Thomas.  Even though the years will continue to pass and Thomas will keep growing, he will always be our "little guy."

Here are some things about Thomas at this stage:
- He is learning his ABC's, numbers and colors
- He loves to snuggle 4 blankets at night and knows if one is missing
- He is very articulate in his speech
- He adores "baby Emily"
- He is a little stinker at bedtime, insiting that he needs drink, after drink, after drink
- He is very determined
- He loves to check out "Go Go Diego" videos from the library
- He makes people smile wherever we go
- He is full of love

Here are some pictures of the fun we had today, followed by his birthday video....

4 Months Old

Today Emily turned 4 months old.  She continues to capture our hearts more and more as she grows and develops.  Her chubby cheeks and legs, round face, big blue eyes and sweet smile are just a few of the things we love most about her.  She loves to laugh and smile, bringing such joy into our home.  Here are some things about her at this stage:

• smiles and laughs often
• grabs at toys
• loves to hold her burp rag close to her face
• will go right to sleep when she is snuggled in a blanket and put in her crib
• tolerates tummy time for longer periods of time
• still spits up a lot
• loves her bath time
• responds to her name
• very sensitive to loud noises
• stares at faces so sweetly

We LOVE this little girl.

Mother's Day

Today my heart has been full of gratitude for the opportunity of being a mother.  As a young girl I looked to my mother's example and wanted to be like her.  When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I'd reply, "I want to be a mom."  It's amazing to look at my life now, the mother of 4 children.  My dream has come true and only continues to get better as I experience the joys of life with my family. 



This morning I awoke to the kids coming into my room yelling, "Happy Mother's Day!"  I looked up to see their faces full of smiles and Dave carrying a tray with the yummiest breakfast (including pancakes that were perfectly round and fluffy...he continues to amaze me).  The note attached to the tray had the three things the boys love most about me.  Here is what they said:

1.  Does things for us (makes yummy food)

2.  Takes us to fun places

3.  Sits and reads us fun books

Dave knows me well and also brought me my scriptures so that I could read them while I ate my breakfast.  It was lonely eating all alone; however, I did enjoy being able to read my scriptures in peace and quiet before I started my day.  I also took the time to reflect on the things I love most about being a mother.  Here are just a few of the things I thought about:

1.  Seeing smiles on my children's faces (including little Emily's)

2.  Reading books to my children while they snuggle on my lap and shoulders

3.  Spending time together as a family (going on day trips, playing at the park, playing games)

4.  Hearing Thomas say, "I want you hold me mommy"

5.  Watching my children play and laugh together

I could go on and on.  Motherhood is one of my greatest blessings.  Today I feel inspired to be a better mommy and to love my children a little more (even when they're not so loveable).  It certainly is not easy, in fact it's at times down right hard, but the return is oh so worth it.