Emily is One Year Old

Our sweet little Emily is not a baby anymore. As much as I wish she could stay little forever, it just won't happen. She has grown so fast. The past year has been full of indescribable joy and happiness as we've watched her go through each stage of development. Emily has such a calm and sweet spirit about her. She brings great peace to our home. The boys still love her (thank goodness the newness hasn't worn off yet) and have eagerly helped her learn to crawl. We feel so blessed to have Emily in our family.

Here are some things about her:

• She is learning to enjoy table foods
• She can finally pull up to standing, but is far from walking
• She can crawl much faster now
• She says "mama" and "dada" 
• She enjoys transfering things in and out of buckets
• She loves to whistle for our bird Bella
• She has 6 teeth, all of which came in quite close to one another (she handled it like a champ)
• She still loves her blanket and binki, in fact, her whole face lights up and she squeals in delight whenever she sees them
• She continues to act shy around people she doesn't know
• Whenever music is turned on she starts bouncing
• We call her "Emily," "Emmie," "Em," "Little Em," and sometimes I even call her my little "Em and Em" (M&M) cause she's so so sweet :)
• 17 pounds, 28 inches long (1/12/2013)

We celebrated Emily's special day with rainbow cupcakes that the boys helped make. Emily wasn't sure what to think at first, but after a few licks of frosting, she dug right in and devoured her whole cupcake.

Here are some pictures and a video of Emily enjoying her cake, followed by her 1 year birthday video:

Oh how we love our little angel, Emily!

William is 5 Years Old

It's been over 2 months now since William turned 5 years old.  I'm a bit behind in posting his annual birthday video, but I finally got it done.  I love putting these videos together.  As I looked at pictures of Will over the past year I was reminded of all the little things that make him so loveable.  All the frustrating moments melt away and I find myself relishing in the happy, silly and fun times we shared.  This kid cracks us up.  His enthusiasm and dramatic facial expressions keep us laughing.  He is growing up so quickly and is anxiously awaiting starting kindergarten this year.    

Here are some things about Will at this stage of life:

• He continues to be very animated and enthusiastic about everything he does and says
• He started preschool in the fall and loves socializing with friends
• He begs for “play dates” often 
•  He enjoys learning and has recently been into writing down words (he will ask me what words he can spell and then he will write them down in his notebook)
• Though loud and busy, he is very sensitive and can get emotional at the flip of a switch
• He loves the freedom of riding his two-wheeler
• He likes anything chocolate
• He adores Emily and likes to feed her, make her smile and carry her around the house 
• He loves to go to the bookstore and play chess on his "daddy dates"
• Superheros, firemen and ninja turtles are his top picks for playing dress ups with his brothers
• He is learning to read and especially enjoys sitting on daddy's lap while he sounds out words in the Book of Mormon
• He LOVES to play soccer in the living room (he is often seen representing Manchester United or Manchester City, teams he likes to watch play in the European league)
• The list could go on and on....this kid is full of so much personality

Here is his birthday video which captures a little more of what William has been up to: