Sweet Teagan

Tonight as I was putting Teagan to bed she wanted me to sing her a song. So I started singing "Families Can Be Together Forever." After I sang the first two lines, "I have a family here on earth, they are so good to me. I want to share my life with them through all eternity." She tugged my arm and whispered, "hey thats me." "Yes," I said, "that is you, you are my family and I want to be together forever." She is the sweetest girl and I love her so much! We are lucky to have this little one in our family. And we are lucky to know that we will be together forever!

Happy Mother's Day!

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Isn't my mother beautiful? I love her so much for so many reasons! Not only is she super talented, but she has the biggest heart. She has the most amazing ability to connect with anyone and to genuinely care for them. Today I am grateful for all the sacrifices my mother and grandmothers have made for my well being. I am grateful for the physical sacrifice of pregnancy & birth, the sleepness nights, the late night help with school work, the hugs & kisses when I was feeling sad, the ability to make me feel like a rock star, encouragement to strive to be better, all the carpool rides to school, practice, church activities, play dates, etc, and all the other countless things they have done for me. I love them all and I am grateful for their example. Each of them put aside their own aspirations and ambitions to raise their children and teach them good values and correct principles. They have taught me how to be Mother.

Landon is 10 months!

This picture was actually taken a month ago so he has filled out even more since then. I haven't written a lot about this little guy on here. So let me tell you a few things about him.

-He loves to take the batteries out of our tv remotes. He use to just throw the batteries, but now he is developing the skills to put them back in. Yea!

-He loves balls. One of his favorite games is to throw a ball and chase after it.

-He gives the best smiles and it doesn't take much to get him laughing. Although Teagan can get him laughing the hardest. He loves his big sister.

-He loves the 2010 World Cup Theme Song, Wavin' Flag by K'naan. He will clap his hands & dance every time he hears it.

-He loves to watch trucks go by, the double decker bus was his favorite attraction at the zoo.

(are you seeing a trend, he is very much a little man....tv remote, balls, trucks, and yes he loves food)

-He loves to snuggle when he is tired. Sometimes he will burrow his head into you. He will just push his head into you. And he likes it when momma scratchs or rubs his back.

-He loves bubbles, when ever we get the bubbles out he puckers his lips and starts blowing. He can blow bubbles if we put the wand right near his face.

-He is thick. His last weigh in was 23lbs. He is starting to get a few rolls, but he mainly is just a solid kid.

-He is kinda explosive. He is a very mellow kid until you push the wrong button and then watch out. He gives no warning signs and will just let out a vicious scream.

-He loves the water. We went to the water fountains at the outdoor mall and he left with every inch of him soaking wet. He would crawl straight towards the fountain, swat the water with his hands for a while and then stick his face right in the water. This is totally different from his sister who prances around the outside of the fountains for about 20 minutes before getting in. She is a little more cautious than he.

-And in my unbiased opinion is one of the most handsome little baby boys EVER, he just melts my heart every day!

Eric Jon Forrester

The last couple of days I have been feeling BLAH, anxious, overwhelmed, etc. I feel like I am standing still and everything and everyone is moving forward without me. Even when I have managed to do something productive its like I've been sitting on the couch watching someone else jump up & down to entertain 4 preschoolers or wash dishes frantically before company arrives or sweep the bucket of sand off the floor someone brought in from outside. Its due to a few things but mainly I've been reflecting on this past year, a year with out my cousin Eric. Its hard to believe a year ago our family was faced with such a huge tragedy. There have been a million little reminders around me of the amazing young man Eric is and how he is not physically here with us. Its been amazing to watch how strong my cousins and aunt & uncle have been. But its been tough on them and everyone in our family. There is hole, a void that will never be filled until we are reunited as a complete family. I am grateful that Easter is during the same time of year to remind me of the eternal nature of families and of our existence. I am grateful for our Savior's sacrifice so that we can be together as a family again. I love you Eric and am missing you!

Oranges Everywhere!

I love this time of year! It's actually green and it smells of orange blossoms, AMAZING! Every time we pass by an orange grove Teagan will say, "Oranges Everywhere." This is one reason why we love Redlands, oranges everywhere! This year our little Tangerine tree produce a ton of fruit we are excited to start eating them!

I Love Sundays

So this is our first post of 2011, and yes I realize it is almost April. Most of this year we have been battling nasty colds and ear infections. But on the rare week that we have everyone healthy we have managed to squeeze in a little fun. These pictures were taken last Sunday. Usually on Sunday after church meetings we have a family nap, Teagan and I bake and cook together, and then we go for a drive or go to our favorite Duck Pond. Landon is much like his sister in that he seems to loves animals as much as she does. We will see if it sticks. Teagan has always loved animals and is asking for a baby panda, a camel, and a yak for her birthday. I haven't figured out where to find the camel and the yak, any suggestions??? Landon is such a happy kid and is usually smiling, but he has found a few facial expressions that I think are pretty funny like the one below.

Thanksgiving in St. Louis

This is our token two month appearance on the blog so enjoy. We did Thanksgiving in St. Louis this year and had a great time. Here are some of the highlights, but they don't do it justice.

We hit up Santa's winter wonderland

The butterfly house

Ran into a green power ranger-or is that Papa?

Stopped at the bird sanctuary

Rested with Gigi

And fed the chickens with Grandma. We can't wait to go back.