4th of July Splendor

4th of July , 2015

It was a hit.

Callie woke up sick, so while the family went to Chuck and Holly's to go swimming, Callie and I stayed home. But that's no fun. So we went to the movie to see Inside Out.  I thought being in a cool air-conditioned movie theater would be better than feeling sad at home while others swim. It was fun.

 We had some time before the movie started, so we got some lunch. Callie insisted on Hot Dog on a Stick (gross) and then didn't eat it. She did, however, stick her hands in the ketchup instead of reaching for fries. And she laughed about it quite a bit. It was pretty funny.

She was disappointed not be be able to go swimming with her cousins, but going to the movies was pretty thrilling as well. We don't do that often, so it was kind of fun to have a surprise movie date. 

Sammy was pretty happy. We didn't go anywhere to watch any big fireworks shows, but we did spend the evening with sparklers and watching fireworks from a distance in our backyard. The kids had so much fun.

 

 Here Callie is being the Statue of Liberty.

 And Micah was pretty thrilled to have a flag.

 I know they don't seem totally into it, but they were really excited to play with the sparklers and watch the fireworks.

 "C" for Callie

Easter Best

Marcus had some meetings before church, so I got the kids ready and tried to capture a picture of them in their Easter outfits. Yes, Easter is next week. But, as next week is General Conference, at church we did our Easter program today with beautiful music, incredible talks, and inspired messages. I will filled today. 

But this morning...it was crazy!

 I tried. First take is never a keeper, right?

 And this...too cute. Callie is giving me a 1/2 fake smile, but it's making Sammy giggle as she looks up at her and Micah is checking Sammy out. It may be my favorite because it so much captures our life.

 Still can't get Sammy to look at anything but her siblings.

 So I go for an individual shot. And, she only looks a little crazy.

 Micah looks dapper. I love him in bow ties.

 And Callie's a princess. She was so excited to wear her new shoes and carry her empty purse.

And just for a little comic relief, one more try of Sammy...nah. Maybe next time.

Yes, we were late for church. 

Worth it.

A Night with Santa

We had our annual Christmas Party at church a couple weeks ago. It was a great evening, of course. But by the time we actually got up to Santa, Sammy was tired and hungry (upset), Micah was antsy (upset), and Callie was sick of waiting and wanted to just be with friends (upset). So these are our stellar pictures. We started with one on one. Callie got her time with Santa, and then I jumped in and asked if we could just get a group shot. I think I surprised Santa. I mean, what mom will take the Santa experience away from her children?

This mama, that's who.

We needed to get some dinner, and quite frankly, my kids aren't super excited about Santa Claus anyway. So, there you have it.

 Later that evening, the Primary children were asked to come up and sing. Callie sat next to Sammy on the stage, and it was pretty adorable to see them up there, I have to say.

Each year the Primary kids generally participate in a small nativity. This year, a video was prepared, and it was pretty cute. The kids were able to choose their favorite person in the nativity and why. They dressed up as that person and a picture was taken. All those pictures were then put into a video set to music. It was pretty cute.

Callie chose Mary "because she was righteous."

Sammy chose to be a shepherd "because they were humble."

Micah also chose to be a shepherd, because "I get to hold a stick."
(He really said that.)

Then they finished the night with another song.

It was a really nice evening, and this year, being that our Christmas party was so early in the month, it was really nice. I wasn't yet in the rush of things and we were able to just sit back, relax, have fun, talk to friends, have a great dinner, and hear about the Savior through the innocence of our children.

Sammy's Christmas Party

Micah and I were able to go to Sammy's class and enjoy their holiday party. It was really nice to be there. I feel like this year I've been doing a lot in Callie's classroom, and today, it was all about Sammy. From the moment we walked in, Sammy's excitement was heard! She was screaming so much. It wasn't pleasant to the ears. At all. But it was rather cute. She was happy we were there.

Micah had fun running around the classroom while we sung songs. He wasn't interested in playing along, he wanted to do his own thing. And that was ok. It's a small class -- not too many kids -- and there are plenty of toys! 

When Sammy reached a certain age, I heard a lot of others talk about how I'd need to advocate for Sammy's needs in the classroom and fight for such and such. I'm not sure why, but I haven't had to do any of that yet. For whatever reason, we've always been blessed with incredible schools and teachers and aides who adore her and all the kids in the classroom. When I pop in unexpectedly, they are all happily working with the kids. Everyone is happy. It takes very special people to work with kids who require such intense care, and I am so grateful that those special people are working with my special daughter.

Callie used to LOVE going to Sammy's classroom for their parties and activities. Now that she's in first grade, she can't do that anymore since she's in school all day. Looks like it's Micah's turn and he's all in. He loves being there with Sammy, giving her hugs, being in the room and doing all they have planned. I love it too.

Operation Christmas Child

This year as a family we filled shoe boxes with gifts for Operation Christmas Child. 

"Operation Christmas Child? What's that?" you say.

The concept is this: Share the love of Christ through these boxes filled with gifts. It sounds kind of simplistic, but guess what? I think the Gospel of Jesus Christ is actually pretty simple in its teachings. And if I can help a child feel that love, even for a moment, a box I will send.

Callie had a ridiculous amount of fun picking out items for the girl box and boy box. She was giddy, but also very careful about her selections. She'd pick something up at the store and then say, "No, that's for a little kid. This girl is six like me." And she'd keep looking. I loved every moment of it. We packed the boxes, wrapped the boxes (which was trickier than I thought it would be), and walked down the street to the local church that was participating in Operation Christmas Child.

I think we have a new tradition.

Santa 2014

By the time we got to Santa, Sammy's smiles were gone, Callie was ulta-antsy wanting to run aroudn with friends, and Micah was...a 2 year old. We skipped the individuals and went with the best all-kid shot we could get. This will do.

The Final Stage -- Halloween 2014

Stage 3 of Halloween. All other events lead up to this one night. Halloween.

Trick or treating, excessive candy eating, being with family and friends. This Halloween did not disappoint and we had the added joy of having Chris in town and Lindsey and Cindy come down for the trick or treating. They both came over afterward. Cindy left a couple hours later and Lindsey spent the night. It was so. much. fun. I loved it!