A Baptism Note

I "texted" this note to Leah during church one Sunday- 

Leah,

When you are baptized you promise  Heavenly Father that you will 'bear one another's burdens, that they may be light.' That means you help people that need help! 

You did that this morning when you helped Emma put on her shoes and her coat.  You helped her and you helped me so I could take care of Noah.  Thank you for helping to bear my burdens! 

That made me soooo happy, and it made Heavenly Father happy too! 

Love, 

Mommy

And she responded with a huge smile on her face- 

Thank you for explaining what baptism is to me. You are welcome for what I did. I LOVE you!

Love,

Leah!(:

7, 5, 3, and 1

Last year's 6, 4, 2 and new- 

This year has gone by way too fast. 

Oh Emma

On arguing about why she needs to brush her teeth-

M- If you don't brush your teeth you'll get sugar bugs and your teeth will fall out of your head.

E- No they not because they are stuck tight- see?!!

M- Yes, but they could fall out if you don't clean them.  

E- No they not!  They're stuck tight.  They will not come out. 

M- Then how come Leah's teeth are falling out?

E- Because she has loose tooth-es...

*****

When she wants me to know she's serious, she makes this face and says, "Fo' real life."

*****

We were playing a spelling game.  The direction was to name a word that included the letters "A" and "E"  Immediately, Emma shouted out "Teapot!"  

She won.

*****

Me- Oh my goodness, Noah is driving me crazy!

E- But Noah doesn't drive!

*****

After I asked her to stop yelling though the kitchen- I'm not lell-ing... I'm whining.

*****

Look!  Dis leaf is crumpled up all cozy and ready for winter!

*****

Mom!  Noah's eyes look like mnmnmnmnns!  (Her way of saying M&Ms) 

Never Never Never

I always bristle a bit when my kids use the phrases 'never' and 'always'- as in, 'I never get to eat candy!  Never never!  (the morning after Halloween) or 'I always have to do that chore' (even if it is their favorite one- unloading the silverware). There are few things in life that are truly 'always' or 'never'.  But I often find myself expressing the same sentiments when it comes to Jason, me and traveling.  He always gets to go places, and I never, never get to go anywhere!  Not alone, anyway.  Sure, he and I go on fabulous trips alone together, and I went to Portland back in 2007 with 5 month old Leah, but for the most part, I never, never go anywhere!

So when my brother called me up to tell me that he and his wife, my sister-in-law Jen were going to the temple to be sealed together for time and all eternity, I promised them I would be there!  It took a lot of planning and preparing the kids and asking lots of favors of my incredibly kind friends and neighbors, but I made it!

And just barely.  My first flight was delayed, which left me with about 7 minutes to run the distance of 45 gates to the second flight with sleeping Noah in one arm and a ten pound diaper bag in the other.  But we made it!

It was a too-short weekend, and there is never enough time to visit all of the family and friends that I'd like to when I'm in Utah.  But I got to spend time with my mom shopping for Leah's baptism day dress,

visiting with Jared and Jen (Uncle Bubba and Auntie Jen Jen) in their awesome new/old house in Provo,

visiting with my big brother Aaron (who had the perfect daddy's touch while Noah was away from his own daddy),

visiting with my big sister Heather and her kids (who gave Noah plenty of sibling-like attention while he was playing the part of the only child) 

catching up with my dad (the giver of the blues eyes),

 and torturing Roxy- as expected.  

I wasn't sure that the bigger kids would be thrilled with my weekend getaway (and they weren't, although they didn't mutiny like I thought they might), but as soon as I promised them that I would let Noah ride on Roxy's back, they were practically shoving me out the door.  They sure do love that dog.

Noah also accompanied my little sister Allison and I on our traditional cupcake date.

We were all pretty tired by this point.

And before we knew it, it was time to board our plane and head back home.  We took off at sunset and I got a gorgeous view of the Salt Lake Valley as we took off.  I sure do love those mountains.

Noah did great on the flights.  He fussed a bit, but dropped off to sleep on the second flight both there and back.  On the way home there was an empty seat in our row, and the lady we sat by was extremely kind and helpful- a true Midwesterner.  Although I tried to rest as much as possible, I could feel her eyes constantly checking over at me and my sleeping baby.  When she commented that I seemed like I had plenty of experience with babies, I told her that Noah is my fourth.  "Fourth!" she exclaimed, and then just stared.  And gaped.  She seemed quite impressed- as was I- that we had made it through the whirlwind weekend intact.

We got home well after bedtime, but were greeted with dozens of welcome home notes taped all over the house.  

 

Jason's texts throughout the weekend made me smile- "Are they always this crazy before church?"  "Is the house always this messy after school?"  "How do I handle (fill-in-the-blank here)?" But he did a great job holding down the fort, and he and the kids made plenty of fun memories while I was away.  One-on-one time with Emma while the big kids were at school- 

Spa day for the girls- (poor girls were on the receiving end of daddy's homemade face mask recipe- honey and apple cider vinegar- ouch!)

 Having a China night-

 and trying sushi-

which was not a hit.  I'm sure there was plenty of boys Wii time in there, too, but who has time to take a picture of that?   All in all, the weekend was fantastic for everyone.  I loved spending time with my family, but was eager to get back to my own little family.  I'm just so thankful that our entire family is sealed together, and being together in the temple was a great reminder of what a blessing family is.

Halloween

We had beautiful, perfect weather on Beggars Night (the night before Halloween, when our town does trick-or-treating).  It is our family's tradition to have a few Halloween day activities, and this year we got to enjoy the fun with some of our neighbors.  We just love our neighborhood.  

First the boys helped me stuff a scarecrow, then once the bigger kids got home from school we did bobbing for apples and eating donuts off strings.  

Even the moms got in on the fun.  It's not as easy at is looks!

We also had a mummy wrapping race and played a variety of lawn games (Red Rover, tag, Red Light Green Light) before we headed in for our spooky Halloween feast.

This was a last-minute idea that required nothing more than serving up what I had already planned for the evening (meatloaf, sweet potato fries, roasted broccoli, grapes, and juice), but it kept the kids guessing all afternoon and gave them a healthy dinner before the candy fest began.

And then it was finally on to the main event!

Last year we spent a large sum of money on Halloween costumes, only to discover that the kids grew out of them (both in size and in interest) in no time.  This year we were a bit more thrifty, and we were blessed with some very generous neighbors that let us borrow a few of the costumes.  My total out of pocket for costumes this year was $7.  Much better. 

  This year we had a lobster in a pot, 

Princess Anna (this was a morning-of change of mind that a sweet neighbor helped me out with) 

 A ninja, 

and a Halloween princess.  

And they all had so much fun.  

The next night (Halloween proper) our church had a small trunk-or-treat that was a delightful  opportunity to dress up one more time.  Emma decided to revert to her original Super Girl costume for the party.

And the kids got their faces painted. 

Noah did not approve of Jason's 'creepy trucker' costume.

 But earlier that day the kids had fun trying out their own mustaches, compliments of the aunties.

 

It's always a month of fun, and I'm always glad when it's over.  Happy Halloween!

Fall Fun

I realize last fall doesn't really count because we had a brand new baby in our midst, but I'd dare say that this was our best Iowa fall so far.  

We have spent as much time outside as possible- enjoying the cool weather and the beautiful autumn colors.  We went to Ledges State Park one weekend expecting to be dazzled by the turning leaves, only to discover that we had missed the show by a week or more. But we still had a good time hiking through the woods.

 I was the turtle and Emma was my tiny shell.

Leah was hot enough that her hair was happily swept up into a messy bun.

We even found leaves to play in!  We piled them up and threw them into the air.  It was magical.  Our three bitty trees at home produced a combined 27 leaves this year, all of which were blown away by the incessant Iowa breeze before we could do anything with them.

Another fun fall day Adam, Emma, Noah and I took a bike ride over to the park to collect beautiful fall leaves.

We brought them home, sprinkled them with crayon bits and turned them into art for our window.

One night the kids got really into their Duplo creations, and held a contest complete with award ribbons.

 We got a fun package from Auntie Emily and Auntie Michelle!

 Jason brought home "microwave popcorn".

 Sunday styles continue.

One morning my little princess and I had a tea party while the boys were napping and at preschool.

 Now the days are getting shorter and the cold is setting in, but I think we are ready for it.  And ready or not, we know it's coming!