Pinewood Derby

I didn't think I would be doing a post on this for many more years.

Our scouts had a fundraiser dinner which included a pinewood derby track. Two tracks in fact. The week before, for Young Men and Young Womens they all made cars.

Karebear was not happy. She didn't want to make a car. For all her complaining she managed to make a car that won every race she entered in.

We aren't brain washing our children at all.

Dad bought a car that Bud Boy, Tator & Minnie helped paint.

It didn't fair so well in the races. In fact it lost a wheel when it flew off this track






It was deemed as a learning car. I just consider it pretty good for someone who's never made a car before.

My husband says he learned lots and they will be pros when Bud Boy officially makes his first car in a few years.

Seven Weeks

Baby acne is starting to go away. I know all my kids had this but her's seems to last a lot longer. For her sake I hope that's not a predictor of the teenage years. Once her head cleared up low and behold-a birth mark.

Can you find it?

We are guessing her hair covered it. Bigger head leads to receding hair line which leads to noticing brown circle patch on fore head  (takes a genius to follow that logic, right?)

Time will only tell if it's permanent. Think maybe she'll want bangs when she is older?

We are all loving her daily smiles and the cute cooing noises she makes as she tries to communicate.

We may be biased but this shirt couldn't be truer.

Love her in purple!

Arches Candid Photos

We had a lot of fun looking through photos and seeing some of the funny shots that we captured.

bad time for a sneeze

It was a hair raising experience

loved that we captured Grandpa setting up the shot at Delicate Arch

Turn around is fair play

Run Grandpa

Spring Break

What do you do when you have a 5 week old and her siblings have no school for a week?

Go Camping!

 (wouldn't have been my first thought. My brother invited us to go to Arches. The only reason I said yes was because we have the trailer. Plus, we had been there before so I knew I wouldn't mind missing some things)

Going camping with a baby this young was actually pretty easy because she slept almost the whole time. The hard part was the packing and then the unpacking when we returned home; especially since Princess decided she had had enough sleep and hardly slept for the two days after we returned home.

 We stayed in Devils Campground and couldn't have had better sites (26 & 27) that included:

  A sand pit

This large rock that the kids loved climbing on

and it even came with a tree for us to take a family picture by.

It was also within walking distance to the tapestry

and broken arch trials.

The next morning while the baby and I held things down at camp the troupe hiked to see delicate arch

Karebear made sure we joined the group for the traditional picture on the  "secret stairs" afterwards.

Before heading home we spent the morning exploring the windows area (something new for us).

This little trouper got a lot of comments on what a good hiker he was

These three were always climbing to the next greatest spot for a picture

And I just enjoyed spending time with family

A Month of Kind Acts

I have been working on Princess's baby book the last few days. Yes, I am attempting to not have the last child be forgotten. In fact, if anything I'm doing more for her than the others because she is the last. I seem to take tons of pictures for I don't want to regret not capturing something. Gotta love digital photography. Wasn't so nice with my first. I find myself keeping records such as this blog for the same reasons. Plus, it is one of the few things I can do while holding a sleeping baby. Holding her all I can is something I know I will miss so I'm soaking it up all I can now. And Hey, I'm getting pretty fast at one handed typing!

I was amazed as I entered visitors and gifts that we have received into her baby book. I couldn't help reflecting on all the service that has been done for our family the past month. I am overwhelmed with the kindness of others. A whole months worth of kind deeds:

• 19 baby gifts of clothes, blankets, burb cloths and toys that we truly needed for this baby girl
• Over four pages of cards. I love saving these!
• My father-in-law gave us the most beautiful flower arrangement that lasted for 3 weeks
• Friends and family brought in enough food that I didn't have to cook for 2 weeks.
• A friend commenting that I look really good just a few days after birth 
• My mother watched the kids so I could enjoy the 2 week doctor visit
• My oldest two ever willingness to watch the baby while I run a sibling some where
• My sweet husband taking the baby for a few hours at night when he sees I need the sleep
• My patient children as mom deals with hormonally influenced emotions
• Tator and Bud Boy playing together so mom can sleep
• Our Relief Society president taking the kids to school everyday for two weeks. 
• Kindergarten car pool moms covering my days for three weeks.
• Many, many kind comments on here and facebook (Thank you!)
• The neighbor boy coming over often to play with Bud Boy 
• My mother went grocery shopping
• Uncle Steve being willing to play trains and checkers with Bud Boy
• All the kids in Tator's kindergarten class made us cards. So cute!
• Minnie and her cousins made us a welcome poster.
• My partner in activity days covering this month by herself so I didn't have to even think about it.
• A past teacher of my kids going out of her way at parent teacher conference to come see the baby and comment on how well I look.

Feeling so humbled, blessed and grateful to our wonderful neighbors, family and friends.

Four Weeks Old

 We are celebrating for we finally found a pacifier Princess likes!

 In other news she is starting to be able to sleep flat. 

She will now go for about two hours in the pack- in- play each night.

I surrender

Just in love with every part!

Orange Sherbert

                                                  image source

I have spent the last few Sundays at home with our baby. In attempt to have a little bit of a feel of Sunday edification I have turned on the Mormon Tabernacle broadcast-Music and the Spoken Word. A couple of weeks ago, after this broadcast, a program aired where some suggestions for ways to make conference fun for kids were shared. The featured family had taken time to find out something about each of the 15 apostles. They then found a food item related to what they had learned and eat that item during conference.

Such example where eating cookies while Elder Cook spoke.  Russell M Nelson was a heart surgeon so they ate carrots. The interviewer asked how they came up with something for President Monson. The father of this family works for KSL news. One time President Monson was there for an interview. The father got permission to ask him a question. Can you imagine? Here he was talking to the prophet. He could ask him any question he wanted and the question he wanted to ask was what was his favorite treat. He said President Monson was a little taken back by the question. He then responded that orange sherbet was a favorite treat.

Of course my kids were all excited when I shared this. Who wouldn't want to eat treats all through conference? I wasn't so sold on the idea since we already have a tradition that after each session, while eating treats, we share things that we remember hearing or were especially touched by. I didn't want to give up this tradition for it has been a time to further re-enforce principles that pertain to our family.

Saturday afternoon I found myself at the store. I got a little chuckle out of a conversation I over heard between two checkers. Basically they commented how it had been the weirdest day. It would be practically dead for two hours and then extremely hectic. Then it would die down again for about two hours. Only in Utah would conference have such an effect on the grocery store.

Any way, on a spur I decided to pick up some orange sherbert. Guess what? They were all out of orange sherbert. I bought rainbow instead (it did have orange in it) and the next day we enjoyed eating this while President Monson spoke.

I don't know if we will make it a tradition but it was something fun for this time.

Other special things from this sessions of conference were:

• Snuggling a sleepy baby.

• Hearing a four year old yell out the names of the apostles that he recognized. Pretty darn cute to hear him say Uchtdorf.

• My girls seeing three people they knew in the choirs-a former primary teacher who just left on her mission, the elementary school choir teacher and of course David Archuleta.

• Playing Blockus while listening (it is now Bud Boy's current new obsession).

• Being reminded that President Monson has said to have the courage to not judge.

• To not let anger consume us or seek revenge from President Uchtdorf's talk. Loved this one! Will be one to read again.

• To make sure we write down spiritual experiences.

• To live the gospel not just be active in the church.

• To not be like Lot whose tent door faced Sodom and Gomorrah but have our focus be on the temple rather than the world. 

• Use prayer and teaching by the spirit more as we raise this family.