Family Pictures

We recently took some family pictures that I wanted to share on the blog.  A dear friend took them for us and they turned out so cute.  She is the best.

The family picture is the heading on the blog now. I just love the one of Evie.  That big red flower is the best!! :)

Kyler's Pack Meeting

It's hard to believe that in a few short weeks Kyler will officially be a boy scout.  We had a pack meeting last Thursday (I'm a little behind, I know) and it felt like it was all about Kyler.  He received SO MANY awards. I was so proud of him. 

Notably he earned his arrow of light.  He worked really hard on it and I was so proud of him.  He was proud of himself too.  He also received his religious square knot.  It was presented by our good friend Ken, who really had no authority over the details, but all who did had emergencies come up, so they were not present.  We appreciated Ken stepping in.

Also, he had his crossover ceremony.  This is the first one I've ever seen and it is quite the ordeal.  My favorite part though was when his scoutmaster gave him words of wisdom.  His dad gladly stepped into that role and gave him words of wisdom for his scouting career.  Seeing as I can't see Jason being released from scoutmaster anytime soon, we will have loads of scouting happening at our house.  In three short years Ethan will be a cub scout.  Time flies when you're crazy!  having fun!!

To toot my own horn a bit, Jason was announcing new troop names and flags that evening.  He asked me to do the flags. I think they turned out pretty cool.  Here is the scorpions.

Where's Evie?

This is Evie's new favorite game.  She just figured out today how to play it herself and it is too cute!!

I apologize that it is sideways... not sure how to fix that.

She is changing everyday. It is so amazing.  The other day she got her top two teeth as well, so now she has this adorable little 4 tooth smile.  I love it! 

She is pretty great!!

Why does the last grow the fastest?

Evelyn is cruising now.  She is everywhere.  My sister says that she is a smaller version of me. She loves the cats and is super independent.  She is almost 9 months old now and is the master at standing up on furniture and her balance is getting really good.  She came into the kitchen this morning wearing socks and stood up balancing on the cabinets and scooted down the way.  ON A SLIPPERY FLOOR! I was impressed and sad.  She is such a big girl!

The TARDIS wished me a Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday!  I am so loved!!!  I had so many birthday wishes and gifts from wonderful friends and family.  I had a very good day.

As promised my buddy Nathan took me out to lunch.  I took a dear friend with me that had a little boy about the same time that I had Evelyn.  She has two little boys and they are a delight!!  I invited her because she wanted to get to know Nathan better as her little boy also has been diagnosed with UP syndrome. (I still think "down" is wrong.  I know it is after a person, but it is just not what describes it correctly) There oldest is 3 and is hilarious!!  He is SUPER cute.  And her baby is squeezable.  He makes you want to kiss him again and again.  As usually Nathan was extremely uplifting. He always lifts my spirits.

My kids were so funny today.  Ethan told EVERYONE that today was his mom's birthday.  A dear friend came to bring me a gift and as she walked up with the gift in her hand, he said, "today's my mom's birthday." Thank you Captain Obvious. I just laughed.  Connie texted me as she is just a little to obsessed with her phone, and then after running to the store with her dad brought me a frozen coke and said "happy birthday, mom." Sadly,  it was the perfect gift! Kyler got on the bus this afternoon and I asked him if he had choir today. He said, yes, but he wanted to come home with me because it was my birthday.  So sweet. I didn't have the heart to tell him it might have been nice to have the peace and quiet, rather than he and Ethan fighting on the bus.  Thankfully, they were good and didn't fight. I just made Evie give me extra kisses.

I have a wonderful husband.  It's hard for him to top everyday life when he strives to keep me on a pedestal all the time, but he did do extra today to take care of kids and clean up a bit.  I love that he treats me like a queen all of the time.  It is little things like getting the door for me, or helping me lift stuff, or jumping to my aid when I am doing something difficult.  He always speaks to me respectfully and doesn't raise his voice to me ever. I love being married to such a gentlemen. It especially warms my heart that he is teaching our boys to be such gentlemen. I need to be better about teaching our girls to allow them to be. I'm not very good at that.  I'm glad he is persistent! :)

We had a lovely Family Home Evening together talking about the Holy Sabbath and keeping it holy then danced a bit on the Wii.  One of my favorite things to do.  I love to get into a competition with Kyler.  He is good, it is difficult to beat him.

My niece came by today and brought me some shoes that she painted for me.  I recently got into watching Dr. Who.  I love that show.  It is the perfect mix of SciFi and comedy.  I could watch it all day.  For those of you that have not seen the show, the Doctor flies around time and space in his TARDIS, (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) his spaceship.  It looks like an old police telephone box.  Knowing I love it, and because I have her addicted too, she made me some TARDIS shoes for my birthday.  I'm so going to purposefully plan my outfit around them tomorrow!! :)

Be Still and Know that I am God

I had the wonderful opportunity to sing with a new friend.  His name is Mark and he has a rich voice with a wonderful range.  I love Hilary Weeks.  Her songs just speak to me and I especially love one called "Be Still" It is a beautiful conversation between a woman and Heavenly Father.  She starts by wondering when her hurting will stop and stating that she needs the Lord.  She doesn't have the strength to carry on by herself.  The Lord answers her by saying that He is always there.  Be Still and Know that I am God.

When I was pregnant with Ethan and laying down for long hours in a hospital bed in a tiny little pre-partum room I would listen to this song and pray for strength.  I always received it.  I felt that message loud and clear. Be Still.  He is always there. So, I have been holding on to this sheet music for that long. I have pondered on men I could sing it with, and while I was on bed rest with Evie, a new family moved in and his voice was perfect.  My dear friend would FaceTime me on my iPad so I could enjoy things like the Christmas Program and my new friend Mark sang there. I knew then that his voice was perfect.  It was every bit as beautiful as I imagined it would be and several people told me I sang it just for them.  I thought to myself, "nope, I sang it just for me." I love it when music touches the soul like that and it is always a great privilege to be a voice for the Lord to allow the spirit to be felt.

Tomorrow I turn 33.  It's funny, my dad once said that you always feel like you are 18, and I believe him.  My body doesn't feel 18, but my mind definitely does.  It blows my mind sometimes to ponder on my 4 beautiful children and my fantastic husband. Wasn't I just 18?  Time flies far too quickly.

A funny note.  In Sacrament meeting we were about to sing the sacrament hymn and I was frantically writing the words to my special music for the interpretters (we have a few deaf members) and my kids had their phone and ipod, so they both looked up the hymn on that and held it for me. I had already bookmarked the page in the hymnbook I was using so I flipped it open. I leaned to Connie and said... "There is this new thing...Maybe you have heard of it, but it is so new I'm afraid you haven't. It is called a HYMNBOOK. It is great for singing and reading music..." I couldn't even finish we were laughing so hard.  So funny.

The First Day of Fall, why I love it here!

Today is the first day of fall, officially.  I love this season.  The weather outside is my favorite! It is just a little bit chilly and was sunshining. This is one of my favorite things about Indiana, the weather here has such beautifully distinct seasons.  Two weeks ago it was blazing hot summer, now it is beautiful and I can open up all of my windows and enjoy the breeze.

As I watch the seasons and anticipate coming holidays I can't help but reflect on last  year at this time.  I was on full bedrest with my fourth baby that I really hadn't planned to have.  The Lord knew me better than I know myself and I have been transformed into what I hope is a better woman through the process. I also got this beautiful little girl out if it! Fall is my favorite season with Halloween and Thanksgiving around the corner and one of the hardest things for me last year was giving up on doing those things that I love to do. Bake, decorate, make fun costume, trick or treat, cook all day, eat half the day, and enjoy family and friends.  I am so looking forward to this year!

My niece, Camden, and I have gotten a booth at a craft fair this year.  We initially tried to get in, but were put on a waiting list.  We were informed that there was a cancellation, so we are frantically getting shoes and bags done.  I am sewing some purses, nursing covers, and car seat canopies to sell. I will also have some samples of my baking and my cards for future orders. She will be selling her custom painted shoes, which I am sure will be the hit of the day.  She is amazingly talented!  I just sit and watch her paint with amazement.  It takes her no time at all to do what would take me all day to do!  She is amazing! Below are some pictures of her work

Why "Down Syndrome"? There is nothing down about it!

Today I spent a lovely day with my buddy Nathan. I worked for his mother for about a year when Jay was unemployed and grew to love he and his mother very much. Nathan is a hoot. He was born with down syndrome, and is amazing.  He is funny and lively and loves to sing and dance. When I am with him I go from having a good enough voice to be a broadway star to being an "old fart". He is honest to a fault and great to be around.  Lately Nathan is very lonely. He is the youngest of four children and his mother suffers from MS. It is in a very debilitating stage and she is in a long term care facility now.  That leaves Nathan at home all day by himself.  He is 28 years old and struggles with being bored out of his mind. He looks forward to our weekly "dates", visits from the Schwann man and the cleaning ladies. 

We went to see a movie today.  Nathan loves to treat me on our dates so I can afford to do it more often. We saw "The Curious Life of Timothy Green" and I was a bit worried that he would be bored since his usual interest in movies is a bit more action packed than this. I was pleased to find that Nathan has a soft side.  It is a beautiful movie and I highly recommend it. Afterwards he wanted to go to lunch, so I pointed out the fast (I was running close to bus routes now) and easy places nearby. He chose Five Guys. Nathan is a wonderful creature of habit. He likes to eat lunch at the same time everyday. Lunch is at 12:00 he says.  Although, he will compromise should a movie or going out to eat demand it.  He always eats the same things for lunch which cracks me up! If he is home, he eats a banana and peanut butter sandwich. If he is out, he gets a bacon cheeseburger... Plain! It has become our habit to walk into a restaurant and I jokingly say, "I know what you want... A hot dog!" He says, "I think not, it's the bacon cheeseburger."  I smile and tell him that is what he ALWAYS gets. He just says, "I know." I don't know why I'm always entertained by it, but I am.

My favorite times with Nathan however are the car rides to places.  You see, Nathan is a HUGE fan of broadway musicals, so I always make it a point to have one playing when he gets in the car. Then we sing. At the top of our lungs.  Now, I am an okay singer, but Nathan can't carry a tune to save his life.  Nevertheless it is a joyous sound to hear and we love to do it.  He is a great director of music as well and I am always to follow his lead.  It is super fun.

The best thing about Nathan is his spirit.  He is amazing.  It is so clear how very close to the Lord he was before he came and how wonderfully innocent the Lord has kept him in this life. He exudes love and joy, and you can't help but be uplifted by him when you are around him.  He stutters a great deal lately and when we go out, it is hard to understand him.  To top that off, he loves to use other languages. I am always saddened by what people are missing out on when they are impatient with him and look to me to interpret. And I am overjoyed by people like the manager of his favorite restaurant (Houlihans) who greet him with joy and excitement and take the time to stop and listen to all he has to say. It is a blessing to soak in his spirit and absorb a little of his joy.  I can't wait for our next date. He is taking me out to lunch for my birthday! Such a gentleman!

A growing girl!!

Evie is growing so fast! She has already mastered sitting feeding herself finger foods, and new she is trying to crawl. It is so amazing how quickly they develop at this age. She loves her daddy, as seen below, but remains a mommy's girl. :-)

Wedding Reception

A dear friend of mine who I am lucky enough to visit teach, asked for my help to decorate for her son's reception. It was all very last minute, but I felt like it turned out pretty well. Judge for yourself.

Long Time, No Post

So, my new phone has a more app just for the blog. Hopefully this will result in many being a little better about posting.

A random picture in the meantime. The other day Evelyn was sitting playing and our motherly kitty laid down next to her. Evie pet (more like smacked) her some and just played away. So cute!