Sunday, March 24, 2013

Spring Break

I don't want to complain, but I'm very much done with the snow.  I think it's beautiful and fun to play in, but miserable for Spring Break!  We were so excited to do things this week that we weren't able to do due to know and cold that wasn't supposed to be.  We're looking forward to warmer days when we can go to the Zoo and the Temple!  We were going to go to St. Louis, but the snow made the roads slick enough that there were accidents and traffic and then I had an oil light keep blinking at me, so we gave up and came home.  BUT, we were able to go to Science City and the Planetarium with friends!  That was lots of fun!  Our kids get along very well!








 I need one of these at my house, so they can power our house!  You want to watch tv, run in the wheel for thirty minutes!





 The little bit of snow that kept us from going.
 When we thought we were going to St Louis.





 I wanted to compare Josh to the fish.  That's a huge fish!
 I LOVE this baby!  He is so incredibly adorable (which I say about all of my kids)!  He wanted me to pick him up soooo bad!
 I even had some random guy tell me that we have some great-looking kids today.  I agree!  We have a beautiful family!  I love each of my kid's individual personalities and how they work together in order to read Fablehaven together every night.  They can move mountains together!
Poor Ben is so used to me taking pictures, even if we can't see.  
Today was a super fun (and mostly free day).  We got to do fun stuff at a Green environmental thing, then ate at Fritz's (courtesy of my poor sick Mom), and then Bass Pro Shop which had a big event with lots of kids' activities, plus the Easter Bunny.  We got to see a lot of old friends:  Johnsons, Carmin's family (I don't even know if I spelled that right) and the Hursts!  We had a ton of stuff when we left and didn't have to buy anything!  When I get the Easter bunny picture scanned in, I'll add it.  I was worried the kids would be scared (like Santa).  Nope.  Cecilia even waved and said:  "Bye Easter Bunny!" over and over.  The Easter Bunny gave out smarties!  It was snowing pretty hard at this point, so we couldn't see well walking out to the vans.  I swapped vans with Scott and took Ben with me to Hy-Vee.  Poor Ben was thinking about his Animorphs book and was freaking out.  I would say his Autism shot up to a 15 (on a scale of 10). Poor kiddo!  We shopped as fast as possible and got out of there.  Ben started talking to Scott and was crying.  Ben crying breaks my heart.  I just felt so bad for him.  He said humming his favorite song helped a little bit, but not much.  I can't imagine how difficult it would be to not be able to control my thoughts!  I know Scott deals with it regularly, so I knew he would be able to help Ben out some.  I asked for a Priesthood blessing for him (if you want to learn more, you can click on the link and search for Priesthood under Mormon messages) and Scott was able to give Ben a beautiful blessing.  Ben sobbed in the middle of it and afterwards told Scott that he had seen a dark hand and how it was trying to hurt him.  Scary stuff!  He started feeling a little better at that point and was excited to think that he would be able to serve a mission (because it said he would serve in the Lord's Army).  At least three times (if not four) he was told that his Heavenly Father and Elder Brother Jesus loved him and cared for him.  They do.  They love and care for all of us!  I'm so glad to know that!  I am incredibly glad to have a husband that can give my children blessings!  We were able to watch some animated Mr Bean episodes and that cheered him up.  There's nothing I love to hear more than my children laughing.  It doesn't matter how sad or overwhelmed I feel, seeing my kiddos and hearing them laugh immediately cheers up my day!  I LOVE my kids!  

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Leah's birthday outfit and cake


This is Leah's cake and one of the outfits I made for her.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Happy Birthday Leah!

My Leah was born four years ago today!  I can't say that it feels like a blink of an eye, but it has gone by quickly.  Here are some fun memories!  Maybe I'll add comments under all of them when I'm not falling sleep at the computer.
When Leah played Baby Jesus
She LOVED her Elmo toy!

"helping" cook

Riding a horse for the first time
In front of our old house
In the snow


Scott and our girls.  Silly Leah.

Happy Birthday to Leah


At Nursery.  I love the pigtails!
Her first birthday
When she found my bridal bouquet.  I'm glad I took pictures, since it was destroyed after that.

St Louis Zoo
Covered in Peanut butter, which she still loves.  She asked for Peanut butter and Jelly (and fluff) for her birthday dinner!
Kissing a ladybug
Me and Leah
With her grandpa's tombstone.
With her daddy
I love this shirt!

She's 1!
Her first birthday cake.  I went all out.  She didn't care.  It's all good!
This face cracks me up!
I loved this outfit!


She actually took her first steps as I took the picture!
Look at that smile!
Guitar Hero!
Sting Rays
She's so much bigger than her cousin that's the same age!

She still loves green!

At the Water Park

She's a super messy eater!
Enjoying the sunshine!
The first time she did the signs for Itsy Bitsy Spider!

At Emporia State
Sleeping with her daddy.  Which she still does.
Playing basketball with her dad and Papaw
She loves her yogurt
She has had the perfect pencil grip since she was 9 months old.
With her Big Ma and cousin that's six months younger.
Trying to get a clean faced picture of this kiddo is difficult.
Such a cute look
Before she had hair!
At the KC Zoo.
Leah doing gr mamaws hair 30 Dec 12 -1-.JPG
Doing her Mamaw's hair.  Mamaw is who I named Leah after.  Her name is Lois Elouise Anders Howard, so Leah!
March 29th 2009 download -100-.JPG
In her blessing dress that I found in a thrift store for $1!  She makes the funniest faces!
Leah_18.JPG
Oh so sweet!
Leah 33.JPG
She had her velcro tabs for her little "sunglasses" for being under the lights.
Leahs First Bus Ride -1-.JPG
On her first bus ride
Leah in pink at 2 weeks old.jpg
Awesome picture that Holly Roselund took for me.  I felt so bad for her, because she wanted the cutesy sleeping baby pictures, and Leah only wanted to be awake.

Lots of fun memories!