Being a momma and lovin' it!: Long time, no write

It's been a crazy month and a half, and I just really kept putting off writing. I still haven't posted my "last" post on the blog about my Dad. Interestingly enough, I'm "okay" with him being on the other side of the veil, and not okay with him being gone. I'm trying to do everything I can to keep him in our thoughts and actions. If my little Danny smiles at a blank space, we all say it's because he sees Papaw (which I know is right some of the time, but maybe not all of the time). I'm trying to do things that will make him smile as he's watching. I'm just trying to be a better person, and I'm not doing as well as I would like. I haven't gotten back into the swing of things yet. I haven't went out with the missionaries (although we do still feed them regularly), I don't keep my house nearly as clean as I would like, and I haven't been as great at my journalling. I've only ran once, and I'm paying no attention to my diet. At my six week appointment, I was down 18 pounds from the day I had Danny, which is great and I need to do more. So, I'm working on one thing at a time. This week it is cleaning as much as I can and doing short journal entries. I'll go from there. I want to be the best wife/mom/daughter/teacher I can be, and sometimes one has to take precedence. That's okay! Just not for long-term!
In the meantime, about my awesome kids!
Ben is doing great in 7th grade, although we're still working on social cues, like not following people that are trying to get away from you. I love him! I think he's going to do amazing in track!
Kira is about to turn 12! I can't believe it! She is awesome at playing the flute and she is loving track practice! I love hearing about how the Coaches help them!
Emma is beyond excited about having me as a teacher next year! She even played a game with my third graders after school last week! She loves Daniel and wants to hold him always.
Leah is now 7! She had fun for her birthday at my Mom's house on her actual birthday (She, Kira, Danny and I stayed for a few days with my Mom over Spring Break to help out with things) and then had a party here (on a freezing cold day at the Park) with a few friends. She was pretty excited!
Cecilia is quite the go-getter! She knows what she wants and tries very hard to manipulate things her way or tell us if we're not making the right decisions for her. She's a great helper when she is rewarded.
Josh, not Joshua or Joshy, is growing out of his size 4 things and is catching up to Cecilia and Leah (who are almost the same size)! He loves his super heroes and general boy things, but is still mad about moving up out of Nursery! He really doesn't like Primary and he's giving the prayer on Kira's birthday!
Samuel has hit his terrible twos early, just like most of our kids do. He wants something, I give it to him and he throws it on the floor, to pick up and eat/drink just like nothing happened. He loves Cecilia's Elsa doll and Leah's pony! He carries them around with him almost everywhere. He also loves the triangles, rectangles and squares that he plays with as I feed Danny at lunch. I love hearing him trying to say the big words! He loves giving his baby brother hugs for two seconds! He will do anything Josh does!
Danny is his preferred name! He smiles when I call him Danny, and not when I call him Daniel! He loves his Daddy! He takes a pacifier great and does pretty well with Scott during the day! He's always excited to see me too! I love all of his little smiles! I can't believe how fast he's growing, or maybe the time is just speeding by! He's a fantastic little guy!
We're loving our School and where we live! We especially love our new van, even if it was way too expensive and still has problems! But, it fits all of us! Scott loves being so high off the ground!
Either way, we're doing okay. We're functioning and making it through! Now for tons of pictures! You know it's your favorite!