First Day of School

Starting Second and Fourth Grade! (Hard for this mom to believe.) 

Sam has Mrs. Kauffman (formerly Riordon from Kindergarten). Ben has Mrs. Hayes.

August in California

A few pictures from our trip to California in August...

In Old Town San Diego. We are short on girls, so Zoe does double duty. 

Zacq and Ben at the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center

 

 At Chuck-E-Cheese! (Yay.)

 

 At the beach.

Belly Flop

At the pool in June...

He's got moves!

Here's Sam gettin' down at a concert on Liberty Square. When it comes to dancing, he's serious.

Temple Run 2012

Noah and I ran in the Kansas City Temple Run in May. His first 5K!

Happy Birthday Zacq!

 Zacqary turned TWELVE in May! We went to SeaWorld for his birthday. And the following day he was ordained a Deacon and began learning to pass the sacrament. We are so proud of you, Zacq!

Good Big Brother

Ben is as sweet as can be with his new brother. He will patiently hold him while he's crying or repeatedly put the binkie back in Noah's mouth when I'm trying to get something done. Every morning he likes to cuddle and talk to him on my bed. I wouldn't have seen this side of Ben without Noah coming along. I'm glad I didn't miss this. 

May 7, 2012

Kansas City Temple

Construction was completed on the Kansas City Temple in March of this year. The Open house was conducted in April. Almost 100,000 people attended the open house. It was an amazing time in Kansas City. The dedication was held on May 6, 2012. I feel a little bit of wonder every time I walk through the doors that we actually have a temple in our town. Though I shouldn't be ,I'm still a little surprised when I go and am surrounded by familiar faces in the temple. It's awesome. I'm so grateful for this blessing.

Happy Birthday Sam!

SEVEN years old on April 16th! 

You're growing up so fast. 

Happy Birthday Sam!

Big Brothers and Sis

Ben's Story

I thought this was very sweet...

Hello my name is Ben and I am going to read you my story. It all started with me. I wanted to go upstairs but my mom and Rob were leaving for the hospital for my little brother Noah who was born Feb 13, 2012. Pic of Mom holding Noah in arms at hospital. I love seeing him. He is chubby, cute and squirmy. My mom said she could do it ten more times and would feel only a "pinch". I call Noah the snow baby because he was born on a "SNOW DAY". I feel a great feeling for Sam since he is finally a big brother. THE END.

Welcome Sweet Son

Our family changed forever with the arrival of Noah Gabriel on February 13, 2012. Born at 4:00 pm, 8 lbs, 7 oz, and 21 inches long. Having an infant in the home changes everything! Life is more complicated, so we work on simplifying. Baby is often sleeping, so we work on being quiet. Baby is often crying, so we work on being patient. Baby is often smiling, so we smile a lot more too. Baby has lots of gear, so we make room! Baby needs lots of attention, so we think about ourselves a little less. I will always love what a new baby does to a home. It's part of the design.

A note to Noah...shortly after his birth:

You are here. You arrived almost seven weeks ago. I wish I had counted the number of moments when I've held and looked at you and felt the overwhelming love of my Heavenly Father manifested by His gift of you. These grateful moments are made more beautiful because I know about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know how our family was designed and put together by God and how he intended you to come to us now under these circumstances. I also know that he is guiding us and blessing us in small and large ways so that we can be a stronger, closer family. You are part of that process. I am always amazed and grateful when I can see the Lord's hand in my life, and this is one of those times.

Grow Old With Me

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary!

We celebrated our one-year anniversary on February 26. Rob arrived for Noah's birth with the top of our wedding cake packed in a cooler. I was 9 months pregnant and SO happy to see that cake!

Thanks babe, for an incredible year, a beautiful baby boy and so many other blessings you brought to my life. 

I whine, I get chores!

Ben earns chores instead of timeouts when he breaks a rule or is disrespectful. Sam still gets time outs. Here is our conversation just now:

Sam: "I do my trash for a chore!" (as he carrying the trash to empty it).
Me: "Okay, do you want to get paid?"
Sam: "I not get paid." (pause)
Sam: " Oh, yes, I get paid."
Me: " Okay, 25 cents for all three trashes."
Sam: " I whine, I get chores?"
Me: "You want to get chores for whining?"
Sam: "Yes".
Me: "But then you don't get paid. It's better to do chores without whining and get paid instead."
Sam: "No, I whine, I get chores! It's a good plan!"

This is where big brother worship backfires a little.

Sam Highlights

Here are a few of Sam's Proud Moments of the past month...

Sam was awarded "Most Improved" at a First Grade Assembly at his school in December. His teacher has recently said that he is reading right on grade level which is a huge leap from where he started the year.

He also brought home this math test this week. He gets 36 seconds to complete the test and when he started a couple of months ago he was answering one or two and maybe getting one right. Writing speed is a big hurdle for him, so this test represents great progress!!

Christmas 2011

Our family was blessed to be completely together on Christmas this year. Here are a few pictures from Christmas morning. We had a great week together. Not caught on camera were movies, swimming, cousin time, Christmas Dinner with the family.

Sam's Recent Artwork

Several times lately I've been REALLY impressed by Sam's artwork. Here are two favorites...

This is a snowman from school. They were supposed to decorate it however they wanted. Sam's is a Lego Ninjago guy. If you have boys, you know what that is. He even colored, cut out, and glued on a sword. What's a ninja without his sword?

This is a shark he made in art class. Bloody mouth and all. I think it's amazing!

My Job

I remember posting a picture over three years ago of my dining room table covered in engineering papers, plans and textbooks as I tried to get my brain to kick back into gear. I'd just started my first project for VSM Engineering after 6 years of uninterrupted mothering.

Three years later, this opportunity has proven to be a great blessing to me and clearly part of the Lord's plan for softening the blow of some of my life's surprises. Valerie is wonderful to work with and for. She and I are not just boss and employee, but friends as well.

My sister-in-law Jenika took these awesome pictures. More of her work here: http://jenikaslensblog.com/

Ben's Birthday Party

Ben's 9th Birthday Party!

Celebrated with Gabe, Grant, JJ, and Ethan at Coco Key Water Park.

Happy Birthday Ben!