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mental photograph moment:  little Z snuggled into his Daddy's lap, intently listening as Daddy reads to him.  It's a book Grandma gave me, "baby's first words" and for whatever reason, it's his favorite.  He's wearing  his "R is for raccoon" outfit, one that was found in grandma's closet after she passed away, perhaps saved just in case there would someday be that future grandson.  Husband is still in his work clothes, a blue collared dress shirt which happens to be my favorite.  It matches his gorgeous eyes and sits so well across his strong shoulders.  They are completely engaged with each other and sisters are hovering close with their own books.  I love this little family so much!

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quote of the day: after Z ate 2 full jars of baby food plus a slice a a half of pizza, E declared "look at his belly! it's like he's preg-egg-nant!"

happy: I cut up the last chocolate chip pancake and gave it to Z, he was so happy he was practically licking the tray to get all the chocolate.
and watching Z play with his blocks.  He waits until I stack them at least three high and then he knocks them over giggling hysterically.

sad: the never ending pile of laundry

Z at 10 months

The day after his 9 month mark, he mastered “the worm”.  He started with a pushup and then flopped himself forward, doing it again and again to cross the room.  And since then he quickly progressed to crawling and is now all over the place and into everything!  His super happy, easy going, beaming personality has not faded one bit.  He is constantly charming everyone he sees with his contagious smile and handsome blue eyes.  He loves to eat; his favorites are oatmeal, blueberries, spaghetti and ice cream.  He won’t take a bottle anymore but loves his new 360 sippy and LOVES to drink from my glass like a big kid.  His favorite toys are his busy board, his stuffed turtle from Maui, his bug, the light up asterisk and any kitchen utensil he can chew on while I’m cooking.  His other favorite hobbies include trying to eat his sisters’ legos, chewing on the ends of my shoe laces, pulling DVDs off the shelf and playing ticktock with Daddy.  When I call his name, he whips around with a big ol grin, knowing he’s been caught.  He loves to sleep with a blanket snuggled against his cheek and his fuzzy blanket bear.  He sleeps through the night and takes two solid naps a day unless he’s teething and then no one sleeps at all.  His sisters adore him and still fight over getting to hold him, especially at bedtime.  They love feeding him (especially with his airplane spoon) and sneaking him treats.  He loves his baths, especially now that he doesn’t need the infant bathtub, he just gets a sink full of bubbles and a washcloth to chew.  And he’s noisy! He loves to squeal and jabber and says “mama”.  He recognizes the signs for “more” and “all done”.  He is super ticklish and gives the best, tightest, most eager, whole hearted hugs.  He grabs onto me, buries his hands in my hair and then enthusiastically claps his very soggy open mouth onto my cheek for what I think is a kiss.

back into the swing

Christmas break was so great.  I feel like this year was especially enjoyable, that somehow we minimized the stress or planning or preparing and really got to enjoy being with family, fun activities and most especially, the holiday spirit.


and now back into the swing of things.  The girls all went back to school with a renewed commitment (mostly me insisting) to getting their homework done and turned it!  Not our strongest suit.  With the girls involved with so many activities, it's easy to forgot and let them have every minute of free time that they can find.  So we trimmed down the schedule a bit and have intentionally blocked out homework time.


L had winter boot camp at the dance studio.  If anything. her love for dance has grown this year and she comes home beaming every time.  I know at school, and elsewhere, she feels "small" (her words, not mine).  Despite her many talents, she lacks confidence and tends to be outside social circles I know she wants to be part of.  But at dance, she's part of a team.  She's told me dancing makes her feel free.  I love watching her face during rehearsals.  And to make life even sweeter, she's become really good friends with someone on her team.  Today her friend invited her to go ice skating and she was ecstatic.  Then we invited the friend to stay for a movie night with us.


A and E had their first piano class and we've been reviewing the basics this week.  A has taken to it immediately and her maturity shows.  She's been wanting lessons for a long time and is excited and ready.  E is the youngest in the program.  Truthfully, younger than the target age but since it's the last session the teacher will be offering, I didn't want to miss the chance to have her in this program.  She's excited about it but more impatient and easily distracted.


Z is crawling everywhere and into everything!  And if possible, cuter than ever.  Except at night.  During the day he's happy and cheerful and sweet.  At night he wakes up crying almost every hour.  He must be teething.  I am so especially grateful for my amazing husband who helps as much as he can and frequently trades off with me at night.


Aside from the sleepless nights, this was a great week.  We've been playing board games with the girls, been ready and prepared for school, and are getting focused to eating healthy again.  We had a really good evening with Grandpa, going out to dinner, getting ice cream and then introducing the girls to "The Princess Bride" which they loved!  Today JoJo came to visit and we all went sledding behind the truck.


I have a new calling at church! I'm really grateful for the change and so excited for what I will be doing as Enrichment Committee Chair.  I love planning parties and activities and I get to attend Relief Society, this will be so great!  Husband got a new calling a few months ago, as stake young mens president.  He is exceptionally talented, particularly in a leadership capacity.  I'm glad he has this opportunity and while it certainly is a heavy load, I'm glad he will be able to have that influence and involvement.

baby Z at 9 months

His list of nicknames now includes the Hulk (since he broke the chest strap on his carseat), my Hippo (because I love his adorable squishy cheeks with the full row of bright white bottom teeth), Puppy (because he likes to chew on his socks and often ends up carrying one in his mouth as if celebrating he got it off), little moose (because Daddy was dubbed “the moose” by my roommates while we were dating) and Bubba (no idea).  He sits unsupported and his favorite seat (other than my lap) is most definitely his high chair.  He loves to eat, especially off my plate.  He eats everything and seems to especially love oatmeal, grapes, spaghetti and blueberries. He’s still nursing and actually doing much better again.  Although he does nurse less and less now that he can eat table food.  He is built like a tank, solid and so fun to hug.  He wraps his arms around my neck tightly and hugs me back, so tight and sweet that my heart might burst I love him so much.  He’s such a momma’s boy and while very friendly to everyone, I’m his favorite person.  However Daddy is often better at getting him back to sleep during a fussy night and Daddy is best for tossing him around.  Z loves doing tick tock and more recently, loves riding the pony (bouncing on daddy’s knee).  He is surprisingly strong which means fantastic hugs but more challenge when he gets ahold of something he shouldn’t.  And he is edging closer and closer to crawling.  He rolls around and wiggles enough that he can get across the floor, and he has mastered the backwards scoot, but hasn’t quite figured out crawling. 

He most definitely does NOT sleep through the night and has been particularly fussy lately. (Between his 9 month mark and finally writing this, two more teeth broke through, helping to explain that.)  But he’s only fussy at night.  He wants to be cuddled and rocked during those fussy moments.  But during the daytime, he is the sweetest, most easy going baby I’ve ever met.  He’s happy and full of huge smiles.  And such a flirt!  He’s so good at the coy head tilt smile and gets ladies cooing over him literally everywhere we go.  He especially loves the grocery store.  His favorite toys are his teething banana, his stuffed turtle, the caterpillar, the jeep full of animals and basically any cooking utensil that he can chew on while keeping me company in the kitchen.  He’s so noisy, jabbering and cooing and more vocal than I remember from any of his sisters.  He says “mama” but I’m not sure he’s fully connected it just to me yet.  And he’s ticklish!  He’s most ticklish on his thighs and back.  He loves bathtime, peek a boo and most especially, his sisters.  They are such great helpers and love to play with him!

Christmas 2016

The last two weeks have been packed with Christmas activities and playing with family.  It has been such a wonderful Christmas season and I hope the kids will have great memories of it all.

We started a new Christmas project this year, to be described in a different post.  But the short version is instead of racing to Christmas morning, I really wanted to focus more on enjoying the journey through the holiday season.  We planned a lot of Christmas activities and devotionals and it was a really meaningful experience for all of us.  I’m so incredibly grateful and happy and have very much enjoyed this season.

We adopted a Secret Santa family and got the kids as involved as we could.  They were each assigned a child and picked out an outfit and a toy plus some family games and treats.  They helped us wrap and deliver everything and had a lot of fun talking about being part of the santa magic and being secret elves. 

As a family we also did The Giving Manger described at http://www.thefamilyinternational.org/christmas/articlea823.html and the girls got really into that as well.  We drew names each week and tried to do secret acts of service.  With each service, we added a bit of straw to the manager in attempt to fill it by Christmas Eve.  Next year I want to start earlier in the month and need more of a conclusion (we sort of forgot since we left for Grammy’s before Christmas Eve). This was a great experience for me as well, I had mostly thought about how the girls could participate and wanting it to create more opportunity to love and give and argue less among the three of them.  But I drew my husband’s name the first week and it was a good challenge for me to find ways to serve him, things that aren’t part of my normal routine or duties of keeping our home.  Drawing the kids names was easier although again, I found it harder than I would have thought to find service opportunities that aren’t part of what I usually do for them.

We attended a Candlelight Christmas this year at This Is The Place Park.  We’ve wanted to attend for a few years now but thought the girls were too young or didn’t ever work it into the schedule.  But I’m so glad we did!  Originally we were to be joined by my brothers and their families and my parents but we ended up being the only ones available to go.  And then the girls spent the day skiing with daddy and had a great time.  But they were pretty worn out and it was predicted to be a very cold night.  So we debated briefly and finally decided to just go for it.  Having never been to there, parking was rather confusing and we missed the main entrance.  But once we arrived and got our tickets we headed upstairs to see Father Christmas.  We were there about 40 minutes after it opened and Father Christmas had almost no line.  He was so regal and classy looking.  The girls were enchanted and sweet and each got a short visit with him.  After that we wandered up the street of the charming town, peeking in on the pioneer dancing and Christmas traditions story telling.  I really wanted to take the kids to the live nativity and it was very well done with a path leading to the old barn.  Along the path were scriptures and displays to tell the story.  Inside the barn Mary and Joseph quietly cuddled and gazed at their very real little baby.  The air stood still, caught up in the sweetness and reverence of the moment.  It was very powerful and wonderful.  After the nativity, we visited the blacksmith shop and stayed quite awhile watching him work and asking lots of questions.  We listened to carolers and stopped in for Brigham’s donuts.  They were delicious and as we snacked, a bunch of my cousins showed up!  They were attended as an extended family outing and it was so fun to see them and catch up.  We rode the train past the saddlery and print shop (both looked fun but the girls were wearing out) and ended at the pioneer crafts were the girls made a wreath ornament out of buttons, a pioneer yo-yo and a candle.  We visited the tinsmith and the gift shop upstairs and ended up buying a candlestick holder and a little tin cup ornament to honor Laura Ingalls Wilder as we have been reading the series this year and only have one book left.  The evening was so wonderful and definitely something we will do again.

The girls had Christmas parties at school.  L’s was a North Pole Express party with hot cocoa and showing off their favorite stuffed animals.  A’s party was crafts and treats and caroling.  I went to the school to watch A in the first grade Christmas assembly.  She was so excited about it and sang several songs in Spanish and English.  E’s party had a piñata and little gift exchange.  Her preschool also did a little sing along and she was bouncing out of her chair with excitement. 

We attended L’s piano recital where she beautifully preformed Greensleeves and all the kids had so much fun singing along and especially playing the handbells that her teacher passed out for the final few songs.  After the recital we snacked on refreshments and treats and chatted with friends awhile.  A and E start piano lessons next month and were so excited to meet new friends that will be there.

And finally Christmas break begun!  We kicked it off with a little Christmas party.  Each of the girls invited two friends over and we had big pancake breakfast in pajamas and then played a few games.  Holding a paper plate on their head they followed instructions to draw a very silly snowman.  And we did the saran-wrap-candy-ball game.  And finished with the left-right present story.  And then turned them loose to watch a Barbie Christmas movie and play with toys. 

On Christmas Eve Eve we got to spend lots of time with family.  Husband’s brother had just arrived and the cousins came right over to play.  The girls built a rocket ship out of a cardboard box, played dress ups and ran around having a blast.  I finished up making treats and packing and wrapping gifts and loading the car.  We had lunch at Grandpa’s house and then headed north to Grammy and Papa’s for a fantastic family Christmas party.  One of the highlights was the cousin gift exchange.  I love watching how excited they get and how much fun they have giving each other gifts.  Then we moved upstairs around the tree for gifts from Grammy and Papa.  The kids loved their new outfits and then amidst much noise and excitement and gift wrap, they each got a toy and an activity too and were thrilled!  L and her cousin Mimi got matching outfits and even had drawn each other’s names for the cousin gift exchange!  They were over the top happy and loved being dubbed the “cousin twins”.  The kids ran off to play while the adults opened gifts and then we laid out lots of cookies and treats while we watched The Santa Clause. 

Early the next morning, husband slipped away with L and A to go skiing with Auntie Lu.  They had a great time and then eagerly came back to play more with cousins.  For our Christmas Eve we had a Bethlehem style dinner and the kids loved it!  We had salmon, flatbread, cheese, grapes, cucumbers and nuts.  Then we acted out the nativity.  With so many kids it tends to get a little crazy but the kids love it and request it every year.  This year E was an angel, A was the innkeeper and L was a wiseman.  Then the kids got to just play with cousins and their new toys until we tucked them into bed.  My family and one of my brothers with his family both spent the night at my parents.  With 6 adults and 11 children, the pile under the tree was pretty spectacular.  Baby Z was wide awake so he kept us company as we stayed up to do some last minute touches.  He rolled around under the tree giggling and jabbered and trying to get everything to his mouth.  He was especially excited about his toy hammer and drooled all over it for hours.  And big news--he was crawling!  So exciting and yet so heartbreaking.  I've tried to stall it, not wanting him to grow up so fast (and definitely not wanting him to be mobile before I put all the Christmas decorations away).  But he's just too big and too curious and more than ready to explore the world.

Early in the morning, the kids were awake and excited.  We tried to stall them awhile until all the kids could wake up on their own (it mostly worked).  And then finally there was a very loud and excited dash upstairs with that perfect moment of joy and wonder and ecstatic awe on each other their faces as they saw the tree surrounded with gifts.  They dove into the stockings, so thrilled with each discovery.  Then we moved more slowly through the gifts having each person find a present and when everyone was ready, opened them together.  The girls loved their gifts and were so happy and excited and sweet.  Each of our girls got a Barbie, a lego set, a craft and then something unique for them.  Plus they gave each other gifts (mostly barbies and legos) and Daddy made jewelry for each of them with Hawaiian black coral beads.  Breakfast was now brunch, the adults lingered but the kids raced through it to go play.  It was such a wonderful Christmas morning.  We lounged around until our Christmas dinner of ham and rolls and other traditional dishes. We got to facetime with my sister in Florida and watch her open the gifts from us. And then we loaded our little family up to join the other side of the family at the aunties house for a second Christmas dinner.  It was a perfect Christmas with lots of family and excitement, happy kids and thoughtful gifts.  I’m so grateful for our amazing family!

The day after Christmas was a mostly lazy day at home.  The girls put together their new legos and watched movies and lounged around with Auntie Lu.  It was a great day off to recover before launching into more festivities.  Husband was able to finish Z’s Christmas present and it was a big hit with all the kids—a busy board!  It’s covered in locks and switches and knobs and other things to fiddle with.

Tuesday was the start of our second Christmas with husband’s side of the family.  I picked up my two sister-in-laws to go shopping in the morning.  We had so much fun, we don’t get to spend a lot of time together without the busy kids and had a great time.  And then we met all the men for a long lunch meeting with the lawyers and accountant to review the companies.

The next day we loaded up and went to Grandpa’s house, planning to stay for a few days.  We arrived just after lunch and settled in.  The girls ran off to play with cousins, playing a board game called Mustache Smash and disappearing into the dress ups and playing spy games on the adults.  We had our Christmas Eve dinner and visited the cemetery to sing Christmas carols around Grandma’s headstone and light the luminaries again.  Back at Grandpa’s house we continued with the Christmas Eve traditions watching Muppets Christmas Carol and once the kids were asleep, played Risk far into the night.  (much farther than I stayed up, but then again, Z has been so fussy at night I didn’t sleep much anyway.)  In the morning the girls hurried down the stairs again with all that same excitement and joyful anticipation.  We emptied out our Grandpa stockings exclaiming over all the fun goodies and tearing open the blind bags of Disney lego figures and tsum tsum characters and cat themed ornaments.  The girls received legos from their cousins and Auntie Lu knocked it out of the park choosing a book and long dangly earrings for L, a vet lego set for A and a little brother panda for E.  She eventually named him Prince and has carried both Prince and Penny everywhere ever since.  Grandpa gave each of the girls some great gifts like new coats and art supplies.  Husband had to go into work for a few hours but the rest of us spent the rest of the day playing.  Auntie Lu and Uncle Bry took the older girls ice skating and they had such a blast!  L and A both reported it was super fun and not that hard.  And for we all went out to a local favorite.  They were unbelievably slow so it wasn’t the greatest experience but the food was good and they did send up home with free dessert.  (A was so tired she fell asleep at the table!)  We cuddled up and watched Star Wars to finish off the night.

Friday morning was busy.  L had dance practice, cousins had to get packed and the girls were trying to cram in as much playing as they could.  After lunch we loaded everyone up and went to the movies to see Moana.  The theatre was sold out, luckily most our group arrived early and snagged enough seats.  Lu sat with half the kids, Husband and I kept L, E and A.  E cuddled into Daddy’s lap thoroughly enjoying the one-on-one cuddles while Z insisted I spend the entire movie either standing up rocking him or feeding him popcorn.  After the movie we ran a few errands and then met Grandma’s siblings for dinner.  We had fun catching up with extended family and Z was in a particularly great mood grinning and flirting and devouring pasta.  (We finally spent that night at home again, mostly because Z hadn’t slept well in over a week and we felt awful about his fussing keeping everyone else awake.  Back in his own bed Z slept through the night and woke up sporting two new teeth that had finally broken through.)

Saturday morning I’m afraid to report we spent most of the day cleaning.  Somehow the children survived.  We made up for it that night with a great New Years Party.  One of our best friends came over and spent the night (it helped break up their 15 hour drive home and we were so happy to see them!) plus another favorite family of friends came for dinner and to play.  We had buffalo burgers and lots of fruits, veggies and chips and dip to snack on.  The kids just ran around like crazy having a great time playing with toys and playing sardines.  We made ice cream sundaes loaded with toppings and at midnight, (we weren’t planning on staying up til midnight but somehow it happened) we did a countdown and toasted with sparkling ciders and noisy poppers off the porch.

The kids did NOT sleep in enough to justify staying up til midnight.  But L and Mae eagerly helped with breakfast and the younger kids couldn’t wait to get back to playing.  We reluctantly sent our friends back on the road and dashed to get ready for church.  The girls were excited to meet their new teachers and I was very grateful to attend Relief Society.  After dinner we picked up Auntie Lu and Grandpa and took them with us for a New Years Day dinner at the aunties house.  Z was especially charming, the kids were being cute and I simply love being there, chatting and relaxing and enjoying their company and the fantastic food.

Now with just two days left until we dive back into the busy schedule of school and classes and lessons, we spent the day being lazy.  The girls helped me clean the toy room and I made it to the gym.  We tried to go to the library (because my wonderfully nerdy children have been begging to go) but it was closed for the holiday!  Other than that, its been a long lazy day of playing and lounging.  Grandpa came over for dinner for our annual New Year’s crab dinner.  The girls love artichokes (and I love the crab) and it’s something we have done for a few years now (even if it was a day late this year). 

Tomorrow will be the last day of winter break.  If we get really ambitious, we might put away all the Christmas decorations.  But since we’ve gotten 8 inches of snow today and it’s scheduled to snow all night, maybe we will just build a giant snowman instead.