18 months

Mr. E is now is 18 months!  He is such a little character and has me laughing every day.  He is just so curious about everything around him.  He will walk around all day asking what things are and getting into everything he can.  It's a wonder I can get anything done with this little guy.
He is tall for his age and he still has a big head lol.  I think he will be tall like his daddy.

Easton is very bright and I amazed everyday by what he knows and can do.  He can point to most all of his body parts if you ask him where it is and say what they are for the most part.  He knows so many words and picks up new ones everyday.  He loves to play with balls and is a really good thrower, just ask my face and head.  He likes to play with blocks and he absolutely loves being outside and to go for walks.

He loves his big sister so much and is always asking for her and wanting to be with her.  He loves to jump on the trampoline with Graysen and McKenna and is actually really good at bouncing on it.  While the older kids are at school he has a hard time because he misses his buddies.  Needless to say it is a lot of following me around and saying "mom! Mom!"  I love it though, and it is nice to be able to just spend some time with him.

I was so looking forward to having him go into nursery...now if only I could transfer that excitement to him, we would be Golden.  He really doesn't like to be away from Travis or I so it makes it really hard to go anywhere or do anything.  Hopefully one day soon he will snap out of it.  I guess I should just enjoy him wanting me while I can right.

He is such a happy boy though and is so loving.  He loves to give hugs and kisses to everyone to the point where little kids cry because he keeps hugging them and they don't want him too. I guess it is better than biting or hitting right?  He is so cute though, he loves blowing kisses and saying bye to everyone.
Whenever I am on the phone he comes over to me and starts saying hi and won't stop until I let him say hi to whoever I am talking to.  Hi is probably his favorite word.  In the car sometimes he will just start yelling "mom" and I say what and he just says "hi" and waves.
I just love this little boy so much and am so happy he is in our family.  He keeps me on my toes and sometimes is too crazy for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The big 5

Graysen has turned 5 years old and I am still in denial I think.  He should only be a little baby still and not going into Kindergarten this year.
He is such a smart, happy, funny, sweet, honest, spiritual and easy going kid. He has brought us so much joy and happiness over these last 5 years and we are so happy he is part of our family.  He is such a good brother to Easton and McKenna and just loves spending time with them.

Graysen loves to play with blocks and legos and he is really into ninjas, in fact, that is what he wants to be when he grows up. He likes to read books and play games and sing songs, especially in primary.  He likes to go camping and play outside, he pretty much likes anything.  His favorite changes depending on the day, but he is a pretty good eater and doesn't have too many things he doesn't like. His favorite color is red, and he really likes ninja turtles, so naturally that is what we did his party theme around.

When he woke up we had it all decorated for him and I made him raspberry muffins and eggs per his request.  He was so happy to see all the presents.  We let him open the ones from us and we got him ninja turtle action figures, dart guns and Ninjago Legos which he loved.

Grandma and Grandpa Marshall sent him money which he was so excited about so he could go pick out what he wanted.
Grandma and Grandpa Allen and Tyler and Melanie came down and we all went to Get Air.  He invited his friends Kaeden, Landin, Lincoln, and Ronin.  He had a blast with them and I know that he felt so special and cool with all his friends.

We went back to our house after Get Air and had a ninja turtle cake and ice cream.

 Graysen opened his presents and he got a lot of really cool things from his friends.

We headed out to do a pinata after that which was so fun for the kids.  They loved getting all the candy.

After everyone left, Graysen opened his present from Grandma and Grandpa Allen which was an awesome Ninja suit.  He was so happy about it that he had to go put it on.  He showed us some cool Ninja moves, and then we went and got dinner.

It was a really fun day and I hope Graysen enjoyed it.  It was fun to see his eyes light up when he was doing something with his friends and opening presents and just enjoying it being all about him.
He is such an amazing boy and I am so thankful for him.  He truly is a blessing and I am lucky to be his mom.

What Heaven Sees in You

McKenna made us so very pleased in making the decision to be baptized as a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I can't believe my little girl is now a little lady and has made such a huge decision in her life.
It was such a wonderful day and the spirit was so strong there. She looked so beautiful in her little white dress and her countenance was just radiating the love of God.  She has been waiting for this day for a long time.

The amount of people that came to support her was overwhelming.  So many people from the ward were there and my parents came all the way from Nauvoo to be here and Travis parents and brother and sister in law came down from North Plains.  It was so wonderful to have everyone there with her.

We  sang When I am baptized and then my mom gave a talk about baptism.  McKenna was then baptized by Travis.  When Travis was saying the prayer he got really emotional and it just melted my heart even more.  Our baby girl has reached another big milestone in her life.

 After the baptism McKenna got all dressed and ready and then came out and my dad and I sang "What heaven sees in you." I am so glad I made it through without crying.  My dad sang this to me at our wedding and then I have been singing it to McKenna since she was a baby, so it holds a special place in our hearts.  Grandma Allen then gave a talk about the holy ghost and Grandpa Allen gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was such a special thing to watch her receive that amazing gift that will help her throughout the rest of her life giving her guidance, comfort, warnings, testifying, and so much more.
The bishop said some closing remarks and then we sang "Baptism" for the close.  It was such a wonderful day and I am so pleased with McKenna, she is my sweet little girl.

After the baptism we went back to our house and had a nice dinner and cookies for dessert and just chatted with each other. It was a very momentous occasion, and I hope she remembers it and the way she felt forever!

It's great to be 8

My little girl turned 8 and I am not going to lie it hurt my heart a little bit.  I can't believe how grown up she is, not to mention that I don't feel old enough to have a child that age.  I love the fact that she is growing into a young lady, but it is also sad that she is getting older and not staying my little girl.
She is the best daughter I could have asked for. She is so loving and kind and is always willing to help me with anything that I need.  She loves her brothers so much and is so caring to them and plays with them and is so sweet.  My heart melts to see her with her brothers protecting them and loving them and watching out for them.  She is the best big sister ever.

She is doing gymnastics right now and is loving it and is getting so good at it.  She loves to dance and sing and ride her bike and swim.  She loves to read and her book of choice in anything about animals, in particular cheetahs.
She LOVES animals, she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up and wants to work with wild animals.  Naturally she wanted to have a Cheetah party so that's what we did.
On her actual birthday it was a Sunday so I made her cinnamon rolls and we went to church and then made her chocolate chip pancakes for dinner and we had her open some presents.  We gave her a journal some earrings and a karaoke machine because she really likes to sing with microphones, I mean what girl doesn't right :)  She also got some money and a cute outfit from grandma and grandpa Marshall and she is so excited to be able to go to the store and pick out something that she wants.

The following Saturday she had a little party with her friends and grandma and grandpa Allen and Tyler and Melanie came down with their kids too.  We went to get air for an hour and then came back to our house for cake and ice cream, presents and a pinata.  She had to have a cheetah cake, but it was soo good!  I could've eaten the whole thing by myself...lol.
She got a lot of fun things from her friends and it was so fun to see her interact with all of them and have fun.

The pinata was of course a bit hit with everyone and it was funny to see them try to hit it and then scramble around to get all the candy when it broke.
I am so glad we could give her the birthday she wanted and I hope that she had a good time.
She has made the decision to be baptized and I am so proud of her and can't wait until we get to share that special day with her.  I am sure will be a mess.
We love her more than words can express and I am so blessed to be able to be her mother and get to raise her and have all this time with her.  I love making memories with her and I love the beautiful little lady she has become.

Memorial Day

We had a great Memorial day with Grandma and Grandpa Allen.  We all headed down to Silver Falls to have a picnic and see the falls. We went Memorial weekend a few years ago but Travis wasn't with us so it was nice to have him here with us this time.
For lunch we BBQ'd some hot dogs and had lots of yummy sides to go with it.  It was pretty busy, but we got a nice table in the shade so it worked out really well.

The kids had fun playing on the grass and on the play structure and in the water of course. It was nice just hanging out for a while before we did the hike.

We just did the loop which wasn't long at all and the kids did really well and enjoyed it.  The kids played in all the cave areas and had fun climbing over and through everything.

I always love admiring God's beautiful creations.  It is nice we can enjoy such wonderful sights.

My calf's  were burning by the time we came back up the trail, but at least I got a little workout. The kids, especially Graysen, were so tired of climbing up the hill that they were ready to quit, but they kept on going. They were troopers.

It was a lot of fun and we are so glad we go to spend the day with family and to remember those who fought so hard to defend our country and who sacrificed so much so we could have the freedoms we enjoy today.  Being in nature has a way of helping you to be grateful for this beautiful land that we live in, all that God has given to us, and for those who give their lives in service to it.

sand and seashells

It is not very often that we have worthy beach weather in Oregon in March, but it happened and so we took advantage of it.  For spring break the kids and I went to Lincoln city with some of our good friends for the day and it was so much fun.

Traffic getting down there was horrendous, and parking was hard to come by, but it was worth a little havoc to experience such a beautiful day. 

I have never been to the particular beach we went to, but it was really nice.  We could see sea lions sun bathing across the way on what appeared to be a little island, and they would go in for a swim and come pretty close to the shore we were on so we got really good looks at them.  The kids thought it was pretty cool.

When we took a walk along the water, there were so many good sea shells everywhere!  The kids were in heaven picking out all the shells that were actually whole and putting them in their buckets.  I had fun helping them pick out some good ones too.  

Easton loved the sand and of course got it everywhere and in every crevasse.  He always had his hands in his mouth, so he was constantly getting a mouth full of sand which he wasn't too happy about if it happened to be a lot.

The kids had fun with their friends, they played in the sand, flew kites, buried each other in the sand and just had fun running around and enjoying the sunshine.  They also liked to watch people crabbing; they would throw out there traps and drag them back in and the kids loved seeing if they caught anything. Sometime we will have to go crabbing.

I love being relatively close to the beach so that we can go when it's nice and have fun and make many memories together.  The only thing that would have made it better is if Travis was able to come with us.

Easton is 1

The first year of Easton's life has flown by, I have to admit I wasn't ready for him to grow up.  He is the sweetest little boy, and we are so blessed to have him in our family.  We love him so much, he brings so much joy to our lives.

Anyone who meets this little guy sees that he is very charming.  He looks at you and smiles and you just melt and can't help but be happy because he is.  He is just so cute and is always saying hi to everyone he sees and smiles at them and waves when they leave.  He is going to be trouble for the girls when he grows up.
He is walking really good now, it is fun to see him toddling all over the place.  He keeps both of his hands up as he walks, I love it!  He says lots of words, mum, dada, uh oh, this, hi, bye,yes and he can quack like a duck and say ruff like a dog.  It is so sweet to hear him talk.

No surprise here, but he absolutely loves food. He is always wanting to eat and eat a lot.  The first thing he does after he has his milk in the morning is point to the cupboard where the cheerios are kept and wants me to get them out for him.  As soon as sees the box, his eyes light up and he gets a huge grin on his face and can't wait to have some. He is so funny.
For his big day we decorated the house and got everything ready and then grandma and Grandpa Allen came over and Aunt Mel and Uncle Tyler with the twins.  It was fun to have family over to celebrate his special day with us.
We had pizza which Easton downed, and then they played while we cleaned up.

 We played a little game of Monster bash (just punching out holes to get a prize) and had fun with that.

Easton opened presents which he actually didn't care for the opening part, but loved the things inside.  He got a neat race car track and cars from grandma and grandpa Allen along with some fun Sandra Boynton books, a Zebra and a gift card from the Harris family, shoes and a toy from mom and dad, and lots of adorable clothes from grandma and grandpa Marshall. He was excited to get into everything.

We had monster cupcakes and ice cream for dessert.  It was fun seeing him get into the cupcake and shove his face full.  He did a good job eating it.  The kids thought it was so funny to watch him eat it and get all messy.  We had to hose him off which he didn't mind because he loves baths!

He was pooped from all the partying so he went down for a nap and slept until everybody left.  It was a fun day, and we love this little guy so much!  It was fun to have a reason to celebrate.