Very Valentines

I love Valentines Day.  I like an extra reason for a little romance.  And I love my husband.  So Valentines Day is always fun.  This year I decided to do something special for the kids.

Because these cuties are totally worth it.

Painting hearts for crafts.  Megan and Adam especially loved doing this.

I even helped Hannah paint dots on a heart for her. Megan took this picture.

For some reason this picture wouldn't turn the right direction.  This craft failed, but it was so cute on pinterest.  You tape a big heart onto a piece of paper and then scribble all around it and then remove the heart.  My kids didn't seem to get it and tired of scribbling quickly.  If you squint you can kind of see the heart shape.

Megan shows off her bag she made in preschool and the little Valentines they exchanged.

I had the three youngest make a hand bouquet for Will.  It was really hard to get Hannah to open her hand after getting paint on it.  But it turned out cute.

I decorated our kitchen table, which I never do.  The plates, silverware, rose petals, and tablecloth all came from the dollar store.  So I didn't feel guilty just scooping the whole thing up afterwards and throwing it away.

And a kid friendly dinner.  Cutting peppers into heart shapes was harder than I expected but I think the kids liked the meal.

Then we made "blizzards" for dessert.  I bought a bunch of mix ins for the ice cream.  It was super delicious.  I also bought each kid a Valentines stuffed animal.

And bonus picture - I tried to get Hannah to sit up by herself for the first time.  Obviously, she wasn't thrilled with the experience.

Hannah Pictures

It is hard to believe that our little girl is already almost seven weeks old.  Time really does fly.  Here are some random pictures of our super cute little girl.

It has taken a long time for Hannah to warm up to her binky.  She still isn't always thrilled with it.

Looking a little serious.

Will's parents came for a very quick visit to see us.  They are getting ready to serve a mission so we were excited they could meet the baby before they left.  Hannah is looking pretty intently at Grandma Keeler.

A woman from our ward gave us this little chair.  It has been perfect right by our bed so we can put Hannah in it after she eats during the night.

This shirt is funny.  It says "I brighten mommy's day and totally ruin her nights."  We got lucky and Hannah is a pretty good sleeper.  So my nights are not totally ruined.

Hannah just looking cute and chill.

I love babies in overalls.  She had a big blow out soon after this picture and didn't get to keep on the outfit.  So I guess Hannah does not like overalls as much as I do.

This is Hannah during her first tummy time.  She is lucky and gets to be on carpet; poor Adam had to learn on tile.  Hannah actually didn't mind being on her tummy for the first five minutes.

A bunch of people made shirts for Hannah while we were in the hospital.  This shirt was designed by Rachel.  I love the big H for Hannah on the shirt.

This blanket came from Will's mom.  It has gotten several compliments from people.  Thanks for the cute blanket.  And Hannah is even sort of smiling.  It only took like ten pictures to get this one.

And what could be better or cuter than a sleeping baby? 

So Hannah is healthy and growing.  I am excited to see how big she has gotten at her next doctor's appointment.  We love our sweet girl.

A Wedding

I hope Kaitlin doesn't mind getting a few wedding pictures on our blog.  My sister, Kaitlin, and her new husband, Josiah, were married on January 2nd.  My kids were very excited about being part of a wedding.

You can't have a wedding without a bridal shower.  Kylee did a great job planning a fun shower.  I was glad that I could make it to the shower just a couple of days after having Hannah.

And the infamous bubble gum answer questions game.  That one is always good for some laughs.

My mom made this beautiful t-shirt quilt using Kaitlin's and Josiah's old shirts.  I thought that was pretty awesome. 

They looked so beautiful coming right out of the temple.  We took several pictures and then all the families with little kids left because it was freezing.

Here we are at the wedding reception.  Hay seemed to be the decoration of the night.

Hannah was so adorable in her little dress (and big fluffy coat to stay warm).

They had a father - daughter dance.  I only got a little teary with this one.  I blame all the just had a baby hormones.  My little girls can obviously not grow up and get married and move away.

The cake was really adorable.  They had a glass temple on top.

I love our family.  It is hard to believe how much we have grown in the last 10 1/2 years since we were married.  It was great being back in the temple where we were sealed.

Happy Wedding Kaitlin and Josiah!

Rachel's Birthday

I am so behind on the blogs.  I blame having a baby and then moving and being without the Internet for a few days.  So let us back up about a month and get to Rachel's birthday.

Here is my beautiful girl - all excited to be six!

So I was very, very pregnant for Rachel's birthday.  I did not have the energy to plan a big party at our house.  But McDonald's saved the day.  We invited several of Rachel's friends and got happy meals for everyone.

After eating the kids all played for a long time.

And more playing.  I liked the free entertainment for all the kids.

Then everyone got to decorate a cupcake.

Apparently Rachel really likes Sour Patch Kids.  We also had MnMs and sprinkles and other goodies.

Then Rachel opened her presents and we called it a night. 

I loved, loved this party.  It took very little effort and was cheaper than most of our other birthday parties.  And Rachel had fun with her friends.  So Happy Birthday Rachel! 

First Snow

So a couple of weeks ago we got our first snow in Hermiston.  I am hoping it is also the last snow, but we will see.  We got about three inches - a perfect amount for my kids.

The only thing I like about the snow is how beautiful it is.  It did make the trees out back look nice.

The kids all dressed up in winter gear.  Adam was so excited to be included and get to wear a hat and gloves like the big girls.

Whitney donates her hat to her snowman.

And a baby snowman with a carrot nose.

Adam tried really hard to help.  He wasn't strong enough to push the big snowball though.

And you have to eat the first snow before it gets all stepped on and gross.

I really really love this picture.  Adam loves this toy car and would sit in it for hours over the summer.  So he was really excited to sit there again.  And really sad when it got too dark and he had to get out.

Then we kept with tradition and had hot chocolate after taking off wet things and putting on pajamas.  There is something so wonderful about drinking hot chocolate in your pajamas.

Happy First Snow of the Winter!