A Super Special Sunday

There are some moments in a parent's life that are extra special.  I would say that watching your first kid be baptized is one of them. 

I am so grateful to have a husband who has the priesthood and can do such important ordinances. And I am glad that Whitney wanted to be baptized.  Here they are right before beginning the program.

This day was also special because we had Hannah's baby blessing.  She was blessed in the same outfit that I used 31 years ago.  So that was really neat.  She did a good job being quiet during the blessing.

All three together.  Whitney's dress came from Grandma Keeler.  It is really pretty.

After the baptism and confirmation we had cookies and ice cream.  I spent a lot of time making three different kinds of cookies but I think everyone liked them.

Whitney and Jeremy fighting over the Hershey's bar that Whitney got from her talk on the Holy Ghost.  Thanks Kylee!

Here is all the family that came on this special day.  Thank you everyone for coming and for helping out.  We love you.

Whitney is Eight

Eight is an important birthday in the LDS culture.  We have been talking to Whitney about her upcoming baptism and how exciting that will be.  She is getting baptized on Sunday the 25th of this month.  So that will be awesome.  We did not do a friend party but just family things.

Here we are in Pasco.  My kids loved grandma's house.  Whitney was excited about her brownies.

And opening presents is like the best thing ever.  She got some great gifts.

We decided for birthdays we would let the kids pick a restaurant to go to instead of having parties.  I have a feeling we will be visiting McDonald's extra often this year.

Adam loved the ranch dressing so much that he was using it like a cup.

We let the kids get ice cream afterwards.

This time the happy meals were filled with superhero glasses.  Adam refused to wear his; I think it was too scary.

The kids spent a long time playing.  I think Monday night was the time to go because it was pretty empty. 

Happy Birthday Whitney!  I can't believe I have an eight-year-old.

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!