Rory's First day of Pre-School!

Today was Rory's first day of Pre-School.  She missed the cut off for Kindergarten by a month or so, so we decided she should go to pre-school this year.  She was REALLY excited about school and totally loves her teacher and class mates!

Rory's 5 year stats

Rory weighs 32 pounds and was 41 1/2 inches tall!

Happy Birthday Rory!

Rory today you are 5!  I can't believe how fast these five years have gone.  Not so long ago you were a tiny little baby, with floppy ears, and the cutest dimpled chin.  Now you are a big girl who likes to keep us all on our toes.  

Right now I love how much you care about your brother and sisters.  I love that you copy everything Cadence does, much to her irritation.  I love that you let Beckah beat you when you play games so she won't cry.  I love that you are always trying to help Owen do things he probably shouldn't be doing.  

I love that you make up silly songs all the time and love to dance to any and all music.  I love that you are loving gymnastics.  That you are good at it.  That it is your "thing."  I love that you want to be a polar bear veterinarian AND a pop star when you grow up.  If anyone can do it all you can babe!  

I love your little voice and your little pixie face.  You still have those floppy ears and that adorable chin.  I love your beautiful brown eyes that are shaped just like your Daddy's eyes.  I love your crazy long hair.  

I love that you are excited to go to school and be a big girl.  I love that you aren't afraid to do new things.  

I just love you.  Everything about you.  

Happy Birthday Rory!

Rory's Birthday Party!

Rory had an awesome Birthday!  She always asks for the craziest stuff for her party.  This year it was a polar bear cake.  Polar bears are her favorite thing right now.  I'm glad that she told me a month before her party that she wanted the polar bear because finding something to copy wasn't easy.  Not that many polar bear cakes out there that were cute.  But I finally found one!  I thought it would be harder than it was.  Pretty much I cooked the cake in a Pyrex bowl to make the head and used a few cupcakes to make the nose and paws.  Then all I had to do was dirty ice it and put on the fondant.  I did build up parts of it with frosting to be just the right shape I wanted.  Rory was super happy with how it turned out!

We had lots of snack type foods, our sprinklers set up in the yard since it was hot out, and of course a pinata.  Rory loves a pinata. LOL

We had such a great time with everyone who came to celebrate with us!  

He walks!

He has been walking for a week or so now, but the last few days he has ONLY walked.  No crawling anymore.  I'm sad because it means the baby days are over.  I'm happy because, well, HE'S WALKING! And it's so freaking cute!

First Day of 2nd Grade!

Where is the time going??  I have a 2nd grader!!  What??????

I totally forgot to take these in front of our house (our grass is actually green lol) but I remembered to take them before she got to school!  

After we started to walk back home Beckah started to cry saying we had to go back and get Cadence because she missed her to much.  I have a feeling it's going to be tough when Rory goes to preschool in a couple weeks.  

I'm so proud of Cadence!  She is growing up to be such a wonderful young woman and I am so thankful that the Lord sent her to our home.  I look forward to seeing how she will learn and grow this year!  

Owen's One Year Stats

Owen had his one year check up today! He is 22.5 pounds and 31 inches. That puts him at about 45% for weight and 75% for height. He isn't using words for specific things yet so they want to see him back at 15 months.  I'm not worried and honestly the Doctor wasn't either, just checking a box on the developmental guideline chart.  

Other than that he is a healthy little boy who is very close to walking!  

Update on Beckah's Chin

 Here is the before picture of Beckah's split chin:

July 10th, 2013 at Legoland

And here it is today almost three weeks later!

July 29th, 2013 at home in NE

We were able to keep the steri-strip on for 5 days before it fell off on it's own.  We kept it covered with a band aid for another 5 days. At that point her chin was looking very good and there wasn't a scab for her to pick at so we decided to leave the band aid off.  She was starting to get a rash from the adhesive which was bothering her.

She still hasn't touched it or messed with it and often asks us what happened to her chin. I have showed her pictures and she will say, "Oh on!  That hurts me?" LOL she is such a funny girl.

Our July Trip!

We took a family trip back to Las Vegas to visit our family at the beginning of July!  It was very fun.  One of the best parts was getting to see Brady's oldest brother, Colin, and his family.  The are Army and we haven't seen them in three years!  They had never met Beckah or Owen in person.  It was so wonderful to see them and play with cousin's Saylor and Paisley.  They have grown so much!  

Brady had to fly home after the first week, which was sad.  The second week the kids and I got to spend the week in California with my parents, most of my siblings and niece and nephews. We spent some time on the beach and went to Lego Land, the San Diego Zoo, and Sea World!  

Sunset on the beach in San Clemente

We went to Legoland first.  Shortly before we entered the parking lot to Legoland, Beckah threw up all over the place.  We ended up having to take her car-seat apart and clean the cushions in the bathroom of the park.  We also had to buy her a new shirt and borrow some extra shorts my sister-in-law, Megan, had for her son, Liam. I'm so glad she had them with her! Not the best way to start the day.

When we got into Legoland we went through their aquarium first.  It was pretty nice and the multiple touch tanks were definitely a hit with the kids! 

While eating lunch Beckah managed to tip her chair over and hit her chin on the T bar of the stool behind her.  At first we thought she was fine.  It happened really quickly and no one really noticed that she had actually hit something on her way down.  I noticed she was bleeding a few moments after sitting her back up though and thanks to quick action by my parents and sister we had ice and towels in quick order and off I took her to the first aid building in the park.  The medical personnel were wonderful at Legoland.  I didn't really get a good look at her chin until we to the first aid building and I was shocked at how deep the cut was.  They offered to refer us to the hospital to get her stitches (which would have really complicated things with the my other kids since we just got to the park and coming back another day wasn't going to happen) or they could steri-strip it for us right there and we could stay at the park.  The medic told me that either way she was going to have a scar, but that if we could keep her hands off of the steri-strip and keep it dry for at least three days it would heal very nicely.  We chose the steri-strip, mostly because Beckah was so calm at the first aid building and getting it placed there was less likely to upset her.  She held perfectly still for him to clean and sterilize the area, apply the glue and place the strip.  Then they covered everything with a big butterfly band aid.  The medic said Beckah was the best patient he has had in a long time. He sent us off with a goody bag of first aid supplies and a dose of Motrin in case Beckah started to hurt.  

Ouch! 

There were lots of rides at Legoland and tons of awesome stuff built out of real Lego's!  Cadence was having the time of her life on all the roller coasters.  She's a girl after my own heart that one.  Rory was scared, but grandma convinced her to try small coaster and she was hooked after that!  Beckah went on every ride she was big enough to ride.  Watching her stick her hands in the air on the little train and squeal was so fun!  Even Owen got to ride a few things.

Cool Lego Spider that was easily as big as a Smart Car. 

Beckah did so good letting me change band aids and never once played with her chin.  The next day was Owen's first birthday and we spent the day at the San Diego Zoo!  We got lost in the Lost Forest and never did see the Gorilla's.  We saw quiet a few amazing animals, but the highlight for my kids was the Polar Bear.  It's Rory's favorite animal and it was all they would talk about most of the day.  They got their faces painted and we celebrated Owen's birthday with some ice cream!

Beckah the Butterfly

Birthday Boy!!

Cadence the Cat

Birthday Ice Cream!!

Rory the Tiger

I think we wore them out...

The third park was Sea World.  It was really packed at Sea World and we didn't get to see as many shows there as we would have liked.  We did see the Shamu Show and we got to watch the dolphins in their tank while they played with toys and had some interactions with people.  We also touched sting rays and saw beluga whales and more polar bears!  Cadence and I got to ride the big roller coaster in the park a couple of times and the younger kids loved the Sesame Street play area! 

Hanging with Grandpa waiting for Shamu to start!

All in all it was a really fun day.  It was nice to just spend the day at the beach on Saturday though.  It was a super fun week in California, but I was glad to head back to Vegas. 

On the way back to Las Vegas we blew a tire on the van.  It the radial part of the tire tread just peeled off like an orange. The rest of the tire stayed inflated. It was super weird and shook me up pretty good.  Thanks to my parents and a good manual we were able to get the spare on the van and made it to Baker where we were able to get a new tire.  The inside of the wheel well was duck taped back in place and the only thing with issues was my left turn signal in the front wasn't working.  Back in Vegas we had a mechanic look at it and it was a surprisingly simple fix.  Considering how much damage could have been done we were very lucky.  He fixed things up and secured things very well for us so we could drive home to Omaha safely.  My van has some cosmetic damage but other than that it's good as new. 

Brady's mom, Suzi, was kind enough to make the long drive back with me and the kids.  She stayed for a few days after we got back too which was wonderful!  

We had a great adventure but it was so nice to get home to Brady and our own beds!

Owen is ONE!!

Then: 

Now:

Dear Owen, 

Honestly I never thought I would have a son.  After three girls I figured that you would be a girl too.  I was shocked when they told me you were a boy.  I honestly didn't really believe it until they put you in my arms after you were born.  

I'm so happy the Lord chose to send you to our home.  I am so thankful to have the chance to mother both girls and a boy.  This year has been such a joy.  You are such a joy.  I can't believe that you are already a year old!  It has gone by much too fast.  

We love you so much my dear boy!  I love your darling grin.  I love how much you adore your daddy.  And your sisters.  I love your little nod when you when someone says "hi" to you.  I love that you growl and roar.  I love your crazy bed hair.  I love that you cuddle with me so much.  I love that you and Beckah get into trouble together.  I love that you are starting to stand up for what you want, even if it means you throw a bit of a fit.  I love your nonsensical chatter.  You talk as much as the girls do and I am confident you will be able to hold your own with them.  

I can see a bit of the boy and young man you will become one day in your sneaky little smiles and full bellied laughs. I look forward to watching you grow.  Feel free to take your time doing that though, okay?  

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!  Here is to many, many more!

Love, 

Mom

Nine Things I Love

Nine years ago today, Brady and I were sealed for time and eternity in the Las Vegas, Nevada Temple.  It's one of the five best days of my life.  I still remember how nervous and excited I was that day.  How happy I was to call Brady mine, forever.  Nine wonderful years have passed and I am more in love with him than ever. To celebrate I came up with nine things I love about Brady to share with you all.  

1. Brady I love how intelligent you are and that you never make me feel dumb.  I know that accumulating information, storing it away in that amazing brain of yours, and putting it all together in ways that sometimes confuse me comes naturally to you.  What I love the most is that you willingly share your knowledge without making others feel like they are less intelligent than you.  I'm not as smart as you are and probably never will be, but I know that I can always count on you to help me fill in the gaps.  

2. I love how much you love our children.  It melts my heart watching you care for them, tease them, comfort them, and teach them.  You are at your most attractive to me when you are fathering our children and I am so thankful for a husband who shares the burden of raising our children. 

3. I love you for providing for us.  You work hard and have had to make many sacrifices for our family.  I know it isn't always easy, or even fun, but I love you so much for making it possible for me to be home with our children.  

4. I love your sense of humor.  I love that you can always make me laugh. 

5. I love that you are kind and forgiving.

6. I love that you are worthy of the Priesthood and preside over our home with love.  I love that you are worthy to exercise your Priesthood when we need it, and to use it help others around us as well.  I love that you care about keeping our covenants with the Lord and keep the commandments.  We have lots of room to do better, but I love that you are always willing to help us achieve our spiritual goals and don't see dedication to our Heavenly Father and following his teachings as a burden.  

7. I love that you still find me attractive and tell me so often.  Nine years, four children, and my deep love of food haven't been as kind to my body as I would like but you tell me often how beautiful I am anyway.  Thank you so much for seeing what I often can't see in myself.  

8. I love that you enjoy spending time with your family and that we are a priority to you. 

And

9.  I love that you are a nerd.  I love it so much.  I love that you share that nerdy-ness with me and our children.  

Happy Anniversary Brady!  I love you so much and I hope that we have many more wonderful years a head of us!  

Summer is here...

Oh summer.  How I love you and yet how I hate you.

Somehow, despite my best intentions, we always fall completely off the routine band wagon when summer vacation comes around.  The kids seem to think that summer means a crazy free-for-all with no rules.  Specifically no bed time.

Yeah. No.

I'm trying to let them have some fun.  They can stay up a half hour later some nights.  They can play outside in the little pool and on the trampoline as much as they want.  We can go to the zoo every Friday if they want.  And they do want.

We are only a couple weeks in and they are cranky, tired, belligerent, and generally big old pains in my neck.

So I cracked down on our routine again this week.  They are still tired and the constant rain and thunder storms aren't helping our cabin fever.  We do have a deal that we can go to the zoo once a week if they do their chores and behave like the nice little kids I know they can be.  I look forward to it actually as it gets us out of the house to do something interesting.  I also revamped our chore charts:

I always have a "big" chore for each day.  Each big chore gets done weekly so things never get really bad.  The idea is that we then don't ever have to do major weekend cleaning projects (for the most part).  There are still other things that need to get done (yard work for example) but so far this has been working for me.  The kids...well they try.  They have a really hard time waking up and doing the routine lately.  I usually let them sleep until 8ish.  Owen wakes me up at around 6:40am every day so I can usually get in a workout, dishes, and breakfast started before they get up in the morning.  Then I have to prod them through their routine in the morning.  You know, the basic stuff.  Get dressed, brush teeth and hair, eat breakfast, start chores.  It's so irritating for me but I think we will get used to it right about the time Cadence goes back to school.  :o)

My iMac is officially not functional.  I haven't been able to edit pictures in months.  It's a bit depressing for me.  Brady downloaded Gimp on his computer for me to mess with.  It's slow going but similar to Photoshop so I am thinking I might be able to edit on his computer for a while until we can afford to replace mine.  I won't be able to get another Mac nor will we be able to afford to replace my adobe Photoshop software.  I'm very saddened by this.  I really miss being able to work things like I used to.  I am irritated at having to learn a new program.  I won't lie.  There are some afternoons that I cry.  I haven't taken new pictures in over a month. I use my iPhone for random pictures of the kids.  I know I need to move on.  I know that in the end it will be fine and Gimp will work just fine for what I enjoy doing.  This is one of the times that I am irritated by being poor.  

So I'm sorry there aren't any new pictures in this post.  I have so much work to do, including pictures from back in December for my family.  I plan on starting there and working forward so look for those posts to come soon.  I'm hoping by summer's end I will be caught up again and proficient enough in Gimp to feel more like my normal self again.  

Happy Summer!

Rory's pictures from Gymnastics!

Rory's pictures from her gymnastics class this year.  

She loves all her friends and her teacher, Miss Erin.  The little girl next to Rory in the white is also named Rory!

We are so proud of her and all that she has learned the last few months!

Rory's Gymnastics

Rory has been taking Gymnastics at the Youth Center for a few months.  She LOVES it and will be moving up to the next level in the fall.  She is really fearless when it comes to trying new things.  She can even do a forward roll on the low beam (don't have video of that as they didn't do the beam for parent observation today).  Most kids her age have to be pulled around the bars and need several jumps on the trampoline to get on the vault.  

Owen is growing up!

Owen has recently learned to crawl.  It's wonderful and terrible at the same time.  I love that he is enjoying being mobile and following his sister's around everywhere.  I am hating that I have to vacuum every day (sometimes twice), hating paper (he always finds some...always), and hating that he is growing up so fast.  Thankfully he is still a big cuddle bug!  

He already puts up with a lot of dumb girl stuff. Poor guy. I'm just grateful that his sisters love in him so much.

I am also thankful that he loves his daddy!  He is perfectly content to sit, sleep, and play with daddy and it melts my heart to watch the two of them together.  The girls were such mommy's girls up until they were about a year and it is so nice to have a baby that will be happy with daddy.  

I have a feeling this will be a theme in his life.  Sorry buddy. 

I seriously love this boy and I am so glad that he surprised our family.  I can't imagine things without him. 

Beckah's 2!

It's hard to believe that my baby girl is two!  It's been a crazy couple of years but I am so glad that she is a part of our family!  She is so spunky, funny and full of life.  She brings so much laughter to our home.  I love that she still loves to cuddle with me and that she is huge daddy's girl.  I love that she is our best sleeper and has always been our easiest to put down for bed.  

She LOVES all her little friends cars so we decided to get her one of her very own.  She is very territorial about it too.  If Rory or Owen look at Beckah's car she gets cross with them.  Cadence gets off scott free for looking.  I think it's because Beckah knows Cadence can't fit in her car.  :o)

Grandma Suzi sent her some dress up clothes in her size!  She LOVES her "Brave" dress and wore it for two days straight. 

She also got some new clothes, a doctor kit and her very own LaLa Loopsy doll from Grandma Viv.  

She was also very sure she wanted a Rainbow cake.  It wasn't hard to make, just time consuming since I only have one 8 inch cake pan.  :o)  It was very yummy though!

Beckah I love you so very much!  You have always been so much fun and I love your budding vocabulary and crazy laugh!  I love that you think you can do everything your sister's do! I love hearing you say that you "lub" me and your big fish-lipped kisses!  Happy Birthday baby girl!

Cadence's Piano Lessons

Cadence is taking piano lessons.  We gave her the option of picking what instrument she wanted to play and picked piano so she could play like her Grandma Vivian.  :o)  She is doing exceptionally well.  She started lessons in October and has been flying through her first set of books.  I am very impressed with how willing she is to practice and how easily things come to her.  She loves her teacher and is looking forward to performing in the recital that is coming up soon. 

Cadence's 7 year stats

Cadence had her well check today!  She is growing as always.  She is 54 pounds and 4 feet 3 inches tall.  Another 13 inches and she will be as tall as I am.  She aced her vision test which was great news to me.  Brady and I both started having vision trouble about her age.

Cadence has been complaining about her eyes feeling funny and the room spinning a couple times a day.  I thought it was related to the recent cold/cough we all had but even though Cadence has been feeling good for a couple of weeks now she still has this dizziness going on daily.  The doctor told us that her adenoids were very swollen and she has a lot of fluid trapped in her tubes/ears.  Cadence couldn't get the to "pop" when the doctor had her plug her nose and blow.  He is going to have her take some Zyrtec every day for a while to see if that will clear it up.  He is sure once we get her ears clear she won't have the dizzy spells anymore he also thinks her adenoids are swollen in relation to her ears and all the fluid/nasal drainage.  We will go back in a month to make sure it is getting better.  I hope this takes care of the problem for her!

Other than that she is perfectly healthy and above average!

Life is Hard

Two years ago we adopted a kitten from a friend.  He was friendly, playful, and cute as could be.  The kids named him Rockstar.  As he grew he constantly used his claws for everything.  The kids started to avoid him as he would always leave scratch marks in his wake. He also loved to chew on anything rubber or soft.  Computer/charger cords, the kids toys, and any number of things were chewed through before this cat turned one.  

He was turning into a total pain in the butt.  He would cuddle up with you all but begging to be petted only to turn around and bite you for no reason.  He bit Brady badly on the hand when trying to escape the house. It quickly became infected and Brady had to make an ER visit that ended with a nasty antibiotic shot followed by days of a very strong oral antibiotic.  Brady was less than happy.  

We pressed on with Rockstar.  Figured he would mellow with age.  He was difficult, but he was our cat.  To keep him from "playing" (read attacking the kids trying to get them to play) we adopted a second kitten who we named Bullseye.  Bullseye is everything Rockstar is not.  Sweet, cuddly, sociable, excellent with children.  The cats took to each other like we had hoped and would play hard, leaving the kids alone.  We thought things would be just fine.  

Then we went on vacation over Christmas.  We found a nice place for the cats to stay that would allow them to roam free as long as they were nice to the other cats.  When we got back things seemed fine. Then Rockstar started picking on the kids again, specifically Beckah.  Not cool.  He would try and take her food, would constantly follow her around and when she would try to get away from him would try and swipe at her.  I started keeping him shut up in the bathroom when the kids would play or eat.  It helped keep the cat away, but didn't help his attitude.  

I was growing more frustrated by the day. I had started looking into re-homing options but because of his difficult personality no one was interested.  Then, on Cadence's 7th birthday Rockstar followed Beckah upstairs and while she was laying on the floor by our bedroom door he bit her hand.  She started screaming right away.  It was a deep bite.  By the afternoon it was swollen, red and hot to the touch.  Infected. Brady took her to the ER to have it treated.  It is healing nicely and probably won't even scar.  

I redoubled my efforts that very day to find the cat a new home.  A barn maybe, where he could hunt and be a pain to his hearts content, far from any little kids.  No luck.  The no kill shelters were full and one of the volunteers said that even if they had room they would have better luck finding a home for a dying cat than one that bites.  

My heart was hurting.  It still is.  I finally called the Humane Society today.  I know that there is a very good chance Rockstar will be put down.  I know this because he tries to bite nice people who come to our house. He is aggressive towards our vet.  We have to warn everyone that comes over not to touch him or they will most likely get a cat bite.  If I watch other peoples kids I usually have to lock him up.  I just won't chance it. 

I explained all this to the very nice lady on the phone.  I asked her what his chances were.  She, kindly, explained that they would give him time to warm up to several of their cat people.  That they understand that he will be upset and confused at first and that he will need to time to demonstrate if he will be adoptable or not.  She told me that there are good people working with the animals who want them to do well so they can be adopted out.  She assured me that if he was approved for adoption that it would be in his file that he was not to be placed with children.  

She also told me that if he proved to be mean and nasty and not adoptable that he wouldn't be alone with he was put down.  It hurts to think that it is a possibility but I am also very rational.  I know that he can't be allowed to run free biting anyone he wants.

It's harder than I thought it would be to let him go. 

But I know if we keep him the biting will happen again.  That is not something I want to happen.  So on Thursday we will be surrendering our handsome cat to the Humane Society.  I'm praying that he adapts quickly and will be able to be adopted to some nice person who doesn't mind a handful of a cat.  

I know I will feel relieved once he is gone and don't have to keep an eye on him at all times.  I know this needs to happen.  I just can't help but wish that things were different.  

And I really hope that Bullseye adapts well to being the only cat in the house.  I think he will as the kids all love him to bits.  Sigh.  Life is hard. 

Cadence's Birthday Videos and Pictures

Here are pictures of Cadence's Cake and us singing to her!  

We also have some video of her bowling (her activity of choice for her birthday!). 

Cadence is 7!

My oldest baby is 7! Time is going by much to fast.

Cadence wanted to spend her birthday with just family.  When I asked her if she wanted a party she told me that she just wanted to spend the day her family.  She said, "It doesn't matter if you get presents or not, just that you get to spend time with the people you love."  She is such a good kid.

So we spent the day together.  Cadence slept in and then we went bowling.  I made home made strawberry cake with vanilla frosting and it was super yummy.  She did get presents.  She has been asking for her own Minecraft account for a while (it's a computer game Brady plays...like Lego's on steroids on the computer). She also got a Furby and a big remote controlled HexBug from the grandparents.  She had an awesome day, despite Beckah getting bit by the cat and having to go to the ER that afternoon.

My computer is down or I would have new pictures of her for this post.  Once we get it running again I will put new ones up!

Happy Birthday to my Cady girl!  You are wonderful, sweet, responsible, and amazing!  I love how much you love to be with your sisters and brother.  Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter and here is to many more awesome birthdays!

Not having a working computer...

STINKS!  Big time.

It really annoys me that I can't work on pictures lately.  I had hoped to have it fixed by now, but there is always something more pressing to take care of these days.  I hope to have it fixed next pay check though.

Sigh.

Other than that we are doing well. Brady wasn't selected for retraining in December.  We were bummed but figured that God had other plans for us. Then Brady was asked if he wanted to deploy. We talked and decided that we were okay with that so Brady told them yes. There was some back and forth and we were told it was pretty sure that he was going. Then we find out a few days later that they aren't going to send him. Bummer but we started making other plans. Then they said yes he is! Okay, change of plans! Oh, wait actually no he isn't. Sigh. It was crazy there for a bit but it is official now that he isn't going and it's nice to know for sure.  He is planning on going back to school and finishing his degree now.  I'm excited for him to get going on that as I know it is something he really wants to do.

The kids are doing great!  Cadence is excelling at school as per usual.  She has aced all her spelling tests so far this year and all her teachers are impressed with her advanced reading and math skills.  She loves school and really misses it when she has to skip a day.  She is also in Piano lessons and is flying through the beginner books!  She loves her Piano teacher and we are looking into getting a real piano for the house so she doesn't have to keep playing on our cruddy keyboard.

Rory is really blooming at home this year.  She has started taking her role as a big sister very seriously and has been a big help to me around the house.  She was hoping that she would get to go to Kindergarten this coming year, but they moved the age cut off to July so she won't be old enough in time.  We did get her signed up for preschool screening in March and I am hoping that she will qualify and get a spot.  I normally don't do preschool, but Rory is ready for something school related and I think she will benefit from the structure and social interaction. She is also in a little gymnastics program and LOVES it.  She is learning all kinds of things and I am so impressed by what she can do after only a few months in the class!

Beckah is talking like crazy!  She learns new words everyday and is stringing together some pretty complex sentences these days.  She knows her colors and a few letters which is pretty awesome for a kid that isn't even two yet.  She is into everything, follows me everywhere, and wants to help with everything.  It can be exhausting, but then she smiles her silly little smile and I melt.  She is such a fire cracker.

And then there is Owen.  He is so sweet.  He has four teeth now and is almost sitting up on his own.  He loves his family.  He especially loves Brady and Cadence.  There is really nothing sweeter than watching Brady and Owen together.  It just melts my heart every single time.  Owen is having a hard time adjusting to a regular napping and bed time schedule and that is driving me a bit batty, but at the same time I am trying to cherish the last of these baby days.  He is growing up much to fast.

We are gearing up for back to back birthdays here soon, Cadence will be 7 in a couple of weeks and Beckah will be 2 in March.  It's crazy how fast time is flying!

I hope that 2013 is treating you all well!