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!