Business Expo

Who knew our little town had enough businesses to have a business expo! But they did. And it was really fun. Catherine got to fence. There were bounce houses, lots of free swag.......like at the county fair. Pencils, toothbrushes, for some strange reason the local medical clinic was giving away monkey's in a barrel, so much fun for the kids. Jacob was at a birthday party so I got to walk around with Cora in her stroller while the kids had the run of the place. I got a neck massage from a local chiropractic office and that was a great treat.

Lexi and Catherine hung out together. They got a picture with the Bulldog.

Aaron spent some time playing video games.

Even Ronald came and did a magic show.......... yes I made Aaron take this picture. When the kids emptied their bags at the end of the day they had quite a haul!

Touch a Truck

Every year the park district puts on an event called Touch a Truck. This year it was nice and cool with a beautiful breeze. Lexi and Jacob had a blast. I've learned this is not a fun place for a child in a stroller, so Cora stayed home, played catch with Grandma and took a nap with Grandpa.










We stopped by the race car first. Only a promised trip for a ice cream from cold stone got Jacob out of the car. Yummy, they were handing out free scoops. He even got to have sprinkles on his ice cream. Jacob has this obsession with a recipe that he has made up. For three months he has been telling me that he has a great recipe idea. "First you take a tomato, then cut off the top, then get out all the seeds, then fill it with sour cream, then put colored sprinkles on top." Yikes....I think I will end up letting him try it, just so I don't have to hear about it a few times a week for eternity. But what if he thinks it is good?!


Then it was on to the Monster Truck. The truck was so tall that Jacob could stand under it.
He loved the motorcycles. He had to sit in the front, back, and sidecar of this one. In a very authoritative manner told Lexi that the sidecar was supposed to be a rocket!



After blowing several air horns, seeing how truck drivers sleep in the back of a truck, and visiting the SWAT vehicle, we called it a day.

Walk at the Forest Preserve

It seems like this was yesterday, but it was about a month a go in early May. The weather has been nice, other than some rain. We went for a walk along the trails at a local forest preserve. Jacob's friends joined us. Here he is with Marissa, Lexi, and Aaron. Cora and Marissa and Aaron's mom came too.
I brought snack for the kids, but they had a better time feeding it to the fish. The fish are huge! I'm sure they aren't gold fish, they are whatever decorative fish that look like gold fish that live in ponds, but some are more than two feet long.

The kids got to see a snake, it was pretty cool.

You can tell by this picture, that it was not small! The kids loved it!

Though they claimed exhaustion, when they saw the the bike rack they had a burst of energy. Maybe that is like being full of food, but having room for desert.

Time to wake up......

We know that Cora is ready to nap if we lay her down and her arms go up like this with her hands behind her head.

Nothing beats a good stretch!

I'm confident that I would not be smiling if I woke up to flash photography. She is such a happy little love. She likes to be greeted from sleep by outstretched arms. Some mornings Catherine will wake up early, and if Cora is still asleep, Catherine will lay down on the floor next to her pack 'n' play and wait for her to make a sound. I don't think she is spoiled at all, just well loved.

Still sleepy

Catherine's First Art Exhibit

For Catherine's birthday, we signed her up for art classes at the local university. It is a great program and she had lots of fun. At the end of the semester there was an art exhibit showcasing the kid's projects in the entrance way to the university's art museum.

We finally caught a picture of all the kids with their faces towards the camera. Jake is such an imp when it comes to getting his picture taken.
Aaron and Cora were hanging out at a rare mellow moment for Aaron. The lighting there was nice. I hope one day to take photography classes. I love pictures.

I did use the word 'moment' when saying Aaron was mellow. When we got outside, he was back at being Aaron. Catherine stabbing Aaron with long rods while he is laying on a large metal foot. That is more like our family. Violent and random.

Jacob is not much of a hand holder, but give him a foot and he will go anywhere.

Little Bodies

Little bodies are so cute. The proportions are so different than an adult. And they can do amazing things, like touch the bottom of their feet to the top of their head. These pictures remind me of how soft and squishy they are at this age. Warm, cuddly and excited to have a body and feel every sensation of life. (In Cora's case that means eating anything that comes close to fitting in her mouth!) She also loves to roll around on the bed after a bath wearing only her diaper. The cool, slick sheets make her laugh.

Swinging is a lot of fun too. The wind is still an amazing thing to Cora. We love the way her light, soft hair blows straight up and then just falls back into place.

Poor Dad!

Joe is such a good sport. He was gone the week before his birthday, which fell on a Sunday. That Saturday we were busy all day and I didn't get into town until late. I got the the hardware store just before it closed. All the 'toys' that Joe wanted were way out of our budget. I was desperate to buy him something, so he got the two things that he has been forgetting to buy for the last 2 months. A kitchen soap dispenser and a toilet paper holder. To add insult to injury, I only had pink gift bags. He just laughed and laughed. The kids and I had managed to get an ice cream cake and hide it at the neighbor's house. It was a fun day.

Brave Girl

In late April, just as we began thinking we would be carrying her everywhere for the rest of her life, Cora began to brave the world by stretching to get things. Here she has gotten stuck in the splits. She is a pretty good sport. The other day I was working and heard a little call from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to find her folded in half under the couch. The other kids were all at school, so she must have gotten there on her own. Her little bum was sticking out, but the rest of her was folded at the waist and smashed flat. Unfortunately, the mom instinct overcame the photo instinct. Next time I will go for the camera before the rescue. In the last several days she has started to roll over and go from her stomach to a sitting position. Though she does look at us and try to indicate that she would like to be transported before she does any work on her own.

Happy Spring

This picture was taken in mid-April, but it was too pretty to pass up. I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather and able to plant some flowers or a garden. Our flowers are all volunteers, but we have been working on the vegetable garden. It is such a joy!

Pine Wood Derby

Well they say it is looks that count and we've got that down! Aaron took best of show for the second time in a row! That's two for two for Aaron and Dad! Good job. We won't talk about the silly race. Let's just say beauty takes its own time. Thanks Bob for your artistic input and the use of your shop.

Catherine's Baptism

On March 28, 2009, Catherine was baptised by her father and confirmed by her Grandfather. Grandpa also played the piano. He always adds a few notes that aren't on the page and it sounds so great. Music is such a huge part of Catherine's life, so it was nice to have good music. Sybil and I spoke and afterwards we all went back to the house. Grandma made some great chili and Syb brought awesome cornbread. It was a completely relaxing enjoyable day.

More for the sake of remembering the day, than for this blog, I'm including my talk with the pictures of the baptism.

Catherine, when you chose the song “Love One Another” for the opening song. I thought about how perfect it was for you. You are so full of love. You show love to our family in lots of different ways. Almost every morning I hear your soft footsteps coming into my room. I’ve got Cora in bed with me and she wants to get up a play. You smile at her and hold out your arms. The two of you leave quietly. I get some much needed rest and I can hear you laughing and playing with her. You are so aware of her desire to play and mine to sleep, you really show us both how much you care.

You also are the princess of love notes. Several times a week Daddy or I will find a thoughtful note or picture from you by our bedside. We really love those.

The song says “As I have loved you, love one another.” It makes me think of the ways that Jesus and Heavenly Father love us and the ways that we can show love to them.

Several weeks ago for Family Home Evening we went outside and looked around at things in nature. When I look at our wonderful world I know that Jesus loves us. When I look at our family I know that Jesus loves us. When I think about how blessed we are to have the guidance and knowledge that comes from being members of the church, I know that Jesus loves us. He set the perfect example and then gave his life for us so that we could return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father with our family.

How can we show Him that we love Him? He tells us in John 14:15, which says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Catherine, today you are keeping a very important commandment by being baptized. Jesus set the example of this commandment. In 2 Nephi:31:4-8 we learn some important things.

4 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.

So he is saying remember the story of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus.

5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

Here he is saying if Jesus is perfect and He had to be baptized, then we really need to be baptized because part of baptism makes us clean and free from sin as long as we continue to repent and do our best. But there is another part of baptism that Nephi goes on to explain. He says:

6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?
7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.
8 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.

So Christ was perfect, he was not baptized to be saved from sin, but to be obedient to Heavenly Father. When we are obedient we show Heavenly Father we love Him.

Catherine every day of your life you can choose to show love to your Heavenly Father by keeping the commandments. Today is a special day because the commandment you are keeping to be baptized puts you on the path to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Ghost.
I know that you take your baptism very seriously and you took the time to pray and gain a testimony before deciding to be baptized. I’m so glad you did that. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and I’m grateful that it helps me know the Savior better. I know Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love you and I’m glad they have seen fit to let us be in a family together. I love you Catherine and I’m proud of you.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Crazy kids

So here is Catherine and her flexible cat that she decided to give to her grandmother. She wrapped it in a box, it looked so funny to me like it was strapped in a casket. Things like this remind me that my kids are still little. Catherine is so capable of so many things, sometimes I forget that she just turned 8.




Jacob says cute and funny things everyday. He has gotten on this kick of randomly saying, "I will never stop loving you." Of course that may be ten minutes after he has said something equally awful. The other day I frightened him and he said, "You scared the HECK out of me." I said, "Good I don't like little boys with heck in them." To which he replied, "I've still got heck in me." Then he flashed that little smile which assured me he was right!




Aaron is developing a quick wit. The other day we were talking about new words we have learned. Joe said he learned the word 'Drollery' which he defined as an amusing event or series of events. Aaron replied, "so you and Bob are drollery."


So now you are wondering what this picture has to do with Aaron. No it is not a Where is Waldo. This is the complete contents of Aaron's room, which had to be removed after a birthday party for one of his friends. The kids got the great idea of seeing who could eat the most pizza. That night, Aaron's floor lost. BIG TIME. We had to remove the bunk bed to clean the carpet and while we were at it we cleared the whole room and the boys and girls switched room is preparation for Cora moving in with Catherine. To top it off this was Easter Sunday. Luckily the IGA was open until noon that day, so we could rent the carpet cleaner!

How successful are your Family Home Evernings? We had a Family Home Evening on loving and serving our family members. I read the following quote from John H Groberg. "We come to this earth charged with a mission: to learn to love ans serve one another. To best help us accomplish this, God has placed us in families, for he knows that is where we can best learn to overcome selfishness and pride and to sacrifice for others and to make happiness and helpfulness and humility and love the very essence of our character." After the lesson, Jacob really wanted to go to the racquetball courts the throw around a bouncy ball that he discovered when we were cleaning the basement. We all piled in the van. The older two murmured a little at the choice of activity. I said we are sacrificing to do something that is really important for Jacob. There was a pause, a moment of thought and then Catherine said, "Hey mom, next time we decide to sacrifice, can the family sacrifice for me." Aaron pipes up, "No me, sacrifice for me." Ahhh, yet another equally successful Family Home Evening lesson.