Week in Review...

Jacob has been studying ocean life, so they made these cute snorkels.

This has been a rough week for Abby, she started throwing up on Wednesday after waking from her nap and had a fever. She started feeling better and then today, Sunday she woke up with a runny nose and cough. Poor girl can't catch a break! I feel blessed that she is 9 months and these are her first illnesses, most of my other kids got sick when they were newborns. She has been a very healthy little girl! I got lots of snuggles in this week, so that's one good thing! My poor sick baby!

Look at those hot rosy cheeks, poor girl!

Not happy to be sick:(

Then I woke up on Saturday with Mastitis, so I wasn't a happy camper for Ricks birthday:(. Luckily I made a cake for him on Friday and we celebrated a little that night before I got sick. You can see that I wasn't feeling all that great that night though either...

We went to Chili's on Saturday night to celebrate his birthday, everyone had a great time. I was miserable:(

At least the cake turned out good!:) Rick got work out clothes and a new pair of pants and shirt for work. He took the kids bowling on his birthday, what a guy!:)

Week in Review...

This last week the Church put out a photo challenge and I thought it sounded like fun, so I'll share what I did this last week.

The above pic was Abby at church last week, I noticed that she was wearing a dress with a butterfly on it and laying on a butterfly blanket. They made me think of baby Kate.

I love that I have the opportunity to be a mother and to serve these four cuties every day. There is no greater calling or blessing in my life than to be called a mother #BecauseOfHim

This is how I picture Christ in my mind, he's smiling, he's cheering us on. He wants us to enjoy this life, to love and to be loved! I can love more fully #BecauseOfHim

I didn't post these pics as part of the challenge, but this last week was a warm one and one day Abby was so warm that I decided it was a naked baby kind of day:) She's also started sitting up!! So exciting!

Not the best pics but I'm trying to be healthy! I'm trying to eat good and exercise everyday. It's not easy but I want to be a better me!:) I know that I can be a better me #BecauseOfHim

Also, not part of the challenge but my awesome parents sent us this yummy box of See's chocolate in the mail. That was a fun surprise!!

I am inspired by my kiddos everyday. They're pretty dang creative and make me laugh all the time!:) I am inspired #BecauseOfHim. Happy Easter!

Dying Eggs...

I know it doesn't look like much, but I don't have a green thumb and yet I managed to help this fruit tree grow! Yea! So happy that I live in this beautiful world #BecauseOfHim

Abby turned 9 months this last week, she's rolling everywhere, sitting up. She pivots all over the floor on her belly, she's also gotten up on all fours and started rocking. She's our cute little busy bee!

We had a neighborhood easter egg hunt on Friday morning, it was perfect weather for it and the kids had fun. Haley decided she was too big for the hunt, so she went with Rick and Uncle Rob to go shoot guns. She had fun too.

We found some geckos out on our back porch, can you see them? They freaked me out but Rick loved them!

The dyed eggs.....later turned into creamed eggs on toast and deviled eggs, yum!!

#BecauseOfHim I can get answers to prayers!

Haley looks less than thrilled in this pic...she wasn't too happy about being woken up by her siblings who wanted to get started:) We had Haley hunt in the backyard this year all by herself. She is getting too big to hunt with the littles:)

It was a great Easter and I loved that the photo challenge helped me to stay focused on Christ and all of the many blessings that I enjoy everyday Because of Him!

Week in Review...

My baby sister Carrie had a baby this week! She had a rough experience, laboring for almost 24 hours and then having to have a c-section:(. But she had a beautiful baby boy, Ethan Zachary Paul, he is beautiful and I wish that I could snuggle with him right now. Carrie and baby are both doing good, just getting used to being a new mom.

Abby decided that she was ready to start sitting up! She looks like such a big girl!

Here's more pics of the new precious babe! Zach holding Ethan...so sweet!

 Baby Ethan...

 Carrie holding baby Ethan...

 For the last month or so I've been following an Instagram account that I found through a friend of a little baby that was having some huge health struggles. She was dying and needed a liver transplant. She received a liver transplant, but it didn't take, so then she started dying again but miraculously she was able to receive another liver transplant! She survived and started to get more and more accustomed to the liver and eventually her parents thought they would be bringing her home soon. She had one last surgery to close up the incision site and all was well until she started bleeding internally and passed away. She passed away on the same day that Carrie had her baby. Isn't she beautiful? Baby Kate. I'm not sure why I was led to this Instagram account or why I became so emotionally involved in her story. When she went in for surgery to receive her second liver transplant I couldn't sleep all night, I was praying so hard that she would survive and that the liver would take. I was so relieved when we finally heard that all was well. My heart has been grieving all week for this sweet family that lost their adorable baby. I just can't fathom the pain that they're experiencing because the pain that I've been feeling has been unbearable. I just hope that they've been lifted up in comfort by their sweet baby Kate's special spirit. I know that she is with them as they grieve. I'm so grateful for eternal families, this life is all too short and I can't imagine spending eternity without the ones that I love.

 Baby Kate's mom noticed butterflies everywhere she went as Kate was struggling and found them to be her symbol of hope. When my kids found out about baby Kate they decided to draw pictures for her, little butterflies. We will send these to her family.  Ashlyn wrote in her journal today, "Today I am sad because I heard that someones baby died. I drew a picture of a butterfly for her family."

Weeks in Review...

I'm behind on blogging, so here's a quick catch up! Ricks parents are in town visiting because of an Orchestra Concert that Haley performed in, so I made a Boston Cream Pie to celebrate for Ricks birthday month. I made everything from scratch, it was delicious! Not the prettiest, but it was good!

Trying to decide if I should cut my hair?

Abby looking cute in her stroller at the park..

I got to take all of my girls to Womens conference, it was a fun night!

We went to a frozen yogurt place after the conference, it was called the Golden Spoon and they even had golden spoons!

Abby is learning how to sit up, it's so cute!

The kids got their spring pictures done, they turned out cute!

We took a walk around the park one night with Ricks parents, they snapped these photos of us....

I guess they didn't want all of Rick?? haha!

Abby has had a hard time going to other people lately, but she's starting to warm up to Grandma!

She's also starting to get up on all fours, so cute!

Haley auditioned for a Mesa Young People's Orchestra and made it! She auditioned again once she made it in for placement and made 2nd chair out of 14 violas! Her concert was so much fun, they did an amazing job!! They performed in the awesome Mesa Arts Center.

Ricks mom called Abby Mo because of her mohawk and said that we should put some fun color in it, so I put some washable dye in it one night. She looked pretty cute!

We took the grandparents over to Riverview park, they liked it. Abby and I enjoyed the shade!

Abby with her pink mohawk:)

Haley had a fun girls teenage party for our neighbor, they had fun swimming and playing around.

Haley's cute spring picture.