January: Will the snow ever stop?

 January...where do I even start? Brooke and Porter went back to school which was super nice for mom. Christmas break made me a little afraid for summer vacation to have all three kids home together all the time. Between the constant begging for friends, fighting amongst siblings, always hungry and whining about chores and being bored...I'll definitely have to be a little more organized and prepared in May.

January also has dumped storm after storm of continued snow and ice pretty much all month long. At first it was kind of fun, but now I want it to stop! I am sick of shoveling the walks, sometimes multiple times per day and our deck out back. I hate driving on crappy roads that never get plowed and I'm sick of wet snow clothes and boots and lost mittens. I hate being cold. Basically, I want it to be spring.

Other January happenings:

Family home evening has become really fun with the kids. Even Grant loves to participate. He even said his first prayer (with help) the other night! It was so cute! We have the older kids help teach part of the lesson sometimes and we also take turns bearing our testimonies to the family.

Having an FHE lesson about baptism.

 My boys have become my exercise sidekicks. They crack me up when they start doing crunches on the floor with me!

Brooke built a snowman and was so excited and proud of it.

 Grant was making us laugh by trying to go to bed on Brooke's doll bed.

Porter's Preschool teacher will introduce a letter to the kids and then show them how to make that letter with their body. This is Porter showing off the letter "S" We love it when he demonstrates all the letters he can make with this body.

 Another snow day. Brooke was so nice and helpful to take Grant outside to play in the snow one afternoon.

 He basically just wanted to eat the snow.

 When it got too hard and deep for Grant to walk, Brooke had to rescue Grant!

 Porter made this cute mitten at preschool. he sewed the sides himself and on the front is a picture of me and him with a snowman.

Brooke's Baptism

 On January 7, 2017 Brooke chose to be baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Back in October (before the weather got too cold), we decided to take some special pictures for Brooke's upcoming 8th birthday and her upcoming baptism.

Brooke felt like a princess in her dress and new shoes with "heels". I loved that she felt this way and got to have some special treatment. With two rowdy brothers and lots of time spent with her dad hunting and fishing, I'm glad she got to have a moment to feel all dressed up and like a girly-girl.

 Brooke really does have a love for The Book of Mormon. She asks to read the scriptures and reminds us if we've missed our family scripture study. One time the rest of the family was watching a movie and Brooke came down a little later. When we asked her what she'd been doing upstairs, she said she was in her room reading the Book of Mormon. She has a hunger and a thirst for the word of God and I hope that continues as she gets older and that Blake and I can help her develope that.

 She was skipping around the temple grounds.

 January 7 finally came and Brooke was so excited (and a little nervous) for her special day. We were able to leave the boys with Blake's mom so we were able to drive over to the church with just Brooke in the morning. It was really special for us to be alone with her before her baptism. Brooke is our oldest, our only daughter, and we wanted to cherish this time with her.

 Blake's mom gave Brooke her bracelet she wore and my dad and step mom sent Brooke a necklace that has a pendant that says "He loves me"

 Blake baptized Brooke and was emotional as he baptized her and later confirmed her a member of the church. He also gave her a beautiful blessing from the Lord that talked about being a good example, having good friends, and having the knowledge that her ancestors (namely her grandfather John aka "Pinch") would be with her throughout her life.

The snowy week and canyon roads kept a few of our family members from coming out, but we were touched that so many made the effort to come. Brooke's cousin Skylar (a senior in high school) and her Uncle Jeremy were able to be witnesses during the baptism. Brooke's Uncle Kent, Uncle Jeremy, and Brother Labrum from our bishopric stood in the circle when confirming Brooke. Blake's mom, Aunt Jeannie, Aunt Danielle and cousins Sierra, Ellie, Korbin, and Karson were also there. Our good friends Jackie and Ty with their kids Talton, Liam, and Ava as well as our good friend Annie and her children Wyatt, Dakota, and Autumn were there as well. Brooke was baptized on the same day as a good friend in her primary class (he's also in her second grade class at school this year) Gus Phillips. Gus and Brooke have a long history together...when they were around 3-4 they were caught kissing and holding hands during church!

Brooke, I am so proud to be your mother and to see what a sweet, kind, and loving girl you are becoming. We love that you made the choice to be baptized and know that great things are in store for you!

Christmas 2016

My kids were really into Christmas this season. It was especially fun since Grant was able to understand a little bit of what was going on. Grant loved looking at all the Christmas lights and would squeal and point every night when we'd drive by lights (even the ones we saw over and over because they were in our neighborhood). Porter was a 100% believer in Santa Claus and Brooke believed this year too (I wasn't sure if she still would or not). It was really fun to have all three kids experiencing the magic of Christmas together.

Brooke wrote this letter to Santa in her at school. All the second grade letters to Santa were published in the newspaper and were really cute. Her letter says: Dear Santa, I really want a sled. I liked the candy you brought last year. I want to know, are you allergic to anything? Love Brooke.

Of course throughout the month of December we tried to help our kids understand the true meaning of Christmas and teach them the importance of Christ's birth. For me, this Christmas really put into perspective how wonderful the birth of our Savior was. With the loss of Blake's dad and my grandmother this year, I had a lot of time to reflect on the importance of the atonement and the gift of being able to see our loved ones again. It made thinking about Christ's birth very sweet. My favorite song this season quickly became "Mary, Did You Know?" 

Christmas Eve Blake's mom came over for dinner and the general rowdiness that ensued with three very excited kids.

 Looking at Santa's location on the Santa Tracker app

Christmas jammies! I made the boys' pajama pants and found Brooke's set for an awesome deal.

Telling the kids that Santa was getting close from the Santa Tracker App and it was time to go to bed. While the kids were in bed, Blake got up on the roof and stomped around. The kids woke up the next morning so excited they heard Santa!

Grant was so cute Christmas morning. He LOVED opening gifts and handing gifts out to people. He was also very serious about it. He took his time opening each present and any little bit of wrapping paper that came off went straight into the garbage can.

I bought Blake a gift card to one of his favorite stores and hid it inside a prank gift box. The box advertised an ice cream maker that you attach to your car hubcap that will churn it while you drive. It was funny to see him go from "what the heck is this?" to really excited when he realized his actual gift was inside.

I think the Christmas gift overload/ Christmas sugar coma is setting in for Grant

The older kids got to go outside with dad to try out the new sled behind the four wheeler. Grant didn't get to go and had to watch from the window.

Grant showing me the sound a four-wheeler makes.

Where's Grant?

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good  night!