Stake Dance, Stake Dance, Woot Woot!

Since Brian has turned 14, he can now go to the stake church dances. His sister, Nadia, and her friend Hailey, were kind enough to go with him. Nadia always tells me, "I'm not going. I'm not dancing with a boy." She always goes, and always has fun! 

 Lookin' gorgous, they shouldn't have any trouble filling their dance cards. 

Happy Birthday, Brian!

I guess with age 14 comes silliness with pictures. I'm not posting all of them, but it took awhile to get a serious smile on his face. For some reason he likes to make goofy faces now whenever I get out the camera.

 So another year comes and goes, and he keeps getting handsomer and handsomer. I think it's time to lock him in the attic.

Olivia's Photo Shoot-4 Months

She definitely has no problems with the camera. She gave lots of smiles and even a little drool.

 This is one of my favorites. It was the last one taken, she was tired, and wanted to eat. It almost looks like she is pouting.

 I absolutely love her dimples, which is funny because I have them and all my life I disliked them. But on her they are so sweet. Maybe it's because she has a little piece of me, when she looks so much like her dad. 

Updated Kid's Pics with Olivia

We had to have a new picture with all the kids, so we finally had them done.

 All about Olivia. She is definitely the center of our world.

 They are all so beautiful, and we are so lucky to have such a great family.

The Forth Month

This month has been a lot of fun! Of course she has gotten bigger, but also has gotten more fun. She is such a happy baby.......most of the time.

 She still loves her baths. In fact she cries when she has to get out.

 This is one very satisfied baby. Falling asleep while nursing in bed with momma.

 We have finally been able to rid ourselves of the "straight jacket" we use to put her in to get her to sleep. She now loves to have her arms up.

 This month she has made many discoveries, one being herself in the mirror. She loves to play with toys.

 I purchased this bumbo at a huge consignment sale, and what a great purchase it was. Now she can sit up like a big girl.

 Aunt Jen Merrill is one of Olivia's favorite people. She gets to go over to her house sometimes when I need a rest or have to run errands.

 Daddy's girl. Sometimes Brian will get to come home for lunch and spend special time with Olivia during the day when she is already sick of mommy.

 Another one of her favorite things is spending time with her siblings. Here Allie is making her laugh by making funny noises and bouncing her.

 This month I had to go out of town for a wedding, and I had to leave my pumpkin for an entire 24 hours. I had to take her picture right before I left so I had something to look at while I was gone. She did great with Daddy, of course. I also moved her to her own bedroom a couple days before I left. I had to make sure I would be ok sleeping away from her before I left town. Of course she did great and so did I. Prior to my leave, we tried a new napping schedule from a book called Healthy Sleep Habits; Happy Child. This technique involves early bedtimes, 2-3 naps a day, and not letting her get overly tired. She wakes up between 6-7am, and usually only lasts about 1-1 1/2 hours before being ready for her first nap. It usually isn't very long. Then it's back up for more food and playtime. Sometimes we go on a morning walk. Then about 1 1/2 hours later or between 9-10:30 we start "soothing" time. That consists of 10 minutes in the swing, a little nursing, then rocking or reading a book. After that, she is good and ready to be put in her crib. I turn her music on and lie her down, and she usually goes to sleep without a fuss. The routine continues in the same pattern around 12-2 depending on when she wakes up, and then again in the late afternoon. Her most awake time is in the evening where she plays and gets to spend time with her siblings and daddy. Bedtime is another story, however. Sometimes she is so tired that she doesn't want to go to sleep at all. But when she finally does, she sleeps about 7 hours. Overall it has been a great benefit to me. I can finally get some things done during the day.

 I returned home from my trip to Portland, Oregon on Mother's Day. Dad had the house cleaned and prepared shish kabobs and we had our family over to celebrate. 

Grandma Owings and Olivia wearing similar hats.

 She is now fond of playing on her tummy, at least for a little while. She gets a new perspective on things, and is building up those muscles so she can roll over soon. Some of her favorite toys are the green book, the taggi blanket, and the hanging flower which plays music.

She is so beautiful and I treasure every day I have with her. She brightens my world, and makes me smile daily. What a precious gift from Heavenly Father!

Brian's District Track Meet

In the discus, he threw a personal best of 119.8 feet and took 2nd place.

 In shot, he threw 35.5 feet and took 3rd place.

In the 100 meter dash, he took 3rd with 11.8 seconds. His relay medley team took 2nd place. (We didn't get any pictures of the runs).  What a great end to his final middle school track meet. We are definitely proud of him.

A Visit From My Missionary

What a treat it was when we got a phone call that from Garret, my missionary, that they were in Salt Lake City, Utah, and wanted to stop by and see us. Him and his wife were traveling from Arizona to his old mission area so he could show her around. Thankfully, we were on the way. We had such a great time talking and playing games with the kids. His wife, Nora is such a wonderful girl, and it was fun getting to know her more. (I had only met her once, at their wedding a year earlier).

 Nadia was babysitting, so they went over to say goodbye on their way out.

Prom 2012

This year, my beautiful daughter, Caitlyn, got asked to prom. She didn't want to even tell me about it because she knew I would be so excited. She told me she wasn't going. With a ton of convincing, I managed to get her to commit to going. We went dress shopping at a place called Cinderella's Closet which is a place that loans dresses for a $10 cleaning fee. What a bargain! Caitlyn tried on about 9 dresses, and even though the first one wasn't even my favorite, I had to cry because it was one of those moments in a mother's life that we look forward to; our little girl's growing up.

 His name is Mark. He is a junior at Meridian High School. Caitlyn just met him at the Road Show a week before. He was a gentlemen and answered all of Uncle Rob's grilling questions (Brian had to work) including, "So, what's up with the way you asked her to prom?" It was something like, "So my first choice couldn't make it, do you want to go with me?" Nice!

 Caitlyn wasn't sure how to put on the boutinier, and I don't know how to spell it.

 When Mark came to pick her up, and saw her for the first time, he said, "Oh, you look beautiful." It melted my heart, and I had tears again. I wasn't expecting that to happen. 

 They went with several other couples and took pictures and then went to Louis Italian Restaurant where they all had pizza.

 The beautiful corsages. Caitlyn is 2nd from the right.

The whole gang. Caitlyn wouldn't tell me much about it, but I think she had fun. They had their picture taken by the Idaho Statesmen and was even published on Sunday.

I loved the whole experience and can't wait to do it again with the rest of my girls.