Lainah Turns Two

So hard to believe, but our little Lainah turned two last month. The weeks and months have quickly turned into years, as we've watched this sweet little baby grow up into a beautiful and fun-loving little toddler. She is such a joy, and we all love her to pieces. Lainah is most often found right in the center of things. She speaks in full sentences and always has something to say...sometimes we wake up to hear her talking to herself in the middle of the night.
Her nurses in Cleveland mentioned to me several times that she had such a strong, sweet spirit about her. I completely agree. Lainah is a child that you just can't help loving.
Lainah was so excited for her birthday. Throughout the day while she was waiting for daddy and the kids to come home from work and school, she kept singing, "Lainah, Happy Birthday to me, Lainah, Happy Birthday to me!" It was too funny.
She worked really hard to get those two candles out, such concentration.

Lainah's new tricycle. Since it's still cold outside, we've let her ride it inside in the kitchen, her room, and the hallway which are all hardwood or laminate floors. She's had a lot of fun and is getting pretty good. Although, it's been tough to keep Matthew off. He zooms around the corner going mach 10 at the most unexpected times.

The look says it all...

Of course, big sister Brooklynn is there to help out every step of the way

Lainah LOVES Dora the Explorer. She walks around the house singing "I'm the map, I'm the map...etc" and for Christmas she got Boots...Dora's monkey. She also sings the "Back pack" song, and whenever she does something all by herself, she does a little bottom wiggle and sings, "I did it, I did it, I did it, HOORAY!" All the while wiggling her bottom...it's the funniest thing ever. So, because of her love for Dora...we decked out the birthday table with Dora accessories. She loved it.

I couldn't get her to look right at the camera that night! She was being such a little stinker! :) She'd look away and then grin. Always the tease.

I've never worked with fondant before, but decided that I wanted to try it out and see what I could do with it. It was fun to try out a completely different cake method! Lainah loved the flowers.

I had a hard time keeping her from picking the flowers off and eating them. The day probably seemed endless to her...waiting for daddy and the kids to get home so we could P-A-R-T-Y!!!

I think I'd like to take some fondant classes and learn how to do it for real. This was a good go for the first time without any help...but I look at it and see all the flaws!

Grandma and Grandpa came over to visit a few weeks after her birthday and gave her this cute little dress. She loved it. That was one thing that was so fun about her day. Everything that she opened she'd hug and say, "I love it, I just love it." We've got it on video tape and it really is the sweetest thing ever.

So our little baby is two and a toddler! She still loves to snuggle and likes to "sneak" into my bed early in the morning, usually about 5 am. I'm too tired to take her back to her bed, so I usually just scootch over and let her stay. The other morning I woke up and rolled over to find her right in the middle of our bed. She looked at Andy and I and said in her little two-year old voice, "Surprise! Here me am!!!"

Another funny thing that she's been doing lately is putting everything to song. She will walk around the house singing something over and over again. The other day it was "I can do it myself! I can do it myself!" and another time it was "I know where it is! I know where it is!" Whenever I'd ask her "where what is?" she'd just look at me, grin, and then start singing it all over again. I never figured out what she took or where she put it.

She's starting to call Matthew "buddy" when she mothers him. So most of the time she calls him Matthew, but if she's worried that he's being left behind she'll say, "Buddy, come on!" or if he's hurt she'll say "are you okay Buddy?" It's really funny because he's so big compared to her, but he'll let her mother him...she'll hug him and pat his back and say, "oh buddy, it's okay." I love standing back and watching them.

She also loves chocolate. Sometimes in the morning when I ask her which cereal she wants for breakfast, she tells me that she just wants chocolate. She knows right where I keep the chocolate chips...and frequently gets into them. But she always offers to share with others so I guess it's okay. Besides, I'm a chocolate girl myself.

A friend in Kirtland once jokingly told me that you can know what your children will be like as teenagers based on how they were when they were two years old. If that is truly the case...then Lainah will be a beautiful girl with big, deep golden brown eyes...who loves shoes and hand lotion. She will speak very intelligently and enunciate her words to perfection. She will also be very particular about her surroundings...chairs will have to be spaced just right, table settings placed just so, and only particular hair accessories on particular days. She will mother the boys, and be a little bossy to the girls...and tease them all with a little grin on her face. She will be singing funny little songs that don't make any sense to anyone but herself...and she will never tell you what they mean...and she'll give the best hugs and kisses...and will always pause whatever she's doing to see if you're okay when she knows you're hurt.
uh oh...I just thought of one more thing...I'll have to keep my iphone locked down...because she'll want to be on it ALOT.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAINAH LORRAINE!

A Favorite Day Last Summer

Last summer, we decided to take one last excursion on the very day before the kids started back into school. Since moving to southwestern Idaho, we've tried to explore our new area and find places that we enjoy as a family.

Andy and I are both very familiar with all the outdoor areas in southeastern Idaho...but this is all new to both of us over here so it's been fun to explore it together.

On this particular day, we took a drive up to Crouch, which is on your way from Boise up to McCall...but you turn off at Banks and head up a river canyon for a ways...and well, you get the idea. You end up somewhere called Crouch, and it is beautiful. It's so sad to me that it's been named such an unbeautiful name. Crouch. Yuck. It doesn't describe it at all.

Here Andy and the kids are throwing rocks into the Payette river. At least, I think it's the Payette. Uh oh...I'd better do some research to make sure.


Rachey is such an outdoorsey girl. I love how she enjoys catching bugs, finding neat rocks, and looking at all the different shapes of leaves and plants. She thoroughly enjoys herself in the mountains.


We also tried a new hairstyle on Rachey about a month before this picture was taken, she wanted to try out bangs...now they're growing out.





Here Rachey is showing Lainah the fine art of digging in the wet sand. The river bank was fun to play on because it was such soft fine sand, and clear, clear water. It also wasn't deep for several feet in so the kids were able to play in it.




Out in Cleveland, we discovered that Andy loves to barbeque. So, whenever we go on our little day trips, he comes prepared to cook burgers and dogs. While I took the kids down to play by the river, he was busy "cookin." After a while, Lainah knew where to go for refreshment and food...to Daddy.
















Yep, there's nothing quite like a cold soda out of the cooler after playing in the hot sun.




















Matthew will forever be our funny little joker. He can make us laugh without even trying, and is such a fun little guy to have around. Who else could get so much enjoyment out of a hot dog?


And Lainah with her cute chubby hands didn't know what she wanted more, cold soda or her binky. What a cutie.


I rarely get into the photos because I'm always the one taking them, but Tay wanted a turn with the camera...so there's documentation that I was there! Hooray!



Lainah is just the sweetest little girl ever. She is always giving loves of some sort, from little hugs to slobbery kisses. This was such a relaxing place to be, I found this rock right in the shade, and just listening to the river was awesome. I could have sat there for hours.

Matthew could have thrown rocks for hours. What else are rivers for?

I was having a fun time taking pictures of Lainah's cute baby chub. Her cute little toes covered with sand.

I love wildflowers, they always amaze me how they can survive in the hardest places, like right between rocks on a sandy beach.

And here is Tay trying to catch this little friend we spotted in the water. He didn't catch him, this one was too quick, but he had a lot of fun and got pretty wet trying.

And we of course brought up the fishing poles. Matthew's hook was bent together so that he couldn't hook anyone and hurt himself or others...but that didn't stop him from "fishing." He just likes to cast and reel, cast and reel. His Lightning McQueen fishing pole is super-cool too.

Seriously, could she be any cuter?

Some more cute baby chub. I have to document it because it goes away so fast!

And here is Tay, not ashamed of using a Barbie fishing pole to fish. Ha ha ha. Actually, a couple of weeks before we were up in a different area fishing, and he was the first one to catch a fish...with this cute pink and purple Barbie fishing pole. Oh ya....

And cute little Brooklynn loved digging her toes into the sand. She was having so much fun. I admit, I also love the feel of digging my toes into wet sand...there's something relaxing about it.

Matthew the fisherman.

One last shot of the river. Ahh...and then summer vacation was over. A bittersweet day, it's always hard for me when the kids start school in the fall. What a fun day, full of great memories!

Family Photo Shoot 2010

I've used some of these photos in some of my most recent posts, but I'm finally getting around to posting all of my favorites from the photo shoot we did last October. We went out after the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference and were fighting rain showers...but they turned out so good. I am loving all of the fun shots that our photographer caught of the kids, she is awesome! Sweet baby Lainah...not yet two years old.
Me and my girls

Ahh....sweethearts...

Matthew being silly...as always

My favorite picture of Matthew...love the dimpled hands and fingers

I love how his hair is so bright white in this picture. That's what it does in the sunlight.

Just having fun together

My handsome boys

And our cute girls...having fun with the telephone. Uh oh...

Brooklynn Belle taking a phone call....

I love this one of Tay. He is such a handsome boy.

Okay, I love this one too. Hard to believe he's starting middle school next year.

Handsome little Matthew. He thought this truck was so AWESOME!

And our sweet Rachel

trying out some fun poses

Brooklynn always giggling

Such a cute little 1st grader!

Lainah had so much fun pushing this stroller around. I love her little tongue sticking out in this one.

Love the dimpled elbows.

This is not posed. Lainah just climbed up there and started playing around. It was too cute.

I love the cheeser on Matthew's face. All five kiddos.

Here are the boys in front of our red barn...they grabbed the hammer and the football on their own, and it just cracked me up.

Tay had just finished up with his first football season and wanted a picture of himself and his football. This section of the barn is now gone so I'm glad we got documentation of it.

The traditional family pose. This section of barn is now gone too! We're slowly clearing off the land...ready for new and bigger projects!

I love this one of Andy and I. I'm so thankful for my beautiful, wonderful family and love them all so much. They are all so full of life, and personality...and make life very, very full.

That's Easy Mom!

Okay. I LOVE cub scouts. Taylor will turn 11 years old in just a few months, which means that he only has a few months to work on all of his Webelos badges, so we've been doing a lot of scouting lately. He has set a goal to earn all 20 activity badges...and has worked really hard.

Last night we were working on the Family Member one, and one of the requirements is to make a list of everything that our family spends money on each month and then to discuss ways that he can help us to save money on our family budget. I love requirements like this, because it gives me such a great insight into how our 10 year old views things. Here's what he came up with. Verbatim.

Stuff My Parents Spend Money on All the Time. (Seriously, it makes us sound so bad!)

1. Food (Come on! Listed first!?! No wonder we're a little chubbier than we used to be!)

2. Clothes (guilty)

3. Utilities: Electricity, water, sewer, trash, gas, phone and internet

4. Stuff like lotion and soap and shampoo, toilet paper

5. Cleaning supplies: lysol, laundry detergent, toilet cleaner, windex, and everything else under the kitchen sink. (no kidding, that's what he said)

6. Car stuff: gas, washing sometimes, scentsy car fresheners Mom buys. (guilty again)

7. Fun stuff: toys, activities, going out to eat, Mom and Dad's dates

And that is what he came up with for expenses. Now is the fun part.

Things I Can Do to Help Save Money:

1. Food: Not eat as much

2. Clothes: Not ruin my clothes as fast. Stop tearing holes in my knees. Buy my own clothes.

3. Utilities: Electricity (turn off lights) water (don't shower very often and go really fast) sewer (don't flush the toilet) WHAT!??? Trash (well, I don't know Mom, we have to throw things away. I guess we could just burn stuff instead of putting it in the trash cans.) Gas (What? Like the smelly kind? Me: No, like the kind that heats our house with the furnace. Tay: Oh, um, well, I guess I could just turn off the thermostat or something. Mom: Hey Tay, is the back door closed all the way? Tay: Nope Mom: What do you think about that? Tay: Oh, I don't know. Maybe Brooklynn should close it. Mom: Do you think that effects the gas bill? Tay: Hmm...maybe a little bit, but not a lot. Me: Hmm...actually it does effect it quite a bit, so could you go close the door? Tay: Where's Brooklynn? Me: What's the deal with you and Brooklynn today? Tay: Oh, no deal, I just think she should close it. Me: Big sigh...and then I give him "the look" Tay: But I'll just go close it instead. Me: Good idea.

4. Personal Hygiene items: Not wash hands as often, and forget about the lotions. Only shampoo when hair is really dirty.

5. Cleaning supplies: Oh, that's easy Mom. We could save money by just not cleaning as often, you know, like maybe once a month or something.

6. Car Stuff: Not drive around as much and stop buying car fresheners

7. Fun Stuff: (This one was my favorite.) Well, us kids do need to do activities once in a while, and it's good family time to go out to eat together, and toys keep us from watching too much TV, so maybe if you and dad just stopped going out on dates that could save some money. Mom: Hmm...that might be dangerous. Tay: Why? Mom: When you are the dad of 5 rambunctious children and you and your sweetheart don't get to spend much time together...we'll talk about it. Tay: Uh, okay Mom.

Well, Tay's way we would for sure save some money...but our house would be filthy, our hair dirty, we would freeze in the winter, how long could we go without flushing a toilet, and we'd all be a little skinnier...but we'd still be able to go out on family outings. Hey, there's priorities...right?