Easter 2011

-The Cubscouts hosted an Easter egg hunt and some games for the kids in the ward. Since Justin's the Cubscout Master we thought we better go in support of him. Actually, I didn't dare miss it-they had been announcing it in Primary and Molly was super excited. I'm not sure what her favorite part was-the actual hunt for eggs, all the kids she could play with, or the gunny-sack races.Stockton stuck close to my side and didn't really want to play any of the games. He was a little uncertain of the hunt as well. When I put an egg in his basket (because he didn't know what he was supposed to do) he got mad and dumped it out. Then he figured out it had candy in it...he grinned and then went hunting for more, walking around saying "eggs?" over and over.-The Easter party at my mom's never disappoints. Justin was stuck at work so the kids and I went down a day early to spend some extra time with my family. Grandpa took Molly to Plain City's big hunt. When she got home she got to decorate eggs.Then they got to hunt for eggs. Stockton knew exactly what to do this time.Then they got presents.-Molly knew all about the Easter Bunny this year so that was the first thing she asked about when she woke up on Easter morning. The kids had to find their baskets first. Stockton got a football pillow.Molly got an umbrella and rubber boots.The Easter Bunny also hid chocolate eggs all over the house. Molly had to find all of them with no hints or help from mom and dad. She was a really horrible hunter. She finally found the last one today (one week later).

-We had a nice meal at the Goodrich's after church. Brynn and the rest of us finally got to meet little Riley.The pinwheels were by far the hit of the night.Now bring on the sunshine!! We are so ready!

Our Kids, April 2011

Before Brynn was born, I was really nervous about taking care of three kids. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to give each of them enough attention and worried that my house would be in a constant state of chaos...and worried that I would be too tired to do anything about either!! Well, I shouldn't have been worried because it has been awesome! I am loving my days at home now with three kiddos. There are usually dishes waiting to be done, laundry waiting to be folded, floors waiting to be mopped, toys waiting to be cleaned up, dusting and vacuuming needing to be done...but those aren't really as important as we all think they are, right? We each have our moments and my kids aren't always angels but they are pretty great, I think! They sure are cute anyway. See:Brynn...ahh we sure love her. I have been blessed to have really mellow, easy-going babies, and Brynn is no exception. She really has been great! She is almost 8 weeks now...still small for her age but she is filling out! Her newborn clothes fit perfect now and most 0-3 clothes are still a bit big. I would guess she's somewhere around 8 - 8.5 lbs now. She loves to lay under her little gym and watch the toys that hang above her head. She won't take a binky but has done okay without one. She likes to be walked to sleep and hasn't figured out how to put herself to sleep. She takes short naps in the day but has been sleeping 6, 7, or 8 (8.5 last night!) hours at night. She sleeps best in her swing. For the first month she would nurse every two hours but now she does every 3 hours or so. She also started smiling a couple of weeks ago which is so fun to see!Stockton...22 months old now! He seems so much more grown up since we brought Brynn home-not to mention HUGE! I can barely carry him around nowadays (seriously, after carrying Brynn all day, it is hard to carry him for longer than just a few minutes). Stockton was the one I was worried most about with the new babe. I thought he would be jealous and I thought that he would be rough with the baby. But I needn't have worried-he has become a sweet boy in the last couple of months. He usually doesn't pay any attention to Brynn and when he does it's to rub or kiss her head. He calls her "babiesh." Stockton is into balls and cars right now. He is especially partial to basketball-he likes to watch it on TV, see it in books, and play it with anyone who will play with him. He's been nervous of anything that's out of his comfort zone-people he doesn't know, loud noises (like big trucks or motorcycles driving by), and things like slides. He sticks close to Mom or Dad whenever we are around other people. Stockton never lets us forget a prayer-every time we sit down at the table he immediately folds his arms. He loves applesauce and rice. He is starting to say a lot of words and even learning some letters (thanks to Molly who is teaching him his letters and numbers). He knows A, B, C, H, O, S, T, and X. We will be making the transition from crib to bed this week so we'll see how that goes!Molly...4 1/2 years old! Wow! Each day is filled with a little bit of drama (like when she spills applesauce on accident and her reaction is this: "Now I can never have applesauce again!") but she really is a good girl. She has an amazing memory and can remember stories told to her months ago or songs after hearing them only once or twice. She has been an awesome big sister to Brynn, but I knew she would because she is so great with Stockton. She never runs out of hugs or kisses! Having Molly around has made having Brynn easier. She is a huge help with Stockton...she will read him books, sing songs with him, or just play with him whenever he is being a little more needy and I can't get to him. Molly is always drawing or coloring a picture for someone. She is looking forward to some fun summer activities (Disneyland, swimming, and hiking to name a few).A friend of mine took these pictures. I think she did a great job. Molly and Brynn were great, that's why there were more of them. Stockton, on the other hand, was not okay with getting his picture taken. He cried whenever we tried. She did manage to get a couple good ones of him but notice that he's holding a ball in those pictures.

Stockton, 21 months

Stockton is shy around pretty much anyone. But here at home, he is such a goof. I found these pictures when I was emptying the memory card last week and they just made me smile...

FHE, April 11th

Molly was in charge of the lesson last night for FHE. Usually when it's her turn I give her a book or a magazine and she chooses a picture she likes and we build a lesson around it. Last night, however, she said she had a lesson all ready and needed no help.

(See Matthew 5:15)