6 Out of 7 Ain't Bad...

Every Thursday Grace's school starts a half hour late.  I usually ALWAYS forget this until we are almost to the bus stop and I see no one else there.  Today was no exception.  

Grace: (laughing) You always forget late day, mom!

Me: I know, I don't know why.

Grace: You are the smartest mom in the world, EXCEPT for Thursdays!

Boys...

My friend Misty made this video of her son and Elliot at her house the other day (for those of you who didn't see it on Facebook).  She is so creative, this video is hilarious!

Naomi, my parenting inadequacies, and random pics...

My sister pointed out how few pictures of Naomi I have on my blog, so I went through my pictures and realized, to my chagrin, that I don't have hardly any pictures of her!!  So we took this video today.  She is now laughing and starting to babble.  She also likes to blow bubbles.  We tried to capture some of it in the video, and I have resolved to take more pictures of my youngest beauty!!

Naomi, Easter

Maggie loves to dress up in anything she can get her hands on.  This is Naomi's Easter dress (bloomers included), Grace's socks, and Naomi's onesie around her neck :)

She even likes to dress up in tupperware :)

Elliot and his bff Gabe...awww cute :)

Keep scrolling for more posts, I'm playing catch up...

6 Years Old...

I can't believe my baby is 6 years old. Gracie had a birthday last Sunday when we were in Pocatello. She came in our room that morning and said, "I'm 6 now, look how tall I am!". She is getting to be so grown up and sometimes I forget how old and grown up she is. Sometimes I don't realize that she doesn't need me as much as she used to, which she is always happy to remind me of. On the other hand, sometimes I forget that she is not so grown up that she doesn't need my snuggles and loves anymore, which she is also good to remind me of. Gracie is such a happy, smart girl. She is such a big helper with her brothers and sisters. She is naturally very maternal and is so good with baby Naomi. Every day she says, "I can't believe how cute Naomi is!!". Gracie is now reading very well for her age and just started playing on a soccer team. She is all about having fun and has such an infectious laugh. I am so happy Grace is a part of our family. Our life would be much less bright without her in it. She is so special. I love you, Gracie! Happy Birthday!

(Ray took all these pics without a flash, nice...)

Grandma made this special frosting for Grace, it is called "fluffy white (we made pink) frosting".  Grace raved over it!

Skip around the room!  Skip around the room!  We won't stop 'till you skip around the room!

(she did it, she really skipped around the room!)

Grandma turns 80...

Last weekend we went to Pocatello for my Grandma Christensen's 80th surprise birthday party. We had so much fun. The best part was that she was truly surprised!! It was so great. There were tons of people there, which is a testament to how much grandma is loved by everyone. She is such a wonderful, spunky, fireball of a woman. (I mean, seriously, look how cute her outfit is!) No one is a stranger to her. I got to see lots of my cousins and their kids, lots of aunts and uncles, and my sister Leslie was there. The kids all ran around in a pack for 3 hours and slept like logs that night! We always have a good time visiting grandma and grandpa!

Okay, I am officially a bad mom, this is the only picture I got of Naomi the whole time we were there!!

Maggie and my cousin Hillary's little girl Hallie.  They are about the same age.  They hugged when they first met...so cute!!

Leslie and Maggie.  Maggie loves Leslie, she went right up to her and gave her a hug even though she hasn't seen her for almost a year!

Jumping on grandma and grandpa's trampoline,  always a highlight!

Easters

The Easter Bunny did not disappoint...he managed to find some Wii games for super cheap at Shopko.



Of course, Elliot separated all the chocolate and jelly beans into neat piles and put all the eggs back together in the basket :)

I just wanted one picture of all the kids smiling...MUCH easier said than done!!

Let the Games Begin

Grace started soccer a few weeks ago. She was so excited about her new cleats, shin guards and ball. They are the Purple Dolphins...


About halfway through the game she decided she didn't want to play anymore.  Ray gave her a little pep talk about being on a team, about how all her teammates are relying on her.  She decided to finish the game.

Elliot and Maggie wanted to get in on the action!

Elliot's Funny

I just love, love, love this picture of him :)

Elliot, after putting on a new pair of shorts today:

"Oh, I just love my new little pants!"

How cute is that!!

I have some serious blog updating to do...stay posted :)

Hey, Old Man Winter, don't go away mad...just go away

Today we had sun, wind, rain, hail, and snow.

Enough already!!!!

The End

Motherhood

Depending on the day, this is how I feel about being a mom...

"The best thing a girl can be is a good wife and mother. It is a girl's highest calling. I hope I am ready."
— Nancy E. Turner (These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 : A Novel)

"Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind."
— Howard W. Hunter

"There is eternal influence and power in motherhood."
— Julie B. Beck

"I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love & duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting & challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it."
— Rose Kennedy

"Thus far the mighty mystery of motherhood is this: How is it that doing it all feels like nothing is ever getting done." 
— Rebecca Woolf

Our Story-April 7, 2001

Ray and the girls on his baptism day. I can't believe how young we all look!!

8 years ago today Ray became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This was the day that the course of our lives changed forever. I was raised as a member of this church but had been an "inactive" member for about 6 years. There are a lot of reasons I walked away that I won't get in to here, but it was never because I didn't believe that the church was true. I always knew that the church was true, I guess that I just felt like there wasn't a place for me in it. It was inevitable that I would return to full activity and, if I am being honest, I probably always knew that. I just got really lucky to have married someone who, unbeknownst to me at the time, wanted to join me on my journey.

A majority of Ray's childhood was spent in Logan, Utah. For those of you who don't know, Logan is probably 90% mormon. Ray's family was one of the 10% who were not. When we started dating he had many opinions of the church and they were not good. It is hard for a non-member to grow up in this environment. I think that many members of the church who live around so many who are like them take it for granted that not everyone believes the way they do. Unfortunately sometimes those non-members are ostracized. Anyway, this is where Ray was coming from. My family began to change that perception for him. They always accepted him and loved him unconditionally. From the day they met him they loved him as one of their own. It didn't matter what religion he was. They could see the person he was, they could see the light of Christ in his eyes. He quickly became very close to my parents. He has always loved them and has a deep respect for them. Because of this respect he has for them, he accepted the challenge from my dad to order a video about Jesus. The second video he ordered was brought to us by the missionaries, Elder Quist and Elder Durham. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ray was always a good person. Anyone who has ever known him will attest to that fact. Becoming a mormon has magnified his goodness and crystalized for him what life is all about. He would tell you that being a member of the LDS church has given him purpose and direction that he has never had or known before. He would tell you that there is not one facet of his life that has not been bettered because of his decision to join the church. I will tell you that I am grateful every day for the choice he made. It gave me the courage to walk back in to the open arms of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It solidified our marital union and now we are a forever family.

PS-Happy Birthday Abby!!

2 Years Old...

Oh, my sweet little Maggie, where have the last 2 years gone?!  It really seems like yesterday that you were born.  Our little Oklahoma baby, proof that we really did live there.  You are becoming such a little girl.  You are talking so much, repeating everything we say.  You have such a huge personality that can hardly be contained in your little body.  I think perhaps having two older siblings has given you the ability to be a huge presence at such a young age.  You are my little blessing, when I am agonizing over getting your brother and sister to eat something nutritious, you just eat whatever I give you.  That may seem silly, but has been such a needed reprieve for your mama.  You love your baby sister so much, you are always giving her big hugs, telling her she is cute, and trying to help her with her binky.  Your little body always starts to boogie whenever your hear music.  I am so grateful for you.  You bring so much joy and sunshine in to our lives and our family just wouldn't be complete without you!  I love you, my little baby Rae!!