::Chloe's baptism::

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

~The Fourth Article of Faith

Chloe was baptized this last weekend!!

(the invitation)

I want to start off with a few photos from the little photo sesh we did back in October at the Salt Lake Temple. Some day, when I get a few hours, I'll update that ol' photo blog of mine, but until then, here a few faves of mine from that day...






Baptism Day!
We woke up to some new snow! A big cold front came through and dropped a couple of inches of snow on us. Most of it was gone by mid afternoon.  I don't know I just thought it'd be a fun thing to remember about her baptism day.


Her dress.
We got it about a month and a half ago. It's beautiful. Very Chloe. We went to this little girly boutique-y store. It had lots of mirrors and plenty of space for twirling. She tried on about 6 or 7 dresses. It made me a little teary to see her so beautiful and happy with herself in the mirror. She trotted out of the dressing room and twirled in front of the mirror. We talked about what we liked and what we didn't about each one. She decided on this one because it has little sparkles all over the whole dress and also it had a flower that picked up the top layer of the dress, and none of the other dresses had that. It was a fun little shopping experience with her. The other kids came too. The boys told her she was beautiful every time she came out in another dress. They're pretty sweet brothers.


All of the family in attendance...


We all met at our house afterward for lunch. It was my Aunt Jeri's spaghetti (which has quickly become a family favorite), salad & bread sticks (both compliments of The Olive Garden :) ) I didn't happen to get any photos of the spread, but you get the idea.

We also had a belated family birthday party for her too-since we were all together. She got to blow out some candles on a Barbie cake and open a few presents.





I'm so proud of her.  I'm so proud of her eagerness to learn more about the Gospel and about the scriptures.  I love that she wants to read them all the time.  I love that she gets so excited about family home evening every week (well almost every week).  I love that she understands baptism and the sacrifice made by our Savior so that we may return to our Heavenly Father.  She understands how important setting a good example is.  She understands that we are going to make mistakes and that we can repent and that we will be forgiven.  I love that.  Also, I sort of can't believe she just got baptized!  I remember her baby blessing!  I remember doing very similar things in preparation for her blessing, and here she just got baptized 8 short years later. 


sigh.


It was one of those days.  It was so great.  I cried a little while I watched Matt baptize her.  I thought about my own.  I'm sure she doesn't understand it all, but someday she will.  I'm sure she won't remember it all, but I will.  I appreciate so much all the family that was able to come and support Chloe.  We missed  those who weren't there.  We had her grandpas as the witnesses, Cousin Korissa give a talk on baptism, and Papa Kitty said the closing prayer.  Her dad (along with her uncles, grandpas, great grandpa, and bishop) confirmed her.  It was a beautiful program.  She had a couple of her little friends come-both of which will be turning 8 next year.  It was just one of those days.  

I love those kind of days.

::just another day of the week::

We celebrated Matt's birthday last Friday.  

He's not much on his own birthday.  He always says it's just another day of the week. 

I disagree.

I feel like it's kind of a big deal.  

He's kind of a big deal.

  

We did dinner together-just the two of us-since we had Chloe's baptism the next morning (more on that later).

(The Mr. & I.  November 2010)

 

We ate.  We talked.  We took the long way home.

I love him.  He's means the world to me.

::halloweeeeeeen::

Halloween was so fun this year!!  Our kids knew pretty early on what they wanted to be.  
We had Barbie, a black cat, Mario, and Luigi.

The school Halloween carnival was on Friday night.  We went.  There were lots of games.  It was fun.

Halloween and Red Ribbon Week (the anti drug campaign) are always at the same time, so they get to dress up in crazy stuff all week.  2 schools.  2 different assignments for 2 kids for 5 days. whew.  They wore their costumes one of the days (Friday for Chloe, Monday for Port).  Portie's school has a Halloween parade.  The kids walk through the school to monster music and the parents take pictures.  His teacher was a crayon box.  Cute costume for a teacher, I thought.

 

 Chloe's school has like a pre-carnival on Friday.  The kids get to do the carnival in the afternoon before all the families and everyone else does later that evening.  They don't wear their costumes to school, they change into them after lunch (??), and then go play.

 Halloween Night!!!!
We had our usual Jack-o-lantern pizza, got dressed and then took a few photos...
 

The Black Cat...

Barbie...

(Ok, so here's the story on Chloe's costume.  She wanted to be a Barbie.  She knew that a loooong time ago!  It was kind of tough because Barbie can be anything!  So we just picked a look that we thought was very Barbie.  It was the Toy Story one-legwarmers, heels, high ponytail, bangs, unitard, belt.  We talked about how people might wonder what she is because she might look like a girl and not necessarily a Barbie.  So she was wearing all that stuff at school (no picture of that look), and some 4th grader (ugh, 4th graders!!) said, "what are you supposed to be, an 80's girl??"  First of all, how would she even know what an 80's girl is??  Chloe told me she just ignored her, but thought she was so rude.  But the girl was kind of right though-the Toy Story Barbie was an 80's Barbie, right?  Anyway, I packed up all the kids and we went to the store to revamp her costume.  We just got some big ol' earrings with the Barbie logo on them and a few other Barbie licensed items for her to wear and felt like we did a little better.  Chloe felt much better when she went to the carnival that night.  This photo is Halloween night.  She wore black to the carnival.  We felt like white might be even more Barbie-ish.  I think by Halloween night, we finally got it right ;) )

Super Mario Bros.

Aren't they all so cute??  We had such a fun night!  We trick-or-treated in our neighborhood (Avie and I stayed home and handed out candy), then we went out to another subd., and then hit our usual friends' and families' houses.  The kids had so much fun!  Bubb was so excited all day.  He LOVED it!  He's such a sugar man anyway, so Halloween is probably going to become his favorite holiday.  I kept telling him all day yesterday about how we say "trick-or-treat" (and only trick-or-treat, not the whole smell my feet thing that the big kids taught him) and to say thank you, and that we (they) were putting on our costumes and going trick-or-treating when Dada got home. He thought we were going again today.  

The weather was perfect.  The kids ate lots of candy and got to bed late.  All was right with the world :)

::cornbelly's::

Last weekend we went down to Grandma and Papa Kitty's house.  Probably partly because we got a new car (FINALLY!) and wanted to take it for a good long drive, but mostly because we don't see them too often, and we were due for a good visit.  Matt was deer huntin', so it was just the littles and I.  Mom and I talked on the phone while I was driving down to her house ('cause we always do), and she thought we oughtta call Billy and have him bring his kids over and we should go to Cornbelly's (at Thanksgiving Point).  So we did. 

We haven't been in a couple of years, and I swear it's even bigger than it was last time we went!  There were lots of things to do.

Haystacks.Lifesize lincoln logs.Story telling.Bouncy houses.Slides.Pig races.Grain train.Corn cannon.Mechanical Bull.Jumpin' pillow.Wooden climbing structures.Corn mazes.Rock climbing walls.Scary dinosaur "ride." etc.etc.etc.

(Coop-almost 3, Port-5 1/2, Chloe-8, Ava-7 months)

In other news...

It was my birthday last Monday.  29.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  Actually that's not true.  I know exactly how I feel about being 29.  I love that I'm 29, and not 30!, but really anxious about how fast this next year is going to go by.  I remember how LONG I felt like a year was when I was little.  I felt like it was forever!  Now I feel like I could blink my eyes and it'll be over.  I'm pretty sure 30 will be a tough one for me.  Hopefully not, but if I know me, I bet it will. 

Anyway,  I had a nice birthday.  Matt only called me old a few times.  :)  The kids picked me some flowers after the florists stopped by our house a couple of times during the day.  Then he took me to dinner. We went to Logan so we'd have to drive through the canyon, which is really beautiful.  The leaves are so beautifully red.  They're just starting to get past peak and fall off, but much of their brilliance was still there.  I got new boots.  I think I love them (I picked them out).  Chloe says they're cute.  She wants some just like 'em.

::lock n load::

Yesterday, the Mr. and I (and Matt's dad and Reid-a huntin' buddy) went up in the mountains in Mantua to shoot some guns. I've shot a gun once before in my life, and I think Chloe was a baby then. So it's been a while. We took a short ride on the 4 wheeler up the rocky dugway and shot into the mountain.

I couldn't resist getting a photo of the beautiful fall that's going on up there. I love it. I've lived here for going on 10 years, and still can't get over the fall colors. We didn't have that in Texas :)

(no artificial color saturation in this photo, just fyi)

Matt shot a few with the big gun. He hit the target a few times(I shot with that gun too. It was loud. I was scared. I closed my eyes. I'm pretty sure I missed the target. No photos of that).



We all shot the little gun too. I was still scared. I closed my eyes. I missed the target again. I'd probably do better if I'd keep my eyes open.

(Ready...)

(Aim... )

(Fire!! )

Matt's going deer huntin' on Saturday with his Dad and Brandon (and some others). He doesn't have a rifle tag, he's just along for the ride. Next year he might try to get a rifle tag and take the little boys. They'd love it!  

In other news...
We're on Fall break around here. It's been kinda nice. We'll probably go to the park today and then maybe to a pumpkin patchy type of place tomorrow.

::Port's last game::

This is Pioneer Park (in Brigham City).

We've been here every week since June, and now we're done until next summer.

Thank Goodness!


Port played his last flag football game last night. They had a really good little season. All the kids are just learning, so it's pretty cute. He pulled a few flags, scored a couple of times, and learned a few things over the 8 game season. I think Matt enjoyed it. He held practice once a week, and taught the kids a few plays. He was way excited last night because they successfully ran a reverse (?) play and ended up scoring twice! We wondered if he shouldn't have coached because Portie sometimes does better when he learns or takes direction from somebody other than his mom or dad, but he did well for the most part.

(The team. There were 12 kids, but a couple of them left before we grabbed this photo. & Port's football tag. Sweet!)


In other news...
We've had parent/teacher conferences this week for Chloe and Port. I just thought I better document how they're doing:

(these are folders they decorate with their report cards, some assignments, and their assessments inside)

Chloe's teacher said she's great to have in class and very smart. She started off the year with a spelling test with 40 or so words all different levels of difficulty. Chloe scored 100% on it. Her teacher called me and told me about it and about how rare it is that a child gets 100%, and asked if I would mind if she had a more advanced spelling list than the standard for the class. I told her we'd be glad to take on an advanced list. On her report card, she scored a few 3's (which is the at grade level score), a few 3.5's, and some 4's (which is above and beyond grade level standard). We were way excited about that! Her teacher showed me one of Chloe's worksheets that asked questions about a story they had been working on. It was about a girl who moved from Korea and had to adapt to American standards as far as writing and spelling. She didn't like it much, she missed Korea-particularly the writing (from Korean symbols to English letters). I love Chloe's answer to question #9:


Porter's teacher says he's doing great too. He had several worksheets (shapes, numbers, letters, segmenting, blends, etc) with 100% on them. She was excited about his reading and how he already knew how to read when he came to kindergarten. She said he's a great kid in class (which surprised us a bit :) ). His report card showed a perfect citizenship grade and 3's for everything else. He's been learning about shapes (which he already knew from preschool days). When I asked him one day what he learned about in school and he said shapes, Matt asked him (what he thought was) a tough question: "how many sides does an octagon have?" Port said kind of casually "8." We were a little surprised. Then he told us all the numbers of sides for all the shapes.

(I love how he writes his name)

I love parent/teacher conferences. I love to see their classroom, and they get so excited to show us stuff in there and stuff they've been working on. Portie was excited to show us where his classroom was (even though we already knew) and show us his desk and everything. I'm so proud of both of them. I'm glad they're doing so well in school-it makes me feel good and a little like I'm probably doing a good job with them at home too.

::watch out::

Avie's sittin' up and takin' names eatin' crackers.

(Ava- 6 1/2 months)

She's still pretty wobbly and falls over a lot, but I just sit her inside my legs or in her nursing pillow, and she's good!

Speaking of nursing, Ava and I only have about another week of it left. It's kind of bittersweet for me. I'm always a little glad to be done nursing, but this time I know she's my very last, and there will never be another! It makes me a little sad. Not in an I-want-another-one kind of way, but maybe in a more time-goes-by-too-quickly sort of way. She's growing so fast. They all are. I'm always so paranoid that I won't remember the little things about her (and all of the kids for that matter). Like her smell, for example. I LOVE how she smells, and it's not just the baby lotion. She has her own sweet baby smell. I burrow my nose in her neck a lot and give her kisses and take in a good whiff of her beautiful smell.

Her 6 month (and 3 week) stats:
weight: 15 lbs 12 oz (31st)
height: 27 1/4" (87th)
tiny little head: 41.8cm (20th)

In other news...
Port's teacher teaches a lot with songs (days of the week, months of the year, spelling, etc). You know that Mexican song that goes "ayayayay canta y no llores..." (Ricky Ricardo sang it on I Love Lucy). So, Port's class has one that goes (to the same tune) "I, I, I, I...Always a capital letter..."
hahaha

::tonight::

Outside...




Inside...


Pizza, a movie (Lion King-came out on DVD this week. Did you get yours?). This is Matt & Port's movie. Matt's Mufassa & Port's Simba or "Sindiba" as Bubb calls it. Portie sat cuddled up to Matt pretty much the whole movie. Avie ate a few graham crackers (and she was a mess after it was all said and done), Bubb got bored and wandered around pestering everybody, and Chloe just watched and sang the songs. It was a comfy, cozy night. I love nights like these, especially when it's nasty outside.

In other news...
Just because one turns 8, doesn't mean one won't throw a fit and scream and yell and stomp down the stairs, slam one's door, and yell loud enough so we can hear through the floor about how mean one's mom is. Just sayin'.

::eight::

Chloe

is

8

!!!!!!


Her birthday was Monday(where has this week gone??), and we celebrated with a few friends at Kangaroo Zoo.



It was SO fun! We invited 6 friends, and only 3 came (it's partially my fault. I forget how people around here are about driving 15 minutes). I was a little sad about that, but Chloe didn't care at all. She just had so much fun with the girls that came. They (along with Portie, Bubb, and Alyssa-Brianna's little sister) played hide and seek, raced each other down the slides, shot some baskets, had a dance competition, played tag. Our party room was, of course, the princess room. It was SO cute! There was a castle painted on the wall, bright green tables, and bright pink chairs, and even some rainbow colored lights above. We had some cupcakes (pink, of course), ice cream, and juice, opened some presents, and headed home. I drove Chloe and 3 other girls home, and OH.MY.GOSH! they were so funny in the car. The little gift/favor bags had nail polish, bracelets, and clip in hair extensions in them. So these cute girls were talking about colors-what goes best with their hair, which nail polish looks prettiest on whose nails, who had the cutest and smallest shoes, etc, etc. It was so funny!! Such girls!!

So after we took everyone home, and before it rained, we gave Chloe her gift from us.

It was a bike. A big one. Thank goodness! Now she doesn't have to feel like the only kid her age in the whole world with a tiny bike :) I'm not too sure if she likes it, though. :D

So we all know how I am about my kids' birthdays. This one was no exception. It's kind of a big deal. She's 8! In our faith, that means she can be baptized (that'll happen on November 5th). I'm so excited about it (and also a little nervous), and so is she. I want to make sure she knows what it's all about and that it really is a choice. I want it to really mean something to her, and I want her to remember it. I still can't believe it's upon us. I remember her blessing day in January of '04.

I just can't believe she's 8. I kept telling her at various hours throughout the day what we were doing 8 years ago at that time. I remember it so well. I remember waiting ALL day to have an epidural so she could be born naturally. I remember Jared and Matt playing the playstation for a while. I remember Matt's face so close to mine as she was being born. I remember him telling me how good I was doing. She was finally born at 9:46 pm. I remember not hearing her cry the very first second, but then she did, and I felt better. She was beautiful. She stuck her tongue out a lot. She turned towards Matt when she heard his voice. I remember her little mullet. We just stared at her for hours and hours and hours. We touched her fingers, toes, and feet. I always wanted to hold her-I never set her down. I even had her sleep in my room with me both nights. I wanted her with me all the time. I'm so proud of her and who she is. She's so smart, so beautiful, so sweet, so funny, so thoughtful, and SUCH a drama queen :) I'm thankful everyday for her, and I feel so blessed to be her mom.