Happiness

Getting Chubby!   Jonah and his Baritone   Asher and his fake Spider tattoo   Ethan and his rainbow   Elizabeth and her little buddy, helping out! ...and a blurry, happy baby! Headache Update : I still have it. It's been a lot better this past week and a half (knock on wood)- no laying down in a dark room. I'm learning to live admist it and am trying to do everything I normally do. It works pretty well, until around 4 pm and then my day seems to be done. I've learned to rely on the Lord so much more than I have ever before and when I do that, I am strengthened, encouraged, hopeful and at peace.

Declan- you turned 5 months old the same day Elizabeth turned 12! What a fun day! Declan, you are so cute and so strong! Last night I had to wake up 3 or 4 times, because you had rolled onto your tummy and did not like and wanted to back to where you were. Silly! Most babies like their tummies.  You love to babble and talk and still have the funniest facial impressions. You seem like a 36 year old trapped in a tiny body. The other day I stood you up on the floor against the chair and the kids thought this was so funny!  You laugh daily. You wake up early at 6 or 6:30 am no matter when we put you to bed.  You love the bubble machine and kick and kick your legs when you see it. You love running errands- the part where we are out of the car- and looking around. You look the baby carrier and will kick your legs in excitement when I put it on. You are a very good baby. You sleep well, you eat well.  You are a pleasure to have in our li...

Elizabeth, Anna and Allison on their Girls' Day Out Some birthdays are bigger than others in our family, 8 is a big one since that is when we get baptized in our Church. 12 is also another big one. It is when girls go from Primary- where the kids meet during Church- to Young Womens and become an Official Young Woman. To me turning 12 is even bigger than 13 even though 13 means that you are a teenager. Mostly because I remember anticipating turning 12 a lot more than anticipating turning 13. I was excited to be in the same class as all the older, cooler girls. I was also excited to go to activities with the boys. And I was excited to go to girl's camp too! So fun! And so, HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY, ELIZABETH! I remember holding you in my arms, your dark, soft, fuzzy hair sticking all over the place and sighing sweet little baby sighs. I dressed you in pink as often as I could and would hold you and coo and snuggle with you. Having baby D to hold right now and snuggle ...

"A broken heart is the very instrument we use to understand how deep we love." C Jane Kendrick I was taking a break from blogging, but sometimes there are thoughts that get stuck in my head and I have to get them out. Someway or another.  The other afternoon I found myself on my knees, not for the first time, with a large and persistent headache. Earlier that week I had just done some nesting/rearranging/calming my craving  to do something Pinteresty and had moved our large picture of Christ from the front room to  our bedroom.  As I prayed, I paused and looked up.  And there was the picture of Christ, smiling down at me- or actually smiling straight across the room- and I was taken by surprise. First by the fact that the picture w as even there- my poor Mommy brain. Second, by the thought that accompanied it- "He knows." He knows how it feels to have a small/medium/large headache. He knows how it feels to feel powerless in the face of pain. He know...

I can pinpoint the day my daily headache began. It was a warm Thursday, May 22, 2014. It was the last day of school for my four kids. I don't think that triggered it, but I was feeling a bit nervous and excited since I would be home all summer with them in the hot Phoenix weather with a small 6 week old babe.  At first it wasn't that bad. It was just a headache.  And I dealt with it. I took tylenol. It didn't help. I took advil and Ibuprofen, drank some coke and applied peppermint oil to my temples and PastTense to my neck.  Nothing seemed to help. My poor kids.I had to tell them to be quiet. Mom has a headache.  I gave up gluten for a week. No help. I wasn't eating dairy because my baby didn't tolerate it well. Poor Josh. I had a headache. All the time. And so, the headache continued. Every day it was there. Some days it was pretty strong. Other days it was very mild. But still there. After 2 visits to the Dr., my visit to...

  In the beginning of August my Parents came to visit. Josh was gone on a trip to an ABA conference in Boston and they enjoyed spending time with the kids! Declan loved smiling at everyone- although now he's a little stranger shy!   Here comes a Declan overload- we can't help it! He's just so cute! Declan in his bumbo seat. 4 months old!   Declan at the pool. He loved it! The water was 82 degrees probably and whenever I walk by the pool now, he stretches out his legs and toes and wants to feel the water again! He is such an active, busy little guy! Always squirming- never really relaxing or cuddling.   One of his favorite activities- walking around in the Baby Bjorn and looking at everything- even my phone! This is our selfie. The school year started again on the 6th with Elizabeth being in 6th Grade! Crazy! Here it is still Elementary School but they rotate between the teachers for math, writing and reading to get them ready for Jr. High.  ...