Eight is Great!

Joey is eight and he is loving it.  When you are eight you don't have to ride in a booster seat anymore.  You get to go to Cub Scouts.  And of course you get to be baptized. 

Joey is such a wonderful boy.  He is very obedient and follows rules as long as he knows what they are.  He is very tender hearted and does not want to be left out or forgotten.  He is an early riser and loves routine.  He can eat as much as me and has even eaten as much as Peter before. He will try just about any food, in fact he wanted sushi for his birthday.  He did not actually like it all that well but at least he was willing to try.  He loves power rangers! He received a Megazord and three other zords that all fit together to make an ultimate megazord! 

He loves reading.  He loves legos too and so he got to take 2 friends to Legoland for his birthday on Friday. He is still in Taekwondo and is doing really well.  At a tournament on  Saturday, he won 3 gold medals. Yea Joey! He is also taking piano lessons this year.  

Joey has always liked jumping and will go out on the trampoline or in the play room and bounce for 30 minutes at a time.  It is like his release.  He is happy and loves to help people. I love that he has a sharp mind and is quick to memorize things. I am thankful that we have been able to get him into therapy and work with the school resources to help him understand this world and his way of seeing it better so that he can continue to have success in his life.  I could not have asked for a better first child.  Joey I love you!

Joey wanted a red dinosaur and we had a hard time getting the color just right and it came out a bit fuschia.  Peter and I noticed a slight resemblance to a certain children's show character. Maybe it is the green leaves that are like his green belly.  We decided this is an angry or possessed version- he does not love anyone. Joey loved it and that is what matters.

"When I am Dad's age..."

I asked Jon a few months ago when he was going to learn to ride his bike without training wheels. His answer was "when I am dad's age."  He has not wanted to learn this skill.

 But there he is - no training wheels and no mom holding on!

 He lucked out and we did not really force the issue during the summer because it was stinking hot and I could not help due to my pregnant state.

 This is his skid mark that he is so proud of.  He has the brakes figured out. 

 I'll push you and...

 you push me!

Lily slept during this exciting time.  The beauty rest is obvious! 

The following videos are: 

1. Jon riding his bike!

2. Jon at his Hip Hop Class (he is the one in the white shirt).

3. So you can get a kick out of the boy in the green shirt getting down! Sorry about the crazy filming I was holding Lily and helping Arabella.

My Girls

I love having 2 beautiful daughters! 

Peter captured these great pictures of Arabella at the temple the other day.  

It was our stake temple day and so we took turns going to the temple and switched the girls in the parking lot so I could feed Lily one last time.  Peter then took the girls to lunch and then picked up the boys from school.  It was a great day and absolutely beautiful! We then went to the park to play as a family. I love the temple and the wonderful feeling I get when I go there.  I also love my family!!

Yes, she is adorable!

Ta da!

I love when she says, "Oh Lily, Lily!"

This picture is of my sweet new girl! She is 6 weeks old and I can not believe how big she is getting already.

She will sleep for 4 hours at night and then another 2-3.  I feel quite rested.  

Alas, she is a spitty baby too but I still love her.  I have also found that I am not as shocked by the spit- unless it goes down my shirt like it did yesterday. 

She is a very mellow baby and will be one tough cookie from all of the love she gets from her brothers and sister.  They love to shake her arms and tug on her feet and Arabella will often go up to her and try to hug her while she is laying on the floor.  This may or may not contribute to some of the spitting up.  

She still looks a great deal like Jon.  He has been telling people that she is his twin. 

My favorite Joey and Lily interaction is when he sings, "Calma, Calma" from Dora or Diego (I can not remember which) when she is crying and either gently shakes her hand or gives her her binki. 

I love being a mom to 2 great girls and 2 great boys! 

Labor Day, "Sonic", and Fire Insurance

Today, as I was driving home from the library I noticed smoke in the air. As I drove closer, I realized the smoke was very near my neighborhood.  Then while driving into my neighborhood I passed a police car and a fire chief's truck.  Passing by the streets towards my house I could not see any fire trucks and I was beginning to realize the smoke was above my street (but was nearly gone).  

I pulled into the alleyway to get to our driveway and I saw some neighbors standing at the end of it by the train tracks.  Apparently a tree across the tracks caught on fire and some sparks came over the tracks and caught the deathly dry grass on fire. No houses were damaged but the pictures below were taken from my driveway and the black patches are the burned areas.  I am just saying that fire was a little too close for comfort- I am glad I have fire insurance. 

 The tree in the middle is the one that appears to have caught on fire.  The other side of it is very black- believe me. 

 Really, we are talking a matter of 30 yards or so!

 On to a happier time.  2 Sundays ago Jon and Arabella set up restaurant Sonic on the landing at the top of the stairs.  They made famous eggs and steak and strawberry drinks.

 They carted a good portion of the play food and the toy grill into Arabella's room from the play room so that Sonic could exist.  It was really funny!

 The above pictures were taken today of Arabella twirling! I love that girl!

 So we had planned to take the kids to the Fort Worth Zoo yesterday but when we got there the line to get into the parking area was literally a mile long.  So, we used the GPS and found a place to go miniature golfing and enjoyed the marvelous 85 degree weather! 

 These pictures are simply for your enjoyment of our adorable little Lily.  She is getting so big it seems but I realize she is still only about 8 maybe 9 pounds. She gets a lot of love at our house. 

All dressed up for Sunday!