Dylan turns 6!

Dylan finally turned 6! It's always a little hard on him that his is the last of the spring birthdays. He watches Paige in February and Courtney in March have their birthdays and so when his turn comes it always feels like it was a long time coming. He has been on a major Lego Star Wars kick, thanks to the Wii game that we have, so I knew for a while that was going to be our theme for the birthday. The cake was a real challenge and several times I felt like I just wanted to give up on this one. It seemed that everything was just going wrong. However, in the end it was ok and he was happy with it. His only complaint was that the little figures didn't have their lightsabors crashing together, but he understood when I told him I just couldn't figure out how to make it work.
Dylan came off the bus with a birthday crown on his head and told me all about how the kids at school sang Happy Birthday to him. The day before his primary class sang to him and his teachers brought him cupcakes. Clint got off work early on Monday to take him to a nickelcade and he was in heaven. Then we went out for pizza and he was really feeling special. So by the time we got to grandma's for cake and presents he was having a great day. He was excited to have his cousins there to help him celebrate.
I am just grateful to have my Dylan. Before he was born I was so worried about having a boy. I was afraid I wouldn't know how to relate to him. But he, of all my kids reminds me of myself. He is so emotional and intense with things. He is a perfectionist and likes things to be just a certain way. He is such a great brother to the girls as well. He and Courtney are best friends and he is very patient with Paige and loves to show her how to do things. She sometimes resists the instruction but its obvious how much she looks up to him. Phoebe loves it when he entertains her and smiles at him all the time. Happy Birthday Dylan!

It's Great to be Eight!

Courtney turned eight about a week ago, but I put off posting the pictures because I knew the baptism was coming up and I thought I'd do them together. Now I have so many pictures I don't know which ones to post! So I started with the birthday. Here she is with her mermaid cake. I told her that mermaids don't have short hair, but she was determined that was how she wanted it. She was excited to have her friends and cousins for a party. We painted our nails and added stickers to make them beautiful. We made bracelets and ate cake; in short we had fun. I was grateful that Phoebe slept and stayed pretty happy so that mom could be my extra pair of hands with the girls and their projects. I don't know what I'd have done without her help! Courtney even got to have Leanne and Chantel stay the night before the party. Her first slumber party was a success. Despite the lack of sleep, they were all smiles. Poor Dylan was a little overwhelmed with the sheer number of females in the home, but he was a good sport and gave them advice in playing the Wii.Last night was the baptism. All went fairly smoothly. She did have to get dunked twice because she let her toes float to the surface, but I don't think she minded. She was so excited to wear her new white dress she would have put up with almost anything. Once again I was just overwhelmed with the support of family and friends. Thanks to all who came.

Nearly all of my family was there, even though it was a weeknight and they are busy people. A friend from my ward said, "Are ALL these kids your nieces and nephews?" I proudly said YES! The grandfathers gave the talks, and it was a family affair from start to finish. I've been making cookies for the past couple days for the baptism and the kids just swarmed them after the prayer. I hope they didn't overdo it but I'm afraid no one was really monitoring just how many they ate. Thanks again to everyone.

Phoebe at 4 months!

So I guess I am lazy or this 4 month milestone just got here before I knew it. I didn't plan any professional pictures so I just dressed her up and broke out the new camera. She is such a cutie it wasn't hard to get a few fun shots. I even thought of getting a couple with Paige. I have this picture of Steph and I when I was about 6 six months. It is a favorite of mine and I was going for that but maybe it will work better when she is able to sit up. I also got a few fun shots of the three cousins together the other day at Steph's house. The three of them hardly look related but each is so cute in their own way. Can't wait to compare these shots to a picture when they are all grown up!

Sleeping Beauty turns 3!

Please ignore the mess behind her, but isn't she too cute! Paige has been our smallest baby since the beginning, so it has been hard to realize she is not a baby anymore. I have always had a soft spot for the sleeping beauty story, so I admit to being secretly happy that Paige feels the same way. So when she asked for a sleeping beauty cake for her birthday I was excited to give it a try.
The hardest part was the hands. I just couldn't get them to look as good as I wanted. I have a new idea to try for next time though.
I looked at several options of other similar cakes online and this was my version. It came out pretty well.

Paige has been talking about her birthday for weeks, she has been pretty excited. We were able to go to my parents house and have her cousins and both sets of grandparents there to help her celebrate. Of course she was spoiled with presents and it was like Christmas all over again.

I'm just grateful to have Paige around the house these days. She is always full of so much enthusiasm for everything. Usually she is bright and happy, but if she is upset she expresses that with the same intensity. She loves to play make-believe and is often acting out these long monologues, most of which I can't understand, but I still find interesting because her face is so expressive. I haven't been able to get her interested in going potty yet, but that is our new project. She recently moved from the crib to the bottom bunk in the bunkbed we got for the girls. She loves it.

Spring in January

So I got myself some new cake decorating tools and books for Christmas, and luckily I know a few people with January birthdays that were willing to let me try out a few things. These are my first attempts at making frosting flowers and I am having so much fun with it. I think it is like therapy for me. Even though they don't last, because we ate them, I don't mind at all. I guess I am used to it because most things that moms do get undone fairly quickly.

Stephanie's cake

Laura's cake

Phoebe at 2 whole months!

I am excited we got a professional(thanks Linds!) to take some pictures of little Phoebe; my amateur efforts just can't compare. They really turned out great. She is a special little girl and really is different than the rest of the kids. Clint and I started out comparing her to the others' baby pictures and trying to see who she looked the most like. Now we just say that she has her own look. We are just loving it when she smiles and allows us to cuddle her. The kids love to hold her and talk to her. Sadly she has had a lot of colic--but she is already improving and I am getting a little more sleep these days. She is gaining weight and has rolls and dimples in all the right places.

Blessing Day!

Phoebe is growing fast. I took her to the doctor two weeks ago and she was already up to 8 lbs 12 oz. Not sure how much she weighs now, but she is changing everyday. We were able to have Phoebe blessed on Sunday. It was great to have so much of our family there with us. I think I really take it for granted that we live close enough together to make these events a real family affair. But it struck me on Sunday just how lucky I am and I wanted to make a point of thanking everyone for coming and being so supportive. What an amazing circle of men who stood around Phoebe to bless her. Thanks again to all of you for being such a great example to me and my family. We wish you all the best of the Holiday season!