This girl…
She gets more and more awesome every day.
Pretty sure she is going to be REALLY into coloring
Or she’s going to be an excellent nurse, having been trained at a very young age. Is it that obvious that she has her temperature taken every night?
Erica, Eva’s nurse, took these videos and they made me laugh so hard!
She is such a smart and funny little girl!
Veteran’s Day was the most fun we’ve had as a family in a looooong time. Rich had the day off, obviously and so we took advantage of every free minute that day. For breakfast we went to Denny’s where veteran’s and active duty ate for free. We let Aidan and Maya sit at their own table and there was this veteran sitting at the table across from him that Aidan appeared to be having a staring contest with. It was cute. After we finished eating and asked for the check our server told us that Aidan’s veteran friend had paid our bill! It was so sweet of him and Rich got a bit choked up. Started our day off feeling very blessed.
After breakfast we went to the new aquarium in Salt Lake. It was also free for active duty and their families. It was awesome!
Very grainy proof that I was there.
Penguins
When we were done looking we took the kids to the play room they had at the aquarium and that is where Eva discovered her love for slides.
While at the aquarium Rich convinced me that going to watch a movie with all of the kids would be a good idea. It’s not like me to agree but we went for it and it was a huge success! We treated ourselves to the nice theater with recliners and watched Big Hero 6.
Eva having lunch during previews.
I only spent a few minutes outside with Eva. She decided she would rather watch the movie so we went back in.
After the movie we went to Aidan and Maya’s parent-teacher conference. They are both doing great in school. It confirmed to me that our decision to have Aidan repeat 1st grade was the best decision for him. He has straight A’s which at Aidan’s school is 3’s and I can just see his confidence building so much. He is an excellent reader and according to his teacher, he is improving socially. He’s such a playful kid but he has really matured over the last few months and is figuring out when it is time to joke around and when it is time to focus.
Maya, of course, is loved by her teacher. She went into kindergarten already meeting the end of year requirements. She is so kind and such a pleaser that her teacher just adores her. She loves to learn and is always excited to do homework. We feel so blessed that both Aidan and Maya are enjoying school and doing well.
After the parent-teacher conferences we went to dinner at Applebee’s. Rich got a free meal and Maya’s teacher gave us 3 free kids meal coupons(SCORE!) It’s hard to get a selfie of a family of 6! Sorry Eva
Maya is always so sweet and mindful of Eva. Maya was enjoying her deliciously cheesy mozzarella sticks while Eva was snacking on cheerios. I didn’t notice it right away but Maya had been feeding Eva the cheese out of her mozzarella sticks!
She really enjoyed it! I mean, it’s deep fried cheese…who wouldn’t?!?!
We were so blessed to be able to spend the whole day together as a family doing whatever we chose to do. What a choice country we live in where we have so many freedoms. I am truly grateful to all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms and for those who continue to serve this great country.
Our nurse, Erica, did her very first trach change ever a few weeks ago. She did great!
Preparing to make the swap.
I want to video a trach change just because it’s something we do every 2 weeks and it’ll be cool for Eva to watch it when she gets older. It’s such a quick thing I didn’t get a pic of the trach out but she did it and can now say she’s changed a trach before
Maya had a sucker the other day and some how Eva ended up with it. I took it from her.
No sucker = Super sad baby
Last baby = Super spoiled baby
Arabella has such a strong personality that we often can drive each other crazy. She stands her ground and NEVER backs down without a fight. There is no changing this girls mind once it’s made up. When she turned 2 she caught me off guard with her stubbornness. She was so tiny and cute that it was surprising to me that she had such a spitfire personality. I hope that she will continue to be who she is as she gets older and is faced with peer-pressure to make bad choices. She will be the most steadfast and valiant little warrior!
Every day is another opportunity for her to express who she is through her outfits.
Lately, every outfit must include either a tutu or dress.
She is particular about every part of each outfit and gets excited about picking out what she is going to wear. I told her she was going to go out with daddy and this is what she put on. The tiara and wand were a must.
She insists on wearing at least 1 bow and always a necklace on Sundays.
This was a “hat” she made and she wore it most of the day.
I love that she isn’t a follower and that she is her very own unique person. She keeps us on our toes and makes every day interesting.
I can hardly believe that it has been a year since I took this picture!
Really?!?! A whole year? It’s kind of eye opening to me how quickly this year has gone by. I had all of these grand plans for a Fall Photo Shoot which like most of my plans never panned out. The thought of not taking a single Fall picture of my kids was killing me! So, last Sunday, I was determined to get a picture. We got home at 4:30, Rich had to be somewhere at 5:30, we were having company for dinner and dinner wasn’t ready yet…sounds like the perfect time to take a picture, right? It really wasn’t but I knew that if we didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done. So, off we went to the splash pad by our house and I snapped away. I was frustrated and stressed but it was all worth it in the end.
It was just a coincidence that they were all sitting in the same order as last year. I love it though because it shows how much they have changed in just one year. What awesome people they each are individually. I love my big kids!
I am SO SAD my other half(no, not Rich) is leaving me. My amazing friend, Jessica, is PCSing to Texas in 4 days and I can honestly say she has changed my life for the better. I have been incredibly blessed with great friends everywhere we have lived and Jess is no exception. In fact, I think she is the friend that has changed me the most. She has made me want to be a better mother, homemaker and friend.
(Our girls day)
She has been a great example of relying/trusting in Heavenly Father, always suggesting prayer or a priesthood blessing when ever there was any kind of need, no matter how big or small. I absolutely LOVE that about her.
(double date)
While this might seem silly to some people it is a huge deal to me- for the first time in my 8 years of marriage I finally feel like my house is a home. She taught me how to decorate and even more important, she gave me so much confidence in myself that I was lacking.
(making 10 million banners)
She was the one friend that helped me weather the storm while Eva was in the NICU and during the extremely trying months after she came home. She comforted me every time I called her bawling from the hospital because Eva had a rough day. After Eva came home Jess always brought the party to my house because she knew I couldn’t take Eva out.
Good friends like my sweet friend, Jess, are hard to come by. I think this book mark she gave me the other day says it best.
Jess, since I know you read my blog, this post is for you. Thank you for becoming my sister. Thank you for loving me and allowing me to be 100% myself without ever having to apologize for it and thank you for doing the same. I love you!
I’ll see you next year when we go on our cruise together unless you are “over it” by that time, hahaha!
