Two Months

Last week, Cole hit the two month mark! He is such a good baby, a very "roll with the punches" kind of guy. He has to be that way to survive all the running around we do and the three sisters. Anyway, he weighs 12 pounds 2 ounces, still wakes up 2 times a night to eat and is starting to smile a lot. We love him so much!

A Mother of Four!

It seems like only yesterday, I had Ashton and celebrated Mother's Day as a real mother for the very first time. When I look at these pictures from this Mother's Day, I am completely shocked to realize that I now have four children. Even though I am often overwhelmed lately, I feel so lucky and blessed.

Mother's Day Picnic

I wanted to share these pictures from our picnic...our tradition has been that on the Saturday before Mother's Day, we go on a picnic. I was worried this year that it wasn't going to happen- the day was incredibly busy and the weather was chilly, plus our van was in the shop. But that's the thing about traditions, you have to find a way to do them, even if you have to adjust and adapt! So, we all piled into our car and went to West Lake. This year, we just played and then actually ate at KFC because it was so windy. It was a great afternoon...the perfect gift for me.

First Smiles

We caught some of Cole's smiles on camera...love it! Hate waking up 4 times a night (yes, four times last night!) to feed this boy! Thank goodness for these smiles during the day.

Cole's Blessing Day

We had Cole's blessing last Sunday. It was such a special day. We were lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents with it, and it was so great to all be together. Cole is very blessed to have so many people in his life who love him so much. Grandma Patsy bought this special little outfit for Cole. He looked so cute. We are so thankful to have him in our family.

Grandpa Kirk and Grandma Patsy

The flower beds are groomed...the fridge is stocked to overflowing...the girls have new spring dresses and sandals...you guessed it, Grandma and Grandpa have been in town!!! They arrived last Wednesday, and we had such a wonderful visit with them. We enjoyed beautiful weather, took a trip to the zoo, ate at TGI Friday's overlooking the Mississippi River and cooked lots of yummy food. Tod loved going golfing with my dad. The girls loved swimming at the hotel, and reading books with Grandma. I loved learning to bake 1 hour bread and having extra help. We all had a great time. My Dad and Pat have 8 kids between them, and they are expecting their 22nd grandchild next month. Their children are spread all over the world from Utah to Texas to Iowa to Ohio to Japan. They make it a point to come to all baptisms and when babies are born. It keeps them busy. I think they are both incredible people, and everytime I am around them, I learn so much from them. It is always hard to say good-bye...

Happy Easter!

Easter really snuck up on me this year with all that has been going on...we were still able to have a fun weekend and carry out some of our Easter traditions. Grandma Cindy made these dresses for the girls and I absolutely LOVE them- brown and pink is one of my favorite color combos. We are so lucky to have such a talented Grandma. The girls enjoyed coloring Easter eggs and receiving Easter baskets. We had a nice Easter dinner with the missionaries and our friends (who are really more like family!), and it was a great day. We even got some decent pictures of our gang.