Secret Ninjas

I have the play tents and tunnels set up in the living room. The kids have flashlights and are playing "secret ninjas" and their "ninja" behavior is typical of their personality types.

Ninja Quincy has dubbed herself as, "Queen Ella Ninja" and "in charge".  She has changed outfits twice for the occasion.
Ninja Corbin is hoarding all of the popcorn in the tent and keeps trying to find ways to turn the tunnels into a slide by propping the ends up on the sofa and slithering in backwards.
Ninja Reese is writing a list of rules for the game.  Rule number 3 clearly states that Quincy is second in command to her.

Day Off

"Little cold" moved to my chest where it invited it's friends over and started a raging party.  This is the first morning that I don't sound like Joan Rivers.  Aside from an adventure in the car with my kids yesterday, I've stayed confined to my home for a whole week, because I refuse to spread this nastiness around to others. You are welcome, world.

I'm actually feeling a lot better this morning. After being up all night for the 4th night in a row, baby guy was snoozing soundly in his bed this morning.  I decided to sleep in and just let the older kids "free range" in the house.  It was like Lord of the Flies around here as they fought to be king of the island. No wild pigs were slaughtered, but  they've helped themselves to whatever entertainment they could find and feasted with gluttony on unlimited cabinet goods to their hearts content. Every toy we own is now in the living room, and they've probably watched an entire season of Scooby Doo episodes. I could look at this as a parenting fail, but hey, everyone survived without my helicoptering assistance, and I finally got some sleep. Winning!

Reese and Corbin picked out an interesting outfit for Soren to wear today. Reese changed his wet diaper (and did a pretty nice job, actually) and Quincy is helping to get him dressed. As the three of them (tortured Soren) worked together to pull the shirt (with a knitted ugly doll on the front that once belonged to baby Quincy...not really sure how it got into Soren's dresser, but whatev.) Reese said to the others,
"Soren made a good choice in heaven to come to our family and live with us."
Then they all cooed at their brother and gushed over him and told him what a good baby he is.
It was sickeningly adorable. And I know sick.

Stuck at home for a week = not too shabby.  I love my life.

We have plans to make fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, do a sewing craft, make homemade pizzas for dinner, and not take showers today.
They are currently working on next year's Christmas lists.  Quincy announced that she's "getting a baby sister next year".  Don't worry, Aaron, she also said she wants to get married next year.

Reese's Baptism

Reese was baptized on Friday, January 11. It was such a special night for our family and Reese was beaming the entire evening. Aaron was beaming, too. So were the grandparents. Ok, so maybe we were all beaming. It was a happy day.

I love this so much. This is Reese after she came out of the font and got dressed. It's blurry, but just look at that smile.  As I got her dressed, I asked her how she felt. She said, "I think that Heavenly Father and Jesus are happy that I got baptized. I feel like I want to make them happy every day.  I feel wonderful and clean."

Reese's baptism dress has special significance because it was purchased by my grandma, Gladys Lawrence, and worn by me, by my sisters Hollee Ann and Amy, and by my niece Taylor, on all of our baptism days.  Helping Reese get dressed that night brought back memories of my own special day and the covenants I made. I know that Reese is a direct blessing of my keeping those covenants because living the gospel is what brought me to marrying Aaron and starting a family of our own.  I had one of those full circle moments as I got her dressed and felt very close to the righteous women who had brought me to this moment of happiness in my life.  I am thankful for them and the influences they've made in my life.  The thought that Reese is now a part of this great legacy of women made me so happy I can't really describe with words how I felt, but I was so overwhelmed with joy that I felt like singing.  I knew at that moment that there were choirs of angels in heaven singing with happiness, too.  I put Reese's shoes on her feet, and told her there were angels in heaven singing for her and she smiled and said, "I know they are."  She felt it too. 

We returned to the room and several of Reese's friends came up and sang, "I Am A Child of God". I still have a photo from my own baptism that is very similar that I love. We let Reese choose the program for her baptism.  She chose to have Grandma and Grandpa Willardson offer the opening and closing prayers, Kasey to give a talk on Baptism, Daddy to perform her baptism and confirmation, Grandpa Hal to give a talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost, Grandma Lynn to lead the music, and Tia to play the piano. She also chose the songs and told me that she wanted a white "baptism cake".

The evening was reverent and happy and full of love. One of the highlights of the evening was right after Reese came up out of the water.  All of the children had gathered around at the front of the baptismal font to have a good view of Reese. It was totally quiet for one moment as Reese wiped the water from her eyes and looked around at all of us. Then Corbin threw one arm up in the air and exclaimed, "Yeah Reese! You did it! Good job!" and pumped his fist.  It was really cute.  

Reese was very lucky to have BOTH sets of grandparents travel all the way to Arkansas to celebrate her special choice. We had a great weekend together and it made all of us wish we lived a little closer to family. 

 Reese received some special gifts on her baptism day.  Auntie Jana and Uncle Scott gave her a darling necklace and scripture pen. Grandma Lynda and Grandpa Rob and Aaron and I bought Reese her very own set of scriptures. Grandma Lynn and Grandpa Hal gave her a daisy necklace, a picture of Jesus, and a baptism memory book. Kasey put together a book about baptism from her talk, and Grandpa Hal gave Reese a book and blanket to remind her of the warm, secure feelings that can come from the Holy Ghost, our Comforter. Reese's bff Madi (and the whole Zebley family) put together a candy gram for her that is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.  Many of Reese friends and primary teachers came to show her their love and support. 

I think the greatest gifts that Reese received from friends and family that night are the examples that have been set by loved ones that help her build a testimony of the gospel Jesus Christ. I love watching her faith grow and strengthen and I am happy that my children are all surrounded by good teachers and friend to show her the love of Christ through their examples. 

Here is her white cake. It's the best idea for a "baptism cake" I could come up with that wouldn't look like it belonged on that cakewrecks blog.  She loved it and after she licked the frosting off the toe of the photo, "mini reese" was glued into her baptism book.  I am just happy to say that this is probably the only clever idea I have had for anything in like a year that wasn't copied from someone on Pinterest. Originality isn't dead yet!

Isn't she adorable?  I love this girl.

To my sweet, beautiful, precious daughter.  You are a treasure of joy; a priceless gem of happiness among the gifts I hold most dear to me and value most. You are of great worth. I love you and I am proud of your choice to follow Jesus Christ.  It is through Him that you can have a full and happy life.  

To echo Corbin and the heavenly hosts of angels singing on the special night of your baptism, 

"Yeah Reese! You did it!  Good Job!"  

Dreams on a Sleepless Night

I have a little cold.
I'm grateful it is not the flu. No fever, aches, chills, runny nose or anything. Just a scratchy throat and this wimpy cough that does nothing but wake my baby up at night.

Oh yeah, the baby is still in our bedroom.  There is literally no more room in our cute little house. We've tried the living room, but he won't go to sleep because we are out there in the evening, and then the morning is a disaster when Aaron is up getting ready for work and ironing in the living room at 5am (yes he is up at 5am, yes he irons every day, and no I don't iron for him.  He says it's my one flaw. oh and yes the ironing board is in our living room because...well thats the only place left where it fits.) Anyway, then the girls are up and getting ready for school and romping around so the living room for Soren just isn't working.  We're considering setting up his bed in our master bathroom (it will baaarely fit, but the door only opens partway if we do that, but we need to wait until it warms up, because our bathroom is freezing in the winter.
Anyway, we're midwinter and feeling a bit (a lot) cramped these days.  Corbin scales the walls and furniture daily as his body begs to climb and be active. I'm going to get the jump house out of storage and set it up in the middle of the living room for a week to help him work some energy out.

Last night I went to bed as soon as Soren was asleep. I don't know what was in the air, but all of the children took turns waking up last night. Soren didn't go to bed until 11 because he napped all evening during dinner. Quincy was up at 2, insisting that she wasn't tired anymore, that her legs hurt, that she was thirsty, that her pajamas were twisted, that the night light was too bright, etc.  Reese was up at 3, complaining that Quincy had woken her up and now she  couldn't go back to sleep because it was too hot in her room. Soren woke up at 3:30, ate, then slept restlessly until 5 because I kept coughing.  Corbin came in at 4:30 blue eyed and busy tailed and ready for some Scooby Doo action.  We did everything we could to get him to go back to bed, but he wasn't having it.  Aaron even went and "slept" with him in his room to try to get him to go back to sleep.  At 5, Aaron gave up, put on a movie and got ready for work.  The girls got up at 5:30 for school and I don't remember anything else because Aaron stayed home this morning long enough to make their lunches and get them on the bus so I could sleep.

He woke me up before he left at 6:45 and this was our conversation:

Me: Why didn't any of our kids sleep last night?  What the heck?  Thanks for letting me sleep this morning. I just had another dream about a baby girl. Just sayin'.
Aaron:  I just had another dream that I was in a mental institution. Just sayin'.

We're starting to lose our minds around here!

Aside from lacking sleep and perfect health, there are many many many great things happening in our world.  I'll post soon about Reese's baptism and our awesome visit with grandparents.

Happy Friday!

Furniture

I finally did it. I've been watching this settee for 2 years. I didn't buy it when it went on sale, and immediately regretted that decision when it went out of stock for 6 months. When it returned, I couldn't bring myself to pay full price, knowing it had been on sale. Then it went on sale again, and AGAIN I talked myself out of it.  Back to full price and again I was filled with regret.

It went on sale yesterday and it took me 1 hour to make the decision. I did it. And the one hour was actually because I was agonizing over buying this sofa that I have loved for years, or the other settee that I had also fallen in love with, and was also marked down a significant amount.

My final justification for just buying them both, (yup) was that the markdown on the second covered the cost of the first. So it was like paying full price for one, and getting both sofas.

I actually got two of the navy one to face each other in front of the fireplace. I might just end up going with one, and returning the 2nd one, but I was afraid that if I didn't purchase the two at the same time and decided later that I did want two, it might come from a different dye lot and not be identical.  So, I got them both, and if they don't fit what I'd like them to do, I'll return one, or both. But I really think they'll be great.  I'm actually really proud of myself for finally making a decision and making the purchase.  I've been on the hunt for the right pieces for a very long time. I finally found some that Aaron and I both love, and the purchases were paid for 100% with money I made teaching preschool last year, that I've been saving to spend on the right piece.  I hope they are as fabulous in my home as they are in the pictures.  If not...well, that's why I read the return policy before I ordered them.
Eeek!  Three pieces of grown up furniture in my house!  I can't wait.

Poop Happened

After plethora of potty prizes and praise, poop happened. Way to go, Corbin! You can do it! 

 

Christmas Happened!

Since Aaron had the day off on Christmas Eve this year, we decided to mix it up this year, skip the movie and go glow-bowling at fast lane instead. The kids LOVED it!  Christmas Eve dinner was a fancy spread of french fries, a chicken quesadilla appetizer, sodas and chicken strips.  No dishes for me, no nutrients for anyone, and 6 happy and satisfied people.  It was a great time spent together as a family.  

 How cute are those tiny bowling shoes?!

After bowling, looking at the lights at Concordia one last time, we went home for scriptures and a nativity with the children.  It was actually reverent. Wild, but respectful...and that's as much as we can ask of our brood.  It was great.

Christmas morning brought presents and surprises from Santa.  The kids trashed the house, ate chocolate and cheese balls for breakfast, waffles for lunch, pajamas worn as clothing for the entire day, and Aaron and I made a turkey for dinner. Later that night, we skyped with Aaron's brothers and sisters and parents, and talked to mine on the phone.