A Jolly Holiday!

What a celebration! We had a lot of fun this 4th of July with friends and neighbors. We had a BBQ with the Thomas family and Grandma Etta (of course)! We went swimming in the backyard, lit fireworks with more neighbors, and ate too much junkfood. It just doesn't get any better! Jake was so excited about the $10 worth of fireworks we splurged on this year- that shows you how cheap we are. He would cheer and dance when Richard would light each flower, tank, or our grand finale, the Panda that pops firework. It doesn't take much to make him happy. He also had a blast on the Father Son Campout at the end of June- we definitely have two Little Mountain Men in the family. The girls stayed home for Girl's Night, with pedicures, treats, and some Dress-Up. Clara finally started crawling on Father's Day and quickly learned how to pull herself up. It took a little while for her to figure out how to get back down in her crib. She is so happy to be mobile and finds so many things to discover and put in her mouth. We love her cheesy grin. Jake finished baseball camp last week and he starts swimming lessons with Hannah this week. Then it is on to potty training for Lucy. Busy, busy! Hope you are all well and happy and enjoying your summer. We feel so blessed to live in this great country, surrounded by so many good friends and family. We'll post more soon!

Littles growing BIG!!

School is out, Clara turned one, Hannah danced a duet in her recital, and Jake has graduated from kindergarten! We've been super busy, but busy having fun. The kids are loving the warmer weather and we have all been healthy for several weeks now- yeehaw!! Hannah took a little while to recover from having her tonsils out- they were pretty gigantic the doctor said, but she busted right through Jake's popsicle record of 21- she ate a whopping 24 the day of surgery. She is now the proud record holder at the Southwest Idaho Ear Nose and Throat Clinic. Go Nan! Richard had a great 36th birthday, his parents even joined in the celebration with a visit from California. Clara turned one on May 28th and was a little pokey from her nap. She wasn't so sure about all the attention, but as you can see from the pictures- she warmed up to the idea of cake and presents. Jake and Hannah wrapped up some of their toys to give her, it was very sweet. Lu had fun (doesn't she always?!) helping Clara navigate her new walking toy. Clara still won't crawl, let alone walk, but she is getting closer. She is content just to sit and suck on her two fingers. She's a gem. Thanks everybody for the great gifts. We feel so blessed. I'll post more soon.- Steph

Happy Spring!

We made it through another winter and are so excited to see our tulips peeking out to say "hello!" We had a wonderful Easter holiday weekend. We took a two day break from our "Hundred Healthy Days of Eating" program- we all ate way too much candy! We are back on track now and off of sugar, nuts, dairy, and wheat. You gotta love allergies.
Jake had his tonsils and adenoids out in March over spring break and set the new record for consuming the most popsicles post-op day: 21! Hannah is determined to beat him when hers come out next week. We'll see... Jake is loving school and is really good at math. I can't believe he will be in first grade! He is almost done with his wrestling season and looking forward to swimming lessons and baseball this summer.
Hannah is getting ready for her ballet recital next month and is all registered for kindergarten- wahhhhhhhh! She has grown up so fast and will be sorely missed by her mom. She is my greatest helper around the house and with her little sisters. She will be such a great little mommy.
Lucy is still a busy two year old who loves to ask, "why?" after every statement. She is a funny girl and tries to mimic Hannah any way she can. When asked to do something she doesn't want to do, she'll say "I ti-ya" meaning I'm tired. Then she'll change her mind and say, "Okay, Mommy." She is very independent and loves to get into things. We found her during General Conference in a bag of candy I thought I had put away for the easter egg hunt. It was very quiet and it took me a while to find her- covered in chocolate!
Clara is still our little birdie girl who sings and chirps all day long. She still won't crawl, but I don't mind. Mobility is overrated in my opinion anyway. I know she'll be everywhere with Lu, soon enough. She loves to rock in her exersaucer and is still a big fan of sweet potatoes.
Richard is doing great at work- no worries so far. He loves his job and is staying super busy. He really is the best dad and husband in the world.
I'm doing great, loving my life and feel so blessed to have each day with my loved ones. Life is good. I'l l post more again soon. -Steph

A Very Merry Unbirthday!

Nan (Alice) turned 5! She is growing up so fast. She had a delightful group of friends over for her "Alice Tea Party" and they had such fun. She celebrated all day- at pre-school, at ballet, and then at home. She even got phone calls from the Woolwines, Grandma & Grandpa Little, and Laurie. She is so loved. What a treasure our sweet Hannah is. She is so helpful, kind, generous, and artistic. Right now she is coloring a picture she has named "the enchanted land"- where does she get this stuff? She has also decided to form the "Girly-girl Club" that will begin in the summer. When asked what they do, she said, "We swim, play sports, eat junkfood, and exercise of course." Who knew?!?
We survived our month of sugar-free living and partied hard on Nan's birthday with cake and ice cream. We all got tummy aches, but Jake toughed it out and went to wrestling anyway. What a trooper. He is doing really well in school and loves computer lab and p.e. the most. He scored above average on his math report card- Richard was so proud. He is working on reading every night so he can earn a free pass at school to "Roaring Springs" a water park, this summer. He is so excited, "I love that place!" He is getting his tonsils and adenoids out on March 24th and is looking forward to all the popsicles.
Lucy is oh-so-two. "No" is the first thing out of her mouth, even when it is followed by a "yes" afterward. She is speaking and signing so well. She makes us laugh all the time- like the other day when we were in the car and Steph smelled something and asked Lu if she was stinky? She said "No" (Of course). Then she smiled and said, "I toot!" You gotta love Lu!
Clara is growing so fast. She has grown out of her infant car seat, boo hoo! She loves to rock in her seat/exersaucer and is blowing raspberries and jabbering all day. She still loves to suck on her two fingers, but has learned that they have to come out in order for the food to go in. So we take turns- a bite of food, a couple minutes of finger-sucking, a bite of food, etc... She is still very smily and just laughs at Jake like he is the funniest thing ever. Like Jake needs any encouragment to act silly?! We have a great family. We will update again soon. Thanks to everyone for the great gifts you gave Hannah. We will write more soon....

Happy New Year!

It is 2009! Wahoo! We had a fun New Year's Eve dancing (see the pix) and playing games like Twister Hopscotch, Sorry, and Good Manners- all while eating junkfood of course! We are now detoxing trying the no junkfood approach to life until Nan's birthday- Steph is just hoping she can survive that long without sugar- aaaahhhh! We went to Grandma Etta's on New Year's Day to watch the USC game- as you can tell from the picture, Jake was happy with the final score. The year is off to a great start- here we go.....