Cheese

Trying to take a picture of Layla is always funny.  This girl has the best faces.  She is such a little cheese ball.  The only problem is if you want one of her just smiling for a project you are doing, GOOD LUCK!!  My little baby turns 17 months this week.  She is so much fun! 

Running around naked after her bath.  This little stinker ran outside (don't worry it was like 80 degrees that day!) and parked herself on this chair for 10 minutes.  I love her crazy hair!

Speaking of Cheese ........

This week Derek went to Missouri for the grand opening of the Schreiber Health Clinic.  To help all the partners in Clinton Derek started up a health clinic.  No copays, and access to a nurse pratcioner.  She can do everything from stitches to ear infections, to blood work, to physicals.  Wish we could be there to take advantage of it!

I am SO PROUD of all his hard work getting this up and running, especially considering the last six months he has been doing this from Texas.  What an amazing man I have.

Too Long

Sometimes I wonder if I should even post because I am SO far behind.  I have decided that at least for now I am going to focus on the here and now, and worry about back posting later (if it really happens, Christmas is overwhelming!)

Just a little update for now. 

Allee is growing up way too fast.  She has decided she wants to be a famous singer and I hear Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber cranked as loud as possible blaring from her room.  Her bed is the perfect stage (except for when she leaves Layla there all alone!)  She is testing her bedtime and almost every night is up messing around in her room until well after 9:00.  She is a great help with Layla and honestly still loves playing with Pierce which is awesome.

Pierce is in speech right now and loves every minute!  He loves going to the same school Allee is at (even if it is only for 30 min two days a week).  That kid is SO excited for kindergarten.  I see and talk to him every day, so I really haven't noticed any change, but our family always comments on how he is getting easier to understand and that makes me so happy for him.  He is such a sweet little thing and it breaks my heart when others can't understand him.  For example he was called Ian for two months when we first moved to our ward in Texas because his primary teacher couldn't understand him.  I was devastated.  Thank Heaven for speech therapists.

Layla is getting to be quite the little character.  She is climbing on EVERYTHING.  I have never had a climber.  She has colored on walls and the beanbag.  She is constantly in the pantry handing me things.  She rarely eats and is a tiny thing weighing almost 17 lbs at her 15 month visit.  This last week her pediatrician had us get a consult with the GI clinic at the children's hospital so hopefully the addition of some Zantac and an allergy medicine which will help stimulate her appetite will help her gain enough to get back on her growth curve.  She is definitely our sweet loving monster.

AAAHHHHHH.  It really does feel better when I can get some thoughts down, remember the good and crazy going on in our lives, and just take a time out and remember the little things that unfortunately get forgotten too easily. 

A Beautiful 8 year old and her Baptism

 What a blessing Allee is!  It was so bitter-sweet to celebrate her 8th birthday, I can't believe she is already 8.  Time has passed and she has grown right before my eyes and I still feel like I have missed it!
Allee is such an awesome kid.  She takes good care of her brother and sister, leaves notes for Derek and I all over the house, and has the sweetest spirit about her. 
At 8 Allee loves:
Music: Justin Beiber and Selena Gomez
Movie: The Game Plan
Favorite thing about school: Recess
Best Friend: Mikiah Carter in Missouri
Favorite Color: Neon Green and Neon Pink
She loves to wear her hair down
Will wear anything with sequins or sparkle

We were blessed to have LOTS of family fly to Texas for Allee's baptism.  Stephanie and her kiddos came for a month while Dave is deployed in Afghanistan.  Judy came on Allee's birthday, and Christy, my parents and grandma came the next day.  We had a wonderful house full of people all weekend, and it made me miss having family close!

It was awesome to watch Derek baptize Allee.  What an amazing father/daughter moment.  Then when it came time for her confirmation Derek gave her a beautiful blessing.  What a blessing it is to have a priesthood holder in our home.  It was one of the sweetest moments between those two and I will never forget it. 

Congratulations Allee!!  We are so proud of your decision.  You couldn't be a more wonderful daughter.  We know that Heavenly Father has a special plan for you and we are so happy you have chosen to follow the example of Jesus Christ. 

Layla's First Birthday

I am always amazed at how fast the first year goes by.  Our little Layla was one in the blink of an eye!

 Waking up to a room filled with balloons.  This little one was in heaven crawling all around chasing them.

 She was so into unwrapping.  She caught on very quickly and loved tearing the paper.  She got very upset if anyone tried to help her.

 Her favorite toy from Mom and Dad.  She would just hug it.

 This is her "after" picture.  No cake smashing for this kiddo.  She wouldn't even try the stuff!!  After about 10 minutes of coaxing I finally just gave up.

Lucky for her, my cake and ice cream was delicious.  She ate half my plate.  This girl is such a character!!  She makes me laugh, she is the best cuddler, loves her Daddy, and she puts a smile on my face every time I see her.

Happy 1st Birthday my little Layla!  We love you so much and are so blessed to have a spunky girl like you.
Layla's Stats at 1:
Weight: 16 lbs 7 oz
Hair:  Blond and for us TONS!
Loves: Rice cereal and oatmeal
Hates: Pretty much any other food.  The little stinker will some days love noodles and other days not even try them.  She is very strong willed, hence only weighing 16 lbs!
Crawls all over and will walk a little around furniture, but isn't even close to walking.
Loves to clap and squeal at the top of her lungs.

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye to Missouri was harder than I had ever imagined it would be.  Our friends there quickly became our family, and it was heartbreaking to leave them. 

I wish I had a picture of our friends the Woodlands.  Sonya was the best thing to happen to me in Missouri.  She pulled me out of my comfort zone in such a good way and helped lift me out of the "moving depression".  Derek and Richard were able to play soccer together and go to World Series Cardinal games together.  Their older girls, Hannah and Whitney were amazing to my kids and were willing to babysit anytime, and just take care of the kids whenever Sonya and I wanted to do something.

Allee and Mia were great friends and had many a sleepover.  Jackson was Pierce's best bud and introduced him to things like monster trucks, Scooby-Doo, and most recently Star Wars.  Even little Layla had a buddy, she and Audrey were only six weeks apart.

I was able to go to Sonya's and exercise three times a week, which was not only physically but emotionally therapeutic.  We went to movies like Footloose and danced in our chairs.  I couldn't have asked for anyone better to be in my life.

 The Wilkins family in our ward has the most amazing kids.  This is Gavin giving Pierce a ride on his pony.  Pierce absolutely LOVES Gavin, and bless Gavin's heart he is 10 and will still take Pierce out to see the chickens, horses, and other animals on the farm without complaining.  Pierce calls him one of his best friends.  MaKenna is Allee's buddy and since Alan is the bishop, MaKenna would come over almost every Sunday after church until her dad was done with meetings. 

The older boys, Austin, Caiden, and Colten have been some of Derek's young men at one time or another.  He became so attached to them, and they will forever have a special place in his heart.

 The Carter's lived right across the street.  They were one of the first to "adopt" us.  Allee and Mikiah became instant friends and they played together practically every day.  In the summers they were inseparable from sun up until bedtime.  Multiple times when I have had the girls around town I have been asked if they were twins.  They love to dress alike and have their hair the exact same.  Kiah is such a sweet and amazing girl and she will be so very missed.

 Pierce's bedroom.

 The girls room.

Miss Lynn.  I cannot say enough about Lynn.  She has become another Grandma to my kids.  She loves them so much and would come over and ask if I needed to go somewhere just so she could spend time with the kids.  She is an amazing woman, and someone I look up to so very much, it was insanely hard to say goodbye to her. 

So now here we are, trying to adjust to moving again here in Texas.  We love our home which helps a lot.  So far we haven't met anyone, but we are hopeful to find some friends for the kids to help make the transition easier on them.  Time will tell. 

For now, we are enjoying time together as a family.