Easter 2012

I am not usually big into the Eaaster or Easter baskets thing... but this year we ended up with a bunch of stuff!

32 and flirty too... ( but only with my hubby, of course!)

I am another year older - hooray!  I love getting older, I am reminded every year of all the things I have been through to get me here.  Having been at the point where living was very precarious, life is so precious to me and I am thankful for every second, regardless of the pain and hard times! 

 My sweet Jonathan made me an almond flour chocolate cake with peanut butter (yes, I am allergic to peanuts also, but we set that aside for the day) frosting... Awwww.... It took him 4 hours, so a WHOLE lotta love went into that baby and I was very thankful! 

 My kids always crack me up singing to me  - Elise sings the Happy Birthday song soooo cute right now, melts my heart!

 New KNIVES!!!  HOOOORAY!  I love my new knives, there are some huge ones and they are VERY sharp, which makes this one handed girl so happy I can't tell you! 

 Emma made a regular cake for everyone else, which was so sweet of her!  I asked the kids to clean the house for my birthday.... and while that didn't really happen I was grateful to spend time with them all!

 MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!

Jonathan also gave me the new Stephanie Nielson - "Nie Nie" book, "Heaven is Here".  I have to say it was a fantastic book and I loved reading it, but it was tough.  I was shocked by the similarities between us as youth and adults, and our shared dreams and hopes for our futures... My accident was in my teenage years, and I didn't know if anyone would ever fall in love and marry me, or if they did if I would be able to have children.  Her's was in the middle of a perfect life, already filled with the things she had hoped for.  In some ways it was similar, in some very different (of course) but I think it all boils down to the same thing, we are blessed with beautiful families, and that is such an incredible blessing that I don't take lightly.  Not everyone that wants children is blessed with them.  Some are blessed with children they don't want.  For years I was told I would never be able to have children, it was just too dangerous... That made dating hard and awkward, and broke my heart and my dreams into a million pieces.  Luckily after 5 years of tests and lots of praying my Dr said it would probably be ok to try with some strict guidelines I would have to follow.... and now I have the 4 most precious babies I could imagine.  God is great!!! 

Anyhow - there you go, some Birthday reminiscing:)

Happy 7th Russy Bubs!

We are so grateful for and proud of our sweet Russell, he is such a darn good kid!  He even let me save the leftover cupcakes from his school party for his birthday party, instead of having to bake a whole cake!  What a guy:)

 Ha!   I LOVE this face, covered in frosting or not!

 He truly is one of the greatest things to ever happen to me!  I am a truly blessed mother!

 Books, Oreos (!) and a Transformers cup... cool... but something is missing Mom....

 WHAT!?!?  Russ saw this Truck with 5th wheel and fishing stuff at the CAL Ranch store and HAD to have it, he has been drawing pictures of it for months!  He wants to grow up and hunt and fish all over the world, just like Grandpa Goodman! 

 Opening a card from Grandma and Grandpa Thom, always a precious and funny moment - the cards are in German so Grandpa traslates them for us! 

 An awesome watch from J&D!  Thank YOU!!!  He has only taken it off to shower!

 LEGOS!!!  Can you tell how excited he is to build all of these new cars?

 Grandma Goodman sure knows what Russ loves!

 And she hit one out of the park with this Lego TIE!  Russ can "decorate" it with whatever Legos to wear to church!  He plays with it in Sacrament meeting but is great with "hands off" during his class!  It was sure a hit last Sunday with his Sunday School class! 

Also - please excuse all the nakey pics of Beans... she had a few too many accidents that day and I had no energy for ANOTHER pair of clothes!

Science fair 2012

Emma was REALLY excited about the science fair this year!  She wanted to soak penny's and see what Chemical's PH would clean the best!

A few random pics:)

Beans LOVES her "Punzel" hat, and today added a crown on top, which I thought was soooo darling!  (Please try to ignore the awful kitchen behind... it will still be a while before I have a pantry again!)

 Em loves hers too!!!  And I just think she looks so cute!

 Elise sitting on what will soon be Mommy and Dad's new potty!

 The kids are dancing in the new master closet... the little hole is NOT a secret passage, it is just the only way in to the new part of the kitchen until we knock down some walls in the current kitchen!  Hopefully soon!  Then I will have a pantry again!

 I LOVE that face!!! 

 The big room upstairs!  The girls LOVE to come up here to dance!  I will be excited for carpet so the dancing isn't quite so loud!

 Hannah still dancing in the upstairs bathroom...

 Watching Russ ride his bike, from the upstairs window.

 LOL!

 Another little face I LOVE!

 Daddy came upstairs and caught us dancing!

 I just love my little family!

Snow and Miracles!

I don't need to tell most of you what a remarkably mild winter we have had!  We have felt so very blessed to have gotten through such a huge project with next to no snow, and no damage to our home from wind or snow! 

Not 24 hours after the garage doors were put on, it started snowing... I don't have to tell you what an incredible miracle that is!  We would have been replacing drywall for sure if we hadn't had this step accomplished!

 I am so excited to park this baby inside and not have to trudge through snow with all the kids anymore just to get in the car!  Hoooooooray!!

 I love icecycles! 

 It is so nice  to be warm and cozy inside with a fire blazing in our new wood stove (again, thank you dear husband)!