9 Months Old

Height: 26 1/4 inches
Weight: 15 lbs
Two Teef
Walkin' behind a toy
Makin' Momma Smile Everyday!

Fun Family Pictures

Airport

Ridin' in Style.

Checking In.

Before we went up to security, Grandma, of course, bought the kids a treat.

Saying Goodbye.

This pretty much sums it up.

And she is off!

We took my mom to the airport yesterday. It was difficult to say goodbye. I think it will take awhile to get use to not being able to pick up the phone and call her at anytime. I am thankful to live in an age of blogs, internet and email though. I think that will make the distance shorter.

We just received an email from her saying she landed and has made it to Suva. After landing in Nadi, she had a five hour bus drive. I can't even imagine how tired she must be. She did mention that the scenery is gorgeous. I can't wait to see it for myself.

Events Leading Up to Goodbye

Kimball, August and Chase.
Cousins born within a couple months of one another.

This is a Grandpa Bob move.

So tired.

We had a wonderful weekend leading up to my mom leaving on her mission this morning. On Saturday night, we went to the Mayan for dinner. The kids LOVED it. Tyler will tell you that he got to "push the guy into the water." Bella and Carly ran, played and ate till their little tummies were full. Then the girls went to the new Forever 21 at South Towne Mall. It was AMAZING. I love that store. It was so fun to go with mom too. It is our little tradition.

Then on Sunday we went to my Aunt Chris and Uncle John's home for an open house for my mom. There were so many family members there. It was wonderful. We took lots of pictures and gave lots of hugs. We are so excited for our mom, the missionary.

The MTC

Yes, she is pointing to Fiji.

Bella loves "Nanny" so much.

Notice the jumping boy in the middle.

My little man will be 2 when Grandma gets home.

This morning we dropped my mom off at the MTC. I have to admit, I think up until then I was in denial as to what was about to happen. I shed some tears. I know I will shed more on Saturday when she gets on her plane. It helped that after being in the MTC for a couple of hours she called and said that she would be done at 4pm and could leave. So, I asked if I could come and take her to dinner. I did. It was great.

I am going to miss her terribly. She is the person I call whenever I need help or advice. She is always there to comfort and serve. Plus, I genuinely love being with her. She is one of my very best friends. I am proud of the sacrifice she is making to spread the Gospel, but man, I will be counting the days until she comes home!

Sunny Days

Bella wanted to paint rocks the other day. She insisted on painting them each a different color and them lined them up like this on the deck.

Before.

After.

We love the sun!

Zoo

Last week on a beautiful day, we went to the zoo with some friends.
(Thanks Heidi for this picture.)

Bella reading her map to a monkey.

Two cute girls drumming.

My little spider.

Thank you Dani for the invitation. It was a great outing.

Ghetto is...

A sick mom, with her husband away, realizing there is nothing in the house for dinner

Getting her 2 kids in the car, the 3 year old without shoes

Driving to the only food that sounds good, only to realize the place has NO drive-thru.

Ghetto is not choosing to go somewhere else, but going in anyway

With a kid on each hip, both in pajamas,

Without her hair done and a RED nose,

With a shirt that unknown to her had pee all over it.

Ghetto is yours truly.

We had the great opportunity to have Chase's birth parents come for a visit this past weekend. They flew in from Indiana and we spent Saturday together at Jungle Jim's in Murray. Then we had a nice dinner on Sunday. Their love for Chase is so evident. We will forever be grateful for the amazing gift they gave us.

Bella's First Sleepover

Last Friday, I got a call from my nephew, Thomas. He said, "I want to come and stay at your house for 6 days." We settled for one night. He then called John to negotiate when he could go to his office and get a ride to our house. John said, "Four." Thomas said, "No, that's too late, 2:00," after much negotiation they settled on 3:30.

After a pizza dinner we went to a jump house place near our house. Bella and Thomas had a wonderful time. They wore themselves out. When we got back home, we settled into PJ's and sleeping bags, put on Toy Story 2 and they drifted to sleep. It was a perfect first sleepover.

Southern California Trip

We decided to get out of the snow and cold and go visit Grammie and Papa in California a couple of weekends ago. It was so fun just to be outside. Chase loved the dogs and his first time in an outside swing.

We stayed Friday night in San Diego. Jenny and Kyle came too. It was a nice relaxing night. We ate in downtown SD and went in the hot tub. Then we all slept really well, including the kids.

On Saturday, we went to the Wild Animal Park.

Bella loved the petting zoo.

How great is this smile on Chase's face?

Needless to say, I did not go into the Aviary.

On the way home we stayed in St. George. Chase had his first experience in a pool. It was a little cold for his and my liking.

We had a great time. It was a perfect break from the cold winter. And a fun time with the people I love most.