Six Sweet Years of Anna

 Happy 6th Birthday to Anna! It's hard to believe that for 6 years she has been gracing us with her sweetness. She is truly one of the most kind hearted, funny little 6 year old divas alive. She's always telling us how she loves everyone including the bad guys and her actions show it. I don't think it's anywhere in her to not like another soul. She loves to be around people and she's a major fashionista (no clue where that came from). I have gotten out of the shower many a times to find a dress and fancy shoes laying on the bed for me to wear. She hates my moms jeans style and comes home all the time with a play by play of what her kindergarden teacher was wearing that day. Were going on almost 4 years of her changing he outfits 4 times a day.
The girls a little genius at an almost 2nd grade reading level and she want to be mom and teacher when she grows up. Her sense of humor is way beyond her years sometimes and she has the most contagious laugh to go along with it. She can change like Jekyll and Hyde like you wouldn't believe when she's being teased by her sister and can go from sweet to kicking the walls in a flash.
I would have to say the thing I love about Anna are her facial expressions. I got home from the park a few weeks ago and below are some of the pictures that I thought captured Anna perfectly. She keeps us laughing and more than anything she keeps us humble as me and Travis are in awe that such a tender hearted loving spirit has been sent to us. We love you Anna!

For her birthday party we had a princess party and my friend Lauren who has a princess party buisness came as snow white and surprised Anna. It was adorable!

12 on Thursday

1. We had the greatest Thanksgiving with Tyler and Kristy, then we did it again on Friday night because we had so much food. I LOVE having them live by me.
2.We went black Friday shopping with all 4 kids and no stroller for 3 hours and laughed about the craziness the whole time.
3.We went to our new branch and LOVED it. Travis said for one of the first times ever he shared my level of giddiness.
4. I got called as Mia Maid adviser and have not stopped smiling. I mean come on it is the greatest calling in the church. Just the sweetest, easy to please group of girls. AS RS president I had to deal with a couple of guys who told me some really mean things about myself. It kind of shook my testimony of the treatment of women in the church. I prayed for a calling that would help rebuild my testimony of women in the church and that I could have an easy to please group to work with. I know my prayers were heard and I'm so excited to rebuild as I testify to these girls of their worth and build their confidence without having to worry about others seeking to tear mine down. While in our lives as women in the church we may deal with some mean guys, I hope to always remember that is not the attitude of the Savior towards women. In his eyes women are cherished, loved, repected,honored and every other good word out there.
5.We decorated for Christmas and Nelson has asked me everyday if it's Christmas.
6.I took a stab at teaching my kids piano while Karissa is gone for 2 months. It went pretty well I think for being clueless.
7.We went bowling and Nelson was hilarious. I've never seen someone get so excited to get one pin knocked down.
8. Nelson threw an entire bottle of nail polish all over the carpet. It was not as cute as bowling but a little nail polish remover and hair spray goes along way.
9. I had my 14 week checkup and all is well! Cute little thing is the size of a lemon.
10. We had the most amazing asian meal with Tyler, Kristy and the Stu Zoo. Did I mention I love where I live?
11. Travis got all his rotations figured out for next year. Bitter Sweet for sure he got all the programs he wanted for the exact month he wanted them and he is equally excited for each one. We feel so blessed. It was like a giant geography lesson as we studied cost of living, school, economy etc. I learned so much about the country and it was so fun but it will be hard when he's gone for so long.
12. We went to the Omaha Temple and the children museum. Emilyne was so cute with the balls there she couldn't get enough of them.

It's Always the Season

Just a little tidbit about me. I have 3 big pet peeves in life. 1- the word pet peeve 2- people who have something negative to say about everything and everyone and 3-when people talk about the over commercialization of Christmas.
While I think I would have to fight it out with millions of others I'm pretty sure nobody love Christmas more than me except maybe my mom. I LOVE everything about it the lights, trees, music, smells, the joy it brings, the relationships it builds, and at the very top the fact that even if it's just a drop more almost everyone is thinking of the Savior a little more.
Today on the radio there was a stream of  Christmas songs at about a 5 to 1 ratio of religious songs. Compared to the rest of the year on that same station I think we're doing pretty good. I mean here in todays world a song about the birth of our Savior just playing on the radio. While yes some may complain that 30 years ago that ratio would have been alot better. Who cares, we are talking about the world today 2012 and to have 20% of the songs singing about the Saviors birth was pretty incredible to me.
As most of us know Christmas originated as a pagan holiday celebrating the Roman sun God Saturnia or something like that. During that time they would decorate their house in greenery,lights and give gifts to the poor and each other. Since Christianity was illegal then they found that they could disguise celebrating the birth of the Savior by celebrating during this holiday. Instead of celebrating the sun they would be doing the same things as their pagan neighbors only they were celebrating The Son. Through that tradition Christians found lots of ways to take a pagan tradition and use it to turn their hearts to God.
That is what is so beautiful about Christians. We can take anything in life and somehow use it to increase our love of God.
I don't see Christmas as a holiday that God himself instituted (meaning doctrinally) but I think anything that can turn our hearts a little more toward him makes him happy. We receive blessings that accompany our actions. Christmas time provides so many opportunities for God to bless his children no matter where they are on their religious journey. Whether it be just spending a little more time with family, giving to someone in need, or just thinking about a loved one and secretly finding out more about them to pick out the perfect gift. Even for those who are not religious Christmas time is helping them to develop Christlike attributes. And for those of us who do believe, the opportunity to help teach our children about the incredible miracles that accompanied the birth of the Savior and to allow his love to fill our hearts a little more. It's something that the hustle and bustle, shopping, or even Santa can't get in the way of. Because as Christians that's what life is. It's taking place in our hearts all day everyday through the craziness of life.
Because it's what is in our hearts it's not possible to say the true meaning of Christmas is lost. The true meaning is what is happening daily as we try to turn ourselves to God and no one can measure that.
So do I think the corporate world has taken the "spirit of giving" as an opportunity to increase profits in an ofttimes ridiculous way...of course I do. At the same time I think the Christian world has done a much more impressive job at capitalizing on a once pagan holiday and using it to turn so many hearts a little more to the knowledge of the birth of our Savior and Redeemer.

The Fifth Element Reprise

So I wrote this post like 2 weeks ago but it was deleted so I will somewhat write it again. I announced that I had googled creative ways to announce your preggers with number 5 and there were a total of 0 matched to my search showing just how crazy we are. Crazy or not it's true I'm pregnant with number 5!

 While pintrest doesn't have a section for 5th child announcments I did find this (http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/snappy-answers-for-stupid-questions-about-your-big-family) HILARIOUS blog post that I had to share and quote a little bit.

"Guess what? I’m having a baby. Yes, another baby. Why? Because once you find something you’re good at, you stick with it.

Congratulations are welcome! Comments of “Die now, mindless breeder” will be dealt with appropriately...

Nothing, one would think, could be more personal than the choice to conceive and bear a child. And yet, as grand multiparas well know, simply leaving the house with more than two or three children is perceived as a challenge, a circus, a rebuke, a plea for help, a flag of insanity. Really all you want to do is mail a letter, buy some milk or a couple of pregnancy tests, or pay the librarian for this week’s crop of ruined books— but the world at large is sure that what you need right now, in the middle of the produce aisle, is to get into a conversation with a gawking stranger about these kids, these kids, allll these kids!

Faced with such social awkwardness, you may be at a loss for words. Some of us are able to use our conspicuous presence in public as a chance to witness to the joy of this lifestyle. Still others see it as an opportunity to ditch one or two of the slower kids in the gathering crowd."

But seriously I am even more excited about number 5 than I was about number s 1-4 why because daily I'm learning to love in ways I didn't know I could and motherhood gets more fun, spiritual, and fulfilling each day. I know the love that is coming with this baby. I'm 4 for 4 crazy about each of these kids and I don't picture that changing.

I mentioned in my original post that for me it's a little overwhelming because Travis and I were raised by seriously the two most perfect mothers. My goal is to just have a drop of them in me to offer my kids. My sweet mom, well there is not a kinder soul on the planet. Seriously she is the epitome of love and charity. I don't think she has it in her to dislike anyone. No one escapes her presence without a hug. But above all my mom LOVES being a mom. 

Young motherhood was a blast for her. Life with her was one big party. 

I talked to my childhood BFF the other day and was telling her how much fun I was having with Grace and Anna. She just laughed and said "I can imagine, I saw you and Dorthy all those years."

So mom as I begin round 5 thank you. Thank you for teaching me to love, respect and enjoy the most important adventure I will take part in my life and possibly eternity. If there is one tradition I hope to pass on to the next generation that will be it.

Beggars Night

So here in Iowa we celebrate Halloween on Halloween Eve. See the community is super family friendly and super alcohol friendly. So to keep the kids safe and let the adults have their fun they call it beggars night. It was adorable. We started the night off by trick or treating at the senior community across the street. They went crazy for the kids as they all sat in the lobby passing out treats. Then we went out to get some real trick or treating in.
Oh man Nelson was adorable. It seriously never got old to him. he would come yelling out of each house "I got one" and then he would have to show us what he got. I have seriously never seen a kid get so excited about every piece of candy.
So the official costumes were:
Grace: An ice skater (she got white snow boots last year and has talked about this Halloween constume since)
Anna: A fairy
Nelson: Giraffe (he decided last minute that since he's Super Why everyday he would spice it up a bit for Halloween
Emilyne: Lady bug
Travis: Elmo for trick or treating as always and for a Halloween party Sean Spencer season 4
Me: A roller derby girl "The Piecemaker" to be exact. I both lived and crushed my dreams of being  a Roller Derby girl as I realized I can't skate worth beans.

 So after trick or treating we went to our neighbors house for a little extravaganza and can I just say I love these people. Seriously we have something great going on here in Iowa with some of the funnest people you could ever meet. It was great to laugh until I was sick with some of my favorite couple ever.