Halloween ~ 2014

I think Halloween is our second favorite holiday!  All if the children were so excited his year to dress up and get loads of candy. I, of course, waited until the last minute to get costumes ready, but I did it!  It was a relief when they were all done. It's crazy how much work goes into getting FIVE kids ready for Halloween!  But I sure do love it.

Here's Noah and Leah headed off for a super fun day at school!  The parade was so fun and I was able to help in Leah's  class. 

Noah as a Nerd!!  His costume was super easy, and I think it turned out so awesome!!!  He knew exactly what he wanted to be this year and be pulled it off well!

Leah as Anna from Frozen!!  Leah was initially going to be a Utah Cheerleader, but then I found this dress for a great dr and it was too pretty to pass up!!  Leah was so excited and insisted we do her hair accordingly!  I did my best, and she was happy :).

Isaac as a Cowboy!!  This boy...he is so easy to please!  I told him I had this costume from when Noah was a cowboy at his age, and he was set on it. Isaac loves to dress up, so he had a grand time  this Halloween and played the part perfectly!

Kate as a Kitty!  This was the only costume that I made this year. I made the  skirt from tulle {and Kate's obsessed with it} and I made the ears out of felt and some fuzzy fabric. It turned out so so cute!!

Ben as a Dragon!!  Cutest little dragon ever!

Our friends came and helped us carve out pumpkins this year and they turned out great. The kids loved them.

It was definitely a fun night!  We got too much candy, but that's what it's all about!!  Love this little crew of mine!!

Ben's Blessing

Ben was blessed at the beginning of October, and it was so wonderful.  Baby blessings are such a wonderful moment in our lives, and I was so looking forward to Ben's.  Mostly because this is our last baby, and I really wanted to take in every moment.  

We woke up super early {we have 9:00 church} and got everyone ready for church.  I woke Benjamin up last and fed him and got him ready in his blessing outfit.  The same outfit that Noah and Isaac wore on their blessing days.  I'll always remember putting it on him and being taken back to when Noah and Isaac were blessed...such a special time in our lives!  

We were so lucky to have Doug's family come to the blessing, as well as some of my family.  When the time came, Doug went up to the front of the congregation, along with Paul, John, Raul, Spencer, and my uncle Mike.  Ben was surrounded by such a great group of men that I know truly love him.  Doug's blessing was so perfect.  It was so sweet and I'll always cherish that moment...the spirit was so strong in my heart and I knew that this babe was sent to our family for our gracious Heavenly Father. I will always try my best to raise him in the way that the Lord wants me to.  I love when the spirit manifests to me the truth of the gospel...I'm so happy to know the truth and know that the gospel really is true.  And I want my children to know this too!  I know that the blessing that Doug gave Ben was so special in that Doug was inspired by Heavenly Father with what he was to say.  Such a special moment!

Once the blessing was over, Doug came and sat down and my Grandma Fowler, who was sitting next to me, grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her and said "You made the right choice!".  I know what she meant when she said that...she meant that I made the right choice when becoming a member of the church.  I am so glad that she reminded me of that.  I, of course, was prompted to bear my testimony, so I went up and shared what my Grandma had just said to me.  And, of course, I was balling my eyes out all the while.  I can't bear my testimony without crying...it's just the way it is.  The spirit overcomes me and I can't help but shed tears of joy.  I'm so thankful that I was able to bear my testimony with so much family there.  To let them know how grateful I am to be a part of this great work and that I know it to be true.  

Ben has blessed our lives immensely in the time that he has been here on earth.  He is a piece of heaven right in our house, and I just love it so much.  We all love him so much!  

It was a great day!  A day that I will always remember! 

My forever family!  Love this family of mine more than words!

Ben ~ 3 months

Three months old and as cute as can be!!  We are smitten with Benjamin and he has each of us wrapped around his little finger!

At 3 months, Ben...

...weighs in at 12 lbs!  He's starting to really fill out and has the cutest little leg rolls.

...has graduated to 6 month clothes.  He is a long little guy and his 0-3 month clothes were getting way too short on him.  It was a little sad when I boxed up his first set of clothes.

...has started smiling so so much!  He pretty much smiles whenever we talk to him, which is just the sweetest thing ever.

...has discovered his hands and loves looking at them.  He's constantly staring at them and moving them around.  So cute.

...absolutely hates his carseat!  He screams his head off each and every time that we put him in it.  It's so frustrating because it's the only option when we go somewhere.  Hopefully he'll grow out of it soon.

...does not like it when I burp him, yet it's a necessary thing!

...spits up all of the time!  It's crazy how much he spits up!  He goes through about 3 outfits a day...and I do too!  We definitely do a lot of laundry around here because of it.

...loves to be held all of the time...and I don't mind!

...prefers to take naps in my arms.  As soon as he's asleep, he snuggles into my chest or neck, and it's just the best!  I'll hold him during his naps as long as he wants :).

...sleeps so so well at night.  Thank goodness for that!

...rolled over for the first time at the beginning of the month, which was SO exciting!!  ALL of us witnessed it and we all started to cheer as soon as he did it.

We love our sweet little caboose so so so much!!!  He's the perfect baby to compete our family!  Love him!!

Sleeping Beauty

Kate has proven to be our hardest 2 year old. She tests our limits on a daily basis and she's very VERY sneaky. If it's quiet, we know that she's up to *something*. We've learned to always keep Kate in our sight ;). Today she was being such a stinker and it was mostly my fault since she didn't have a good nap. When 6:00 rolled around, she sat down to watch a movie and was out like a light!  I looked at her and saw how sweet and peaceful she was and I forgot about all the trouble that she caused that day...  I sure do love this sleeping beauty of mine!!

Benjamin and Grandpa Sam

This picture makes me SO happy!  My daddy and my baby...