Snow Day!

I love the snow. We never see that much snow down South. I was so grateful to see so much of it just before going to bed last night. I was so giddy that I went outside and took video of it snowing. Parker saw the snow this morning and got really excited about making a snowman. We left some of the kids' snowgear in Utah because we didn't think that we would need it here. We tried to find some waterproof pants and shoes. Parker used his rainboots and Lincoln used his tennies. We only had fleece gloves for the boys and luckily we had some coats that fit them. Henry was asleep. Willie took the boys out with a cookie sheet. I joined them once I realized how much fun they were having and luckily Henry was down for a nap. There is a super small hill by us, but it worked. I think the boys had a lot of fun this morning. Parker liked brushing the snow off of the bushes. Lincoln had fun going down the hill with his dad. I love this picture of Parker because it shows how excited we all were for the SNOW!

We did make a small snowman (about 10 in.). Doesn't he look great?

Lincoln's hands were getting a little cold so I gave him my gloves. I cinched them up super tight so they would stay on.

Once Parker got too cold he came inside. Willie started throwing snowballs at the window and Parker was cracking up.

Surprises.

Willie had been taken by surprise with Parker when he was a wee little lad. Parker had peed on him only a couple of times. Willie's excuse was very understandable, he was new at being a dad and hadn't had to deal with little boys. When Lincoln came around Willie was very prepared and I don't think Lincoln ever got him. Before Henry ever had his first diaper on he peed on Willie. That is the only time Henry has done that to Willie.

I was changing Henry's diaper today and it was looking like a near blowout. As I was changing him I noticed that a little more kept coming. I wiped it away but still more came out. I thought 'well I can't get the diaper back on it's got poop on it (on the outside) and I don't want to waste a 20 cent diaper.' I started to put the diaper up to cover Henry when all of a sudden he shot out his yellow newborn poo at least a foot. It was all over. He got the blanket he was on and he got my legs. Yuck! I should have used the new diaper. I understand now how little babies can really have a blowout.

I am grateful that this little mess didn't get on the carpet leaving a yellow stain.

Henry

Henry is two months old. It was fun when he turned one month on Thanksgiving and then two months on Christmas. He now weighs 11 lbs 14 oz. and is 21 1/2" long.

Henry is beginning to smile and sleep better at night. He has only had a few things dropped on his head by his older brothers but has done well in recovering in my arms. We love having Henry in our home and we know that he is eager to run around with his older brothers.

Everyday Living

One day I was sitting up on the counter talking to Willie when the boys came over wanting to get up on the counter too. I decided to take a picture of the boys with their dad.I love little smiles. Henry is really enjoying smiling these days. He loves to look at us deeply and then he just smiles really big.This picture is rotated the wrong way. Don't know why it was good when I sent it through. I love Lincoln's happiness and that he loves to lay down by Henry.
Three boys. Three different sizes. I chose this because it shows how much fun they all have with each other even though Henry doesn't go anywhere.
Infectious.
You must wonder what the two older boys are communicating. Their eyes can tell a great story. Poor Henry was ready to for bed too.
Some of our days the boys can become a little creative. Lincoln began this artwork. Parker was eager to join in making a mess. I was impressed and I refused to let them use anything that was glass. The picture only shows a portion. They pulled out all of our storage and built a long wall into the living room. They had fun and we left it up for daddy to see when he got home. It was nice to reorganize our food storage.

The Reason for the Season.

During this month we have focused on a different part of the Christmas Nativity for Family Home Evening. The first week we talked about the Shepherds. The next week we focused on the Wisemen and the spirit of giving. Week three we talked about what happened in the America's before Jesus came. Samuel the Lamanite gave his prophecy. Christmas Eve we plan to focus on Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

Week one: The Shepherds. Lincoln declined dressing up during this week but was willing to dress up at other times. We are grateful for the shepherds who were there to welcome Baby Jesus. We are grateful that they teach us to follow Christ.

Week two: The Wisemen. This was my favorite week. The boys did a great job riding their camels to give Baby Jesus (Henry) their gifts. How grateful I am that the wisemen teach us of giving. The Savior gave His life for us and I am grateful for Him. At the end of our lesson the three wisemen took cookies to three of our neighbors. Upon returning I asked Parker how he felt after giving the cookies away, he replied "cold."

Here is Joseph and Baby Jesus located near the star.

The three Wisemen.

Week three: Samuel the Lamanite. This lesson taught us about Samuels prophecy in the America's of Jesus Christ's birth. We taught the boys about the night being day and that Samuel didn't get hurt by the people throwing things at him. The activity was an idea from President Eyring, throwing aluminum foil balls at our Samuel (Lincoln). We don't have pictures of this night or of Christmas Eve.

A trip down South.

We took the boys for a little vacation to Disney World. Willie and I did the Disney Give a Day Get a Day. Back in April we did service in Piedmont Park for a few hours. In return we were given one day vouchers to use at Disney World. We headed down on Thursday and went to the park on Friday. We were all getting sick but we still had a great time. Some of the highlights were;

Riding into the park on the monorail.The first ride of the day, Dumbo. The boys didn't want to leave it. I wasn't sure what they would think of all the rides but with Dumbo we learned that they would enjoy the day.

It's a Small World. Parker was stoked about this ride. He loved looking at all the countries. It's good we didn't get in trouble from having him stand up on the ride.

The carousel and spinning in the teacups. We tried to go faster and faster.

The race cars. The boys were hilarious on this ride. Parker wanted to drive. I pushed the gas and headed out. The steering wheel was a little difficult for him to handle, he had his driver's license in one hand. In the end we bounced from side to side until Parker got hit in the head with a violent jerk and the steering wheel got him.

Riding the train back to Toontown was interesting. Lindy and I took all five kids without the strollers. We were told you couldn't take them on the train, when we arrived on the platform we saw a few strollers. Willie and John took the strollers to where we were going to meet them. It turned out okay in the end and probably was good we didn't have to worry about getting the strollers on the train.

During a break Willie pulled out a Clementine and started peeling it. A lady walking by said 'wow, I can really smell those orangecicles.'
After a couple of tantrums we realized that the "happiest place on earth" is only happy if we make it that way. We did have a great time and we try to remember the happy moments of the day.

Another time that Lindy and I took all the kids was on the 'people mover.' We did pretty good, the toughest part was getting them on the ride while it was moving. The scariest part was in the long tunnel that was really dark and Parker had a hard time finding me (he was sitting across from me).

Willie and I were privileged to go on a short date, Space Mountain was great. Thanks Lindy and John for watching all the kids.

The parade of Disney Characters, not what I was expecting but the kids enjoyed it.

The balloon in the back is the one I would have taken home for my kids if it were free. Since in wasn't free I took a picture instead. :)

It was great fun to meet Mickey and Minnie. The room was surprisingly quiet. I think the kids were in a little shock from seeing some famous mice.

The last ride of the day was Dumbo. We didn't get to ride on the carousel again because we didn't have wristbands. The park had a special holiday thing going on that we decided not to pay extra for. Parker was so disappointed. It is one thing he remembers from our trip. Before we left we took pictures of the castle lit up for the holidays. Isn't it so beautiful?

Saturday we took the boys to the Orlando Temple. Willie and I took turns going in. It was great to visit a temple that we hadn't been to before. I'm slowly working on my goal of doing work in 50 temples before I'm 50. I adapted the idea from my aunt who visited all 50 States before she was 50.

When we returned to the condo we went swimming with the Salmons. The water was nice and warm but the air outside kept getting cooler. Lincoln was freezing anytime he would get out to jump back into the pool. I think that will be the last swim time before next summer.

Heading home. We knew that Lincoln was happy because of his singing in the car.