Easter in Alabama

So this is the first Easter that Jordan and I have been away from family.  We are so use to having family around for all the holidays.  It was a little bittersweet!  We missed all of our family and the annual Hooge egg hunt w/the Easter Bunny!  We missed seeing Grandma's and Grandpa's and Aunt's, Uncle's and cousins.  But...we actually ended up having a great Easter with some of our new friends in Alabama!

Easter began the night before coloring Easter eggs...

And Eating them!!!

Easter Sunday started with church first!  The EB left a letter for the boys saying that he was busy filling eggs, but that an Easter surprise would be there when they got home!  Jordan and I have been filling in for Lincoln's Sunbeam teachers while they have been out of town for a couple months.  So we got to teach an Easter lesson to 3-4 yr olds.  Not totally successful, but we did emphasize over and over....Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate Easter!  We tried to drill it in hard..ha ha!  They were on such a sugar high already, but it was fun! 

When we got home Lincoln had to quietly open the door and sneak in to see if the EB had been there....

I think Lincoln found all the eggs....Sawyer was too busy checkin out the baskets!  Later, Sawyer figured out that if you throw the plastic eggs hard on the table...candy will fly out!  Smart little stink pot!!!!

Later on we went over to some friends house with a few other families for Easter Lunch/Brunch where we had lots of yummy food and fun!  Thanks Orr's for hosting!  It was a great day!

I am so grateful for my Savior and for all that he endured for me and my family!  I am glad we can take this special opportunity to celebrate His resurrection!  I have noticed here in the south, that the emphasis is on His crucifixion rather than His Resurrection and that HE LIVES!!!!  A very sad way to think about it.  I am glad that I have the knowledge that I do about Jesus Christ and that I too will be resurrected as well and see all of my loved ones again!!!

My Baby is 1!!!

My little baby is growing up way too fast.....I can't believe that Sawyer is 1 already! 



This past year has gone by so fast and so much has happened in our little family!  Sawyer has changed so much, especially since we moved.  He went from barely crawling ..to speedy crawler ..to pulling himself up within weeks of getting to Alabama.  Now he is a-l-m-o-s-t walking!  It blows my mind how much they change and how quickly.  But....we are so very very lucky to have this sweet little babes in our family!!!  He is my little sweetheart!  I cannot even imagine our family without him. 

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Not so sure about this icing...

Oh No....Cake in the eye

Good thing Lincoln was there to help open!

I wonder whose Birthday Lincoln thinks it is???

We are glad we had some of our Bama friends to help us celebrate this special day for Sawyer!

And Last but not least.....Sawyer in his Birthday Suit!!!

We Love you Sawyer

xoxo

I'm a Loser Baby...

I need a hobby!!!!!

I am l-o-s-i-n-g my mind already.  I look at all my talented friends and on a bunch of different blogs and I get depressed.  I wish I had but 1 creative or talented bone in my body. 

I have always had a hard time in determining what talents my Heavenly Father has blessed me with.  I have always felt super average.  I have known so many people who are just dripping in talent, character, kindness, empathy, love and so on.  I have often thought when I die would anyone care or even remember me.  I have always wanted to be the kind of person that everyone wants to be friends with...or the kind of person that others look up to or are inspired by.  But, it seems like just getting by as average is ME!

When I was dancing, there was finally a time where I felt like I was blessed with a talent.  A talent which I then shared with children when I was teaching.  It has now been 7 years since I have danced and over 3 since I have taught.  I miss feeling like there was something that I was good at.  It is hard sometimes. 

Sorry...this is just me having a moment.  I hope I can figure it all out soon.

Life is Good

Even though I miss home...and family...and friends, life is OK in Alabama!  I have never lived outside of Utah and I have always been no more than 3 hours away from Family.  This has definitely been a change for me, but a good one.  It forces me to get outside of my comfort zone a little and make friends and do things I might not normally do.  I am so grateful for this opportunity that Jordan and I have.  There are so many great people here and in our ward!  I am so HAPPY that I have the gospel in my life and that the church is EXACTLY the same no matter where you are.  It makes it feel more like HOME!!!

The Boys and I have been having a lot of fun playing outside, making lots of goodies, BBQing, and we even went strawberry picking!  And...let us not forget the beach...YAY!!!!  We had so much fun!  Life is good...and I am LOVING my 3 BOYS more each day!!!!

The Accident....and My Brave Little Boy!

This just in... I am officially not mother of the year......

It is so hard when scary things happen to your kids and when they get hurt.  So many emotions....
Scared (More like FREAKED)
Angry
Sad
Guilty
Pain
FAILURE!!!!

and thoughts run through your head....
I should have known better!!!!
Why???
How did this happen???
Will he be ok?
Is their going to be permanent damage???????

How you can ever be prepared I will never know.  I just hope and pray that My Heavenly Father knows and that he will always be there to help me through it.  I admit I am weak and can only do so much and I need help!

The Accident:
My beautiful, sweet and tender 10 month old got the stroller ride from HELL.....Only word to describe it.  Jordan and I had been out in the garage finally clearing out and putting away that last of the boxes.  Lincoln was playing and I had put Sawyer in the stroller to play.  We were just about done when Jordan and I went to carry a cabinet into the house.  We were only gone for 1 minute when I heard screaming..... I already knew what happened.  But how did Lincoln manage to unlock the brake, maneuver the stroller around the two cars and make it down the steep driveway so quickly??  I expected to see Sawyer at the bottom of our driveway, but he was not there and the crying was coming down the street.  I start screaming and running down the hill in the front yard towards Sawyer who is down the street tipped over in the stroller in the neighbors driveway.  He was screaming and laying in a pool of blood, but still strapped into the stroller.  I was freaking out not knowing where all the blood was coming from.  I hurried and unstrapped him and picked him up to inspect him to see where the blood was coming from.  It looked like only from his nose and the scrapes on his head.  I immediately ran inside to clean him up and take a better look.  He was not having it and it did not look good, so we jumped in the car and went to the Emergency Room. 

3 hours later.....(worst ER ever) we finally are taken back to see a Doctor.  Don't worry we are not freaked out at all about our baby's brain swelling or anything...... Jeez. 
After more waiting..facial x-rays..and more waiting, the dr. tells us that he has no fractures and his nasal cavity is not broken.  He just has a lot of nice bumps and bruises and that we will need to watch him closely for the next 48 hours.  6 hours later we were finally home! 
**Note to self...Next emergency we have, we are driving the 30 minutes to Dothan.

                                                              
My Brave Little Boy:

This was while we were waiting at the ER

The next day...it already looks better

4 days later...lookin pretty good and all the swelling is pretty much gone.

What a little trooper he has been!!!  We are so happy and relieved that you are ok Sawyer!
 LOVE YOU LOTS!!!!!