Go, go, go Joseph!

Just to let you in on a little secret, I was obsessed with the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" when I was a teenager. We lived in Chicago for two years during which "Joseph," the Broadway show starring Donny Osmond as Joseph, came to Chicago. I saw it once and was hooked. Had to have the soundtrack and the sheet music, memorized all of the music, saw it an additional four times, and cut out any and all advertisements of the play in local newspapers and magazines. Yeah....it was bad. So you can imagine my delight when I learned that my dad and my sister were performing in their stake's production of "Joseph." My dad was one of the brothers, Levi, and my sister was a back-up singer for the narrator. I flew down to San Antonio with Luke a few weekends ago to see them perform and it was AWESOME. I sang along and was totally getting into it (I'm sure the people sitting next to me were thrilled). It was all I could do to keep myself from hopping up onto the stage and joining right in. The music is fabulous--a mix of several different genres--and it's just plain fun (for those who haven't seen it, it's a very humorous re-telling of the Bible story about Joseph). So I was super glad I got to see it. My dad and sister did so well! I couldn't have been prouder!

My father--isn't he just made to be an actor??

Great job you two! You are amazing!

Fall Fun

This year's fall leaf-collecting trip in the canyon










Last Saturday we took a trip to Cornbelly's. What a fun place! We'd never been but heard how much fun it was because there was so much to do. We could have easily spent the day there. The favorite attraction for the kids? The slides. Luke loved the baby slides and giggled the whole way down and the girls loved the big slides, especially Rachel. She couldn't get enough!






Yee haw!

one.

The not-so-happy birthday boy. "It's my party; I can cry if I want to..."



My Luke is one year old now. My, how time flies! He never really was a teeny thing, starting out at 10 pounds, but looking at newborn pictures of him really makes me see how much he's changed! Remember this full head of jet-black hair?

And he was definitely quite chunky then, with no neck to be seen. He's thinning out now and it's a little sad.

Luke got to celebrate his first birthday with his big sis, Rachel at a combined birthday party. He was quite sober and clingy to me throughout the evening and I don't think we even got one picture of him smiling. Oh well. Babies will be babies.
The messy chocolate cupcake

the VERY messy aftermath

Siblings "helping" to open the gifts

Lukey, does this fit?

He had a fun birthday and got loads of fun toys, including the Little People Racin' Ramps Garage (I'm excited about this one!!!), a remote-controlled airplane (the girls love this), and several cute cars and trucks. Thank you to all who came! Luke got such great gifts!

Here's some recent pictures of Luke:








And some fun facts:
Luke loves to say hi and wave with BOTH hands at the same time.

He loves all foods these days. Seriously everything I give him he eats and loves. Wish it could last forever!

He loves to comb his sisters' hair.

He can give great high-fives.

He can take about five steps at a time, but doesn't seem to want to do more than that yet.

He enjoys reading and thumbing through books.

He dances whenever he hears music (including the hymns at church).

He loves to dive into my lap (I love it!).

Brushing his teeth makes him giggle.

He climbed on top of the piano keys one day and was totally content standing on them (which nearly gave his mother a heart attack!).

He loves to roughhouse with his dad on our bed.

His favorite toy right now is a set of stacking cups.

He can say "Emma" very clearly.

He loves being with his sisters and playing wherever they are.

His hair is SO shaggy and yet I don't have the heart to cut it quite yet!

We love this babe so much around here. The girls just think he is the most adorable thing (which he is) and frequently tell him that. They are so sweet and patient with him (especially Emma) and I love seeing that. I love how cuddly and affectionate he is. He loves to be held and carried and snuggled. And he has a sense of humor! He cracks us all up sometimes. I don't know what we would do without him! We love you so much Lukey!

Rachel's Birthday

Opening presents on her actual birthday (last Tuesday):
Snap'n'Style Juliet


Her big gift from us: a pony! (a fake one)
She loves it, as do Emma and Luke. It even moves its head and tail and makes "horsie noises." And isn't it adorable? I guess I should say, isn't SHE adorable? The girls named her Tootsie Vanilla.


We had a big combined birthday party for both Rachel and Luke (whose birthday is Wednesday) last night and invited several relatives and friends into our tiny home. It was tight but we had fun.

Blowing out candles. She loved her "polka-dotty" cake (it is decorated like a wrapped present).

Happy friends eating cake together

The crown I made for her that she only wore long enough to take this picture. Good thing I only spent two minutes making it. But isn't she pretty?

Opening Grandma's gift


It was a fun birthday for Rachel. She loved it when we all sang "happy birthday" to her. She had the cutest, most shy smile while we were all singing. She got some cute clothes and fun new toys, books, and puzzles. Thank you to everybody who came and made it special! Happy birthday sweetie pie!

Ray-Ray's Day

Rachel had a birthday; shout hooray! Today my sweet Ray-Ray turned three. I really can't believe it; I remember so clearly when Emma was three and it didn't seem like that long ago! I look at Rachel's long beautiful hair and how tall and strong she is getting. I watch her scribbles become real drawings of people and things she loves. I watch her use the bathroom and climb a ladder and get a drink and put her clothes away. She is growing up and becoming more and more independent. Thankfully, she is very attached to me still and loves to be with me (which I love!!!). So she is not running away from me too much yet. But still--three years old is a big birthday. She will be a Primary Sunbeam in a few short months!
Here are some pictures of Rachel through the years:

Brand-new baby

6 months old

1 year old

2 years old--amazing what just a year will do--she is a baby in these pictures!


Recent pics of an almost-three-year-old



A few cute facts about Rachel:

She LOVES yogurt and will sometimes eat it twice in one day.

She loves her baby doll April and takes great care of her. April is almost always tucked under Rachel's arm doing whatever Rachel is doing.

Rachel loves babies and points them out to me everywhere. She always asks me if she can "pet" them. Very cute.

She can be mischievous and even gets that mischievous look in her eyes when she is doing something she knows she shouldn't.

She really looks up to her big sister and loves to do whatever Emma is doing.

When Rachel is excited about something she is telling us she will jump as she talks. It's very funny.

She hates having her hair done.

She loves to play with other kids and really enjoys her little playgroup/preschool she attends once a week.

She is so easygoing and transitions very easily throughout the day. This is a blessing to me as her mother!

She loves to swing and go down the slide.

She always has to carry around at least two toys (and sometimes an armful) everywhere she goes. I have to tell her to put them down so she can eat, go to the bathroom, put on her pajamas, etc.

She can recognize about half of the alphabet letters.

She likes to annoy Luke by smothering him and when we tell her to stop she replies, "but I LOVE him!"

She has the most darling little voice with a hint of British accent. It's very charming. I wish I could just bottle it up and sell it. I think I would make a fortune!

Our family would not be the same without our sweet Rachel. She is such a ray of sunshine in our family and we all just love her to pieces! Her great big smile is the best!

Conference packet

I came across one of the best General Conference Activity packets for kids. It's got lots of reader and pre-reader activities, including several coloring pages.

Go to: ldsresources.net and click on October 2009 Conference Activity Packet. Then you can download and print it. Just thought I'd pass it along....

May everybody have a peaceful and relaxing Conference weekend and may everyone with children be able to listen and glean as much as possible (hopefully with the help of this packet!!). :)

First Word

Luke's first word is....

Hi!

It is adorable. It's even better when he waves AND says hi. So cute!