Open House

We decided to go the Open House at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. They allowed strollers, which was awesome. Our double stroller fit through almost all the door ways. Anyhow, Whitney loved the temple and especially the chandeliers. It was a great teaching experience to explain the different rooms, ordinances, and just experiencing the beauty inside. She said that one of her favorite things was the self-playing piano. Unfortunately, that wasn't in the temple, but the reception area at the end. I think Belle's and Abby's favorite thing was the sugar cookie at the end.

I really didn't want my picture taken because I'm still carrying a bit of baby weight (my excuse for now), but it's not often that we have the opportunity of all of us being in the picture... I'm usually holding the camera.

New Baby

Tess was born on Tuesday, June 16. She was 6 pounds 15 ounces and 18 inches long. Delivering her was so easy that it seemed strange when it was over. She is such a good baby. My biggest challenge is to keep her away from Abby. Abby wants to hold her all the time. That's not so bad, but she also wants to pinch and poke her in the face. So far, I am doing pretty good keeping track of the 4 girls, but it will be much nicer once I can sleep through the night.

Easter

Here are some pictures of the girls coloring their Easter eggs. Well, the one of Abby is of her hanging on my leg while I helped Belle. Whit was excited and Belle was happy to go along with what we were doing except you could tell that she was a bit confused as to why we were coloring eggs and why we were hunting for them in the trees the next day.

Steve's Birthday

Steven's birthday was the beginning of April, but my camera batteries died and I just barely replaced them. Anyhow, the girls were so excited to celebrate. The first picture with he and Whit is so cute. She had given him a couple of her pencils and she said that he needed them for work. She put a lot of thought into what pencils that she was giving him. I love the picture of Steve and Abby together. He loves his little girls! Here's a few things I love about Steve:

-He's ALWAYS spontaneous

-He's not afraid to take a risk

-He is rarely serious

-He loves our girls

-He doesn't show it on the outside, but he has a soft heart

-He loves to read (only information and motivational, of course)

-He loves to research

-He is extremely patient

-He calls me in the middle of the day when he's at work

-He loves to be around people

Happy 1st Birthday!

Abby turned 1 on March 5. I had a little family party for her on Saturday. Her actual birthday was spent at the doctor's office for an ear infection. She's feeling great now. I can't believe that she's already 1. Here are a few things about Abby:

-She hates oatmeal

-She yells louder than any other of my children, especially when food is being placed on the table

-She likes to give hugs

-She rarely has her hair done because she eats the hair clips and rubber bands

-She does an "Abby Dance" where she lays on her back and twists her hips back and forth

-She makes a constant growling noise every time she looks through a book

-One of her favorite toys is the Magna Doodle

We Moved.....Again!

Well, we packed our valuables and headed out of the good old Uintah Basin. Things didn't really work out there, so Steve decided to go back to being a loan officer (which he loves) and we moved to Utah County on Saturday. This has been a crazy year with all this moving, but we're staying here for a long time.

Did We Get Our Boy?

Well.....nope! We're expecting girl #5 around June 18. Whitney has not decided what she thinks the name should be and Belle, being the creative girl she is, said the baby's name is "Baby." Personally, I just hope Abby is walking by then and Belle will get over her extreme, scream-fest fear of the potty so I will only have two in diapers.

Christmas

We had a great Christmas! Steve had to work that day, but by some miracle, he was home before the girls were awake. I was so glad. Abby loved the boxes and wrapping and Belle was trying to figure out why we were shoving presents in her face. Steve and I unwrapped our presents from each other and we ended up giving each other the same thing. I never thought that would happen.

For New Year's Eve, of course, Steve had to work the next morning, so he wasn't up for celebrating. I told Whit and Belle that we could stay up late and put puzzles together, eat chips, and watch some movies. They were so excited. I thought that I would let them stay up until around 10, but around 9:15, they were exhausted and Whitney said that she had stayed up too late. I put them to bed. I thought it was so funny that they could only stand to be up an hour past their regular bed time.

Turning 6

Whit is turning 6 on Christmas morning. I had a little friend party for her yesterday. The theme was snow and they decorated snowflakes, made snowglobes, ate hotdogs with mashed potatoes and cheese on top and fruit dipped in yogurt (the mashed potatoes and yogurt were the snow...work with me). Anyhow, as you can see in the top picture, Whit was pretty exhausted by the end of the day.

Snow Much Fun

I finally posted another blog! I haven't been in the best of health lately, plus all the holidays...it's set me back a bit. Anyway, we had our first snow that actually stuck last week. This is Belle's first time playing in the snow (well, last year, but she could hardly walk in the snow). I took a picture of her first reaction being outside in the cold, but regardless of what this picture portrays, she did enjoy herself. Whit loves the snow and wants to play out there everyday.