It's a Wonderful Life

Monday was a day off of school for Jackson, so we had some fun at Kidz Play.  I never can get a picture of him and Wyatt, because they are running and jumping way to fast for my camera! Today after Anna's well check I had promised the kids we could go to the library.  Of course today is Thursday and the day that the library closes early (I always forget that!!).  Anyway, since we were already downtown we went to the Children's Museum instead.  I only have two more months on our year's pass, so I gotta get my money's worth! :) I came back home in a really good mood.  It's pretty rejuvinanting to just see your kids happy without having to do any work- haha. 

On Monday night a few friends and I went to see Hunger Games!  I was really excited, as I l-o-v-e-d those books. When we bought our tickets last week, the theater worker was adamant that we get there an hour early.  I thought it was really funny that when we got there, we were the absolutely only ones.  This special line we were standing in?  Completely unnecessary.  (This picture is missing Brittany, as she has a little baby and couldn't be away too long).  I thought the movie was really good.  Like most adaptations, I definitely liked the book better, but I still totally enjoyed it.  I'm looking forward to seeing it with Erik now.

Anna has been a feeling under the weather lately.  It started last Wednesday with a really high fever that lasted a couple of days.  Starting on Wednesday also, was her refusal to take a nap.  She would fall asleep and the moment I laid her down in her crib she would wake up and start wailing.  Poor girl was just tired all day and poor me was run ragged with holding her all day.  Such is life with a sick baby though. This is proof she wasn't sad all the time!  I had to work a little harder to keep her happy, but actually she was pretty happy even being sick- this girl is a trooper! So finally on Monday, I decided she should go in to see the Dr., just in case it was an ear infection or something.  Well, the Dr. was no help, telling me it was viral infection/rash or some such nonsense. Then yesterday, I made arraignments for Jackson to go to a friend's house right after school while I took Anna and Wyatt to her 1 year well check.  I had wri...

Last Saturday, I was finally able to make it the temple.  I hadn't gone since November when my Mom was with us, so it was a long time coming.  I'm very thankful that I live somewhat close to one too.  The peace and love I feel every time I go is unmatched.  Hopefully, now that Anna is a little older I can go more often, yeah! :) Erik watched the kids while I went in.  They hung out in the Visitor's Center for a while.  Wyatt was so excited to see the "statue of Jesus."  :) Then Erik and the kids went to McLean to visit our friends the Johnsons. Jimmy and Amy have 4 kids ages 1 1/2 - 8.  The boys had so much fun with them.  When I got out they all picked me up and we went out to dinner.  (Rather unsuccessfully I might add both Anna and Camden were pretty fussy and the younger kids were pretty loud-- let's just say we were getting quite a few dirty looks from the diners around us!!)  Predictably the kids zonked out on the ride home....

Anna's party was a pretty low key affair.  We had our family away from family, the Taylors, over and we also invited the Stakers, a family that just moved here from Utah to work with Erik and Tory, as well.  But of course for me, the focus was my Anna girl! :)  As people were coming, Anna ate some of her dinner and then we busted out the Costco pizza. I just needed to yell "Chaser Time" and Jackson and Wyatt led the kids over. Finding presents throughout the house.  . . . and in the mailbox Anna had more than enough helpers for her presents! Cake Time! I was planning on giving Anna her own cake, but Erik really thought we should save half.  I think he hated to see a whole cake go to "waste" haha. In any event, half a cake was enough for her.  She loved the experience of touching it, but really wasn't into eating it! The slow progression to naked cake eating :) I have to say we REALLY lucked out in the weather dept.  It w...

This week leading up to Anna's birthday, has definitely been one of reflection for me.  Just remembering what I was doing in the days before her birth, thinking about how excited/nervous I was, remembering the first time she was placed on my chest immediately following the C-section, introducing her to the boys, bringing her home, and all of the milestones she has reached has without fail brought a lump to my throat and a prayer of gratitude for the blessing she has been.  To say I can't imagine my life without Anna is a gross understatement- we all love her so much! I'd say she definitely has grown up a bit over the past couple of weeks.  She's not walking yet, but has taken her first very initial steps, and is standing more and more on her own.  She also has finally started backing up and going backwards down stairs, which once mastered, will make my life a whole lot easier! Her eating is quite erratic.  Sometimes she'll eat two of those squeezy fru...