Reese Update

Reese is becoming much more interactive and talkative. 

We love to hear her attempts at communication! 

She is taking her sweet time learning to walk. 

She can take several steps in a row, but only chooses to try out her walking 

skills every other day or so...suggesting she walk 

if she is not in the mood is NOT a good idea.

She went to the doctor last week and tipped the scales at 20 lbs. 

This weight puts her in the 4% for weight and she is in the 5% for height.

 

We are having more happy times, but she still gets her fair share of fussy times in too.

We are calling down the powers of heaven to help her sleep solid during night as she still finds it amusing to cry on and off throughout the night.

Her favorite pastime is pretending like she is a doggie by breathing heavily while sticking out her tongue. She has recently also begun making snorting sounds like a pig whenever she sees any sort of animal.

First Class / Recital

Last week Aspen attended her first Irish dance class.

She has been awaiting her turn to take classes for years now.

She has picked up a lot observing and joining in as her older sisters practice 

which definitely showed during class last week.

Right now she is in a spring workshop series that will last 8 weeks. 

She will start her official classes in the beginning of fall.

 

On another dance note, Avery graduated into a new class dress. 

These are new dresses for the academy and there are  

still some kinks to be worked out, 

but hopefully in the end she will have a properly fitted dress.

Brinley and Avery performed in their annual recital on Thursday night and the only picture I have to show for it is the one of Avery (upper right) after it was all over. 

Brinley was hot and took her dress off. They are strict about the picture/video policy at the recital.

It was special to have Grandma Ginger in town and able to attend the recital this year!

Quiet Time

When the girls age out of naps they still have "quiet time" while the younger ones take naps.

This is a fun time to be creative and during this time they are allowed to do 

a variety of quiet activities.

The other day during quiet time I happened upon this scene.

The big girls had created a cozy reading space in the closet.

They had the closet doors completely closed and 

were using their mini reading lights to read.

Of course these pictures fail to capture the arguments over who had the most pillows and Avery's ongoing tears that she could not get her space set up just right, 

but it's always fun to see how they utilize this special time during weekend days.

Easter 2013

Easter Eve each child decorated one dozen eggs. 

Just the same as last year and the year before and the year before.

Throughout the week we did our best to provide nightly "Christ centered Easter" lessons, the same ones we do each year, although this year the lessons were not quite as well organized as in years past.

On Sunday morning the girls were up at the crack of dawn ready to search for the hard-boiled eggs that the Easter Bunny hid. It's always fun to observe the girls running and screeching throughout the house as they look for their eggs and baskets.

Reese tried her first sweet, a yellow peep. She thought it was pretty fantastic, until a few bites into the peep when she threw it on the ground  

and no longer wanted anything to do with it.

When it was time to take a quick picture before we headed off to church Reese was tantruming and unable to participate in the picture and Aspen was occupied with a puzzle and refused to participate as well....that was until I took a picture of the two big girls and we started to get in the car. Then it was time for Aspen to bound into the room with sobs wanting to be in the picture too, so here you have it, the girls on Easter morning.

The best part of my Easter day was the sweet and simple talk that 

Avery gave at church that day. Here it is:

Jesus Christ is our Savior.

Jesus said “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.  

If we were all together in a dark maze and one person had a flashlight, everyone would follow the person with the flashlight because they could show us the way.  Jesus is our example and he is the light that we should follow.

Jesus always chose the right. When we follow the example of Jesus and choose the right, we are following His light.

This week I followed Jesus by repenting when I made a wrong choice. When I was at the dentist I took more toys from the prize drawer than I should have. When I got home I felt bad about my decision. I went back to the dentist and brought her the extra toys and wrote her a letter to say I was sorry. Later I repented to heavenly father in a prayer. I felt so much better after I followed Jesus by repenting.

I know that Jesus lives and he is the Savior of the world.

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

When Avery was writing the talk I asked if she would be willing to share her personal story about what happened that week at the dentist. I explained that although it would be hard to share this experience, often people remember personal stories and that her efforts to correct her mistake and choose the right may help someone that hears her talk. I was quite touched as I watched her contemplate this idea and then humbly agree to share it. 

It was also tender to observe Avery sit down with her dentist and read her the  

letter of apology she had written and hand over the extra toys.  

This was not easy for her to do, but what a wonderful lesson in honesty and repentance it provided. When she got back into the car after meeting with the dentist she expressed how good she felt inside after doing the right thing to right the wrong.

    

Hair Cuts

The girls had been asking for some time to get a hair cut and we finally made 

it happen last week over spring break.

 This is a change I had been wanting for some time, but I was patient until the girls decided on their own that they wanted to go for a shorter style. 

 It was a long day for Aspen who had insisted on being with the Mom and the big girls for the day. First we drove across the city so that I could sub a Yoga class, then drove back to the other side of the city for haircuts and from there we went straight to dentist appointments for Brinley and Avery.

During the haircuts Aspen entertained herself by pulling faces in the mirror and at the dentist she was allowed to select a few prizes, 

which made the tag along day completely worth it for her.

We have loved the shorter lengths, especially during the rush to get all of the girls hair done before school starts. The less hair the better in this household of five girls!