Halloween 2016

We were invited to spend Halloween at my sister Nicole's home in Bakersfield, CA. We had a delightful time! The kids LOVE going to Aunt Nicole and Uncle Seth's house. They love all the Star Wars Legos Uncle Seth has and shares with them. They love their dog and we had a surprise this time we visited they had just bought a tiny puppy! This little puppy is from the same mom and dad as their current dog. So they are brothers and they are adorable! Our kids would love to have little pups like Aunt Nicole and Uncle Seth.

Nicole and Seth's house is just fun! They have a pool table, dart board, and a ping-pong table. They have a little botanical garden and room to run around in their back yard. They have an authentic, fun home an they are exciting people. We are sure grateful for their hospitality and that we had the opportunity to spend Halloween with them.

The fountain outside Aunt Nicole's work where he trick-or-treated around her office floor.

Hannah had actual Cinderella "glass" slippers but she chose boots for this round of dressing up. She is a funny girl!

And Hannah is such a ham for the camera most of the time!

Prior to visiting for the actual holiday, we enjoyed the Fall Festival put on by the Elementary School in our area and our church Trunk-or-treat. It was fun to dress up three times!

The kids all picked their own costumes. I just showed them what we had and they picked from our supply. Except for Peter, he had his own plans and once they were in his head there was no stopping him! I do love this about him and he is working on flexibility, but I thought this was a great opportunity for him to be creative and make a plan and carry it out. Peter wanted to be Link. Link is the character from The Legend of Zelda video games. David has told the kids Link stories as bedtime stories fore some time now, along with all the stories of Star Wars. They love their bedtime stories with dad. Though these stories are not always reserved for bedtime. David will spin stories for them at request when he can.

These kids are fun! They make every holiday more exciting.

Also, My mom and brother, Pierce, came for Sunday dinner at Nicole's while we were there and she surprised me by bringing her mom, my Granny! I love my Granny and have many fond memories with her. I love listening and learning from her life stories. She is an awesome woman and has endured much and lived much. She is the mother to 11 and grandmother and great-grandmother to a lot more!

JAME'S 1st Birthday

Our baby is growing up too quick! He turned one on Monday, October 17th. James is such a smiley kid! We sure love the joy he adds to our family.

James was not quite walking on his 1st birthday. He could take steps but definitely preferred crawling. He is now exclusively walking! He made the switch about a week ago. For some reason, once the babies start to walk they don't quite seem like babies anymore. It's just a reminder that they can't stay little, innocent, and super snugly forever. He is still all of these thing currently but time passes quick! We need to enjoy James and each of our kids in each of their fun ages and stages.

Life with four kids is sure exciting! I LOVE each of them so much. I remember worrying about not having enough love for a child when I loved David so much. Then our first child, Peter, came and I learned that love is endless and was amazed at the instantaneous deep love I had for this little infant. I also remember when I was close to my due date with our second, Evelyn, that I was seriously worried about not having enough love for her and also worrying about how Peter would feel about it all. Then she came and it was the same learning experience. Love is endless! I know now that we human beings are capable of an infinite amount of love for others. But as the world can show, it is one thing to be capable and another to actually practice. We will always be striving to reach our eternal potential. I am grateful for the opportunity children give me to stretch and learn and strive to reach my eternal potential. I am grateful for the joy and fulfillment serving my children brings into my life.