Learning to crawl

The past seven months have flown by and now our baby boy is learning to crawl! He hasn't quite figured out the whole arms and legs working together concept, but he's working on it!

Before we know it he'll be walking! He is the sweetest thing and has a great cheering section here at home! His sisters are some of his biggest fans! As are we!

Bathtime

It's hard to believe that Mr. Lennon is already 7 months old. One of his bottom teeth has come through and he is working on learning to crawl! I have some great video that I will post soon! One of his favorite activities is bath time. He loves his baths and totally relaxes while in his tub. He gets his arms under his head and just chills. See for yourself....

So sweet...

I love this picture of the kids, and had forgotten to post it before now! Seriously, some days if my head wasn't attatched....... They seem to change every day, almost right before my eyes! I love moments like the one above and wish I could bottle them up and send them to those I love because I know how good I feel when I experience them! I guess this will have to do for now! :)

Valentines Day Recap

We had a wonderful Valentines Day this year, as always! It's always nice to spend it as a family and to enjoy one another's company. I love to be able to carry out traditions and pass them along to my sweet children. We started the Valentines weekend off with a fun ward dance at our church. I will say that it was very reminiscent of high school church dances, but seriously how could you not have fun at one?! The gym was decorated so festively, there was a DJ and lots of yummy treats. The girls had a blast dancing to the music and Val and I even got to sneak in a slow dance (with two kids tucked in between us!)! Valentines morning we had delicious heart shaped pancakes and strawberries

and ABC Find Out Me stopped by for a visit. This year Leecy T got a big girl Barbie bike, which she was thrilled with! She tested it out immediately! Lainey bug and Mr. Lennon got a new wagon and Madagascar 2! (We like to move it, move it in our house!) The kids also got new Valentines day outfits from Granny and Grampy--which they looked adorable in of course! And they got lots of compliments!

ABC Find Out Me brought me some pretty pink roses and Val got some goodies to snack on! Val also got me a beautiful pair of pearl earrings. So I guess you could say we were all spoiled rotten!

It's nice to be able to celebrate the ones you love and to share with them all that is important to you. I thought it was very fitting that I got to teach in Relief Society this week about Elijah restoring the sealing power here on earth. I am grateful every single day for my amazing family and thank my Father in Heaven multiple times a day for the opportunity I have to be with my family FOREVER!

My thoughts...

As Valentines Day is approaching this weekend, I have been thinking about the loves of my life and so I thought I would jot down some of my thoughts about them....

Aleece---Sometimes I just watch her as she walks through a room, and I am amazed at how quickly she has grown. She is no longer my "baby" (though she always will be!), or my toddler, and she is quickly outgrowing her preschooler phase. She is so smart and I love to see how her brain works! She picks up on everything and she has a great imagination. She loves to make up words--it's like her own language--and that constantly provides me with an opportunity to smile! She is always telling those around her that she loves them and I love when she gives me the "I love you" sign. She is such a good big sister!

Madelaine---She has her MP3 player with her 90% of the time and is constantly singing (whether she has her MP3 player with her or not!). I love that she loves a huge variety of music from rock to hyms and everything in between! This definitely sets her apart from others her age, but we have always encouraged our children to be themselves! And how could you not smile at her when she is singing "get on your boots!" I love her smile and her infectious laugh! She can make anything seem funny! She is an amazing mimic and she is talking more and more every day! Just the other day I got to sneak in a nap and when I woke up, she was sitting there, looking me right in the eye, and she said "Did you have a good nap?" in this sweet little singsong voice--I'm sure it sounded just like I sound to her! Both she and Aleece love to have their baby dolls with them and to help take care of their baby brother and they are already such good little mommies. It's amazing to watch them and know that this "knowledge" of compassion, love, tenderness, etc. seems to have been instilled in them from the very beginning!

Lennon---He is so sweet and mellow. I love that he enjoys being cuddled. I absolutely adore his little laugh. He is in the stage right now where all you have to do is look at him the right way and he bursts out giggling! He still loves his toes, as do I, and is a master at getting his socks and shoes off in no time flat! He almost always has a smile on his sweet face and I love to watch him take in his surroundings. He always seems to have a look of joy! He continues to love every food he tries (much like his mommy!) and is really starting to get around when you put him down on the ground. He is never where I put him originally when I lay him down for his nap! Having a little boy has been so different, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have to have both boys and girls! I am so lucky to be able to experience a little bit of everything!

Val---He continues to be my rock in life! He works so hard to support us, and we are so grateful, especially in the current state of the economy, to have work. Despite the fact that teachers are significantly underpaid for what they do, we love his schedule and the fact that we get to have him around most of the time! We also love that he loves what he is doing, and we know he is having a huge impact on all of those children, who might not get any other positive attention in their lives, even in their own home. I am so grateful for his passion and yet at the same time, how humble he is. He is such an amazing father and husband.

As we often do in our home, I'll leave you with a quote from the Beatles, which pretty much sums up how I feel.... "All you need is love!!!"

"I'm so glad when Daddy (or Mommy) comes home..."

Lainey is talking up a storm these days and she has picked up on some really funny things! My personal favorite is the way she greets both Val and I when we come home. It doesn't matter if we have been gone 5 minutes or 5 hours, she is always thrilled to see us! She exclaims "I'm so happy to see you!" Usually this is also accompanied by a hug! Now seriously, could you think of a better greeting than that?!