Jacob's Baptism

Last night was a special night for our family: Jacob was baptized. Let me precursor this by saying that the week of, we had the stomach flu going around in our family and only a few of us had gotten it, so we were going on a hope and a prayer that we might be afforded a 24 hour window where everyone was stable. Well, that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

This baptism was extra special in that Jacob was baptized with his best friend, Luke, and that he was able to be baptized by Forrest. This has been a long time awaiting in our family and words cannot begin to describe the deep gratitude and admiration I have towards Forrest for preparing himself for this opportunity. I am so proud of my boys.
Outside the room where they were to be baptized:
Jacob and Uncle Chad:
First shot with Dad:
Best friends:
A family shot:
I am so proud of these boys:
The mommies:
The boys in their whites, waiting to be baptized:
Let me tell you, there is no better sight:
The proud dads:

Okay, so about 10 minutes before the baptism Jacob started throwing up. Nevertheless it was a beautiful baptism. It nary put a damper on our night. Ashlee played the opening song "I Feel my Savior's Love" on the piano and Aunt Vera gave a beautiful talk. Ashlee bore her sweet testimony that brought tears to both our eyes. All the kids were able to gather in front of the glass at the font, and with the first dunk cousin Bradley belted out with an "Uh-oh!" that had us all smiling inside. Words cannot express how proud I am of my boys, and as we drove home and I looked over all my kids in the car I realized how blessed I am to get to do this again 4 times over, with Ashlee and Jacob leading the way. The gospel truly is amazing and life changing. It has changed my life.

Jacob, we are so proud of you for taking this big and first step in your life. May Heavenly Father bless you with all He has in store.

8 Months or 2/3 of a Year

I can't believe my little buddy is 8 months old today! To commemorate, I thought we'd share a list of things he is not doing (he-he.):
*He does not sit up. He could, just prefers not to. When I sit him up, he just kind of flops over wherever his body takes him. He's chill like that.
*No teeth yet. I can feel the buds, but they're taking their time, which is fine because other than that one time, he's not eating any food. You don't need teeth for Mama's milk.
*Crawling or cruising? Forget it. I think sitting up has to come first.
*Sleeping through the night: okay, that was a one-hit wonder as well. I sleep trained him, then got lazy. His usual wake times are 1:00 and 4:00. Despite that I feel great though, and am still getting better sleep with him out of my room (he's in the boys' room.) He naps well during the day.

Remember our deal for him to stay my baby? Yeah, he's keeping it well. With a first child you're anxious to check off those milestones, but by this time around I'm fine just letting my baby develop in his own time. Anthony, you put a little heaven in my day.

Random Daily Life

So what goes on during the day in the life of a homeschooler? A lot. But here are just a few random pics from the week.

Anything with wheels is a novelty.
Especially when you can ride it double-decker.
Is Kaitlyn trying really hard not to smile?
This is where this guy can be found most of the day, when he's not nursing or sleeping. He's pretty predictable and we love him for it.
And when Jacob's not doing school work, he can be found doing this past-time: Legos. They are definitely a favorite. We made a special trip to Target last week to purchase an over-sized bin to store all of his new sets for Christmas. I think he got a little over-zealous in picking it out; I suggested a smaller one. Poor guy's got high hopes of filling it, I think. Might take a few years buddy.

Silhouette Portraits

I am giddy about these! I don't get the opportunity to craft very often (nor am I inclined to do so) so when I come up with something like this it is very rewarding.

The way that these originated goes as follows: I was holding Anthony on my bed one morning when he caught sight of his shadow on the wall. He followed it with great interest. When he turned sideways, I reveled in the tiny details of his profile: his chin, his eyelashes, the upturn of his nose. I decided then and there that profile was so adorable I had to capture it. It was then I remembered coming across a tutorial for silhouettes on my friend Katie's blog (click here for the tutorial.)

When Forrest came home and saw what I was working on, he said he had been watching Kaitlyn fall asleep in our bed the previous night and had the idea of silhouette portraits come to him. Guess these were meant to be! Seriously, they were so easy, and if I can do them anyone can do them.

Tapioca (a.k.a. cassava root) Pudding and a History Lesson

Today's history lesson led to a large pot of homemade tapioca pudding. The original source of tapioca is the root of the cassava plant, which was harvested in Central and South America by ancient civilizations thousands of years ago. Who knew? Thank you Story of the World for putting some "yum" into our day.

(By the way, the best recipe comes straight off the back of the bag.)

Anthony's First Cereal and Rachel Cuteness

On Sunday night I got the impression that Anthony is ready for baby food, and decided that this would be the week. So, last night I mixed him up the thinnest concoction of rice cereal and formula and gave it a go. The boy was READY for it! With his first bite he looked me straight in the eyes and gave me a look that said, "Mom, you get it!" He grabbed my hand and helped me bring the spoon to his mouth every time. I was sensin' your vibes buddy.
He knew exactly what he was going for. I'm sure it was a little bland, and next time I think I'll add bananas. My kids go monkeys for bananas.
Nice and messy. I would've put a bib on him, but the only ones I had were pink and undoubtedly girly, and I didn't want those going in the scrapbook. Poor boy would never live it down with his brothers and sisters.
He's nearly 8 months old and has no desire to sit on his own or even remotely think about crawling. I guess I've done a good job of keeping him my in-arms baby. He's totally chill, which is fine with me. We've worked out a deal that he will stay my baby for a very long time. ;)
He has no reservations about being a cheeser for the camera though.
"Can I just get those in my mouth please?" I love the way he so effortlessly folds over in half. Looks like the stretch I try to do after running.
And Rachel. Ooooh, Rachel. This girl is my compulsive helper. She likes to anticipate my move and be one step ahead. For example, if she sees that I am about to throw something away she will run over to the trash can just so she can open the lid. With her, there's a place for everything and everything's in its place. There is a laundry detergent cup that has been sitting on the garage stairs for about a week, and I can tell it's been bugging her. Every time we walk down the stairs to switch over a load of laundry she pauses, picks it up, contemplates walking it down to the detergent shelf, then sets it back down and comes inside at my beckoning. She just can't stand it. I love her for it.
The other thing she loves doing as of late is DISHES. She loves to stand at the sink and play in the water, and will wash any surrounding dishes. After posting this picture I looked closely and gasped- - she's drinking out of a peri-bottle!! I've accumulated a number of those with my homebirths and I PROMISE it's sanitary!! I always run them through the dishwasher and put them under the sink for my kids to play with. They make great bath toys.

The Joint Birthday Party

For the first time I decided to do a joint birthday party for Jacob and Kaitlyn this year. With the upcoming baptism and other factors I figure this month is busy enough to warrant a combined celebration. Who knows if it will become a tradition? Also, after 6 kids and umpteen birthday parties over the last several years, I decided to go easy-style with frozen cheese pizzas and a bakery cake. Who says I can't? Ashlee took it upon herself to be in charge of the games and decorations.

Jacob Turns 8!

Last Tuesday Jacob turned 8. This is a big year for him because now he is able to get baptized! I asked him what he wanted for dinner on his birthday, and he said Round Table, so we had a nice night out. He came home and decorated his own birthday cake (chocolate with ganache) and we sang him Happy Birthday. Jacob you continue to be a blessing in our family and I hope this year has much in store for you! We love you buddy.

January Birthdays Round 1 and Random Cuteness

On Saturday Kaitlyn turned 4. I am so blessed this time of year to have the opportunity to re-live so many of my births... let the birthday celebrations begin!!

Ashlee's creation: she spent all week watching Youtube videos and created this beautiful cake all on her own.
The one thing Kaitlyn really wanted this year was a doll and stroller.

She managed to blow out all the candles (in a few breaths.)
Daddy and all his kids!!