Kendall has a BSN!

So, I started this post when I should have, but am just barely finishing it. I want to tell the whole world how proud (yes, I used the word proud, so sue me!) I am of my husband! I know it hasn't been easy for him what with having a demanding wife and bringing boy after boy into this world. But, he did it! He graduated from Washington State University with his BSN, that's a Bachelors in Science in Nursing. Now it's just test time to get his license. He's got the degree, he just needs the license to get a job as a real nurse. Please send lots of prayers our way that he does well and passes the first time around.

My baby today April 22, 2010

Baby Lucas is 12 weeks and 1 day old today! Where has the time gone? He is growing so fast and is an absolute joy to all of us.

Thank you my sweet angel for your smiles and giggles and for "talking" to me so much today. I'm sure you were telling me all sorts of valuable secrets, or maybe just how much you love being here in our family. Either way, we love you so much!

I ELI

***My first born turned 4 years old a couple of months ago. Since I was 100% in the newborn fog at the time, I am finally writing my little tribute to Eli. Here it goes:

I ELI
Age 4

All of a sudden:
I want to color in the lines.
I want to use different colors of crayons.
I love to write my name.
I draw stick people with really big heads.
I get my hair cut and I think I look like a missionary.
I am sure that “I am the leader!”
Everything is a race or a competition.

I pick out my own clothes.
I want to hear the same story every night. The 3 little pigs who are named, Eli, Eric and Noah.
I try to reason my way out of doing things I don’t want to do.
I interrupt by saying, “I love you” when being told something I don’t want to hear.
I also say, “I love you.” About 1,000 times a day.
I must touch, snap, scratch, color on, bend, crack, lick, punch, stomp on absolutely everything.
I think I am as big as my 12 year old brother.
I have some awesome dance moves…mostly involving wiggling my bum!
When asked why I do things my main answer is, “Because I Eli!” Or it could go something like this, “Eli, why are you coloring on the carpet?” “Because I doing it.” Oh! Of course!
I now ask WHY about everything.
I love to sing along to the songs on my favorite TV shows. Don’t tell anyone, but I have a bunch of favorite TV shows!
I don’t forget ANYTHING! “Mom, you said I could ride my scooter with my helmet!”
I build my own designs with Legos and Trios.
I am often heard to say:
“Hey Mom! Cows give us to milk!”
“No Noah! I the leader!”
“We’re right here…this is the earf (earth) we live!”
“I can have this in my election (collection)”
“Catch it to me”
“Heaveny Fader (Heavenly Father) made our bodies.” According to me this explains everything about our bodies, and I mean everything!

I can climb the walls, yes the actual walls. Heck, I can climb anything. Mom thinks it’s funny that someone suggested she put a baby gate up to block me from going in the kitchen. Really, if I can get things off the top of the fridge, is a baby gate going to stop me? Don’t think so!
I will run circles until I finally drop to sleep.
I have to be up and going before 6:00 am. I don’t want to miss a thing!
I never stop moving. Heavenly Fader (Father)

Sitting on a big Moose statue. It looked like a chair, so I had to sit in it!

My Baby Today!

I realize that I have not taken enough pictures of this baby. Somehow the first few weeks sped by in a blur and now he is 7 weeks old! He weighed in at 13 lbs. 2 oz. today, that's nearly 5 lbs. in 7 weeks! He's in the 94th percentile. No one can say he's starving or anything!

So, I played amateur photographer today and tried to capture this sweet little guy. He cooperated so nicely I couldn't pick just one picture to post.

Happy 7 weeks my sweet Lucas! Mommy loves you so much!

He started to complain...just a little.



Yay, a smile!

Happy Birthday to Eli!

Happy Birthday to my little Tornado!

I can't believe it's been 4 years already. The time has flown by!

I made the mistake of letting Eli see my Pampered Chef cookbook. It had this really cool rocket ship cake in it. So, for the past 4 months he has been telling everyone that he would have a "spaceship cake" for his birthday that would be on "Febery fift!" (Feb. 5).

He had a fun birthday with family, then the next week we had some friends come over to celebrate.

Thanks to Grandma Stark for the blue Dragon, he takes it everywhere! And, thanks to Grandma Batson for the socks. I peeled them off after a couple of days for a washing!

Our new baby boy!

Announcing:
Lucas
January 27, 2010

photos by Ana Hopkins

www.anahopkinsphotography.com

Catching up with the Batsons!

Happy Birthday Eric!

Near the beginning of November we unexpectedly took a trip to Idaho for Kendall's grandather's funeral. It just so happens that the perfect stopping point is the Nampa/Caldwell neighborhood. My parents live there as well as Kendall's sister and her family.

Since it was just a couple of days before Eric's 12th birthday, we took the opportunity to celebrate with lots of family that we don't get to see very often. I baked a cake at my folks' house, then we took it over to Kendall's sister's home and shared it with her family, Kendall's parents and his older sister as well. Eric was in disbelief that I could have made a cake without his knowing about it. He even asked me just a couple of days ago how I did it. :) Giggle! We sang and ate chocolate cake. And had cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents there to celebrate with him. Fun times!

We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving here at home. We did a semi-real Thanksgiving dinner. The main things that Kendall wanted were a pumpkin pie, and a berry pie. I knew 2 pies would be a bit much for our little family, but I went with it. We found some gorgeous blackberries at Costco and I did my best. I think out of all we ate that day the blackberry pie was my favorite! Kendall loved it too! I had to take a picture to prove I did it and, of course, Eli insisted on being in the picture! The pie was a nice accomplishment, but not nearly as wonderful as having Eli in my life!

Speaking of Eli, he is really developing his creative side. He is extrememly interested in things from my bathroom and for some reason they're even more exciting when mixed with his toys. This is one of his "sculptures" that I found one day. Bummer that I didn't have a good setting on the camera, it's kind of dark, but I had to include it anyway. He was really proud of it.

Just cute Noah. He was a little tired, obviously, but still so cute and sweet!


Just a fun day in the tub...Doesn't it look like Eli is about to do something devious? And somehow, Noah is the one laughing his head off!

A couple of goofy Noah pics...

Finally Christmas time! We set up our tree which, thankfully, is prelit. We didn't even put any ornaments on it because the little guys wouldn't leave it alone. It was so abused throughout the season, I can hardly believe it was still standing through Christmas!