What we have been up to lately...

Marlee eating off of Launs plate as usual

We went to Pump It Up the other day- a huge room with big inflatable jumping toys.
It is a cool place & even Laun & I got to join the kids. There is a huge slide that makes you go so fast, it was fun & the first time we had ever been there.
Porter coming down the big slide

The boys played non-stop

Laun jumping with the boys

You've gotta love Marlees smile

Marlee hardly ever falls asleep in your arms but, she was so tired & had such a long day!

At Claytons school they have been talking about fire safety & so they had the fire fighters come & do a fun day with obstacle courses, fire safety, & at the end all of the kids got sprayed with the fire hose.

Clayton & his cousin Cannen were on the same team.

Here is Clayton all dressed up like a fire fighter

Our community had a Fall Festival recently with lots of booths, animals & a baking contest.

Marlee loved the goat but, I don't know if it was too fond of her pulling on it. She loves animals, when she sees them she kicks her feet & waves her arms & is all smiles.

The boys were all about the snakes- above is a King snake. The boys actually got a pet King snake recently, Launs friend found it for them(I will have to get some pics of there new pet posted soon) .

Here is a picture of a rosy boa snake- they have been wanting one of these for awhile now. It made Claytons day to see one.

Here is Porter reading up on info at the booth. What 5 year old reads the literature at a booth? He is such a funny kid!

Ports & I on a hay ride

Marbar all tuckered out

Clayton downing a snowcone

In the background was the bake off booth, I entered Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies but I did not win. I still think mine were the best though:)


We took the kids out to Texas Roadhouse one night to treat them for helping Laun at work.

Marlee is a huge fan of the rolls & sweet potato

The boys got balloons- Port got a skeleton & Clay got a scorpion

The kids had fun at the park recently- the weather is great

The boys had an award assembely at their school and were both recognized for their achievements. This was Porters first award assembley & he was sooo excited!

Clayton getting his award

Port looked so cute up on the stage with his big grin

Porter might be the shortest kid in his class but, dadgumit he is the cutest kid, too! Although don't tell him he is cute- he likes to be called handsome.

He is always giving Marlee kisses

Marlee was starting to get restless after 2 assembleys in a row

What Marbar has been up to lately

Oh, how we LOVE our Marlee

One of my favorite things is when she crawls over to me & says mamamamamama. Then she pulls on my leg & then my skirt until I pick her up.

Here is Marlee on the go. Instead of scooting everywhere, she is now crawling.

Marlee pulled herself up to the standing position the other day to see the boys lizards. The boys were so excited & yelled for me to hurry in. By the time I got the camera she sat down so, Clayton tried to help her reinact it but she was not interested. It is fun seeing how excited the boys get when Marlee does new things.

Signing like a pro

I was feeding Marlee-as you can tell from her messy face.

 

Whenever she wants more food  she uses the word more (in sign language).

 

This helps her to tell me what she wants rather than screaming at me:)

I love this little cutie!

The Ninos

Grandma Lucy got the kids a Halloween cookie house to decorate. They had a blast decorating it & now they want to know when they can eat it.

The finished product

Marlee has been growing so fast! She is 9 months old now! She loves to scoot everywhere & she has started crawling too. She has started to pull herself up into the standing position. She has 2 teeth & counting. She loves to stick out her tounge. She loves bath time, swinging in the swing, going on bike rides, & walks. She gets into everything lately- she has learned how to tip the trash can over, she loves to play with paper & eat it & she puts anything in her mouth- she is a chow hound! She loves her family- when she sees her brothers or parents she waves her arms & smiles. One of my favorite things is when she crawls over to me & grabs my legs & says mamamama- it melts me every time. She says mama, dada, baba, lala & loves to babble. She will only snuggle occasionally, she does not stay still very long & she is a bundle of joy. She has brought so much happiness into our lives. Having her has been very healing for me. I think about Cooper often, I wonder what his likes & dislikes would have been, when he would have reached milestones, what he would look like today. I would love to see a little 2 year old running around the house- I often imagine him running down the hall with something to tell me. I will be so happy when the day comes that I can hold him in my arms & tell him that I love him, & that he was dearly missed. The house does not feel as empty now that we have Marlee but, every child brings with them their own special spirit. I look forward to the day when we can all be together as a family. Every trial brings with it a blessing in disguise. I know that I am a better Mom to Marlee because we lost Coop. I really enjoy every day with her. She is one smart girl with her timing, because coming after we lost Cooper & being the 1st girl, she has us all wrapped around her finger. I love all my children & am grateful that Heavenly Father has sent them to Laun & I. May I strive to continually be a better mom & find joy in the journey.

Marlee loved tasting an oreo- I love her grin.

Marlee has a big grin on her face so often.

Here she is trying to eat paper as fast as she can before I grab it from her.

She is starting to pull herself up- to get into mischief of course.

She loves to stick out her tounge

She thinks that Laun should hold her 24/7. Here she is crawling under the chair trying to get to him.

I love how her hair looks like she put her finger in a light socket when she rides in her stroller. You can see her 2 teeth in this picture.

Here she is chillin in her stroller

Clayton lost his 4th tooth!

Here he is checking out his new look in the mirror

Porter has been begging for a mohawk ever since he saw his friend from preschool with one. Since he is on fall break Laun said he could have one for a week, he is pretty excited about it!