The blog lives...

I've made a mid-year goal to try to keep my blog semi-updated. I've been wanting to somehow "create" like President Uctdorf advised but I wasn't sure how to go about it. I finally decided that one thing that I regret that I haven't had time to keep up is this blog. My kids all adore it and used to eagerly await each new post. One some days, they would gather around and look through all of the old posts. Since I don't document our family any other way, I like keeping it as a record. Thus my goal is to try to find some time to squeeze into continuing it once again. Here is a quick recap from 2013...

Christmas 2012 - Christmas is just my favorite time of year so I couldn't leave it out. :) We always love our Christmas traditions and just spending time together. Last year was no different. Some of my highlights:

•  Our annual "Watch Christmas movies together as a family each week (on the Sabbath! gasp!) for the month prior to Christmas
• The non-stop Christmas music in the air
• The glee I felt buying the kids some of their "epic" presents
• Wrapping presents with my sweetheart
• Making treats on Christmas Eve as a family
• Hannah's reaction when she got a cell phone on Christmas morning (hint: she cried)

  

  Visiting the lights at the Botanical Gardens

  
  

  

  Hannah's choir concert

  

  These girls crack me up!

  
  

  

  Joe and I loved these posters we got for each of the kids and took a million pictures trying to show them all off at once :)

  
  

  

  Baking Christmas Eve goodies!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Christmas Eve dinner at Nana and Grandpa's house

  
  

  

  Cool guy Uncle Jake

  
  

  

  Christmas Morning

  
  
  
  
  
  
  Baby Zach - Zach has been so fun this year. He turned one in May. He has always been such a sweet, easy going baby. He is a great sleeper (often sleeping 12+ hours at night) and is rarely cranky. He is now 15 months but still not quite walking full time! He takes 6-7 steps on his own in any one direction and I'm sure he will be walking all the time very soon. He also isn't much of a talker. He says Mama, Papa, Brother (he uses this for all of his siblings), Done, and lots of jabbering, but not much else. My favorite part of having this surprise, tail-end baby is watching his older siblings with him. They are like mini-parents. They just love him and he loves them right back! We all celebrate each of his new milestones together. You should have heard the cheering when he started taking his first few steps. :) 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  This guy loves his Dad best of all!

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Memorial Day trip-we really wanted to get to Utah to see our grandparents this year. We knew the summer would be crazy, so we squeezed it in during Memorial Day. It was fun because cousin Josh had his homecoming that weekend as well so we were able to attend that.