Update, So My Grandma Won't Worry :)

It was recently pointed out to me that I haven't posted here in a while.  I would apologize, but I don't feel that bad about it, and it would be wrong to make my blogging come-back with a lie.  Here is a quick run down of how each family member has been faring.  There will probably be a large amount of picture posts after this, so get excited if that is your thing.

Luke
Oh, this baby.  He is wonderful.  I just can't get enough of him.  He went his first three months not sleeping well through the night because he feels the need to eat every 45 minutes or so.  This was exhausting, but expected.  Notice the past tense on that, though.  As we are heading to his four month mark he is beginning to sleep about 5-7 hours every night.  It is amazing.  He smiles at everything and I cannot even say how grateful I am for ticklish babies!  How do people live without an easy way to make their chubster babies giggle?  Luke is a huge flirt and has won the hearts of more than a few women at church.  It is rare for me to actually spend all three hours with him as he is constantly being stolen.  I love it.  They love it.  Luke loves it.  Win-win-win.  I love this little boy and we enjoy seeing all the clues he is giving us about his personality and temperament.

Jack
This boy is definitely 2.  That means he gets super frustrating at times and is incredibly stubborn.  However, he is also the most sweet and affectionate little guy, especially when he wants something.  He is talking really well now, and I am so relieved.  I was worried for a while that there was a problem, but his vocabulary has been exploding as of late, and I love having actual discussions with him, even if sometimes they are about Elmo poop.  Jack is an amazing big brother.  He loves Luke, and he feels so happy when he can make Luke smile and giggle.  In fact, it was Jack that got Luke's first giggle.  Sometimes he gets jealous and demands some attention for himself, but when that happens it is usually warranted. Jack might get persuaded to wear head bands and princess tutus, but don't let that fool you.  He loves his trucks and balls and monsters and dinosaurs and, due to a shirt we bought him over the summer, sharks. He is a great kid, and if I can get him to stop pinching and stripping off his clothes, then he would be just about perfect.

Sara
Wow.  This girl has grown up so much these last few months.  She has always been a sensitive little soul, and this has meant easy tears and high emotions.  It got very frustrating at times.  I actually wondered if sending her to pre-school was the right thing since she was so emotional and prone to tantrums.  Then, all of the sudden, something clicked and she has become very mature and helpful.  She rarely throws fits any more and the ones she has had recently have either been about things she is genuinely worried about, or because we have her up after her bed time.  She loves getting dressed up and has the best fashion sense of my kids. She loves dresses and skirts, and her favorite gifts to receive are new clothes.  She loves all things pink and sparkly and she really enjoys art projects of any kind which lets her creative streak shine through in a big way.  We have been a bit worried about her academic skills as she hasn't been as quick to pick up her numbers and letters.  She has also been longing to go to school every day like Emma.  We have decided to try and help her on both these fronts by putting her in two neighborhood pre-schools (one on M/W, and one T/TH) so that she can have a class every day M-Th.  Both her teachers are fabulous and make me feel comfortable leaving her for 2 hours a day.  We also have her enrolled in an online pre-school called UPSTART.  It is a beta program supported by the state, and we are part of their test group to try and implement it in the schools.  It is very cool, and Sara loves it.

Emma
Emma is the smartest, sweetest, bossiest little helper I could ever ask for.  She has loved having a baby in the house and tries to be very helpful.  She is learning the value of money and what you can do when you have money which has led to some enterprising situations.  It is rare to not hear her singing some kind of song wherever she is, which I find adorable most of the time.  She is great at getting her chores done, and her reading has been amazing this summer.  It is so fun to share my favorite books with her now that she is able to read them and understand them along with me.  It is a fun stage!  Emma started first grade which means for the first time, she is gone from me all the live long day.  Or, at least 6 hours of it.  She loves it.  I hate it.  I miss her little bum around the house.  Emma is seriously one of my best friends, and being without her is very hard.  We prayed about maybe doing part time home-schooling, but it just didn't ever sit as right as I wanted it to.  I will just have to trust Someone knows what He is doing. 

Molly
The puppy is finally starting to train well, and it is nice to see her able to calm down.  She is super social and excitable and is true to her breed in her stubborn nature.  We were getting really frustrated about a few things with her and considered giving her away, but before we threw in the dog-owning towel, we decided to call in a real puppy trainer to get some help.  I am so grateful we did.  She has helped a lot, and things are so much happier and easier now for us and Molly.

Amanda
I am doing well.  This summer has been a ride for sure with lots of ups and downs, but we have found our groove with 4 kids.  I have cut back a lot on my working from home for the time being, but this summer was insane because I took on some extra work to make it possible for me to take it easy right now at the beginning of the school year.  I wanted to make sure I was giving this important time of the year the attention it deserved.  My house is never fully cleaned, the laundry is always backed up, the blog has been abandoned, but my kids are happy and healthy and my marriage and testimony are both strong, so I'm just gonna call that a win.

Ross
This guy has been busy.  He has been working like crazy at his job as they have been tasked with a lot of overdue work from other stations across the nation.  His office was even featured on a few News specials.  He proudly sported his BYU lanyard in the middle of Ute territory.  They have reinstated mandatory overtime, so we will be seeing even less of him than usual, but we kind of expected that to happen.  I don't love missing him, but the OT paychecks will be nice, especially since I am slowing down with work at the moment.  He is a wonderful father, and the kids all adore him.  He is never too tired to play, snuggle, wrestle, tickle, or converse with them.