Easter thoughts...

 Happy Easter!  Okay, so I haven't conquered the blogging and having a baby around thing!  As I have mentioned before, I'm quite nostalgic now days.  I read a lot of blogs and I love seeing pictures of friends and family on facebook.  I think I just have a hard time putting into words what I want to say...I'm not very good at it, so I haven't done it and therefore sadly I've lost several months of getting my thoughts down!  So, I'm inspired again and so I'll try and tackle Easter!

 I love any holiday, but especially holidays that celebrate Christ.  We have always lived in great communities that hold huge egg hunts and for the most part christian communities.  I feel very blessed for that! The egg hunts have always been great to invite non-member friends to.  I love it! This year was our second year to go to some good friends, the  Russell's.  They hid over 1200 plastic filled eggs.  I loved seeing my cute little activity day girls from church and then friends from school and teachers too.  Such a great missionary tool!  Most of the teachers that my kids have had are christian and the same with their friends.  I love Christmas and Easter because they turn out to be huge connections with my non-member friends.  I love discussing the similarities that we have in our traditions.

 Wayne and I have been married for nearly 18 years...I can hardly believe it!  I love that we've come to an agreement on how we celebrate each holiday.  We both had ideas and traditions from our own families that we wanted to see happen within our own little family and I'm so grateful that neither one of us had to give something up.  Things are a little different but we didn't lose anything.  Over the years we've discussed making connections with each holiday and the tradition, but we've come to the conclusion that Christ is the reason for the celebration on Easter and Christmas and that's good enough! (pretty darn good reason in my opinion) I'm happy to say that my kids know the reason for each, and the other stuff is just fun!  On Easter, we always have on display the story of the resurrection and it stays up all week.  It's a visual reminder of the reason we're celebrating.  It works for us and it took a few years to develop what works.  Now that our family isn't so young anymore, this is one of my favorite traditions and I love sitting down and talking with the kids about their thoughts on Easter.  We always discuss the Easter story and each year it gets more in depth. I love it!  I don't know what my kids will do when they marry and start their own families and traditions, but I hope that in our raising them, we've taught them to at least gain a testimony of their own and to respect other people.  Anything beyond that in their traditions will be up to them and their spouse!!!

 In this above picture, Britt is watching on.  She didn't participate in the big egg hunt this year. (she did in the cousin egg hunt which I'll post about later)  She loved coming and enjoying the friends, but I guess she's officially outgrown hunting eggs!!! :(

 Max, as young as he is was hilarious.  He was the youngest kid, and he got to go out all by himself and hunt eggs.  He found one blue egg and didn't want to let it go, and couldn't have cared less about the other 1199 eggs out there to be found.

 Ally LOVED the egg hunt this year.  She had lots of friends and they all had a plan of how to find the hidden eggs!  They all had a blast!

 I don't remember where Jay was during our dying Easter eggs.  I think he may have been asleep.  I said this year to the girls, "do we have to dye eggs or can I just boil them?"...they thought I was crazy and yelled in unison "YES we do!"  OKAY!!!

 Easter morning, meeting at the end of the hall before entering the front room!(another tradition)  Ally and Max are both yawning, and I love their faces!!!

 Ally with Easter shtuff!!!

 Our traditional banner and pictures on display! I have to say I love the pictures from the Gospel Art kit with the story and scripture references on the back.  I love even more that my kids have the Easter and Christmas pictures pretty much memorized because we've read them for so many years now!!!

 My kids know that on Christmas and Easter I get family pictures!  Max hasn't yet learned that you just have to smile for mom and then you are free!!!

 Max letting me know he's had enough of the picture taking!!! (he'll learn)

Love these kids.  Love traditions, but especially the ones that allow us to celebrate Christ.  The Christ celebrations are my favorite!  My time is up, Max needs his mommy!  Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter!!!

Maxwell is very adored...

Okay so it's been awhile since I posted anything.  I even said I was going to be better...not so much better at the blogging thing.  I thought I'd share a few pictures of our little Max.  We love him so much around here.  He is pure joy!  That's the only way I can think of describing him. Max has brought such a spirit of happiness into our happy home.  I know I've said that like every time I've blogged since he was born, but it's the truth.  I love that he shakes with happiness when his siblings walk into a room.  I love his little sounds and seeing him grow so much each day.  Last week he had his 6 month check up and our new doctor who had never met him thought it was a 9 month check up ( the new nurse called me sweetie and she was like 25 so I made a note to always go to the doctor without Britt so I'm not mistaken for the grandma)  Max weighs 20 lbs. and is 28 1/2 inches long.  He has perfected the army crawl and is soooo close to mastering crawling.  YES...I'm in shock!  He does still love to snuggle and I hope that never goes away!  He says "HI" perfectly and quite adorably if I do say so myself!  I'm amazed at how much he's grown and learned in his 6 months of life.  I hold him and say "I love him" to whom ever is in the room.  I have grounded each one of my other kids from Max...yes, grounded them from him.  It's been the best parenting tactic to get chores and homework done EVER!!! Works like a charm (there's nothing wrong with that right?)

Ally so proud of herself for getting Max to fall asleep

Yes, he's standing in his crib...no he didn't do that by himself!

Jay loves his little brother so much!  It's very adorable

Playing on Britt's legs.  Britt can get Max to smile and laugh the best!

Laughing and playing with Britt

didn't disappoint on Christmas...he loved all the boxes and wrapping paper!

getting some loves from his cousin Joshie

Playing with his siblings at a rest stop on our crazy trip from Oregon to Utah to California and back to Oregon (more on that later)

So there's a little bit of an update.  Lots been going on around here, but we all take time to enjoy us some Max whenever we can!

A Christmas Carol...(a little catch up too)

In November our stake put on quite the fun production of A Christmas Carol.  My three older kids participated and loved every minute of it.  It was very time consuming, but turned out to be well worth it.  The kids met a lot of people in our stake and also got to work together on this production.  The director is the same lady who does the middle school musical and happens to be a really good friend of our family.

 My dad was very generous and made each of my kids a costume.  Britt really wanted a fun scarlet O'hara dress for the Fezziwig ball scene and Ally was thrilled to have a beautiful dress.  Jay loves dressing up and Pa Bob made him a black vest (which Jay still wears)

 Ally had her fancy dress from Pa Bob so she wanted a new hat too...I luckily have a craft store in my garage (because I am a craft stuff collector) so I put together this fancy hat for Ally and also made her a new black cloak.  She was in heaven and felt like a princess!

 This is Jay with Ally backstage!

 Ally teaching all the kids in the kids room how to play categories!  It was a hit!

This is one of the many things we have been up to lately.  I usually don't try and play catch up with my blog, but we've had some fun things happen so I'm going to try and catch up.  I am trying to be better and documenting things rather than just posting pictures on FB.  I hope to make a book of my blog so if there are any still out there reading my sad little blog, you'll have to bear with me as I catch up on my posts.

My biggest issue is trying to locate all my pictures...we have a couple different computers and for whatever reason my pictures aren't all together!!!  I'm hoping to get them all on my laptop so I can be portable!

The play was fun and busy and I can't wait for the next stake play!!!

I have so many things to blog about...

I am setting a pre New Year's resolution for myself to be better about blogging.  I'm not sure how to define better for myself...once a week, once a month, once a quarter?  President Hinckley said "Be better tomorrow than you were today!"  I guess that's a good place to start, I'll just be better!!!
I will say I love my little Maxwell.  He has brought so much joy into our home (that I felt was already a pretty joyous place) I love seeing my older kids ooh and aah over him.  It's the sweetest thing in the world!  I feel like I'm really soaking in every little sweet moment more than I did with my other kids.  I just enjoy the little sounds and wonder in his face (not that I didn't with the others too) I just really soak it all in!!!  He's so fun!  Whenever I pull out my camera Wayne often says "just take a mental picture" I have really done that and i feel like I don't have enough pictures now.  The only picture I have from Halloween is on my phone...whhaatt?!?!  How is that possible?  I have a little turtle that my sister in law gave me to measure Max's growth month by month...I've taken the pictures, actually let me re-phrase, Britt has taken the pictures on her phone...whaaat?!?!
I think sitting here I've set my goal...I'll be better about taking pictures of Max.
I have been very contemplative lately,  I look at and hold Max pretty much all day while thinking of Brittany.  He looks a lot like Britt did and I just sit and enjoy him.  Britt only has half of her junior year left and then obviously she'll be a senior.  As I sit and stare at Max I truly see my little Britt and then come back to reality that she'll go to college in a year and a half...whaatt?!?!  It's crazy!  I do also think of Jay and Ally.  I have to remind myself that Ally is only 10.  I served with the youth so much and having Britt and Jay as teenagers I feel Ally got lumped in with the big kids and she's still little!  I have enjoyed shopping for her this Christmas season with the thought that she's little in mind.  When my thoughts wander about Jay, I marvel at what a sharp young priesthood holder he is and how much he loves this little Maxwell.  Jay is soooo cute and loving with Max...truly it's my favorite thing to watch!  How do I capture that on film?
Anyway, those are my thoughts today...I do have some fun pictures to post if I'd ever put Max down to load them to the computer!!!  When I say that out loud (via typing) I think it just sounds so not important!  Max is actually sleeping right now so maybe if I were quick I could get in a shower and upload some pictures...mark set go!

Youth Conference

Welcome to BOOT camp..."Build On Our Testimonies"
Sister Chandler and her cute daughter Kennedy made this sign welcoming the campers!

All the campers lined up ready to do jumping jacks and whatever else drill master Wayne Cannon has in store for them!!!

My cute family.  Part of our BOOT camp was doing a service project in the community called Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN).  WE had over 300 community members helping the elderly with yard work and other needed tasks.

Jay with Brooke and Rochelle trimming back overgrown bushes for a  92 year old lady in West Linn

Taking a donut break...

Our incredible team helping EVE with her yard.  Most of the brethren got  a lot of bee stings taking out some of the blackberry bushes, but were troopers and kept on working.  

After everyone returned from NHN the YW's presidency had a great lunch waiting for us back at BOOT camp.  The kids played a great game of keep away before the actual BOOT camp activities started.

Britt on the monkey bridge.  Each youth climbed the rope wall and then had to walk across this monkey bridge.  It was challenging and scary for some.

My cute Brittany taking time to warm up by holding Max.  Max was only a month old and was such a good sport while Wayne and I were the leaders of this youth conference.  Ally was there to watch and play with Max and also LOVED being able to come to BOOT camp!

Wayne and I had a great time doing this conference with the youth.  We asked the Priests to plan and extreme obstacle course and they did their task well.  The rope wall and monkey bridge really had to our overall conference message of overcoming struggles.  We also had a extreme trust fall, tire course and LOTS of jumping jacks and even some push-ups!!!  I love serving the youth.  Their energy is so contagious and I love it!  This past Sunday Wayne took a call from one of our high councilmen in the stake and we were asked to be a MA and PA on the upcoming trek for our stake.  I AM SO EXCITED!!!  I've been on a few treks and have never been a Ma.  Both Britt and Jay will also be going so it will be fun to go through this experience with them.  Britt did a trek in Pleasanton a few years ago and is eager to do it again!
YAY FOR YOUTH!!!