My baby turned 1!

On Saturday morning (9/27), as I brought Camdilyn downstairs after she woke up, we all started to sing to her! "Happy Birthday to you..." She smiled really big and wiggled in my arms. It seemed to make her very happy! It was a fun little moment.

We enjoyed sprinkle pancakes with ice cream! What a yummy breakfast!

The girls asked for balloons (a used-to-be tradition) so I got them each a balloon. Camdilyn had a great time hitting, batting, chasing, and chewing on her balloon. A couple popped so they were replaced and we had a great time with balloons!

We enjoyed our morning and early afternoon just playing and getting things done around the house. We went up to a friend's house for some kickball and dinner - we met Dad and Ben there because they were coming back from a camping trip. We all had a great time socializing and playing and eating.

I took the oldest three girls to the Church, while Dad took the other kids home for showers and bed. The girls and I changed our clothes and enjoyed dessert and the General Women's Broadcast. It was a wonderful meeting and I am so glad we are able to enjoy such spiritually uplifting meetings.

The birthday party was tonight because Dad had to work Sunday night. Grandma and Grandpa Nichols came over with cupcakes. It was very cute how he set it up as a bunch of balloons. Camdilyn didn't get the blowing-out-the-candle bit but she was very excited about the brightly colored cupcakes.

 

She was a little confused with the presents at first... she didn't know what to do with them. With a little help she figured it out and was excited that things came out of the bags. I focused mainly on making some gifts for her (rattle, eye-spy bottles (one rice and one water), tub with fabric in it so she can pull them our to her hearts desire (like a tissue box but without wasting the tissues)) and bought one book. Emily made her a yarn ball. Grandma and Grandpa Nichols gave her a farm set.

Homemade rattle

Tub with fabric strips she can pull out and play with.

Fun alphabet book.

Yarn ball made by Emily.

Homemade spying bottles.

 

New sippy cups to replace the ones we have had since Marissa (possibly Ben).

She absolutely loved the cupcake. Again she was a little hesitant but once she got a taste of the frosting and knew we would let her do it on her own she was all over it. At one point she actually bent over her cupcake to just eat it off her tray - I missed the picture but I have the memory (and it is on video so eventually I could get a picture from that). She had a great time and didn't get any of it in her hair. Her face, arms and chest were covered but nothing in her hair.

She enjoyed her bath and then had some time to play. She is such a sweet baby... I guess she's not really a baby anymore. She loves to walk all over. She is a pro at going up the stairs and is cautious at the top. She loves to play outside - I think all my babies have loved that. She loves to be tickled and hate having her nose wiped. She is a wonderful little girl and we love her!

So super cute.

After the girls took a shower tonight, I was holding and kissing Harmonie. I asked, "Are you all clean?" She promptly answered, "No." I tried to reassure her she was all clean and then she said, "I Harmonie." I laughed right out loud. Then I nuzzled her and said, "You're funny." She looked at me and said, "I Harmonie." I'm sure she was having a hard time understanding why I couldn't get her name right. She brings such joy!

Pretty hair

Marissa braided Emily's hair and put a golden string in it as well. They were all very excited and it was fun to see them enjoying being together.
Treasure these moments because they come and go through out the day!

How did Jesus find it?

Xiomara and Domonique were cleaning up a game when I heard Domonique ask, "How did Jesus find it?"
When we had put away the same duck game earlier in the day, we were missing one duck. She and I couldn't find it anywhere, so we put the game away with one missing duck.
Later, she and Xiomara were putting them away again and all the ducks were accounted for! She was surprised because she remembered not finding them all earlier in the day. She knew one had been missing before, but now they were all in the box where they belong.
I didn't remember asking her to pray for help to find the missing duck, but maybe she did.
I had found the duck later in the day and put it away, without her knowing.
I thought it was wonderful that the suspected Jesus helped the duck get "home", and not me.

Xiomara told her Jesus didn't find it. (Xiomara didn't know we had been missing one.)
Domonique then asked, "How did Satan find it?"
She knew someone had done it and if it wasn't Jesus, then maybe Satan put the duck back.
Either way, she was wondering how they found the duck that she couldn't find earlier.

Navuoo Take 3

I was thinking of going home Thursday... but I wasn't packed or ready so we stayed one more day! The kids were very excited and we headed back to Nauvoo to finish seeing the places we hadn't seen yet. Some homes, the drug store and the school house. I thought the lens was working but then it quit so I was back to my telephoto.

 

The kids were drawing on the slate boards in the school house - all of them concentrated and did very well. It was fun to do something rather than being told not to touch anything.

There were a couple cabins open to walk through and the kids really enjoyed "playing" in them. One was a one room cabin with a loft, and the other one had two rooms with a loft. It was good to see how the pioneers lived before they built all those nicer homes.

The cultural hall. The Church had to fix it to get it back to it's original look. 

We also went out to the quarry where they got the stones for the temple. It was neat to see the site. The kids thought it was the Mississippi River because it was all full of water. What hard work it was to blast the stone and cut it and haul it out. Amazing.

One of the only homes that is not brick.

We really enjoyed our visits to Nauvoo. We have see all the sites, and toured all the homes and buildings. We even drove by the places that are owned by the other church (used to be the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I think they are Community of Christ now). I'm so glad we had a few days of sunshine and nice weather to be able to walk about so much.

Anxiety

I woke up this morning to the sounds of my children - same as every morning really. I got the baby up and started my day. I really just did the normal stuff: diapers, bottle, family prayer and scripture reading, breakfast, sorted laundry, and so forth. It was a moment I won't soon forget, when I walked over to help Kemiah with a worksheet and put my hands together - I realized I didn't have my wedding ring on! Wow! I didn't remember ever taking it off. It was as if it just disappeared. I couldn't think of the last time I had it because I couldn't think of a time when I didn't, but it obviously wasn't there now! The kids quickly chimed in with, "where do you last remember having it?" and "did you put lotion on this morning?" I honestly couldn't think of where to look because where would it have gone? I checked the bathroom, the laundry, and the trash can just in case. Nothing. Where do you start looking for something when you have no idea where you lost it? The inspiration came to me to go back to bed. I turned on the light to my room and walked to the bed. There it was, just laying on the bed as if it was waiting for me. I have no idea why it would have come off in bed because I have to tug a bit to get it off. I have no clue but I do know that Heavenly Father was aware and answered our prayers in helping me to look where I needed to look to find my ring.

Hinking through the woods.

The backyard of my parent's house ends up in woods and you can walk all the way to the Mississippi River. There was one part of the trail that is on the edge and I was worried about Harmonie and Domonique falling down to the bottom of the ravine. We made it all safely.

 

A couple of the kids took me to a stream they found and explored. It was a little tricky for me to get to but I managed. It was neat and did remind me a bit of Dominica (that's what the kids kept saying about it) so I was glad they took me. 

Even though the water was pretty cold the kids just couldn't stay out of it. I had to remind myself of my childhood and doing the same thing - wading in the stream/creek. Kids just gotta do it.

A deposit of clay. I wonder what it would be like to make pottery out of it?

Another shot of the fort, just for fun!