Winry's baby blessing (and Jelly turns 1)!

Hello everyone!  So, last week was a pretty bad week to miss writing a post, but things were pretty crazy with everyone out for Winry's baby blessing.  Then yesterday was pretty full as well, but there's no way I could miss writing two weeks in a row, and especially not these two weeks!  There's a lot to cover, so I think I might plow through things pretty quickly.  But then again, maybe I'm never actually as detailed as I think I am, so maybe you won't notice a difference... Anyway, here's Monica and I with Winry on her blessing day!

So two weeks ago Monica's phone got run over.  We looked on Google's find my phone to see where it last was, and it was in the middle of an intersection 45 minutes before.  It was still there when I got there...

It probably got run over a few times, and that thing on the top is what's left of the battery, so that either caught fire or exploded...  All in all, the phone was quite dead.  The case was still in pretty good condition, AND the case held the phone onto the trunk of the car for 7.5 miles before the phone finally fell off, with speeds up to 55 MPH!  That's pretty good!

Monica's mom was out with us for the week leading up to the baby blessing, which means that everyone had to go party while I was at work.  They headed to the zoo one day and I selected this picture of Brooke with the hippo.  Brooke really likes to see the hippo, and I don't think we've ever given it love on the blog, so here it is.

Brooke continues to love her sister!  I know it's hard to see,  but Brooke is holding Winry in our bed in this picture.

One day Monica realized we hadn't been great at doing tummy time with Winry, so we decided we needed to do better, and this was the result!  She rolled over like 3 or 4 times in a row, so I guess we're done with tummy time until she's ready to crawl...

This past week everyone also headed to the children's museum (without me...).  Brooke had a blast!  There were lots of great things to do there, like make appointments for stuffed animals to come to the doctor or dentist.

Or clean said animals teeth.

Or check a little doggy's ear heart beat.

Or play in the water!  Monica said Brooke would have played with that all day if it was possible, but eventually they got her to move on to new things!  It seems like a great place, and hopefully Brooke was able to learn as well as have fun.

So this picture, when I see it all I can think is that Winry looks like she's studying for the SAT or something.  #intensefrombirth

Brooke really loves thunder by Imagine Dragons.  She calls it the Mr. Brown song because in Mr. Brown can moo Mr Brown makes the sound of thunder and lighting.  So since she loves the book, she MUST love the song, and she can sing a pretty good amount of it!

Also, Brooke and I went to a couple stores on the Saturday before Winry's blessing, and while we were walking through King Soopers we saw this tiger camping chair that was just her size, so we just HAD to get it!  But really, this will be perfect to have in the back yard this summer when we roast hot dogs over our camp fire.  We'll probably even sleep in our tent in the back yard a time or two as well!

As mentioned, last Sunday (15th) was Winry's baby blessing!  And we had lots of family come to visit!

Meagan has just loved to play with Brooke the last few times we got together, and Brooke loves to play with Meagan too!  They had a blast together, and I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to Meagan for watching and helping Brooke all day!

There was some discussion as to whether Andrew (Tyson and Tina's oldest) was taller than me, so we had to check.  Turns out we're basically the same height, which makes us currently tied for tallest in the family.  Andrew has a slight advantage though since he's still in the age range of being able to grow... so my title of tallest in the family may be short lived...

But my title of best guesser won't be!

While Monica was busy I tried to share a few veggie straws with Winry, but she didn't seem interested...

Tyson was nice enough to bring his camera equipment and take pictures while he was here (that's where these are all from, and why they look so much nicer than the photos typically do).  We took advantage and got a few family pictures as well.  Look out Christmas card, here we come!

Also, the kids all seemed to like putting their heads through our railing.

I mean ALL the kids really seemed to like it...

Winry has become best buds with her wubbanub!  I think she's started to grab, hold, and play with things a lot younger than Brooke, and I think it's because her pacifier has a stuffed animal on it that's always there.  I may be wrong, but it at least feels like it to me.

Last Monday our FHE lesson was about the temple, so we went over to the temple grounds and had a picnic dinner and a lesson over there.

Part way through dinner Brooke took off with the veggie straws!  I tracked her down and got them back though.

After our lesson we went for a walk around the temple.

And got a picture of our eternal family!

Brooke and I had a few races across the lawn, and grabbed a picture after I narrowly lost in getting to and sniffing a flower first.  We had a great time at the temple, and hopefully Brooke is starting to learn that it is a special and holy place.

This past week I found a pair of eyes on the floor...  Poor big bad wolf puppet.... he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I assume Jelly did this, though Brooke did pick at one of the bear's noses until she ripped that off...

Winry has been doing a great job of holding her head up, so I figured she was ready for the carrier.  She likes to be held sitting up when we walk around, so this is a nice compromise so that I still have both hands to use!  So far so good!

Brooke really wanted us to get out her swing one day this past week, so after we got it out I got the rope and we hung it on the tree in the back yard.  I think we've been out there every day to swing since.  It's really nice for both of us.  She has a great time, and it's an easy way for me to keep her entertained and hopefully wear her out before bed!

One day at dinner I was holding Winry while eating, so Brooke had to go wrap up Elmo and hold him while she at too!

Also, Winry is quite strong!  She was like this for at least 30 seconds!  Unfortunately you cannot hold her facing you or else she'll arc her back and if you don't catch her, fall over backward!  We've always caught her so far, but I typically don't try to hold her facing my shoulder any more.

Also, Jelly and Winry got a little cuddle time this past week!  I think this is the first time Jelly's laid by Winry, and she was super nice to her the whole time!  Technically Jelly didn't lay next to Winry, I set Winry right next to Jelly.

Also, just look at that smile.  There's no other story here.

On Saturday we were asked to help clean the church, and I think we had a great time doing it.  I enjoyed it at least, and Brooke was an amazing helper the whole time!  Our family's typical reward for cleaning the church is to go get donuts!  We let Brooke pick her own and she just wanted pink and was SOOO happy!

That day when we got home Brooke wanted to put Elmo in the carrier, and why not, I put Winry in there...  She did this for large amounts of the day Saturday, but it was a good way for her to stay entertained while Monica went to the temple and to a movie with friends.

On Sunday Brooke wanted to get a picture next to Winry in their church clothes.

And finally, this is how I found Winry this morning when I woke up!  I had a pretty good laugh when I saw her and accidentally woke Monica up... :)

Sunday was our ward conference, so we had the stake presidency there.  We had a lesson about when Moses put up the serpent on the staff, and if people would look they would be healed from their snake bites.  We talked about what the simple things we are supposed to do in order to look and live.  That night Monica and I were talking about the lesson a little, and we talked about the "easy" things we're supposed to do in order to look and live, such as saying our personal prayers and studying the scriptures daily.  Even though these are simple things that we know we should do every day, how often do we forget them, or only do them half heartedly?  Are we truly studying the scriptures every day, looking for guidance in our lives?  Are we praying for our families, for their well-being and for guidance in how we can serve them?  We too have been given simple commandments in our day, but we must "look" if we want to live!  I share this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Playing in the back yard

Howdy all!  I hope you're doing great!  Things were excellent out here this past week!  We've been really focused on safety this past week, as you can see with Elmo below!  Everybody buckle up!!

Winry was a super cutie this past week (as usual)!  I feel like she's grown up so much recently.

Winry has started to kick the play mat just like Brooke did!  We place her down and she'll get her feet over on the pole and kick and watch all the toys sway!  It's great!

Monica has done a really good job exercising lately.  She's started doing it first thing in the morning, which has really helped keep her consistent.  This means that sometimes Brooke wakes up before Monica is done, but that's typically not a problem!

Also, Jelly even does some stretching from time to time!

Monica was trying to get a video of Winry smiling this past week.  Winry is cute in this video, but the real gem is Brooke in the background.  I'll transcribe that for you in case you're having trouble, "The pout pout fish on the bus goes blub, blub, blub!"  Classic!  She made that all up by herself.

Today Brooke and Winry wore their Easter dresses so we grabbed some pictures of them together after church!  What a bunch of cuties!!

We had some struggle getting Brooke to take this picture, so the compromise was to get to take some pictures on this blanket after, and of course that means we had to get some pictures of her feet...

After pictures we were getting ready to head out into the back yard.  Of course, this means I needed to get my shoes on, but no worries, Brooke helped!  We headed into the backyard to burn some energy before dinner which involved Brookes first time playing lacrosse!  She had a blast!

We also took out a ball with us, which naturally means Brooke played penguin!  What else would you do with a ball in the backyard?

Oh yeah, that's right, you'd set up a tomato cage and play basketball!  Brooke loved this too.  I think we're gonna have to get her a little basketball hoop for this summer.  I had a blast out there with her, so I think we'll have to keep this love for sports alive!  Also, look how great she's doing!

Errr... mostly...

But really, we had such a blast!  We even did some "basketball" from up on my shoulders.

Today in church we had a member of the stake presidency there to release the EQ presidency and talk about the new changes to the EQ as well as ministering.  We spent most of the time talking about the new ministering program.  I think it will be great!  As I've spent time thinking about it I think it is a very inspired program, and I think great things will come from it.  My impression of ministering is that it is meant to help build unity within the church.  The goal is to try to develop a stronger community, and to have a network within the church akin to family, so that people, no matter where they may live, can have someone to rely on when challenging moments happen.  As I thought about it, I feel that ministering is a pathway into the law of consecration.  We are striving to build a stronger community in the church, so that people always have others who they can turn to for assistance and care.  I feel that as the bond between members grows stronger there will be greater support as people go through life's struggles.  I also think of pioneer times, where the saints were literally driven from their homes multiple times.  The pioneers needed the band together to survive and prosper.  I feel that ministering is a starting block to building the bonds that the pioneer community had together.  While I don't think that the saints as a whole will be driven from their homes, I think that as the world continues to veer farther and farther from the laws of God it will be essential for the saints to have a strong bond and fellowship.  I am grateful to have a prophet, and to have continuing revelation on the earth.  I know that God watches over and loves His children.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Easter Egg Hunt

Hello all!  We had a super great week, though possibly a little too much sugar...  Everyone is doing well and Winry is smiling all the time... at least for Monica.  Brooke keeps loving to help out with Winry and has even asked to hold her a time or two this past week.  She even held her for story time on dad's belly!

Brooke also loves to be with Winry wherever she is.  She loves to lay with Winry on her play mat, and she even brought bear too!  Brooke still loves to take care of her stuffed animals and she always wants to dress them and put them in the bouncer or swing.  Yesterday she even got out a wipe to clean up Elmo because he was "poopy!"

At our Costco they recently put out a play house for their spring display, and Brooke loves it!  This was probably Brooke's first Costco trip getting to walk around on her own, and she kept running over to play in the house a little more!

This past week we all decided to encourage Winry during tummy time, so down we all went.  I really feel like it's helping with my neck strength, and it's been a lot easier to keep my head up recently too!

On Tuesday when I left work it was snowing like crazy!  The lines in this picture are the snow that was collected each time the windshield wipers went by!  Also, it was THUNDER SNOW!  For those of you who are uninformed, thunder snow is when there is lighting during a snow storm, and it is a quite rare weather pattern.

Monica was cleaning up this past week and Brooke wanted to help!  Fortunately Monica has a dusting glove!  So Brooke put that on and had at it!

For date night this past week it was my turn to plan and I got Pandemic Legacy.  It's a legacy board game.  What that means is that during the game you make alterations to the board/cards that permanently change the game.  I don't want to give anything away, but there are a bunch of cards that have scratch off spaces and stickers to use for various purposes.  It's a lot of fun, and it's always exciting to see what will happen next.  I'm not a huge Pandemic fan, but this game has been great!  We've played it every day since we got it!

The Easter bunny came last night, so this morning we woke up to an egg hunt!  Brooke had a lot of fun tracking all the eggs down, and she did a really great job.  There were a lot of eggs to find, but eventually we go them all!

All that egg hunting made us really hungry, so it was definitely time for breakfast!  Monica made bunny pancakes!  They were great!

After breakfast, we dyed Easter eggs before conference started.  Brooke had fun coloring on the eggs and putting them in the dye.

Here she is with all her eggs sitting out to dry!

The neighbor's cat came out, and when Brooke saw him she just had to tell him all about her Easter morning!

Monica and I of course also had to take our hand at dying Easter eggs!

Here are all the eggs!  Feel free to vote for your favorite!

Winry has started to get better at grabbing/hugging things, like her pacifier moose.  This is both a blessing and a curse.  The curse is that she grabs the moose's leg or tag and pulls it out of her mouth.  The blessing is that she can sometimes hug it back in!  She is SOOOO CUTE!

For all those of you who watched general conference, WHOA!  Looks like there are some exciting changes coming our way!  As I've spent a little time thinking about it I've felt a great deal of gratitude for having a prophet who can receive revelation and lead and guide the world.  I feel like not just in this conference, but in many of them over the last few years there have been church-wide changes made.  From the missionary age change, to priest's being able to perform baptisms for the dead, to today's changes to home and visiting teaching!  We are living in a world that is providing ever increasing challenges.  I am so grateful to have a prophet who receives revelation from the Lord that can help lead and guide us.  I know that if we follow the prophet we will stay on the right path and be able to return to live with Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for this gospel!  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.