New Shoes for Joshie

I have been trying to get new shoes for Joshie for a few weeks now. Before he was just wearing the little moccasin type shoes but he needed something a little more when playing outside. Unfortunately all of the hand-me-down shoes from Thomas and Sammy didn't work...I could only get his toes into the shoes because he has such fat and wide feet. I tried to find shoes at Walmart and Target but again only could get his toes in the shoes. Finally today we were successful at PayLess! Joshie loves his shoes and points to them whenever someone new comes into the room. He got so excited to show Thomas and Spring when they came home from school.

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby

Friday night we had the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. It was such an amazing night. Last year there were only 3 cub scouts at the pinewood derby. This year we had 12 cub scouts compete! That is incredible and such an incredible blessing. I am so grateful that Thomas has the opportunity to interact with these boys. I love these boys and I thoroughly enjoy each of them and the time we spend together. During the race I enjoyed watching the boys laugh and cheer each other on during the race. They were out of their seats with excitement. We had the help of the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster and they even rigged up a video camera to record each of the races which came in handy a few times as we needed to do an "instant replay" to see the order of the cars at the finish line. It was an amazing night full of enthusiasm and fun for all the boys.

Spelling Bee Champion

Thomas competed in the District Spelling Bee last night. Things have been really busy here lately with Christmas, family visiting, cub scouts, Thomas and Joel building his pinewood derby car, piano (he is preparing for 2 piano competitions in Feb. and March), and just family life in general. Thus we did not practice at all until the night before. We spent maybe an hour total practicing for this. I had prepped him and given him the whole, "You probably won't win because we have not taken the time to practice very much. You have chosen other great things to use your time with and that is OK. We have to make choices in life at what we will spend our time on. Just do your best and know we will be so happy for you." He really took this well and was fine knowing he probably wouldn't win because we didn't prepare for it as well as we should have. I was secretly hoping he wouldn't win because then we wouldn't have to go on. I get way too nervous at these competitions! Well, leave it to Thomas. He won the 3rd grade District Spelling Bee and now he gets to compete in the County Spelling Bee in March! He was so happy and excited. I am happy for him. Now I just have to gear up for yet another spelling bee. I don't know how many of these stressful events I can take! I get WAY more nervous than he does! Thomas you are amazing!

Puddles!

We were blessed to receive a lot of rain yesterday. I was in the garage cleaning up some things with Sammy, Mary, and Joshie. Before I knew it they were out in the rain having fun and the rain soon stopped. Then their fun really began. They loved that the street flooded so they could jump in the big puddles! Sammy was fascinated by the big "waves" that were made as cars and trucks drove down the street. He was so excited by it that he could hardly contain himself. Joshua liked splashing with his hands. Mary liked it for a few minutes but then got cold and wanted to get her blanket. Thomas rode his bike home from school and was SOAKED by the time he got home yet so happy because he had rode his bike through all the BIG PUDDLES of water!

Joel's Recovery

Joel had the wonderful opportunity to have his tonsils removed and also have surgery on his nasal cavity to correct his deviated septum and remove excess tissue in the nasal cavity. He had the surgery on Thursday evening and we came home that night. He is really doing very well considering. He went to his meetings and to church yesterday. I took these pictures on Friday and thought I would share with all of you. Hopefully he doesn't notice them too soon or he may delete them! I am amazed at how well he has been handling the pain and discomfort. He is amazing. I know he will really appreciate it all in a few weeks when he has recovered.

When did he grow up?!

It is so hard to believe that Thomas is already 9 years old. It really doesn't seem that long ago that we held hi for the first time and he changed our lives forever. He is such a blessing to us and our family. He continues to have a sweet tender heart. He is so friendly and does all he can to include everyone that is near him. You will win his affection if you agree to play a board game or card game with him. He has a driving passion for the piano and continually astounds us with the gift and talent he has been given. He is my helper and throughout the day will be heard asking me, "Mom, is there anything you need my help with?" He loves cub scouts and is thriving on all the activities and opportunities it affords him. Thomas is our example and a very beloved part of our family.

Surprise Visitors

Grandma & Grandpa Powell, Aunt Alanna, and Uncle Eric surprised the kids by coming to visit the Monday following Christmas. Mom and Dad thought they were going to be here Tuesday morning and they scared me half to death by banging on our bedroom door just before 11:00 at night. It was so great to have them here for the week. We enjoyed sharing gifts with each other on Tuesday afternoon. We played lots of games, went shopping, watched football, and just had a great time laughing, talking, playing, and making memories. We enjoyed New Year's Eve together. Just before 7:00 on New Year's Eve Sammy came to me and asked, "Is it New Year's Eve yet? I'm tired!" So, we all went outside and celebrated New Year's so that Sammy, Mary, and Joshie could go to bed. Then the rest of us stayed up playing games until we rung in the New Year. We are so blessed to have wonderful family. I love them all so much. I am grateful for the time they take to visit us and to make so many wonderful memories with our children. It was very sad to see them go after church on Sunday. I am incredibly grateful they stayed for church to help ease my burden during Sacrament Meeting. It was so nice for all the kids to have someone giving them individual attention and I actually was able to listen to the meeting. We all relish the memories we made and look forward to the next time we are together again.