Birthday Pictures...Mary and Rebekah

Rebekah...one year old

Mary...10 years old

Sara's 4!

Little Miss Sara is now 4!  And she will tell you all about it too!  This girl loves to talk and she does a lot of it too!  She is really into the scripture stories right now and will tell you all about Nephi, Sariah, Laman & Lemuel, and Enos.  Those are her favorite right now.  Sara loves to play with Paw Patrols, color pictures, build with Legos, smother  mother Rebekah, help me in the kitchen, watch cartoons, read books, and talk!  She is a happy girl with a smile that will light up a room.  She loves to give people hugs and tell them how much she loves them-even people she hardly knows.  She runs to her primary teachers to tell them hi and give them hugs.  Unfortunately, she is beginning to get to be quite sassy as well and she will try to pout to get out of doing something.  She is stubborn, but so am I! ;)  Thankfully, her sweet side is more prevalent than her sassy side and we are hoping that will continue!

She was so excited to have her birthday dinner.  She is quite the picky eater and often goes without dinner because she refuses to try what we are having.  At first she requested boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Then she changed her mind to "bread, just plain bread."  That's all she wanted.  With a lot of persuasion we convinced her to choose something else so she chose noodles and white sauce.  She was most excited for the dessert she chose...pink & purple mini cupcakes.

 She loved her paw patrol set that Grandma & Grandpa Powell and us gave to her.  She exclaimed, "It's what I've always wanted!"

Josh's Baptism

Once Josh realized he could still attend Cub Scouts if he hadn't been baptized yet, he chose to wait to be baptized until Grandma and Grandpa Powell came to visit in November.  He was so excited to have them here on his special day.  Needless to say, by the time his day arrived he was so ready.  For about a month before he told me everyday, "I can't wait until I get baptized!"  This sweet boy was so prepared.  He is a daily example of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  He thinks of others before himself, praises others without hesitation, expresses love and concern for everyone around him, expresses sincere gratitude to people and to his Father in Heaven in prayer.   I love this sweet boy.

As we were loading into the car to head to the church for his baptism it began to snow.  This was the first snow of the season for us in Ohio.  There was excitement for this event.  In Bishop Call's comments following Josh's confirmation he told Josh to always remember that he was baptized on the first day that snow fell.  He said whenever it snows Josh can remember his baptism day.  He can remember that he was washed clean and can always remain clean whenever it snows.  Just like the snow is white and clean, he can always be clean as well.  I'm so grateful for an inspired Bishop that helped bring this correlation to Josh so he can have a constant reminder of the first of many covenants he will make with his Father in Heaven.

 Josh asked me to give the talk on baptism and Grandma Powell gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.  He was so attentive during the talks.  You could tell he was soaking it all and that he was feeling the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.  I love the pure look of joy on his face.  After he was baptized he just smiled so big as he hugged Joel.  I'm so grateful for a husband that loves his children and worthily holds the Priesthood and can bless their lives.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is the source of peace and joy. It is the reason for everything we do.

 When he was confirmed and received the Holy Ghost the following stood in the circle with Joel: Grandpa Powell, Bishop Call, Brother Scheck, Brother Huppert, Brother Wiemer, Brother Juhasz.  Such great men for him to have as examples and friends.

In his blessing he was told:

*You are loved by your family and your Father in Heaven

*You are a great example to your siblings

*You share your love for the gospel with others by your words and actions

*We are grateful for your decision to be baptized and follow Jesus

*Know that your Heavenly Father expects you to continue to follow Jesus as you learn an olive the gospel

*Prepare yourself now to be a missionary and serve those you are called to serve

Sam's 11th Birthday

Sam has been so ready to turn 11 so he could become a Boy Scout.  He loves the scouting program and has long awaited the time when he could start going on campouts, learning more knots, and doing all the fun things he has seen Joel and Thomas do in scouting for years.  He was beyond excited to get a new scout uniform and gear for his birthday.  Sam decided on having Texas Sheet Cake for his birthday treat.  He is such an easy kid to please and he is happy all the time.  

Some of the amazing things about Sam as an 11 year old include:

*He loves sports and is in his element if he is playing a sport of any kind.

*He loves the scouting program and learning new skills.  He also loves when those around him are involved and learning new things as well.  He makes all learning fun and silly.

*He is a hard worker-even when thins are really hard.  He works so hard at school.

*His teachers call him the "Human Calculator" due to his talent with numbers and math.

*He gives great hugs.  He is not ashamed of giving me hugs and will come up and give me hugs for no apparent reason.  I don't think he understands how much this means to me or how much it melts my heart. 

*He has a very tender side to him that not many people get to see because he is often silly, goofy, and pulling pranks.  I am one of the fortunate ones to be blessed by his loving and tender side.

*He LOVES peanut butter.  I think he consumes more peanut butter on his own than the rest of the family does combined!

*He plays the Saxophone and is making really great progress with it.

Gideon's 6th Birthday

Gideon is now 6 years old!  He was so excited for this birthday and loved being able to choose his dinner and dessert.  For his dessert he wanted a rescue bot cake. He saw pictures of these amazing cakes made by amazing moms with more creative ability in their pinky fingernail than I have in my entire body.  I was really concerned of how I was going to pull this off because he had 100% confidence that I was going to be able to make the cake of his dreams.  I was talking to my mom and she suggested I get some rescue bots and put them on his cake.  I thought that was genius but I was still really worried that Gideon would be disappointed.  I decided to surprise him so if he wasn't happy with the results hopefully we could gloss over it and quickly open presents.

When it came time for him to have his cake his expression and his shouts of, "JOSH!!! Look how AWESOME my cake is!" put my concerns at bay.  I'm so grateful he was happy with it.  He thought it was so cool that he got new rescue bots on his cake. Spring, jokingly, told me she was going to ask for a Piano Guys cake for her birthday!  Her wit is getting really good! :)

For dinner he chose to have hot dogs.  No surprise there as that is one of his favorite foods right now. For his dinner with mom and dad he chose Wendy's because he wanted to get a frosty!  Such simple pleasures.  I love the moments Joel and I have when we take out just the birthday child to dinner or lunch of their choice.  There is a bond that is strengthened when we can focus for a while on just the one.  I'm so incredibly grateful for these choice spirits that our Father in Heaven has entrusted to us.

Some highlights of Gideon as a 6 year old include:

*He LOVES rescue bots.  He and Josh will play for hours and hours together creating cities.

*He loves math and has been blessed with a very mathematical mind.

*He is so silly.  He is in the stage of making up jokes.  His jokes aren't always funny but his laugh and giggle will get you every time!

*He does not like kisses, or at least he says he doesn't.  But he smiles and giggles as he wipes them off.  I keep giving him kisses anyway!

*He does love hugs.  He has to give all his siblings and me a hug before he leaves for the bus in the morning.  In fact, he will not go out to get on the bus until he has hugged everyone.  Luckily his bus driver is very patient.

*He can be found outside all the time.  Jumping on the  trampoline, riding his bike, playing gaga ball, or just running around like a crazy kid are his favorite pastimes.

*He is sensitive. He often feels like his is ignored or people don't understand him because of his articulation issues.  I have to be really aware of that. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to deal with this so he can make his wishes known before the frustration sets in.

*His smile and giggle brighten my day.  I look forward to him running in from the bus each day at lunchtime and spending time with him.  He melts my heart in a way only he can.

Updated Pics

Jacob...2 years old

 Rebekah...3 months old

 Spring...13 years old

Happy Birthday, Mary!

This gal is already 9!  Her smile was huge on her birthday.  She thought it was cool because there was early release from school on her birthday!  For her dinner she chose meatloaf, stuffing, and corn.  Her dessert was sugar cookies with frosting and fruit on top.

Mary loves horses and all other animals.  I think she would be in her glory if she lived on a farm and could take care of animals all day long.  She is very interested in whatever is going on around her and often goes from one thing to the next, for fear of missing out on something!  All the while with her signature smile and twinkle in her eye.  In School she really enjoys spending lunch hour and recess with the special needs kids.  She loves to play games with them and include them in the activities with her other friends.  I hope she always keeps that love for others in her heart.