Christopher's Baptism

Christopher was baptized this weekend and we had such a nice service for him. Eric was baptized the same day, so we were surrounded by family and friends. I really enjoyed the filling of love present in the room.
My mom spoke on baptism and she invited Karen to bear her brief testimony of baptism first. Karen talked about remembering the building and the font she was baptized in and encouraged the boys to remember that. This is where they made their first covenant with Heavenly Father. My mom then spoke on how baptism washes away our sins. She invited the boys to come up and rub Nesquik all over their hands. After getting all dirty in something that smelt good and was "fun" she demonstrated how the baptism washes away that sin by rinsing their hands with water. I liked how she focused on how sometimes they will be tempted to sin because it looks fun, or because it might feel good, but to remember their baptism and how they have been washed clean of their sins, and that through repentance they can also be clean again.
Laura then gave a cute talk on the Holy Ghost. She gave them several gifts that demonstrate the functions of the Holy Ghost. A magnifying glass because it can help you study and understand the scriptures. A fan because just like the wind you can't see the Holy Ghost but you can feel it. Sunscreen because it will protect you from the dangers of the world. A glow in the dark star because just like stars can guide your path, so can the Holy Ghost iluminate your way  and guide you back to Heavenly Father. Lastly, she gave them a blanket to remind them that the Holy Ghost is a comforter when you are feeling lonely and sad.
My dear friend Ofa Weaver (and Primary president) also spoke and welcomed the boys to Primary. She started off by saying how the scripture "I Nephi having been born of goodly parents" had been in her mind all morning. She told Christopher and Eric that they had been blessed with goodly parents also. She then gave them a piggy bank that has 3 compartments. 1st for tithing which is to remind us that Heavenly Father wants us to obey his commandments. 2nd for fun, because He wants us to have joy. The 3rd was for their mission fund and that is a reminder that they need to set goals and progress in their lives.
After the ceremony we had lunch served for everyone at the church. I felt so loved and blessed as my dear friends all hurried to help me and Debora in the kitchen. They kept the drinks cold and filled and were constantly restocking the food table. It was an amazing day!

Karen has always been so good about writing down my kids baby blessings,a and she came through again with Christopher's confirmation. Here are some things Cory blessed Christopher with: the ability to take the tools from his baptism and confirmation and use it focused to learn the gospel. Heavenly Father had blessed you with wisdom. Learn the scriptures and use them to assist you to come to Heavenly Father. Bless you with the ability to perceive the needs of others and to bless their lives through your work and service. Heavenly Father wants you to develop your talents and abilities so you will work hard to strengthen others around you. He will also bless you to live and nurture others. Lastly, Heavenly Father will help you know when Satan is tempting you so you can avoid pitfalls.

Legoland

Cory and I took the kids to Legoland a couple weeks ago. It started out as a little family trip to celebrate Christopher turning 8 (more on that later), but we ended up have all the Garretts  (with the exception of Lori and the little boys) join us.
I love San Diego and their weather, special in the middle of our awful Arizona summer. We left Friday morning and drove straight to the beach. There we met up with the rest of the family. The kids got to go boogie boarding and played on the sand. Kate and Christopher are very much like me and don't enjoy the beach much. Clarissa and Drew could have stayed all day, specially since their cousin were there.
We checked in the hotel that evening and I had dinner duty for the first night. Kady had dinner for the second night.
On Saturday we got up, had a nice breakfast at the hotel and left for Legoland. I got separated from Cory and the big kids right away. Cissa wanted to spend some time at the Lego friends land. We did the carousel, played their kiddy playground and watched their show. Kate really enjoyed this part.
Legoland was actually hard with Kate. She got diagnosed with an ear infection Thursday night before we left on our trip. She had a high fever and sore throat throughout the whole time so she was miserable and didn't want to take her meds. On top of being sick she was way too short to go on the rides so there was very little she could do.
Karen spent most of the afternoon with me and the girls and she went on several ride with Clarissa. At one point she bought us a churro with chocolate sauce, that was the best churro I have ever had!! I will forever dream of it.
Later in the afternoon I met up with Cory and we went into the water park. I got the first laugh out of Kate when she finally was able to go down a water slide with me. Clarissa really enjoyed everything she did.
We spent the rest of the evening together and Cory took Kate so I could go on rides with the older children. It was great to spend the last couple hours with them and see their happiness and excitement. It made the trip all worth it.
On Sunday we got dressed for church, had breakfast, checked out of our hotel and went to sacrament meeting. It was nice to get back home after such a fun filled weekend. I was pooped and slept most of ride back. Cory is a trooper for always driving.

School is out

And just like that the school year is over and the kids are home for the summer.
Clarissa broke her leg jumping on the trampoline the last week of April. She was in a lot of pain for the first week. She had to go to her preschool graduation sitting on her stroller because she still couldn't  walk on her cast. After a week of just moping around she finally felt good enough to start walking and now she's running, dancing and jumping on her cast. We just need to watch her so she won't break the other leg.
The boys got out of school the last week of May, just before Memorial Day. I can't believe Christopher is done with 2nd grade and going on to 3rd grade, and that my little Drew is going to be a 2nd grader. They both had really good teachers this year. Christopher's teacher, Ms. Pushor, was a first year teacher. She got married near the end of the year (now Mrs. Lauchner). Drew will have her as his second grade teacher. Andrew had Mrs. Ross for 1st grade. I was impressed with how he progressed in his reading and writing abilities. I really like the kids' school and am grateful for how well both boys are doing academically. We are hoping Clarissa gets Mrs. Web next year for kindergarten. She did fabulous with Andrew and is a fun teacher.
The Friday after school got out we took the kids to a Diamondbacks baseball game. The game was boring, but the food and fireworks at the end was great. I love spending time together with the kids enjoying things we don't usually do and seeing their joy and excitement.
Next week we start our crazy summer schedule. The boys have dive team lessons in the mornings, then we hurry home for lunch and are off to summer camp classes at their school. Christopher is doing a green thumb class and a duct tape art class. Drew is doing comic con and goofy games, and Clarissa is doing Itty bitty activities and goofy games with Andrew. After summer camp we come home for just enough time to get Clarissa dressed for swim lessons. I'm exhausted just thinking about all the driving I'll be doing. To make things even more crazy on Tuesdays the boys will have dive competitions and on Wednesdays Christopher will start going to cub scouts and I have mutual. Well, at least my kids won't have a chance to complain they are bored.

Kate is 1

Life goes by too fast and I just can't keep up with journaling my life. Kate turned 1 and we had a little party with just our family for her. My mom was in town so it was nice to have Vovo here.
Kate decided to start taking her first steps on the day of her birthday. By the end of the week she was walking around the house. She's so funny because she didn't even know how to just stand unassisted or how to get up without using something  (wall, couch, someone's leg...) to help, but that never stopped her. She just wanted to go!
For her party we had dinner with the Schmidts, Garretts, Jermans, and Vovo. Then we had several desserts and Kate got her own little smash cake. She enjoyed digging in her cake and licking the frosting.
At the age of 1 Kate likes to eat just about anything, she's a good sleeper, and she loves her siblings. She enjoys the swings and slide at the park. She still doesn't say anything. She hisses like a snake and we tell Clarissa that she is saying Cissa. She says "dada" but it's not associated with Cory.
She is our smallest baby. She weighs only 23lbs and is 30 inches long. We love our little Kate!

Spring Break and Easter

Spring break this year was pretty slow around here. Since Cory and I were going to San Diego with the young women at the very end of spring break, I just took it slow during the week and tried to get ready for my trip.
On Monday we went to the park, like I always do. The Weavers came with us and I brought pizza. We spent at least 3 hours there. The weather was perfect and the kids were all happily entertained with their friends. Ofa and I were able to sit and chat so it was great!
The kids and I have been watching a lot of Food Network shows lately. They have enjoyed Cupcake Wars, DC Cupcakes, and now we are into The Great Food Truck Race. So on Tuesday we went to Sprinkles cupcakes (one of the judges from Cupcake Wars owns it) and then headed to the Scottsdale train park. The cupcakes were delicious (I specially enjoyed my peanut butter chocolate chip cake) and it was another nice day out at the park. We rode the train (Kate's first time) and the kids also went on the merry-go-round.
Wednesday was a BAD day. Well, the kids were good but we chose to go to Peter Piper Pizza, and that what a bad idea. The restaurant was packed and we barely got any pizza. The children still enjoyed their time out of the house.
Thursday was spent doing laundry and packing for the big sleepover at gradma's. Clarissa and Christopher love sleep overs and were super excited. Drew, on the other hand, is a home body and was anxious he was going to have to be away from me for 2 whole nights. Kate woke up throwing up from Thursday to Friday so Cory and I didn't get to bed until 3 am after having to clean her and her crib sheets twice.
Friday and Saturday where spent in San Diego and it was great. I was a little sad I didn't get to take my kids with me on a trip during spring break, but it just wouldn't have worked out.
Easter was early this year. We celebrated the last Sunday in March. The girls had matching white and blue dresses Karen got them, so I made sure we all coordinated with some sort of blue on our outifits. It was fun to go to church and see other moms and daughters also matching.
For Easter I hid a small basket for each child in a separate room. They all enjoyed their goodies, but Katharine's reaction was priceless. We were all upstairs helping Christopher find his basket and left the baby down alone, not thinking she would get to her things. All of a sudden we hear these happy squeals. I run to see her and she had found her basket and was happily shaking it all around. It was super cute. She really liked it when we opened her eggs and there were puffs she could eat. Holidays with kids are so fun!

Kate the Great

Life has just flown by. I can't believe Kate will be 1 next month. As I look back on older posts I realize I have barely written things about Kate, and I hate how quickly  her baby years are slipping away.
Kate's been a fun baby. I have pretty good babies, with the exception of Drew, but that was partially my fault for being a young mom and not knowing how to better help him with all his tummy problems. Anyway, back to Kate, I enjoy seeing the kids interact with her and the older she gets the more they can play with her. She loves her siblings! She loves it when they rough house with her, let her crawl and pull their hair while they are laying down watching TV, spit/splash water on her in the bath, and pretty much just give her any kind of attention. 
The kids have all had to step in and help me feed, hold, distract... her at some point and I'm impressed with how well they do. Clarissa is my binky whisperer. She can find Katharine's lost binkies like no one else. One day I was down to just 1 binky and Clarissa started searching the house for the rest. She found all 3 missing binkies for me! She also loves to help me feed her baby food.
Andrew is probably the best at playing with Kate. She LOVES crawling all over him when he's on the floor. She will pull his hair and his ears and he just sits there and laughs. Christopher is great at giving her a bottle when I'm in a pinch and he's super good at holding her and getting her out of trouble (like the bathroom or garage). It is nice to be able to ask them to help out with their baby sister more now that she's getting bigger.
They all fully enjoy pushing her on the swings when we go to the park. They also fight over pushing the stroller.
Katharine is a great eater. She LOVES to eat anything: baby food, cereal, snacks, bottles, rocks... hahaha. Bananas are a favorite, she also enjoys mashed potatoes, and spaghetti. We are trying to go easy on  the wheat items though. I couple weeks ago we went wheat happy (she ate 2 banana muffins and had some spaghetti in less tha. 24 hrs) and Kate broke out in hives all through her upper body. I cut her off wheat and the hives have slowly gone away. I'm starting to give her wheat again in small amounts to see if she can better tolerate it this time.
Speaking of banana muffin, I made some muffins a couple weeks ago and as I was trying to quickly cool them by placing them in the freezer, Kate grabbed a muffin near the bottom and literally devoured the thing as fast as she could. It was hilarious! I've never seen that little girl stick food in her mouth so fast.
Katharine rolled and army crawled pretty early, I thought for sure she would walk early, but she seems content for now. She's happy pulling herself up to anything and she enjoys pushing a shopping cart around the house. Kate also really likes playing the piano. She's mostly a quiet child, but she sure loves to bang on the piano keys and thinks she's hilarious for making those noises.
We sure love this little girl!

Spiritual Thoughts

I've had a couple of spiritual experiences lately that I've wanted to record so that I don't forget.
I February I got to go to the temple a few times. First I went with Cory for a regular session. My heart has been heavy with my wife/mother tasks and on top of that my calling as a Young Women's president for our ward. I feel like I have served in the YW for way too long, and at times I feel the weight of this calling crushing me down. I went to the temple seeking comfort and guidance for how much longer I must endure and give my best to this calling. It is so nice to know I have a Heavenly Father that listens to my problems and answers my questions in His right time. This specific day at the temple I was reminded of the covenants I've made with God to give my ALL to Him and His church. I don't get to choose when I'm done, He does. I got reassurance that my family will be taken care of, and that I don't need to worry about my kids missing me, if I'm doing my best in my calling.
I then got to go back to the temple a week later to assist with the youth doing baptism for the dead. Again I felt a feeling of love from my Heavenly Father, and I was grateful I got to serve with the young women.
Then a few days later I returned to the temple, this time late at night to help clean the house of the Lord. What a neat experience! Once you get there, you have a little devotional, change into white scrubs, get cleaning instructions and assignments and then off you go to clean. I got vacuum duty and got to vacuum the temple halls and veil room. It was so neat to wonder the rooms of the temple "freely" and feel the spirit of the Lord even when cleaning.
In the beginning of the year I promised the Young Women that if they did 3 value experiences and 1 project from their Personal Progress I would take them to San Diego as a reward trip. Out of my 8 active young women I had 6 of them complete the goal. Only 5 went though because 1 got sick.
We had a great experience. The trip turned out to be way better and more spiritual than I could have anticipated. We drove straight to the San Diego temple and because they were closed for cleaning we only got visit the grounds and had a devotional.
After the temple we went to the beach and spent 3 hours playing. The girls loved it! Kate and Cory joined me on this trip and it was Kate's first time at the beach. She loved crawling on the sand, but wanted nothing to do with the water. I don't blame her, the water was freezing cold, the girls were crazy to play for that long in it. That night we checked in the hotel, had dinner and chatted for a little.
The next morning we started with a devotional in my room. I gave this devotional and felt inspired in telling them to work in gaining a testimony now when they are young. I also told them to write down their spiritual experiences in a journal. These memories will help them in the future when they have times of trials and doubt. I encouraged them to go back to their thoughts and writings and remember how the Lord has been there and answered their prayers.
Devotional was followed by an amazing breakfast at the hotel. Wow, best hotel breakfast ever! I've eaten better food before, but this was a nice hot food breakfast included in the price of the room, usually we have to pay for breakfast if it's more than just muffins and toast.
We finished our trip by touring the Mormon Battalion and doing a little shopping at old town San Diego. The young women were awesome the whole time! They were always united and happy. This was such an uplifting trip. I'm grateful for a bishop that supported us on taking this trip, for Cory that agreed to come and help be a leader, and for the Chapin's also joining as a second leader couple.