Kendall's Baptism

I asked Kendall how he felt on his baptism day...

"I LOVED getting baptized.  It was amazing!  I liked that Nathan sang a duet with Molly.  I felt the Holy Ghost and the spirit comforting me.  The water was really, really warm.  I felt like a lot of love was all around me. I felt like dad was going to do a good job baptizing me, and he did. I felt so good being by my mom and dad and right after I got baptized, I gave my mom a hug.  I loved that we celebrated at the park after and all my cousins were there."

I have such sweet and tender feelings when I reflect on Kendall's baptism.

The room was filled with family and friends and was thick with love for Kendall.  He beamed and radiated the entire day.

I loved watching his Dad preform his baptism and then giving him a bear hug after. Kendall still had his "perma" grin on after he came out of the water.

 Nathan was able to sing Gethsemane with Molly and I'm glad that Justin and I were there early and got all of our tears out at the rehearsal.  They sounded like angels.

Papa gave the talk on baptism and Claire gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.  I'm so grateful for the peaceful feelings they were both able to bring to the day.

Kendall sat in the middle of his Dad, both Grandpa's and Uncles.  Justin gave him an amazing blessing and he received the Holy Ghost. When it was over, there was that sweet grin still plastered all over that perfect boys' face.

This day was in my top ten favorites of all times.

Kendall's Baptism Invitation

I loved Kendall's sweet testimony he wrote for his Baptism invitation:

"I know if we are good and try our best to make good choices, we can live with Heavenly Father and Jesus again.  I know that we can be sealed in the temple and be with our families forever.  Whenever I think about Jesus I get a really good feeling and know that Jesus is a part of this church and He will come for us again.  I know these things are true so I would like to invite you to my baptism."

President Stutz read it and talked about Kendall during Stake Conference.  It was such a tender moment and I'm so grateful that I get to learn from Kendall daily.

And Just Like That...

He turned EIGHT!

Kendall is a pure delight and has seriously been the perfect addition to our family.  There are so many things I admire and adore about him.  He is a breath of fresh air and a shinny new penny.

He can light up a room with his smile and can turn a hard day into something wonderful.  He is an amazing brother and extraordinary son.

He is just a good person.  Plain and simple.

Here are eight things we LOVE about Kendall:

1. His willingness to to always help.

2. His HAPPY, positive attitude

3. He always tries his hardest- very determined.

4. He is kind to others and goes out of his way for them.  He looks outward not in.

5. He is a HARD worker and knows how to make it fun.

6. His smile and laugh is contagious.  We love to laugh with him!

7. He is NEVER grumpy!

8. He is a good communicator.  We love hearing all about his day and his ideas.


His birthday was so fun!

The night before Grandma and Grandpa took Kendall, Nathan, and Dad to chick-fil-a while I stayed home and taught the Young Women how to make cinnamon rolls.

In the morning he woke up to his birthday streamers and gifts on the table.  Kendall has a lot of self control and wanted to wait to open his presents later when GG, Aunt Cindi, Mammy, and Papa came over.

Pancakes and eggs for breakfast for the birthday boy.

He took his class Halloween notebooks and pencils to celebrate and he got a surprise lunch!  All his food was individually wrapped with a fun little note.

When he got home, the party started!  He got to open his gifts which included his baptism book, scriptures, scripture case, scripture markers, money, black slime, squirmels, silly glasses,  sugar free mints and variety bag, popcorn, and a bungee chair.

We went to Texas Roadhouse and watched all the waitresses sing to Kendall while he wore a cowboy hat.

He loved it!

By the time we got home we were all too full to have "dirt blizzards" with gummy worms for Kendall's birthday cake so we saved that for the next day when all the cousins arrived.

It is a pleasure to celebrate this little boy!

A New Cub..

Cub SCOUT, that is!

The age of Eight is pretty exciting around here...

Many new and exciting things happen.

Kendall has been watching Nathan go to cub scouts for 2 and a half years.  Sometimes, Nathan's leaders will even let Kendall participate with them which makes him the happiest kid in North America.

Now Kendall is of age and is more than ready.

He memorized the scout law and oath in one day and is so proud to wear the scout uniform.

Kendall and the Piano...

When you turn 8 years old at our house you get to do something very special....

You get to start taking Piano lessons.

It was Kendall's turn to take his shoes off at Sister's Shaws and go into her big cozy living room lit with a golden light  above the piano and start his journey.

Sister Shaw has such an amazing way with kids and can teach and push them to learn new songs and "everything piano."

When Kendall climbed into the car after lessons, I asked how it went?

He said, "AH. MAZ. ING!" and then told us about his entire lesson.

We all laughed and knew this was the start to a very enjoyable experience thanks to Sister Shaw.

Car Talk

There has been such a different feel since we have switched schools.  It feels more like an "us" sort of school.  It's a  feeling like we will be needed to help build this school.  A feeling of family unity and a feeling of working together with each other, the boys teachers' and other staff.  It's a full and safe feeling.  It's a feeling I have been hoping for and looking for.

We were able to go to a family back-to-school picnic and sit and visit with some good friends who have also made the switch.  We attended an open house where we toured the new school and met the boys' fabulous teachers.

Nathan's teacher is a gift from heaven!  We love her.  Instantly we knew this was the right place for him.

Kendall's teacher we have known since he was a baby!  It was nice to have something familiar in all the "new".  Super excited for his year and for the class to pick out a name for the class turtle.

On back-to-school night Nathan's teacher gave out questions called, "car talk"....  You are supposed to discuss at least two questions per drive home.  On the first day we did all of them!

What did you learn?

Nathan: A little bit more cursive, a couple things we are going to do later in science.  Mrs. Bowers loves plants and is a master gardener.
Kendall: Names in my class.

When were you most productive?
Nathan: In science
Kendall: In 1st grade

What did you work the hardest on?
Nathan: Science because that's when we did the cursive and the note we wrote to Mrs. Bowers.
Kendall:Getting to know each other.

What are you most proud of?
Nathan: My family
Kendall: That we are having a new baby brother.

What new thing did you try?
Nathan: Cursive, not exactly new but a bit more than I usually do.
Kendall: To get new friends.

Who were you a friend to?
Nathan: Bryland Graber
Kendall: Ben and Dennis

Whose day did you make better?
Nathan: My mom- I helped with a bunch of chores.
Kendall: Savannah, because she was shy so I helped her.

What did you create?
Nathan: A name tag and a chemistry design for my science notebook.
Kendall: New friends

What are you looking forward to?
Nathan: A bunch of field trips.
Kendall: Having my baptism and seeing Claire and Hannah.

First day of School... With a TWIST!!

 Boy, how this summer came and went this year!  I nominate these two kids with the BEST boys in the world award!  They sure have been a pure delight to have around.  Maybe that is why I cried for 3 hours straight when they left for their first official day of school.  Oh wait...I'm also pregnant, sick and hormonal.

The beginning of this school year is defiantly one for the books.

I have been feeling a change in the air.  An adventure was in the works, I just didn't know what or the timing...

Someone else with a bigger picture and perfect plan swooped in after the forth quarter during overtime.  And I'm still thanking Him everyday.

Sunday, we had stopped in the halls at church to chat with a friend after my mom had asked him about his kids school.

After much prodding and talking Justin,  I knew we needed to check this "new" school out.  I began researching on the computer, calling friends that I knew went there, and after a summer full of prayer and worry, we got our answer.

The next morning we sent our kids off to "regular" school at Stoney Creek elementary and I headed off to the new school to see if we could even get in.

They had spots open and the minute I enrolled the boys, my worries melted away!  HUGE blessing and I am so grateful for the feeling of peace.  I'm talking the peace that creeps into every nook and cranny and fills up the entire area until nothing but pure joy fills the soul.

We picked up the boys from school that day and told them they got into Addenbrooke and we all cheered!  I think Nathan could feel how right it was and he beamed with excitement.

Justin took Nathan to say bye to his teacher and get his supplies I took Kendall to his.

A major perk???

Two more full, entire weeks of summer because Addenbrooke didn't start until September when construction was completed at the new campus.

 Pictures of the boys on the first day of school for Stoney Creek before we even knew that they would be wearing uniforms and attending Addenbrooke.

A Glorious Day!

The day we got our first egg....

We have been waiting for several months to see a chicken egg in our nesting box.

Kendall was in charge that evening of putting the chickens away and when he came in he was grinning from ear to ear!

He had the egg behind his back.  "Guess What?!"  And then he showed us the cutest brown speckled egg we had ever seen.

Soon after the other chickens started to lay but we couldn't eat any of the eggs for a little while until we had a little stockpile.  The boys wanted to constantly look at the beautiful eggs.

They are delicious!!

 

Back to School Carnival

Right before school started, the boys' dreams came true...

Aunt Martha put on an AMAZING surprise carnival.

The kids were downstairs at Mammy's house while she got it ALL ready. 

When they came upstairs the living room was transformed.  It was set up with tickets and prizes and games.  She and Uncle Todd had even dressed in costumes as carnival workers.

Glow in the dark toss, darts that popped balloons, guess what is in the box, cup stacking, and ladder bean bag toss to name a few.

So much work went into it and the boys were dying.

The next morning after breakfast they had part 2.  All the outdoor games!

The boy keep telling me that this needs to be a new back to school tradition.

Experiencing an Ultrasound

We took Nathan and Kendall to the "big" anatomy ultrasound where they check out the baby thoroughly.

It was the first time for them to see our squirmy little baby.  The first time to see their new brother. And the first time for them to see my belly for that matter.  Haha!

It was a sweet experience.  An instant bond was there and immediately we fell in love with that tiny miracle up on the screen.

Little fingers and toes.  A spine, skull, and wiggly arms and legs.  He even gave us a thumbs up!

This is what they thought about the experience:

Dad: "I felt an overwhelming sense of amazement, excitement, and love.  A lot of anticipation for when I get to see him and hold him."

Nathan: "This baby is the best baby , EVER!  How big is he going to be? This is definitely my brother!"

Kendall: "He is SO cute!  Wait?!  Is he going to be black and white?! He is SO cute! I want to kiss him right now! And hug him!"

Everything looked great and I was measuring a week ahead but they still wanted to keep my due date December 30th.