Mommy with a sleepy baby Nash.
A tired little bumblebee.
Mommy, getting a workout.
Nash in his oversized snuggies.
Ready for church.
A warm, happy boy, now that his bath is done.
Nash, wedged into the couch cushions.
Rub-a-dub-dub...three kids in the tub!
Our Savior teaches us that "...ye must...become as a little child or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God." (3 Nephi 11:38).
We were at Nash's one month doctor's check-up this morning. We had been sitting in the waiting room for longer than we should have been. Ryder and Sawyer were ready to leave, but being as patient as they know how. Nash was screaming, probably wanting to eat. Ryder noticed that Nash wasn't happy and he walked up to Eliza and said, "Mommy, I'm gonna give Nash a blessing so he'll stop crying". Ryder calmly put both his hands on Nash's head and said, "Nash...Easton...Whipperman...by the power of the Holy Ghost, I am giving you a blessing...The End!".
The amount of faith inside our 2-year old boy continues to amaze us. If only we could have such faith. Ryder was in-tune enough to recognize that his brother was suffering, and, instead of trying to solve the problem himself, he looked to the source of the greatest power and did everything he could to call down this power to help his brother. We thought we were supposed to be setting an example for our children, but, more often than not, it is the complete opposite.
We took Sawyer in for outpatient surgery today. She had an epigastric hernia corrected. Since I've never heard of this before and am not very good at explaining medical terms, Wikipedia will do the honors:
Epigastric hernias are commonly found in babies. Typically, they are caused by small defects in the tissue between the abdomen muscles. This allows fat or other tissue from inside the abdomen to push through creating the appearance of a bubble under the skin of the baby's belly. It can be surgically corrected, although the operation is done almost entirely for cosmetic reasons. In general, any cosmetic operation that is proposed on a baby will be delayed until the baby is older, and better able to tolerate anaesthesia.
Sawyer wasn't having any pain, but it looked like there was a little bubble about the size of a marble in the middle of her stomach. She's very acrobatic and is always doing backbends and somersaults, so we figured that it would be a good idea to get it corrected before it got any worse. Sawyer was very brave and the surgery was successful. Sawyer got all the popcicles that she could handle when the surgery was finished, and that was reward enough for her.
Our family of 5.
From left to right...Grandma Haws, Grandpa Haws, Sawyer, Ryder, Daddy, Nash, Mommy, Savannah, Aunt Emily, Great Grandma Modro.
Mommy with Nash.
Oh, no! It's the CLAW!!!
Grandma Toni supervising Ryder, in one of his more gentle moments with baby Nash. Ryder is very rough with everyone, but he tones it down just a few notches with his baby brother...not that toned-down Ryder is gentle, he's just more gentle than before.
Ryder reminds us often that Nash still can't talk...you can tell that Ryder is very excited for the day when he'll have a little brother to follow him around like he does Sawyer.
Ryder, "climbing" the tree in our front yard.
Sawyer, "climbing" the tree in our front yard.
Ryder and Sawyer colored jack-o-lantern pictures with grandma Toni and plastered sponge stickers all over them.
Christmas tree crafts to hang on the kids' bedroom doors...grandma Toni ended up doing these herself...the kids were a little to young for these.
Ryder getting grandma Toni's goiter with his "claws". Ryder is always gritting his teeth, grabbing your neck and saying "I got your goiter". I'm pretty sure he picked this up from somebody in the Whipperman family while in Utah.
Grandma was scaring the kids and chasing them around the house with the lights off with her glow-in-the dark claws. Ryder kept asking her, "Grandma, will you please be nice now?" Sawyer couldn't stop laughing and giggling...she follows her grandma Toni everywhere.
Making haunted gingerbread houses for Halloween. Ryder took a front seat so he could more readily access the candy. He was pulling the candy off the gingerbread house almost as fast as Sawyer and mommy were putting it on the house. He loved the frosting too, as if that isn't evident from the picture.
Daddy built the kids a lincoln log mansion. Ryder's, Sawyer's, and grandma Toni's bedrooms are the ones they are pointing at, and mommy and daddy's bedroom is below grandma Toni's. Grandma Toni is very close friends with a make-believe person named Mr. Magoo. She carries around a miniature cell phone about an inch long and talks with him on the phone. The kids love Mr. Magoo because he is always leaving them treats in the mailbox and in other random places. Mr. Magoo left the kids some candy necklaces in their lincoln log bedrooms one night while they were sleeping.
Grandma Toni brought all kinds of crafts for the kids to do. Sawyer colored the christmas tree apron and Ryder had a lot of help with his reindeer apron.
Baby Nash met his grandma Toni for the first time. Grandma Toni has flown out when all the kids were born, but she can never time it right. Sawyer came 3 weeks early, Ryder came 2 weeks early, and Nash came 3 weeks early. For Nash, grandma Toni flew out 12 days before the due date, but still missed his birth by 10 full days.
Grandma Toni with baby Nash.
It's finally over. After 4+ years of law school, Cody is officially done. He took the bar at the end of July, and finally got his test results back today. Great news, he passed. We can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Sawyer on the tractor.
Ryder on the tractor.
The firetruck slide.
Sawyer's "STARS" preschool class...doesn't our girl look happy?
Climbing through the tire maze.
Brother and sister.
Ryder's indian corn.
Sawyer's indian corn.
Look at those beautiful blonde locks blowing in the wind...it only took 4 years to grow them.
Ryder hiding in the corn stalks.
Eliza took the kids to Simmons Farm with Sawyer's preschool class. The kids were able to pick pumpkins from the vine, pick and peel indian corn, play on tractors and firetrucks, go through the corn maze, and play on the playground. They had a wonderful time.
