Photo dump of baby Kate

I can't let a day go by without taking a picture of this darling to remember how sweet she is! 

 Bath time is the best time. She's so yummy I could eat her!

We took Kate outside to play one day and used her warm bear wrap for the first time. So adorable!

Oh those cheeks. 

I love that she still tucks her feet up under her. 

Every family member is still smitten. 

 I caught the boys singing her to sleep for her morning nap. So cute!

This little munchkin brings so much joy to our family!

Provo City Center Temple

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to take our family to the open house of the new Provo temple. We love that we live close to so many temples, and take every chance we get to take the kids inside during open houses so they can really appreciate and understand what happens there. 

This temple has special meaning for us as it used to be the Provo Tabernacle, and Mike and I attended many stake conferences there in BYU wards. Later on we also used to attend the annual live nativity there at Christmas time. The news that it had burned was devastating for all of us, including Maddie who watched the videos of the fire over and over. We were so happy when President Monson announced that it would be reconstructed into a new temple! 

The details of the reconstruction are just amazing. So much care was taken to preserve the building and the spirit and style of the original, including the spiral staircases in the turrets! It is very unique compared to other temples with the Victorian style and rich dark woods and textiles. It is so beautiful and we loved being there!

Mike brought our new camera and after we finished the tour he went back and took some pictures of the exterior at dusk. The lighting was quite dramatic and the pictures are gorgeous!

Valentine's Day

LOVE is all you need!

We took this fun picture at the BYU Museum of Art where we attempted to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit (they were out of tickets). But really, love is all you need! I have so much to learn about parenting, but I do know that love solves many problems. When a kid is acting up or having a hard time, I try hard to remember to have compassion and give them a little extra love. It never hurts.

I used the excuse that I have a newborn and bought cheap candy valentines this year. The kids still thought they were awesome!

Ty also had a fun preschool party, but I forgot to take pictures!

The girls both had to make Valentine boxes for class contests for the first time! We've gotten out of it somehow until now (when I have a newborn). So I helped them look up some ideas and collect materials, but then they did all the work. I think Rubie the Rubicks Cube and Hello Kitty turned out pretty darn cute!

Maddie also turned in a big Book Bazaar project this week, and did most of the work herself (besides help on the computer). She chose to do the book Wonder, and was very creative in her display.

The night before Valentine's Day we had our traditional heart pizza, but on Sunday we still did our candlelight and sparkling cider to go along with our enchiladas.

The night before Valentine's Day we had our traditional heart pizza, but on Sunday we still did our candlelight and sparkling cider to go along with our enchiladas. The kids really remember and ask for the little things they remember from holidays. 

Mike (or Maddie guided by Mike) took this cool picture and gave it to me for Valentine's Day with a lovey dovey letter, my favorite!

Kate at 1 month

Baby Kate is already a month old! Time marches on despite my telling it to slow down. To document her monthly growth I found these stickers that match her nursery and quilt. 

Cutest little thing! She started smiling around 3 weeks and occasionally we can catch it on camera. 

I also saw a cute idea to take a picture of the baby on a chair every month and then make them into a collage to see the progression. So here's 1 month!

Here are a few smiles!

We had to take a few on her quilt. MORE Mom? I'm getting tuckered out. 

 I just loved this one because it shows her double chin and pretty eyes turning blue.

 These are the first smiles we caught.

She gets a funny look with big eyes and you can tell she knows you're talking to her.

She pulls the cutest little faces!

She still does sleep a lot. Sometimes I have to take pictures of that because she's so sweet.

Our first few attempts at tummy time didn't go too well.... no sleeping!

This one went a lot better. Her neck is getting strong. 

Here's some more from a photo shoot in her nursery. We love our little dollie!

Kate's Birth Announcement

This week we sent the birth announcement to family. I thought it was fitting since it was the week of LOVE.

Mike bought a fancy new camera with the reasoning that this is our last baby and we want to document her well. He has had tons of fun studying and learning to use it. Baby Kate is a willing subject, although wrangling the other kids was more work than we imagined. They turned out so cute though, and captured the fact that we sure love our new baby!