Goodbye 2017

2017 has been a crazy year.  We have been through things this year that we never in our whole lives thought we would ever have to go through.   Cancer was never in our life plans but sometimes the Lord has other plans and ways for you to learn and grow.  This had been a trying year but also a growing year.  

We started the year off like any other.  We made big goals and plans for the new year.  In January, Russell helped move Traci and Sean out to Texas.  February we celebrated Logan's 4th birthday.  He has grown so much this year.  He is a smart little boy and so friendly to everyone.  Logan learned to read this year and write his name.  He also learned to tie his shoes so that he could go to preschool.  Logan loves school and wants to go everyday.  March we celebrated Colby's 6th birthday.  This boy is getting too big!  His also a very smart kid and loves going to school.  He mostly loves it because he gets to go to recess though.  He has made a couple of good friends this year and they are always playing together.  Colby also loved playing soccer, T-ball, and wrestling this year.

Also in March, our world came to a halt when I got the "You've got Cancer" news.  We did not expect this or want this but it is what happened.  Now, looking back, we were able to make it though together and with the help of others.  

April we tried to get in a bunch of fun things before this cancer journey took over.  We had a blast at Baby Animal Days, Spring Break in St. George, and Easter.  Then I had my mastectomy and my life began changing forever.

May was crazy with the end of the school year in sight and spring fever hitting us.  All we wanted to to was be outside in the awesome spring weather.  Healing continued as well as wig fittings.  Russell finished his semester at UVU and now only has 10 credits to go until his Bachelors Degree.  Unfortunately for him but fortunately for me, he decided to take time off of school to take care of me for the rest of the year.  Thank you Russell and I'm sorry!  He is now planning on returning in January to finish.

In June we welcomed a new member to the Farnsworth clan.  Our niece Kari was born.  We also knew that chemo would be starting soon and taking over so we planned a couple of fun outings as a family.  We visited Hill Air Force Base, and Hogle Zoo.  Both were great hits for the kids and they loved every minute.  Colby and Emily tried out a new sport, baseball.  They loved it and Emily said it was her new favorite sport.  We loved watching the kids play and seeing them get better each day.  Colby and Logan also did some dare deviling at the rodeo as they rode in the Mutton Busting.  I am not so sure if they will want to do it again but it was a new experience.

In July, Russell and I celebrated our birthdays and our 11th anniversary.  This month I also became an official cancer patient by starting chemo and losing my hair.  The kids liked shaving my head but said I looked funny.  I agreed.  We also took a short camping trip to Left Hand Fork which turned out to be the only camping trip we took this summer.  The rest of the summer was pretty consumed with just feeling better.  With chemo treatments every three weeks and recovering in between, there was not much energy to do anything else.  I felt so bad for the kids because we did not have any fun trips this summer.  They seemed okay with it though because they had a blast playing with their friends all day everyday.  They rode bikes, had lemonade stands, and just got to be kids all summer. They also got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Morwood as they came to help us out over the summer.  All of July, August and most of September was spent this way.  In August the kids started school again and are really liking their new classes and teachers.

September we celebrated Charlotte's first birthday.  This little girl has grown up so much.  It is not fair she needs to stay a baby!  Charlotte learned to crawl, walk and is learning to talk this year.  Charlotte had to be weaned a little earlier than I had wanted but switching to the bottle was not a problem for her.  Charlotte is a light to our family.  She has helped me through some tough times by just letting me cuddle her.  

We also celebrated Emily's 9th birthday.  She is also growing so much.  She is an amazing daughter and always helping out around the house.  Emily has really stepped up this year and has learned to do a lot of things around the house.  She was great at taking care of her sister and brothers when I was sick.  There were times she would tell me, "Go to bed Mom, I've got it."  Thank you Emily for being a great daughter and helper.  

In September we all celebrated the completion of the last chemo treatment.  We also celebrated the news of not needing radiation and we celebrated the news of no more cancer!  

One sad thing about September, though, was that Russell's Grandma Farnsworth died.  She was 90.  We will miss her so much but we know she is in a better place with her beloved husband and other family members.  

October was also a fun and busy month.  Now that I was on the road to recovery from cancer and my energy level was coming back up, we decided to have some fun.  To make up for the summer, we decided to take a big family trip over Fall Break.  We had a blast in Lagoon, Moab, Arches, Mesa Verde, Four Corners, and Dead Horse Point.  This trip really symbolized and celebrated us getting passed our trials this year and coming together as a family to do it. We had a great time.  Halloween also passed with some epic costumes and even more Fall fun.

November began with recovering from surgeries for Logan and me.  It ended with an awesome week with family in St. George celebrating all the blessings we were thankful for at Thanksgiving.  We are so thankful to have health bodies, answers to prayers, doctors that know what they are doing, and the advances of modern medicine to keep us well.  This has been a trying year but one that has been full of blessings too.

December has also been a time to thank the Lord for all of our blessings.  We remembered our Savior's birth this Christmas season.  We were also immensely blessed by our community as we received gifts from two Secret Santa's.  We in no way asked for this to happen to us but were very grateful and humbled by the love, compassion, and service of others.  If there is one thing we learned this year it is that there are good people out there in the world and the Lord knows us and is looking out for us.  There are no words to express our gratitude and love for the service and love people have shown us this year.

To celebrate the coming of a new year, we hung out with our friends on New Year's Eve.  This is the only picture we took... 

We played games and ate and just had a great time.  We are looking forward to the new year and hope that this year will not be as crazy in the area of medical as it was this last year.  It is my prayer that we all remain healthy and happy and have no unexpected surprises.  Thank you 2017 for the lessons learned, the trials overcome, the fun had, and most of all the blessings received.  On to 2018.

Ice Skating

We needed a day out.  I have been really uptight lately for some reason and it seemed like everything was setting me off.  As I was cleaning up, I found two free tickets for ice skating and thought that would be a great way to relax and unwind.  I thought the kids deserved a fun outing to the Ice Skating rink.

This was so much fun!! The kids had a blast and it was just what I needed to relax.  We rented a walker for the boys.  Emily said she didn't need one.  After we had put on our skates, a family that was leaving gave us their walker as well so now we had two.  One for each boy.  

I was even able to take Charlotte out on the ice in the stroller.  She was happy to go out with all of the other people.

We skated around for two hours and the kids got better and better each time we went around the rink.  By the end, Colby and Logan were skating without the walkers.  

Colby took off with Emily and skated multiply laps around the rink.  Logan skated with me around.  Emily was spinning in circles and trying different tricks.  Her goal was to not fall down at all.  Unfortunately she did fall a few times but she still had a great time.  

As we were putting our shoes back on, all of the kids were telling me that this was the best day ever.  They loved skating.  They told me all about how they were getting so much better at skating.  Colby even said that next time he probably won't even need the walker.  They kept asking when we could come back and go skating.  I think we should make more time for fun activities like this.  What a fun day.

Complete Remission - The Final Cancer Chapter

I got the greatest Christmas present from my Oncologist this month.  I went to my first follow-up appointment after finishing chemo and Dr. S. checked everything and was really happy with the results.  He told me that I was free and clear of cancer!  He said that instead of coming every three months I could move to six months.  He told me "Merry Christmas!" and gave me a big hug.  I could not believe it.  You have no idea what news like that feels like.  I don't know if that means I am cured or just in complete remission but either way it feels good.  With my type of breast cancer, the possibility of recurrence is most likely to happen in the first two years.  The chances go down each year after that and after 5-6 year it is considered "cured."  Yeah!! Breast cancer typically moves to bone cancer if it comes back so right now my doctor has me on Zometa infusions to strengthen my bones to help prevent bone cancer.  I will be on this for 3 years. 

I also had a great follow up with Dr. Isom.  He said everything looked great. The surgeries went well and I have healed from all of them.  Another Yeah! I am excited to get back to a normal life and hopefully start running again.  

I can look back now and say "Phew I made it through."  But don't get me wrong, it was not easy. There were days I would just cry and wish things would go back to normal.  There were days that really, as weird as this sounds, I just wanted to clean the house but I couldn't.  On top of all of this though, there were some really great days.  You have to take the good with the bad and make it through one at a time. 

I know that cancer will always be in the back on my mind.  I also know that the things I have been through have changed me forever.  They have changed me not only physically, but mentally as well.  Sometimes for the better and sometimes not for the better.  There are things I do now that I didn't do before.  I am more anxious now; more paranoid.  I am more OCD now, I am more controlling, and I am more up tight.  I don't know what my problem in some days.  One cancer survivor said that she also has control issues now that she has survived cancer.  She thought that this had become even more of a problem since cancer decided to yank the rug out from under her feet. Cancer stole all sense of control I had over my life.  Now that I feel like cancer is gone, I want to gain that control back.  For this reason I seem to be going overboard.  Maybe that is part of chemo brain, I don't know.  I know this will be a struggle and another trial I will have to overcome.  But I can do it with the help of my family and Heavenly Father.  That is one thing I have learned through this whole thing.  Together we can get through anything.

On a positive note though, my hair is growing back!!

It has come back pretty fast too.  When I had my last surgery in November I was still bald and now almost two months later I have a funny looking buzz cut!  It is about a quarter to a half inch long!  I thought it would grow back kind of spiky but no it grew back like baby hair.  It is so soft! I had heard that chemo hair grows back in a different color or curly.  Well mine is pretty much the same color maybe a little lighter and so far it is pretty straight still.  I have quit wearing hats and scarves because I am no longer a cancer patient!  

Other than the weird control issues, I am feeling much better and my energy level is back up.  I am hoping and praying that I continue to get better and things go back to normal.  I am glad to be in the clear and so grateful for this second chance on life.  I am making changes to not take things for granted anymore. 

These are some of my favorite moments of this whole journey:

GI Jane was pretty awesome for Halloween.  I had to rock the bald head somehow, right!?  But the best part was when I got my certificate of completion from my last chemo treatment.  I was finally done!

As I look back over this whole journey, I have come to realize again how incredibly blessed I have been.  Once we put our trust in the Lord and realized that we were in His hands, everything seemed to fall into place.  We were blessed with help from everyone.  Yes I mean EVERYONE!  We were blessed financially.  I was blessed spiritually too because I came to realize the power of prayer and fasting and priesthood blessings. But most of all we were blessed as a family in that we became closer.   

I absolutely love my family.  They are everything to me.  I don't know what I would do without them and they are what I lived for through this whole thing.

I love these kids!  They are my life.  Together we fought through this cancer and we helped each other to get through.  We took what God gave us and we made it through together. 

Sometimes our biggest trials are blessings in disguise.  This is what this has been to me.  So many blessings have come into my life.  It has allowed me to be humbled in order to have experiences and opportunities to be taught by God.  Heavenly Father doesn't strike us with a diseases, He loves us through our trials. 

This has also been hard on Russell and he wanted to write a little something in this final chapter:

"I will put in my two cents in on this crazy and amazing year that our Mom had. This year was very different from what we had planned. But the Lord knows us better and he gave us a challenge as a family. Tiffany was diagnosed with cancer back in March and we had to revamp our family activities this year. We had big travel plans and new four wheeler plans and pay off debt plans, but I would say we had more fun as family this year than ever before. We did not need to travel to far places to have fun and four wheelers are not a priority. We took the truck up the canyon and explored all the roads up Left Hand Fork while we went camping during the summer. It was amazing to see how the Lord blessed us financially. We were able to pay our debts and still have money to pay other bills. It was a fun, crazy and emotional roller coaster year, but we all came closer together as a family. I learned the roll of motherhood is very hard and their jobs and title should always be respected. I have always respected motherhood, but I have a deeper respect now. The days Tiffany was down and not feeling good it was great to see all of the kids pitch together and help around the house. Emily became my little helper to me and more than anything her mom. All the kids learned the true meaning of giving service and being grateful for family time. 

"As a husband and father it was very difficult to cope when I first found out that Tiffany had cancer. At first I felt kicked in the gut and thought how can this happen to my beautiful wife she is perfect in every way. When she called me on the phone at work to tell me she got the results . She came over to work and we sat outside and cried and thought about the "now what" questions. I was mad, sad and spiritually shaken a bit. There was a lot of what if questions going through my head. I finally came to terms with myself when we both prayed for strength and guidance that she will be okay and we need to come together as a family and strengthen each other. I love this lady and I let the Lord know this and I asked him to keep her with us. I have been raised to know if I put the Lord first he will do his part, so that is what I did.  I did my very best in trying to help where I was needed in my calling and finding ways to help others and once again my testimony strengthen because it worked. My beautiful wife is doing great. I love the Lord and my beautiful eternal companion. She strengthen me in so many ways. I cannot complain about anything because she has been through more then I could have ever been through. 

"I have seen a big change in how our kids act and how they are more grateful for things and are willing to help. They learned how to do chores and work together. We have had fun doing different activities together.  That has been a blessing."

I'm back.  Have I ever told you that I love Russell so much!  He has been my rock and my support this whole time.  He is my best friend and eternal companion.  I could not have done it without him.  I love you Russell!!   

I also love my parents so much.  They basically lived with us this last year as they came and helped with the kids while Russell was at work.  I also could not have done it with out them.  

I know this is something I will have to deal with the rest of my life but with my family and by taking it one day at a time, together we can make it through anything.  Goodbye Cancer and don't come back!

Merry Christmas 2017

What a fun time of year to remember our Savior Jesus Christ,spend time with family, and also celebrate the season of giving. This year has been a crazy year and a huge blessing year for our family. Our first blessing was the good clean health of our Mom, Wife, and best friend. We were blessed so much from the help of friends and family. If it wasn't for them it would have been very difficult. We were blessed financially to help get the bills paid. It was an awesome opportunity to have our kids see the blessing.  We were very blessed this Christmas by two Secret Santa's.  We were definitely humbled and grateful. 

We came home from the Christmas Devotional and there was a big box on our front door step. I was first thinking it was just a goody bag from a neighbor, but it was a box full of presents and food. We were stunned and at a loss for words.  This was our first Secret Santa.  

A few days before Christmas our second Santa came.  Tiffany and I were cleaning the house and getting it ready for the holiday and the kids got home from school.  I randomly looked out the window and saw a bunch of cars parked in the road and in the drive way.  They were carrying boxes of wrapped presents. We were again shocked and I was at more loss of words. They knocked on the door and as I opened it they started singing Christmas songs. Tiffany and I were both taken by surprise by the whole thing. The elementary's CCLT group brought the presents and food. One of the school teachers, who is also Tiffany Farnsworth, came in and told us they had been thinking of us and because we had been through a lot, they wanted us to have these gifts and food. Once they left Tiffany and I just looked at each other in amazement. Emily broke the silence by saying, "Did we get these presents and money because we paid our tithing?" We answered back to her and said,"Yes Emily you are right, but also know it is other people's willingness to bless others and help them." I have to say this part to help others understand: While Tiffany was having her surgeries and treatments done, the Lord did truly bless us with what we needed. This Christmas has truly been the first Christmas Tiffany and I  have had this happen to us. We were in tears because of the joy of how people continued to serve us. We sat the kids down and had a moment of learning and it was a testimony builder for the whole family. We knelt down and said a prayer of thanks giving to those who gave service to us and blessed us. We also told the kids it was our turn to give when people are in need.

This Christmas definitely been  a great and amazing holiday. The kids were of course excited for Christmas day.  They wore these festive Christmas clothes to church on Christmas Eve.  I worked Christmas Eve and was bummed.  Don't get me wrong I did have a great time with my crew though.  I got a phone call around 4 and it was Tiffany wanting to bring the family over for dinner and open up our some gifts.  I was so excited to hear they were coming. Usually when they come we always go on calls. This time, though, we were blessed with no calls and had dinner and hung out for a while.  About the time they were thinking of leaving, a call came in. Perfect timing.

 What a fun Christmas Eve. We were able to open our Christmas Eve Pajamas at the station.  The kids got PJ's and new socks. They were all excited. Funny thing about my PJ's was my crew wanted me to wear them that night. I told them I would and come show them off.

I was able to come home for a few hours and have fun with the kids before they went to bed. We read the Nativity story, got their letters and cookies and milk ready for Santa. 

They also went outside to put out food for the reindeer. The kids were so excited. 

The whole family did the Last Straw family service activity this holiday. We all had a great time doing secret acts of kindness for each other. Every time we did an act of service we could but a piece of straw in the manager. Once Christmas Eve came, it was time to put Baby Jesus in the manager to sleep under the Christmas tree. The kids were way excited to see how much straw was in the manager. 

Of course there is Colby being funny like he always is in pictures. Wacky kid. Then it was off to bed for them and I went back to work to finish my shift.

All the stockings were hung with care and the children were sleeping and dreaming that Santa Claus would soon be he. 

Christmas is here and no one was awake when I got home, so I slipped into bed to acted like I was not home. This did not last long before the kids woke up and came and jumped on our beds. Like every young kid Christmas is a big deal. Our family tradition is the youngest goes out first and then up to the oldest. Everyone was up and very excited, but Charlotte was still sleeping and we had to wake her up. She was not sure if she wanted to wake up or not. She was still really tired. Finally though the other kids woke her up and they were on their way to the front room. 

Charlotte was fun to watch this year because she was old enough to somewhat understand what was going on. She was so cute this year. Every time we saw a dog she would get so excited, so she got a little dog. When she saw it she was way excited to have her own puppy.

 Charlotte also had a great time getting a rocking horse, babies, and clothes. After Christmas was done she found herself an apple and started to eat it. She was in Heaven all day long.  Charlotte's favorite part of Christmas was ripping the wrapping paper off of every present.  She loved opening present and didn't really care what was inside.  She even tried to open a few presents before it was even Christmas.  She helped everyone open their presents. What a happy girl. 

Here is the happy girl posing for the camera with her fun toys she got from her family and Santa.  She loves her rocking horse I made.  Every time she gets on her horse she says rock a bye, rock a bye.  She also likes to take her babies and puppies for rides on the horse.

Here is the second oldest kid. Logan was next and he was so excited. He kept running passed me and peeking. Finally he ran in there and he saw he got a lot of fun toys from Santa. He was able to get new shoes from Santa and clothes and some more Lego's. These boys love their Lego's. 

He was so excited to get a tool box like his brother so he can now go out and build stuff. I had a fun time making him his rocking chair. He told me one day he was the only one that did not have a rocking chair. I felt bad because he was right.  I usually made them when they were all about 2 years old. He loved the whole day opening presents and playing with his brother and sisters.

Here are all of Logan's fun toys he received.

Colby was of course excited also about seeing what Santa brought him as well. This year was a year of needs, wants, and a fun toy to play with. He asked Santa for new shoes and Mine Craft Lego's. Of course Santa knew Colby loves his Lego's, so he got those and his new shoes. 

Logan got Colby a new scooter because his other scooter got ran over by the truck. Mom got him a great gift for all of his Lego's. She got him a big plastic tote carrier. Now he can put all of them in it and not all over the floor. Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth got him a remote control car, and Grandma and Grandpa Morwood got him some great new clothes. He had a great time putting together his Lego's and riding his scooter.  He loved all of his gifts.

Emily is getting so big and as the oldest, so she was the last one to come out and see what Santa got her. This year she asked Santa for a suitcase of her own, new shoes and books to read. Santa saw that she was a big girl and did need her own bag to travel with and he also was able to get her some nice shoes for school and to run in. She also got the Laura Ingalls collector books, and roller blades for Kit. 

Colby gave Emily a cool sequence pillow, Logan got her a nice art set, and she has been obsessed with spy stuff and how they work, so I got her a spy forensic kit. She got clothes from Grandma and Grandpa Morwood and a porcelain doll from Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth. She has grown up so much this year and it is fun to watch her change in want she likes to play with. She cannot wait to use her new bag and she is always playing with her pillow.

Here are all of Emily's gifts this year.  Our CCLT Secret Santa got Emily a Madame Alexander doll.  Emily loved it and immediately introduced "Alex" to Kit.  The dolls became instant friends.

It was a fun year for Mom also. 

She was able to get some new clothes because with all her surgeries it has changed her body shape. We got her new pants, shirts, and socks. Santa found out her Sonic tooth brush died and she has had it for ever. She was sad when it died. Santa got her some candy and a new tooth brush to clean the candy off her teeth later. Emily got her a FHE board, so we can do better at having FHE.

I also had a great Christmas and received many fun gifts. 

I was able to get new clothes form Santa and have fun watching the kids open all of there gifts. It was funny to watched Charlotte slowly open each present and once it opened she got way excited. Logan was over joyed when he saw he got a Transformer car. Colby loves his new Scooter. Emily loved her bag. It is fun to sit back and watch all of them react. Charlotte got me a massage roller for when I get sore. Colby got me some new moccasin shoes because my other ones started falling apart. Logan saw that my old tackle box was falling apart and he got me a new one with some cool fishing supplies.

The whole day was a great day full of fun and playing. Everyone was excited to play the new games we got and also put together their Lego's. We also all loved Emily's pillow and we fought over who could make cool designs on it. We were also truly blessed by the community and what we got from them. It was truly a blessed Christmas. It is a blessing to know as parents that your kids know what Christmas is all about. They know there are toys and candy, but they were so grateful for what they got. This has been an amazing Christmas. We played so hard Charlotte passed out before dinner time and woke up later and continued play once she woke up. Merry Christmas everyone. 

Gingerbread Houses

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is making Gingerbread houses.  For some reason, we kept putting this off each week but we finally did it tonight.

The kids got to decorate their houses however they wanted.  There was so much candy spread all over the table and such a big mess of icing but it was so much fun.  I don't know if there was more eating of the candy or gluing.  Each one of us had our own ideas for our houses and I think they all turned out great.

Here's our village! Did I ever tell you that this is a great way to get rid of Halloween candy?  Well it is.

Our six houses and our six crazy members of the family.  Did you notice that Colby can never keep a straight face in pictures?  He is always making a funny face.  That is until we take a funny picture and then he actually smiles nicely!

December Activities

December is always super busy with different Christmas activities, parties, concerts, and just having fun.  Here are some of the things we have been doing this month:

For the first time, we attended the Live Nativity in Nibley:

This was a pretty cool experience.  We were able to ride on a hayride from the parking lot to the farm where the Nativity was held. That was fun because the driver of the hayride instantly became friends with Logan.  Those two talked the whole ride about the most random things.  Then when we got back on the hayride to go back to the car, the driver remembered Logan and they just started chatting again.  It was so funny.  

Anyway at the Live Nativity, we got to see all of the characters in the Nativity story as well as see and pet all of the animals.

The kids especially loved seeing the camel.  Going to the Live Nativity was kind of a spur of the moment thing.  We had been to the store getting food and Christmas presents when I realized that the Live Nativity was starting.  Since it was on our way home, I asked the kids if they wanted to go.  Of course they said yes.  Unfortunately, Russell was sick at home so he couldn't go with us.  Another thing was that we were not really dressed for cold weather.  The kids had their coats but that was it.  I didn't even have a coat.  It was also really foggy like a storm was coming in.  I wondered if it would be cancelled.  Well we felt our way through the fog and finally made it to the farm in Nibley.  I was able to find Russell's old coat in the van and a blanket so we semi bundled up in the blanket and ventured out in the cold and fog.  We didn't stay long but we had a good time while we were there.  The kids really liked seeing the manger scene and hearing the story of Christ's birth so I think we will make this a new tradition for our family.  We will just be more prepared next time.

Another fun activity for Russell, Emily, and Charlotte was the Daddy/Daughter Date at the elementary school.

Emily was so excited to go on this date that she would not let Russell forget.  She reminded him everyday.  These three had a great time at the activity.  They learned to line dance, made bead ornaments, ate cookies and root beer floats and just plain enjoyed themselves.

Christmas concerts are also part of December.  Emily's choir concert was on December 15th:

This was a good concert fun of American Christmas songs.  These were all songs I knew.  Usually the choir teacher picks songs that nobody knows from different countries but this time they were common songs.  I did feel like all of the songs were an octave too high for the kids but what do I know.  Other than that, it was a great concert.

Emily also had her Christmas Piano Recital:

Her first recital was just for the families and it was held at the Hyrum Civic Center.  Emily did a really great job on her two songs, "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "Little Drummer Boy."  She did a duet with another student on "Little Drummer Boy."  They both did really well.  The next Recital was optional but Emily wanted to do it.  They played at the new assisted living home in Hyrum.  She played her two songs but this time I played the duet with her.  I think we did pretty well together.  It is kind of fun playing with Emily.  

I noticed we have taken a lot of pictures of Charlotte lately: 

This funny picture was taken during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  We went down to Jen's house to watch the Devotional with them.  The kids had a blast playing with their cousins.  Charlotte loved playing with all of Annalynn's toys especially the kitchen and food.  Next thing we know, we looked over and found Charlotte in this position.  She was just sitting in the basket of food like it was the most comfortable seat in the house!  She is so funny.

She is also getting a little camera smile.  She is getting better at smiling for the camera whenever it gets pulled out.  Usually we have to take two pictures because it is after the flash goes off on the first picture that she realizes we are taking a picture of her.  She always smiles on the second picture.

Charlotte loves reading books but she also loves ripping books so we have to be careful.  She is a girl of many faces as you can see.  Happy one minute and grumpy the next.  The bottom two pictures were taken at church.  She is not really a fan of church because she would rather run around.  She usually makes mean faces at church.  She is getting really smart and has started using sign language more and more to tell us what she wants.  Her favorite signs or words are "More" and "treat."  She will also say/sign, please, thank you, cookie, food, drink, and all done.  Sometimes she can sign, sleep.  She is also the best sleeper of all of the kids.  All we have to do is put her in her bed and she goes right to sleep with out a fuss.  Really!! I know it is great.

We have also been enjoying the snow that has fallen:

The kids love the snow.  Me not so much.  This year though has been different than other winters.  We have really only had one big snow storm and this was it.  I bundled all of the kids up and told them to go have fun out in the snow while I plowed the driveway.  They thought that was a great idea.

I even bundled Charlotte up.  She was so funny.  She had a good time in the snow until she fell down (which didn't take too long).  After she fell, though, she could not get back up.  Her snow pants were very bulky, her snow boots were too big, and her layers under her coat made it hard to move.  As much as Emily tried to help her, she just couldn't do it.  Finally she decided to just crawl/roll around but that also only lasted for a little while.  She did like helping with the shoveling because it was easier to walk on the cement than the snow.  

This fall we bought a snow blower.  Last year there was a ridiculous amount of snow and it took so long to shovel everything so we decided a snow blower was a necessity.  I decided to try it out on the driveway.  I don't know if I am just not used to driving it, or if it is too big for me but it was hard work!  Yes it did plow the snow pretty well but I think I might like the shovel better...  Maybe it was because there was only like an inch of snow though.  If there was more it might be the better option.  

Since this snowfall though we have not had anymore snow.  Now it is starting to melt with the warmer temperatures.  It has only been in the 35-45 degrees during the day and 20s at night.  It is crazy!  Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, it is just weird.

There are our fun adventures in December.