I get $10 off for posting this-yay

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

sneaking in some knitting time

Ainsley's bolero

hyrum's photo shoot hat (my new nephew!)

Jovie's heart hat

"joy because of the light of Christ unto life"-Alma 28:14

It's amazing what kind of kick in the butt you need to turn your life to the gospel and how much better and easier everything is...even tough times are 'easy' because you know with the Lord all things are possible and everything happens for a reason and it is all part of the plan. The strength and personal growth that comes from trial makes it all worth it. (Not that I'm asking for any more growth experiences at the moment ;)) Alma 28:8 "And this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy, and the reception of safety of the brethren in the land of Jershon. And now may the Lord, the Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever." I love how the sorrows and afflictions are followed by incomprehensible joy. In life and in literal writing the joy follows the sorrow. I went through the temple a few months ago and Matt got baptized in February. Anything is possible if you live the gospel! (Also if anyone is freaking out about the speediness of that family picture at the baptism we've been in communication since Thanksgiving and it's been a slow process...I'm still in Spokane and he's still in Walla Walla...it's been an incredibly prayerful process, trying to hear every nuance of the spirit.)

oneder

We're home sick today and I got a computer (thank you tax return) sooo apparently that means I have a minute to blog. Crazy.

Ainsley is a doll. So sweet. Great at hugs. Awesome belly laugh. Great sense of humor. Sleeps like an angel. She says 'hallo' with phones now and says thank you, all done, uh-oh, mama, dada, and no dairy please. Okay she doesn't say that last one-but she is off the dairy. If you are sitting cross legged on the floor she will back up into your lap and plop down, without fail. She loves reading books and surpisingly does not love sweets.
A few pics from one year photo shoot from auntie

BOO

Don't worry, it's just me...

we were having a halloween dress up dance party...a month ago...



the girls running away from spiderclara

break # 1

and hopefully the last...She fell and has a small fracture in her elbow. At first she was in a splint. I got this call from daycare..."hi April. Ummm,,,so Jovie's having kind of a rough nap time. She took her underwear off....and tried to flush them down the toilet. And then, she took her splint off and tried to flush it down the toilet. Sooo, maybe can you come get her?"

Also, the night before we went to get her cast I asked her what color she wanted and she said 'blaack.' oh the drama...

She does much better with the cast. Hasn't figured out how to get it off anyway...

crawling!?

Ainsley thinks it's time to crawl...She can't quite yet, but she goes from sitting to this all the time and then bottom outs and rolls around. She does seem to scoot on her butt though...because I'll set her in one spot and turn around and then turn back around and she's 4 feet away from where I set her...but she'll still be sitting. She's just sneaky I guess.

Oh and, she's getting two more teethers on the bottom and loves food. Absolutely loves it. She eats those desolving stars and little pieces of whatever I'm eating...esp. pizza crust. She loves it!

Jovie is a photographer

Jovie loves playing with my camera...

Apparently so does Mae because I'm playing the squish Jovie game here...

Jovie's self portrait...

Her fellow troublemakers...Mae

and Clara

Ainsley

Jovie calls Ainsley BooBoo. She was 19 pounds last time we checked and in the 95th percentile for her weight and 25th for her height. Seriously chubalicious.
She loves baths.
She's been sitting since she was 5 months old and loves playing with Owen. He's like in the 100th+ percentile so she actually looks little compared to him :)
She started eating at 5.5 months. She loves it and poops ALL the time now.
She tolerates her big sister helping...kinda...
Her two bottom teeth popped out at 6 months.
She loves playing outside on a blanket. She has to be on a blanket or she'll eat the grass. She's in that eat everything stage. (The lighting was really bright in this pic so I played with Misty's editing stuff...)
She's a very happy girl. She loves sticking her tongue out and spitting. She especially enjoys doing it during meal time...resulting in a sweet potato spit bath for me...She slaps her legs when she's excited and rotates her cute little feet in circles. She loves baby mum mums and demands nursing all.night.long. I just sleep through now...She says maaaaama when she's sad and when I go pick her up from daycare I can't even turn away from her to get her dirty bottles out of the cupboard without her bawling 'maaama.' She lights up when she sees her big sister. She loves kissies and playing the piano. She's growing up so fast and I love her to the moon...and back. (and more).

life is good

I have a new boyfriend. His name is Jacob

Jovie approves...

Okay, so really we were super awesome and went to Forks this summer :)

Life is good though...I have a job where they black me out...I run all over the place all day. My official job title is 'sterilization tech/staff assistant.' So I do a little dental assisting and alot of hygiene assisting and alot of cleaning and some x-rays. It is a super busy office so the day goes by fast which means I get to see my girls 'sooner.'

I love these girls. (Jovie is sick today, so that's why she looks a bit miserable.)

my chunky monkey at 4 months

Isn't she something? :) Ainsley is such a wonderful baby and brings such peace and love to my life.

incase you're wondering

Hi everyone. I know it's been awhile. I'm seriously considering writing a book, but if you want the super condensed cliffnotes version of the last five years of my life, here it is-
Girl meets boy. Girl falls in love with boy. Boy turns out to be a lying, absuive, drug addicted _____ (place your choice of adjective in the blank.) Boy admits to drugs and goes to rehab---everything is supposed to get better right? Boy comes back from rehab and moves into a halfway house for addicts---supposedly this is a good thing according to the rehab counselors. Boy meets a tramp at narcotics anonymous and girl is giving him one last moment to show remorse, still standing by his side and he says "no, I'm not sorry. We're done." Divorce papers and termination of his parental rights are in the works. Please pray for his rights to get terminated so he doesn't mess up my little girls and I can get sealed to them one day. Please pray for me and my little girls to heal. And most of all-know that I have been very alone these last five years and so thankful for your online friendship.