So yes it's been forever since I've posted anything. Busy year, is my only excuse. We sold our house in Erie, PA after only about 2 weeks and were sad to leave it behind. Not the house, but the people. We met the most wonderful people there and still, 6 months later, miss them like crazy. We are currently in Salt Lake City while Jeremy does his pediatric fellowship. He'll be done this summer and will officially be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon! WOW it's been a long 13 years of school! But we are almost done. We will be moving to Springfield, MO where he will be the only full time peds guy. We are really looking forward to this move and hope it will be our last! SLC has been good to us though. We've met some great people here and are getting the chance to experience all this city has to offer, especially regarding the church. We've met up with old friends from as far back as elementary school, and it's been so fun to watch their families grow. Jaylin and Dakon were able to take a snowboarding class through the rec center. It was pretty pricey, but a bus picked them up after school and we figured this would probably be the only time they would ever get this chance. They seemed to like it, Jaylin more than Dakon, and we are glad we did it. We had a rough Christmas with all the kids ending up with the stomach flu. We also had to cancel our trip to Mesa to see Jeremy's grandparents. I'm glad we didn't go though - wouldn't want to get them sick. We are planning the trip for spring break, assuming everyone is well! We've had a pretty rough winter with sickness, the latest being what we think was influenza. We'll be getting the shots next year for sure! Jaylin is now 12 and a deacon - how time flies! He loves basketball, and playing with friends. Dakon is 9 and is into soccer. He loves helping me with Sophia and those two are so close! Braden will be turning 6 next month and is the happiest little man. He loves kindergarden and wants to start soccer as well. Sophia, aka loulie, loubaby, louberry, is 2 and into everything! We just put in a call to poison control because she ate a whole bottle of children's vitamins. Luckily, she didn't like the way the adult nighttime cold medicine tasted and she spit that one in the trash! Thankfully they said she would be fine. She loves to sing, dance, dress up and be with her brothers. We are so grateful for our little family and looking forward to our new adventure in Missouri!

Halloween

Our cute ladybug! She lasted about 1/2 hour trick or treating and then cried until daddy took her home and put her to bed.

my little stinker

the birthday girl!

Sophia's 1st birthday was a blast! She loved the cake and we loved our family being there to celebrate with us. It was a very hard 1st year! Sophia was colicky and very rarely happy. We tried everything to get this girl to smile, but it wasn't until just before her birthday did she really start to interact with us on a more friendly level ;) She is such a joy to have in our family! The boys simply adore her and she has a special and different relationship with each of them. We are so grateful to have our little princess!

Dakon's baptism

Dakon is such a sweet boy! After being interviewed for his baptism, he ran down the hall to me and exclaimed, "Mom, I got them all right!" He has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and does his best to be a good boy. We love you Dakon!

Braden was doing his best to keep her happy while I took a shower! He gave her all of his favorite toys! Love that boy!

Sofa lofa, pretty princess, little angel, Sofina, So-So, baby girl, pretty girl, momma's girl, little girl, Sophie, Soph, and sometimes Sophia. We love nicknames and songs about our little girl. The boys sing her songs in the car when she's crying and seriously, that's the only thing that works. She loves her brothers!!! Oh, and the "U" was part of an anniversary gift to gma and gpa Onnen.

This is the song I made up to quiet Sophia. (don't judge me!) Braden loves to sing it to her and she always responds to him. It's so stinking cute to watch him with her!

She's loving the hat here, but it doesn't last. After the photo shot, she cried until we took it off! At least we got a good pic!

Sophia gets really excited when I put her in the highchair. She's a really good eater too!

Here are some newer pictures taken of Sophia. The boys love to snap pictures of her and are always asking for the camera. I think they like her!!!

The tricky part is catching her by surprise so she doesn't have bug eyes! Obviously we have to work on that!

I cannot get enough of these bows! Unfortunately, her hair is so long and slippery that they don't stay in very long.

A year for surgeries, injuries and babies

This year has been a tough one - tough on

our wallet that's for sure! It started with Dakon. In February he had mastoiditis and had to have 2 surgeries to fix it. He was a real trooper. Then Braden had a tricycle collision which left him in a cast. He told everyone that daddy did it - which was true. Not only did Jeremy put the cast on, but he also was the one pushing the bike at maximum speed when Braden put his foot down and they ran over his leg. The good new is, we finally got him to sit long enough to learn all his letters!

Then came tonsillectomy/adnoidectomy for both Jaylin and Braden. They had had strep throat 6 times each and when Jaylin came home with it the first day of school, we decided it was time. This surgery took place 5 days before our baby girl was due. I can't seem to find the picture of the boys at the hospital in their garb including the cool hats. But here is Braden finally trying to eat.

Last, but not least is Sophia Renae. She was born 4 days late, which was ok considering her brothers were still home recovering from surgery. After laboring 22 hours with Braden I was a little apprehensive about how it would go with her. However, after having the doctor check me, things took off and in 6 hours we had our little angel. Can I just say that I am a big fan of epidurals, and not a fan of them wearing off. But she was worth it. She has the adoration of her brothers who just can't get enough of her. She's also daddy's little girl and it's so amazing to see him with her. Not that he wasn't that way with the boys, but there's something about a daddy/daughter relationship that melts my heart.

We catch Braden sleeping in the funniest places! Sometimes I can't find him because he's not where I expect him to be.

playing catch up

So it's been awhile since I've done anything with my blog. Part of the reason is, it's a pain in the neck. I am not impressed with the setup and have a difficult time navigating through the steps to change things. The other reason is . . . Sophia. Sophia is the cutest little bug, with the toughest little shell. No matter what we try, it doesn't work with her. She plays to her own band, beats to her own drum etc. etc. etc. Her dificulty level rivals that of Jaylin, which is not easy to do. I keep up the hope that one day she will "snap out of it". Until then, we just try to survive and make the most of what we have to work with.

Yes Jeremy, I know the bow is huge!

Is this the chikita banana girl or what????

Christmas

Here's our Christmas picture! Our boys are really good at posing for pictures! I guess threats really work! We are so grateful for all the luxuries we enjoy at this time of year, especially family. We had a great time this year going through old toys to donate, sledding and spending time with family. The only thing we didn't appreciate was Jaylin getting the flu Christmas night. Good thing he was sleeping with g-ma and g-pa!! Sorry guys. To all those that we didn't get to see, due to illness, hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours! And for everyone else . . . we miss you wherever you are!

There's a story behind this, but it isn't for the fainthearted. Ready?? So it was raining cats and dogs, but wasn't freezing for a change, so I let the kids go out and play. They dragged the trash bins out to the end of the driveway where we have a puddle nearly 100% of the time. At first they were scooping up the water with snow shovels to see if they could make the puddle disappear (as it is raining, mind you). Once they realized that wasn't ever going to work they decided to just play in the bins that were now full. Well, one thing let to another and there was a lot of laughing involved, and yep,they BOTH ended up peeing in that blue bin! I looked out the window and thought they were so cute so I took some pics to capture the moment. They were splashing each other and having a great time. It wasn't till they came inside to dry up that I said to them, "You Stink like something!" They had a great time telling what they stunk like, as I marched them into the shower. And that is a typical day in the life of boys!

I don't even know who took this, but it is priceless! I'll pull this out when the fighting starts again, if only to prove to myself that they can be civil and loving.

We love it when grandparents come to play! Nevermind the blowtorch sitting just off to the side.