The moon....

Remember earlier I had noted that Alex has a new fascination with the moon? Well, it's not new anymore, but he still loves the moon. Last night after Special Needs Mutual, we had to stop to get a prescription. As we were driving he noticed the 'little moon'. (It was a beautiful crescent!) And then started getting really excited, saying, "Do you see it?" "It's still there!"

Can you believe the moon was chasing us? That's what Alex thought anyway. It was funny; one minute it would be in front of the car and the next minute it was on the side, but it was always following us. AND it followed us all the way home! Silly moon!

Happy 7 month birthday McKallister!

I can't believe you would be 7 months old! It seems (and still hurts) like you were born yesterday, but it also seems like an eternity. I still think about you often, and I know I'm not alone. Both Papa Joe and I knew from the minute we woke up that it was your birthday. And I know your parents have been thinking about you, too... as well as all the Hinckleys, Maughans, Mowers... I could go on and on. Your life has been a powerful influence on soooo many people that I know they all think of you often.

At this stage of life you would be showing us your personality. I really don't think with your parents genes you could have possibly been shy, so I definitely imagine you a character, a tease, and very happy. I think your hair would stand up all over the place like your dad's, but I'm pretty sure you would look more and more like your mom. Of course, you would have been ultra smart. How could you not be with me as a babysitter? And Granny Goose would be right there with me helping you become a smart little man.

I think you'd be a watcher. I say that because I definitely feel your presence helping all of us through this time, and if you're doing that from heaven, you would have done it here. Thanks for that support by the way. I think it has helped us all cope.

Now, go get a big birthday hug from all your relatives. Say hi for me, too, OK? And know that if you were here, my hug would be the biggest one ever! I love you, Mac. Be good.

Coco -cited???

For those of you that have spent any time with Alex, you know he loves to tease. One of the things he has learned from his older brother and sisters (thanks, guys!) is to call each other names. We have thankfully re-directed that so now when he calls you names it's names like "Harry Potter", "Hermoine", "Hagrid's girlfriend". Sometimes it's names like, "french fry", "stinky feet", "hot dog". You never know what is going to come out of his mouth! Well, last night he started in on the name calling to Cali. "Coco - cited!" Unfortunately for Alex, the whole family was there and all of us were trying to figure out what the heck coco-cited was. We eventually got 'salad' out of 'cited' which was a bonus, but no one could figure out the coco. I even had him take me into the kitchen. He couldn't find what he was looking for. I asked him what it looked like; oval, and pointy. Crunchy and soft. Yellow. Sprinkles on it. He eats it at school and home. At this point we all figure he just made up a word, and the description of this non-existent item. He was very upset with us that we were too stupid to understand.

About 1/2 hour later, we're getting ready to leave grandma's and since Alex doesn't want to leave he calls me a name; "taco salad!" "Taco salad?! That's what you've been trying to say?" You would have thought we just hit the lottery!! Alex was soooo excited that I figured it out. I must say, I didn't figure it out. He just finally said it clearly. I think what happened is, in the midst of laughter and making fun of his sister, he said the words unclearly, and when Cali repeated what she heard, that was all his brain could remember, and 'taco' was totally lost from his vocabulary. That is until later when 'coco' had not been repeated over and over for a while.

Well, this mystery has been solved. And it's a good thing, because I'd hate to be called 'coco-cited' ever again!!

Alex....

Today in Sacrament Meeting, Alex was presented before the ward to be graduated from primary, and to be ordained a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. I was so proud! He dressed today in a new suit (that had to be hemmed 4 inches), new shoes and even a new tie. He looked so handsome! He went to the deacon quorum with dad, then went to the 12-13 year old Sunday School class. Oh - my - gosh!! I even had to write 'young men's' on our weekly calendar this week, so I won't forget to get him there. He's 12! And we are very proud of him!!!

Happy Birthday, Mac!

Our grandson McKallister would have turned 6 months old yesterday! It's been 6 months of tears, laughter, fear, comfort and family. Thanks, Mac for the best 6 months of our lives!!

What a FANTASTIC Christmas!!

We certainly can't complain about our Christmas this year! We had decided early on to make this a more Christ-like Christmas and not worry about the hustle and bustle of buying gifts for everyone, but giving more of our time, to each other and others in need. It's a good thing, too because I got bronchitis and a sinus infection, and all I wanted to do was lay around. So it was a good thing I didn't need to shop for last minute items - since we didn't have first minute items either!! Mike had to work on Christmas Eve, but got home in time for us to head down to Lehi where some of Josh's family lives and spent a few hours with them. Santa was already there, and handing out gifts. Alex got a light saber - which is awesome since he loves being 'the Star Wars kid.' (He doesn't realize that's not necessarily a good thing!) Then Santa had a special gift for Mac. That's right! Mac got a gift, too. It's a temporary grave marker, which when he gets his real one, this one can just sit on a shelf at Cali and Josh's house. It's beautiful!!

Christmas stockings and decor!

This weekend we had our 'family Christmas party' and made Kierra's and
McKallister's stockings to put on our fireplace, and each kid decorated a Christmas ornament to put on their tree for this year. Our fireplace is getting full!! But it's nice to see our family grow. It was sure fun to watch everyone make their ornaments; Taylor took 2 hours, and it still wasn't up to her specifications, Cali took almost as long and put the whole year's events on hers. Kierra was right up there on the time, but she was extra creative and put crinkled paper in her ornament. Josh and Alex's ADHD kicked in fairly soon so they ended up playing the Wii together after making their art, and Colby just sat and stared at his, then finally decided to make some goodies. After eating dinner, we played a few rounds of Phase 10..... one of these days we're going to actually play an entire game! There is nothing better than spending time with family. I just wish we could do it more often!! I love you, guys!