Baptism Day!

Isn't this the sweetest picture? I just love this one so much. This was Celeste on her baby blessing day. She was so innocent then.

Well, our little Celeste was baptized this Saturday, and now she's perfectly innocent once again. If you're wondering- this is what we believe about baptism. What a journey she has ahead of her. My mom gave a talk on the Holy Spirit, our family sang a quartet, and Celeste even she sang a solo called "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." We videotaped it at home- so I'll upload that on here soon. It was sweet. So are some pics of her special day:

Notice Daddy's tie- it has pictures of Celeste as a baby all over it. It was fitting for the occasion. :)

We took about 10 picture attempts of the whole family, but NONE of them worked out. Believe it or not, THIS is the best one we got, haha!

After the baptism, all the people who were in attendance wrote little notes for her to save in her scrapbook as a keepsake. We were grateful to all the people who came to support her.

Celeste, we're so proud of you for making this important step in your life. You've chosen to take upon yourself the name of Christ and try to be like Him. His love truly shines through your bright eyes and sweet smile!

Love you love you!

Birthday Girl!

Can't believe our sweet Celeste turned 8 last week!! She's always had such a great smile and endearing personality...

This contagious smile has brightened our lives from the time she was a baby! Wherever we went, people would say, "That is the HAPPIEST baby I have ever seen!!"

And then she turned 2, and developed a bit of a 'tude... ;)

She definitely has some serious spunk! She's a strong person and she can assert herself with the best of them. And so smart!

And for as young as she is, she has gotten around a lot! She was born in Texas...

Travelled across country in a motorhome- twice! And visited 34 states!

(And thoroughly enjoyed it!)

And she's lived in 3 different states already. We can't wait to see where life will take her next!!


She had a friend pool party last week, and had a blast. Twelve giggly girls makes for one fun (and noisy) birthday bash!

Happy Birthday to our beautiful Celeste! You have such a bright future ahead!

We love you. Always have.

Always will.

Kids say the darndest things...

 Random interview with Celeste (age 7):
                                                                  1st Birthday: (July 2004)

7th Birthday (July 2010)

                                               

What does it mean to be happy?
It means to smile. To be good.

What five words do you think most describe you?
Friendly, piano, child of God, creative, good listener… uh, sometimes.

Where do babies come from?
Mommy's tummy.

Describe the perfect meal:
Pancakes and sausage with syrup and cake and ice cream... and a slushie.

What's the best part about being a kid?
Playing!  And losing tooths and getting dollars!  And also being creative.  And not taking care of kids- cause it’s really hard.

What would be the best part about being an adult?
Going on dates and eating as many treats as you want.

What's the worst part about second grade?
Math... Math... MATH!!!  (Ha!  I have a feeling Daddy won't like this answer.)

What do you think about boys?
Handsome, cute (Grr- Daddy won't like that one either!)

Are you a republican or democrat?
HUH?

What's life all about?
Loving

What are the greatest inventions ever?
Candy.  And family  (in that order??)

If you could change one rule that your family has, what would you change?
Eat candy whenever we wanted.  (Hmm- I'm seeing a pattern here- is she her mother's daughter, or what?) And have one hundred dresses.

What is something that makes your family special?
We believe in Jesus.

Are you a good friend? Why do you think so?
Yes- because I let people get their way sometimes.

What is the hardest thing about being a kid?

When you have little brothers and sisters- they ruin all your stuff. You wouldn’t want one.

If you could grow up to be famous, what would you want to be famous for?

Singing and art and piano

Would you cheat on a test if you knew you would not get caught? Why or why not?

No. Because I know it’s not the right thing to do, and I would feel sad.

If you were a teacher and the kids in your class would not listen to you, what would you do?
Hmm, I would tell them to stop and if they don’t- then I’d yell. Well, not like really really yell, but like kinda talk loudly.

If you could invent something that would make life easier for people, what would you invent?

Invent only one child in every family- that would make life easier!  Brothers and sisters are crazy.  (Me: But you still love them right?) Yeah, I do- but they still drive me crazy.

If you could create some new rules for the whole world, what would they be?

To be able to eat on school buses.  And only have to brush your teeth once a day- cause I don’t like brushing my teeth twice a day.  No tornadoes.

What is Heaven like?

White with clouds. And maybe even lots of white horses. Pure. Peace.

What do you do when you’re married?
You dance around in a ballroom. You can kiss and go out for dates.

Why do you think God sent you to this family?  

So I could make my family laugh. 

Yep- you're definitely right about that one!!  That's one of the MANY reasons you were sent to our family.  We sure love your bright personality Celeste.  Thanks for the joy, enthusiasm, and laughter you've brought to our home... and thanks for putting up with your little brothers and sisters!

Now please excuse me while I resume eating as many treats as I want.



The Gift of Music

I first started teaching Celeste piano in November when she first expressed an interest. I assumed she would be like me as a child- that I'd have to pressure and persuade her to practice- but she's totally self-motivated and she LOVES it! It's the first thing she does almost every day after school. When Nana and Papa came to visit for Thanksgiving, Celeste was thrilled to show off her newfound skill.


My children have been blessed with a rich musical legacy from the generations that came before them. It warms my heart to see them develop their own love of music. Here's Nana- the most gifted musician I know- giving her a few basic pointers.

I seriously can hardly believe how much she has learned in just a few months! I'm so proud of her for being so diligent and I'm thrilled that she's developing a gift that will bless others throughout her life. I know she will be a great example to her younger brothers and sister as they look up to her and develop their own gifts.

I hope my children always seeks to use their gifts, whatever they may be, to bless others and glorify God- He is the source of all that is good, and the giver of all gifts.

The Nest

This is Celeste and her two bffs. They're standing next to "the nest" they created for the birds in the neighborhood. You can't really tell in the pic, but they're allowed to pick the flowers (the weeds) from our yard and tape them to the nest. They get so excited about this! They spend nearly every afternoon together and think up all sorts of wild ideas. They even formed a band. Celeste is the vocalist, and the other two play the guitar and the keyboard. They call themselves "The Ocean Waves." It's hilarious.

I think this kind of play is so good for their developing imaginations. I'm a firm believer in turning the tv and video games OFF and letting kids play and explore and discover. It forces them to use some creativity and ingenuity rather than expecting constant entertainment. I try to be authoritative as a parent, but when it comes to play, I usually take the "let them be little" approach. I let them run around in the grass barefoot, catch frogs and crickets (as long as they don't bring them in the house), play outside in the rain without an umbrella, and jump in puddles. I let them be kids! So what if their hands and faces get a little messy!

But yesterday, I had to intervene. Jakey was playing outside and helping the girls make the nest. I had to run inside for a minute to get Jarom, and when I came back out, he was walking around the neighborhood holding a PLUNGER. He was pretending it was a big flower, and he wanted to put it on the nest too. I'm sorry, but THAT I will NOT allow! I couldn't help but laugh and wonder what the neighbors must think. But they had kids once too, so hopefully they understand.

Greatest Day

As we have welcomed each new baby into our family, it's been increasingly challenging to find enough one-on-one time for each child, to ensure that they get the individual attention they need. So one of my 30 by 30 goals was to implement a family system that would allow each of them their own special time with us each week. So we decided, simply, that each kid will get to stay up past bedtime once a week. We set the timer for 30 minutes and the kids get to do what they choose (most anything except watch movies). Sometimes they'll want to read with us, or show us something they learned in school, or just talk about their day. They look forward to this more than almost anything! The first thing they say every morning, "Is it my night to stay up?!" So the kids each get a day, and then Mommy and Daddy get Saturday and Sunday. But interestingly, on our night, we don't want to stay up... we want to go to bed!

We thought we'd take it a step further and allow them a special "Mommy and Me" outing once or twice a year too. So since horses are her favorite animal, (and Jon found an awesome deal online), we took advantage of the opportunity for Celeste and I to have a 2-hour horseback riding lesson together! Here she is in action...

She was an absolute natural! She had no fear whatsoever. The trainer was amazed at how quickly she learned. She even taught her to stand up on the horse, she spun around on the saddle, and she was galloping all around by the time the lesson was over. I was absolutely floored at how quickly she picked it up, and how easy she made it look. Shoot. This might be an expensive hobby!

And then there was me. I was an absolute joke. The trainer had to stand close by most of the time, because I was so worried I was going to fall off, and I couldn't even hold the reigns right. And every time I would tell him to go right, he would turn left! (All males are the same, I guess ;)) I have to admit, it was a bit embarrasing to have my 7 year-old galloping circles around me, while I was struggling with the basics! Haha! But that's ok, it was about her not me. And she really shined!


I think this will be an experience she will always remember. When we got to the car, she was all smiles and she wanted to keep her helmet on. Then we stopped for ice cream and we sang primary songs all the way home.

When we were almost to the house, I said, "Wow, wasn't this a great day, Celeste?!" And she replied, "No mom, not a great day. The GREATEST day." :)

Ballet Beauty!

Celeste took ballet lessons this summer with her best friend. They had a blast! She looked forward to the lessons every week. The instructor invited the parents to the final class of the summer so we could see all they learned...

Celeste with her best friend N. Two beautiful ballerinas in training!

Such a Daddy's girl!

Portraits

(Celeste almost 7, by Nana)

(Nana almost 59, by Celeste) Haha!

Sisterly Love

Dear Charity,
You are a great little sister. You are the bestest sister in the whole world. You are a good girl. You are super nice. I love you a ton. You are my friend. You are a rock star!
From,
Celeste

Sweet Girl

Celeste brought this note home from school today...

Dear Mommy,

I hope that when you have a baby it will not hurt. And I love you so much.

From, Celeste

This little girl is so thoughtful. Just a couple more days till we get to hold our little guy. Can't wait for you to join our family baby Jarom!

Friends Forever

"The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend".

- Cali Rae Turner