New Look :)

So I've been terrible about blogging for the last....(gulp) year or so. I wanted to get back to updating on our little family but I needed a new look first. So I asked my super talented sister-in-law Lisa Campbell to give my blog a fresh new look. And didn't she do a fabulous job?! I just love it!

An awful lot has happened since my last post. Like a whole new set of New Year's resolutions, but that's probably the least of it. The biggest thing that has changed for us is our number. We've grown from a family of 4, to a family of 5. That's right, our kids are so amazing that we decided to procreate again. And we were blessed with our little Cora. She was born in September and is an absolute joy! See, here's our newest little nugget of love. Isn't she cute?

Cora eats, sleeps, poops, coos, babbles, and does all that other stuff babies like to do, only better in my eyes since I *am* her mother ;). Turns out she is a miserable sick person though and we're going to have to work on that with her.

Our other kiddos are just doing so great. Noah is in second grade this year and passing everything with flying colors. I'm so grateful he's such a whiz kid and school is easy for him! I hardly ever have to help him with his homework and most of the time only one or two death threats is enough to get him to sit down and do it (kidding!). You can hardly tell he has autism, especially if you stay away from any and all medical subjects, rock discussions, and science :). He's a quirky guy but he is making his way in this world just fine. You should see the amazing origami he can do, in fact, I'm gonna blog about just that one of these days. We sure have been enjoying him lately, especially since it turns out that Isabella may possibly be the spawn of a Tazmanian Devil.

Oh that little Bella, she is pretty stuck on being a stinker these days! Sure she behaves like a perfect, shy, quiet little debutant at any other house. But man, she sure does give Joe and me a run for our money! I have NEVER (and I do mean never) had to do so much bargaining, threatening, cajoling, begging, pleading, crying, or praying as I have to do with that child. Nevertheless, we adore our girl and I know that strong and stubborn spirit that plagues me will serve her very well someday. She can be sugar on a stick one minute and the Tazmanian Devil the next. We just never quite know what we're gonna get from one moment to the next.

Our little blessings have grown and changed a lot these last couple of years and every day they seem more grown up than the last. I finally had to tell Noah how babies are born when I was pregnant with Cora, and the old, "Mommy goes to the hospital and the doctor helps baby come out" answer just wasn't cutting the mustard anymore ("Yes mom, but HOW does the doctor get the baby out?"). His response at hearing the truth? "Cool mom, can I please come watch Cora be born". I decided that was a no, but maybe if we have a 4th kid :). Our Isabella, she wants to wear nail polish, make-up, dresses and sparkles. And she says things like, "When I'm a mom, I'm always going to let my kids eat oreos for breakfast". And she says it real sassy. Like someone else I know might have said those sorts of things when she was little. You'll have to ask my mom who that might be.

So our kids have grown and changed, we've lost loved ones like Grandma Ricks and Grandma Swindler, we've had amazing and wonderful times, we've cried and felt like we can't stand another day of life at times, we've been on top of the world, we've been kicked here and there, we've made friends and lost friends, we've loved our families without fail, seen some of them move away and break our hearts a little (ahem...Jones family), babies have been born, and life has been lived. I have lots of things to blog about and now I'm gonna have to play catch up. But isn't it a marvelous thing to relive life's best moments? I look forward to telling you about them.