Baby Blessings

Last Sunday, Joseph blessed Lincoln and Annika in church.  Our friends, Bob and Pearl Brumfield, had just finished a church mission in Cleveland, Ohio, and they decided to make a trip to Palmyra and visit us as well.  They are friends of ours from Arkansas.  Some of you might remember that we rented their house during their first mission.  Anyway, with no family coming for the baby blessings we decided that good friends were the next best thing to family. 

Joseph with the help of the Spirit gave both babies really nice blessings. The babies wore the clothes that Kimball and Rebecah wore when they were blessed.  Joseph had early church meetings, so I got the rest of us...myself and 4 kids...ready for church.  Here are a few pictures.

Annette with Lincoln

Joseph with Lincoln.  We never did get a picture of Joseph and Annika.  Oops!

Annette with Annika

Rebecah with Annika

Beautiful baby Annika.

Handsome Lincoln (even though his clothes were so huge on him.)

Our family

Our family with the Brumfields

The babies are now 6 weeks old.  The time has gone quickly and a lot of it is a blur.  The babies have grown so much in 6 short weeks.  They have really filled out their skin.  I'm guessing they are between 7 1/2 to 8 pounds.  At their 4 week weight check they were both 6 lbs 3 oz. so I'm just going off their growth trend thus far.  Here are a few other shots of the babies.  I don't think I have posted them elsewhere.  As you can tell, Rebecah LOVES to be in the pictures with the babies.  Kimball does not.

Peek-a-boo!  Lincoln peeking out of his blanket.

Rebecah with Lincoln

Rebecah with Annika.  To me it looks like Annika is saying..."What is she doing to me?!"

Visit from Sharon

My sister, Sharon, came to visit last week.  When Sharon found out that my mom wasn't able to come out to help with the babies as originally planned she and her family sacrificed so we could have some family help with the the babies.  Sharon has 6 kids of her own so it was a big sacrifice for Spencer and the kids to be without Sharon for 6 days.

It was great having Sharon visit.  She helped with the chores, laundry and cooking.  It was Joseph's call week so she also took over Joseph's job of feeding Annika.  That was a HUGE help, especially at night.  

It wasn't all work and no fun though.  We tried some new desserts which were keepers.  We (meaning I found the recipes and Sharon made them) made a cranberry upside down cake, gingerbread chocolate chip cookies, and a pumpkin pie.  We have all had pumpkin pie before, but this pie was made from Rebecah's little pumpkin that she brought home from school.  Rebecah really wanted it made into a pie and I knew I wouldn't have time to do it...Sharon to the rescue!  The cranberry cake is going to become a new tradition for the holiday season.  It was SO yummy.  The gingerbread chocolate chip cookies were also yummy.  For Joseph to comment how much he likes a particular cookie is HUGE in my books so I will make them again too.

Sharon also spent a lot of extra time with Kimball and Rebecah--Time that I just haven't been able to give them because I'm either too tired, sore, or busy with the babies.  Yes, I feel guilt that I haven't been able to give my older kids the attention they need!  Sharon brought them color wonder markers and coloring books and clay.  She also gave Kimball a few piano lessons too.  

Sharon with Rebecah, Lincoln and Annika.

All four of my kids!  

Wide-eyed Lincoln.

Sweet little Annika

Hanging out together.  

To show Sharon our appreciation for coming to help us out we took her to Palmyra the day she flew home.  Joseph and I both felt strongly that if Sharon was going to come help us out that she was going to see Palmyra.  It would be a shame to be just an hour from Palmyra and not go visit.  Sharon has never been to this area and we don't know when she'll be back to the area.  I wasn't physically up for the trip so I sat in the different visitor centers while Kimball, Rebecah and Sharon took the tours.

Kimball, Rebecah and Sharon in front of the Christus
 at the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center.

Outside the Frame House.

Kimball and Rebecah peeking in the cooper shop.

We all really miss having Sharon here and we hope we can see her and the "Leigh cousins" again soon.

Here are other pictures that we have taken of the babies over the last 3 weeks.

Lincoln is in the foreground and Annika in the back.

Lincoln and Annika both like to just stare with their eyes wide open.

The big sister holding both babies!

Halloween Fun

Our Halloween celebration felt a little stifled this year.  I didn't decorate weeks in advance because I knew I would be recovering from surgery and I didn't want to add one more task to my list.  So, Joseph decorated for Halloween about 5 days before the holiday.  The kids loved it and it was sweet of Joseph to decorate since he knows I usually do.

Kimball's school had a Halloween activity and Joseph took Kimball and Rebecah.  I stayed home and rested.  They got to the school just as it started so they were able to make it through a third of the games before the gym got super crowded and loud.  They had fun and came home with a good start to their Halloween candy stash.

This year Kimball dressed as the Bumblebee transformer and Rebecah was at friendly witch.

At the school carnival.

One of the booths at the carnival was this shadow screen.  I loved the different poses Joseph captured

"I'll get you my pretty..."

Kimball striking a pose.

I have the power!

Our ward also did a Trunk or Treat a few days before Halloween.  This was another activity that I skipped.  The kids and Joseph had a nice time.  Again, the kids got quite a stash of candy.

I think Rebecah looks so pretty here and Kimball looks rather grumpy.  Maybe he was "in character"?
I don't know much about the Bumblebee transformer.

I had some Halloween sleepers for the babies to wear.  Lincoln's was 0-3 month size and quite big.  Annika's was newborn size and fit just a tad better.

Lincoln just chillin'.

Annika sleeping.

Lincoln's awake and Annika, wants to keep sleeping...that's a yawn.

We carved our pumpkin on the afternoon of Halloween.  We didn't have time before then or it didn't cross my mind to do it earlier.  The kids seemed to enjoy it even though it was a simple face.  Kimball wasn't feeling well on Halloween so he didn't want to pose for a picture.  Rebecah obliged with our pumpkin.

Ready to go trick or treating.  Rebecah insisted on wearing that teal dress even though it
didn't match the costume very well.  It was a small thing, really.

The kids only went on a small loop in our neighborhood, but we have very generous neighbors.  Some neighbors told the kids to take multiple pieces of candy and others just gave out full-size candy bars.  They got very little "junk" candy and most of what they got was chocolate in some variety.  They have been very willing to share with Joseph and me.  I did not give out candy.  I had my hands full with the babies and I didn't want to be manning the door.  We'll give candy out again next year!