A Most Precious Gift

Just over a month ago our dear family friend, June, passed away after battling cancer.  June was the sweetest, most caring person you could ever hope to meet.  Of the many things she did for other, one was sewing for sick children.  Her specialty was quilts. 
I have always known that quilts were precious.  Quilts are made with time and love.  Quilts hold you with the love that was put into them.  To me quilts are family and history, hope and joy. 
Today Graesen was given a most precious gift: one of June's quilts she made for children.  And he gets it.  He gets how special this is.  He asked me if June made it for him, because she is up in heaven and knew it would be special.  He asked to sleep with it tonight.  And he asked to send a picture to June's husband, Larry, and to June as well.  While I told him we couldn't mail a picture to heaven, I thought June could probably see him and knows how much he loves his new quilt.  He told me he thinks heaven is everywhere around us...

A little down time

Graesen and I have been enjoying some super relaxation since Christmas.  We have done a little, but not too much.  I took Graesen to the library yesterday and got him his first library card.  Obviously, I will still be the one in charge of making sure books are returned in time, but I figured Graesen would really enjoy feeling like he is in charge of choosing and checking out his own books.  We also took a quick trip to a jump place.  Graesen got a few passes for Christmas.  Unfortunately, when we got there I realized that I had left the passes at home.  It's still pretty cheap, so we can just use the passes some other time.

Today Graesen started crying about going to the gym.  He loves the gym nursery when we go, but today he told me he was "too cuddly" to go to the gym.  Instead we went to my parents' house where I could run on the treadmill and he could cuddle up with their kindle in the same room as me.  I was happy because I got to run and he was happy because he got to "be cuddly."  When we got home we had a calm afternoon with crafts (melty beads Graesen asked for for months before Christmas) and books.  It has been so nice to relax.

Christmas 2013

Graesen had pajama day at school on Monday.  Here he is eating breakfast in his Christmas p.j.s before we left:

Graesen spent Christmas Eve with his dad, so Addison was the only kid with us.

My mom got me a rose for the baby I miscarried.  She would have been 2 years old now (Christmas Eve due date).

On Christmas day we had all the kids except for Aidan.  I tried to get Graesen to change into a cute outfit for pictures, and he insisted on wearing his vest over this layered Christmas t-shirt :)

Hunter made for a good Christmas model...

And I finally managed to get some pictures of all of Shawna's kids together and happy.

Addison and Graesen made up their own card game and played it forever.

Since I didn't get Graesen until Christmas day, I wanted to celebrate just the two of us today.  I still wanted to have a Christmas morning with him, so I told him that Santa comes two nights for kids who have two houses :)  Graesen didn't complain one bit :)

 A fun stocking stuffer:

 I had to keep telling him that this was a bad way to hammer :)

Graesen went shopping with my mom and got me a card shuffler, cards, and M&Ms.  He is so obsessed with card shufflers and said I need to bring mine with me everywhere :)

After gifts we watched The Christmas Story.  Graesen told me he wanted the pink bunny costume from the movie :)

A Christmasy Weekend

Saturday Graesen got to play in the snow with Phoebe.  It was his first time getting to play in the snow this year, as we really haven't had much snowfall yet.

In the afternoon my aunt and I took Graesen and Phoebe to the greenhouse light display:

Saturday night my mom made this super fun tent for the kids to play in:

Today after church my mom took Graesen, Phoebe, Zach, and Addison to watch Frozen.  It was a special kid/grandma date for them :)

Tonight we had some family time at my parents' house and the kids got to open their gifts from my grandma.  They all got little animals they could color and decorate, and it was a huge hit.

I tried to get some pictures of Hunter, because taking pictures of babies is fun:

Around 5:30ish Graesen climbed up in my lap when I was in the rocking chair and fell asleep.  I can't remember the last time I rocked him to sleep!  Since he's getting so big (and I know it most likely won't happen again) once my arms started to get sore from holding him, I laid graesen in front of the tree and got a picture of him sleeping there just like when he was a baby :)

4 1/2 years old:

 

3 1/2 years old

 No picture from 2 1/2 :(

1 1/2 years old:

 

5 months old: