Lately

 This little boy has looked like this for the past couple of weeks:

 My poor baby is so very sad!  He has been getting teeth and dealing with a cold!  He is normally so happy, but he is currently miserable and wants to be held all the time.  I mostly oblige because he is just so sick.  Which means my house is a disaster.  A big thanks to husband and niece for helping out with the kitchen so much - I'm pretty sure that's the only part of the house that's gotten cleaned this week.  We've also eaten out a lot because I've forgotten how to cook dinner one-handed!It's just a cold, but it's a nasty one that has made his little voice very hoarse, so he sounds even sadder when he cries.  Fortunately, he still has some happy moments.  Usually when the ibuprofen and benadryl are actually working.  And when Daddy introduces him to his first creamy...

Which he absolutely loved.   He is starting to get better, just a runny nose instead of a stuffy one and the lingering cough.  I hate when my babies are sick!

On a happier note, this young lady had her 8th birthday!   We celebrated as a family.  She got to pick the meals for the day.  Breakfast was (of course) sourdough pancakes and bacon.  We checked her out of school for lunch and went to Arctic Circle.  The kids loved playing on the playland.  She got to take doughnuts to share with her class and came home with a birthday card drawn by each of her classmates.  Right after school was her very first Activity Days.  She was so excited and had a lot of fun!  We opened the presents that her brothers and sisters gave her:

She was excited to get new games for her DS!  After that, we left the kids at home with niece and took our young lady to the mall, where she got her ears pierced!  She was so excited and said it didn't hurt at all.  She loves her earrings and got to pick out a few extra pairs.  She has been doing so well at remember to clean her ears each day.  After getting her ears pierced, she picked out some chinese food and enjoyed her dinner with mom and dad:

After dinner we headed home where we enjoyed cake and ice cream with her brothers and sister.  She managed to blow out all of the candles in one shot!  She is now looking forward to her baptism.  She has had her interview with the bishop and is all ready to go in a few weeks!  I'm so proud of my girl.  She has really been working hard to choose the right and gain her own testimony.  She has read the Book of Mormon twice and prays at night for Heavenly Father to help her be worthy to be baptized.  She is an amazing little spirit!

And in an effort to make sure there are pictures of all my kiddos in this post:

 

We also celebrated mother's day big time.  My sweet husband made me eggs for breakfast, and then I was presented with a brand new Bosch!  I was surprised and super excited!  My old machine broke awhile ago and I've missed being able to make bread easily!  My new machine does a fantastic job!  I was also given several handmade gifts and a few cards.  The children tried extra hard to be good for mommy, and I got lots of extra loves and kisses.  What more does a mama need?  I am so blessed to have these sweet children.  They have big hearts and try so hard to do what's right.  I lay down every night thanking my Heavenly Father for this beautiful life!