Easter

We had Easter dinner/egg hunt on Saturday this year (we all have church at different times, plus I'd prefer not to do the candy and things on actual Easter....) Hendrix was old enough this year to kind of get what was going on. At first he was just excited to be outside with a bucket though! He immediately put his bucket on his head and started running around haha. Once we showed him how it worked he loved it and was an egg finding fiend!

Took the opportunity to have Carly snap a family picture for us!

It was a little bright out

Hendrix was SO DONE at this point. It was way beyond nap time.
I absolutely love this picture.

Heather's 26 Birthday

There was just something about this birthday that was really special. It's probably just being a mom and having the excuse to ignore everything but my family that day but I loved it.

We woke up and just cuddled on the couch while watching some Phineas and Ferb.

Hendrix was having a really hard time going down for a nap so Dylan made a little bed in there and laid with him until he fell asleep. He is such a good Dad,

While the kids were sleeping we played Settlers of Catan (my birthday present) then went to La Grande so I could get my hair cut! We had lunch at my favorite Thai place (it's connected to the Chinese place, so Hendrix got Chinese while Mom and Dad ate spicy curry!

Hendrix got a bike for his birthday (Which is in April, but he already got the bike.....we aren't very good at waiting haha) but didn't have a helmet, so we swung by the store to let him pick one out! Really there were only 2 choices for his big head, he chose well ;)

We got home and walked to the post office (I seriously love these PO walks with Hendrix) it had rained earlier so there were puddles. We had to stop to throw rocks of course!

I'm not a huge cake fan. Tom made me Pumpkin Pie and Dylan made the whip topping. It was so good. I ate pretty much nothing but pie for 3 days (he made a TON of pie....)

I wasn't sharing my pie fast enough so Hendrix took matters into his own hands....or mouth....

Taya Lynn Haertling

The Haertlings are some of our best friends. We were in the same ward in La Grande for a long time (They now live in Boise). Hendrix is just 10 days older than Troy and they are best buds! Terrah was pregnant with #2 and had called me because she thought she was going into labor. A while later her water broke! I really really wanted to be there for Terrah. It was still about 2 weeks until her due date so they weren't all the way ready for this yet! Thankfully Dylan and I both have jobs we can work from anywhere. We quickly packed an overnight bag and jumped in the car! We drove to Boise and took care of Troy and Zula (their dog) while Jess and Terrah were at the hospital. Dylan and I went grocery shopping and stocked the fridge with a couple meals and Hendrix and Troy loved reuniting!

Taya Lynn Haertling was born March 18th at 6:46pm. She was 8lbs 13oz 21.5 inches long. We went to the hospital the next morning to hold her and visit Terrah before we drove back home (Dylan had to teach on Sunday, so we were there for less than 24 hours!) I love the Haertlings so much and I was so so grateful to get to be there for this!!

Sweet little Taya Lynn!

Troy loves saying "cheese!" and posing for the camera.
Hendrix wouldn't hold still!!

Prepping meals!

Troy LOVES Eloise. He was so sweet with her.
He is going to be such a great big brother!

Troy was so happy Hendrix was still here when he woke up.

Morning jaunt around the yard!

Seriously these boys were cracking me up. They were being
so silly and talking to each other in whatever language it
is babies speak before they learn English.....

March

I got so far behind (surprise surprise) and told myself I wasn't going to try to catch up, I'd just start from where I am, but I really want to document these memories for my kids sake! I keep saying I'm going to do better (and I'm trying!) so I can write down the stories that go with these pictures instead of just one liners. Bear with me!

Hendrix loves being a big brother

milk drunk at church

Telling Lou stories

She is a serious gammer

Hendrix too.

March 14th. Woke up to snow!

Everyone in Haines has a PO Box so we made frequent trips to the Post Office. Hendrix is just so cute I couldn't help but snap these photos. Also he had to stop and sit on every bench on our way there. For the record, there are a ton. 

Reminiscing about baby days

I had to watch him like a hawk to get him to keep this bandage on.
He did like to show it off!

Celebrating our birthdays together! I love Glenda so much. I'm so grateful I get to call her Mom.

Sporting Dad's hat

Hendrix telling Eloise Pizza stories. She was cracking up.

Louie has been dubbed "Kablooie" because she doesn't just poop, she explodes. It's really ridiculous.
Also destructive.

Eloise sure loves her Dad!

Hendrix is a really good helper.

I love this photo. Dad is sitting relaxing while Mom does all the work!!

Question 4

What memories do you have of your mother (her name, birth date, birthplace, parents, and so on)?

Dylan:

Heather: I started this blog post a long time ago and had a surprisingly hard time with it. My mom is so incredible and I couldn't come up with the words to do her justice. She has been such a wonderful example to me of a mother, sister, wife, and daughter of God. Diane Marie Paul was born on April 3, 1959 in Seattle, Washington to Frank Alfred Paul Jr and Marlene Phyllis Hoff. She has 5 siblings. Her family joined the church when she was 3. Her Dad died in a car accident in 1979. Grandpa died before my parents had married, but knew my dad and had even mentioned in passing that he would like Diane to marry Glen Harston :) My parents got married March 31, 1980. My Mom is an extremely hard worker. In fact, she works probably too hard. She is so diligent in serving others. She is goofy and loves to laugh, but is also strict when the time calls for it. She has learned (probably from raising 9 crazy kids) which battles are worth fighting and which ultimately aren't a big deal, which I feel like has given me a unique perspective at a young age and has helped shape my optimistic personality. My mom has a way of getting to the heart of things, doing something about the part she can control, and relying whole hearted on the Lord for the rest.

It's no small task to feed our crew, and my Mom took the challenge head on. She loves to make bread and would spend one day a month grinding wheat, making dough, and baking. ALL DAY LONG. I loved coming home from school on those days and walking into a home that smelled so divine. Since she spent all day making break she typically ended up with 40+ loaves. Which was a good thing because about 4 steaming loaves would be devoured that evening. I always felt the love of my Mom but with 8 other siblings, we didn't always get a ton of one-on-one attention. Mom went out of her way to make our birthdays something really special though. She would make us a huge birthday poster that would be hanging on the wall when we woke up (how she made them and hid them from us until that time I have no idea!) we got to pick whatever we wanted for our birthday dinner and dessert and Mom would deliver! For Scott's birthday (maybe 3 or 4?) he asked for chips and cheerios. So, we seriously had chips and cheerios for dinner!! My first year away at college I got a package in the mail on my birthday. It was a loaf of homemade bread, homemade german chocolate frosting with a boxed of german chocolate cake to make for it, and a birthday poster to hang on my wall. I am so grateful to my Mom for teaching, both by word and deed, how to be an independent woman, but also always being just a phone call (or video chat!) away for me when I need, or just want, to talk to her. I have such a great relationship with my Mom. She is one of my best friends, a wonderful supporter, and an excellent example. I love you so much Mom!