Happy Birthday Ethan

Will, Bentley and Ethan--December 2006
I wanted to post a special entry for Ethan since 1) this year he is 8 and that is quite a special birthday, and 2) he can read this entry--are you reading Eth? I love Ethan because he is such a good example to my little Bentley of a kind and gentle big brother. Ethan is a Hot Wheels genius, an amazing reader, a master Lego builder and a budding artist. He is goofy and energetic and way fun to hang out with. I love his rosy cheeks, long legs, soft hair, and bright blue eyes. Ethan was my very first nephew (very first grandchild in my family in fact) and I remember holding him for the first time when he was about one month old. I think I gave a little piece of my heart to him right then and there. I am so proud of the great kid he has become and that he will be baptized this Saturday. I can't wait to share in that special day with him and all the other special days in his life that will follow because of righteous choices. Have a great birthday Ethan!!

Birthday Girls

Tonight we celebrated the first birthdays of my nieces Sisi and Tille. Happy birthday cute baby girls! We partied hard luau style eating Hawaiian haystacks and competing in a hula-hoop competition. Turns out Jessica and Luci can rock a hula-hoop pretty hard but Johnny and Bob fought it out in the end. I forgot how much energy that takes! It was super silly and totally fun to watch--classic LeBaron activity. It's still so fun to look at pics and see Bob's face back with the family :) Thanks for the party Mary, Krista and Ruth Ann.

Welcome Home

Elder Robert Paul LeBaron (aka Elder LeBaron V) returned home from his mission in Toronto Canada this evening! It was so fun to see him and help introduce him to his 4 new nieces and 1 nephew who were born while he was gone (when he left 2 years ago Bentley was the only baby in the family!) We have been anticipating Bob's return for over a month now since he extended and ended up staying a few more weeks in the mission. He is a good boy and I am so proud of him. He has always been a remarkable person--even as a kid--and talented in so many ways. I have known Bob since he was about 10 years old and it's crazy to see him now as the spiritual, mature and of course funny man that he is. I will miss Bob's weekly emails and the testimony he so regularly shared in them. I always felt uplifted and happy and proud of him as my brother-in-law after reading of his activities and especially of his love for the Gospel. Hopefully he will adjust to regular life easily and enjoy all the family time that we have planned (I have a feeling that he will slide into LeBaron silliness quite easily but maybe it's just a hunch). Welcome home Bob!! We love you.

With Baby Bentley in January 2005 the night before he left on his mission

Caroline Crawls

Yes, my baby girl has figured out how to crawl. It is still a slow and sometimes wobbly experience but she can sure make her way around the room and over to Bentley's head while I change him so she can play with his hair! It is pretty cute watching her try to get to him (or more importantly his blankie which she loves to cuddle) It's fascinating to realize which things she is truly interested in playing with as she crawls/slithers around to find such things as shoes, crumbs, and glossy magazines. Her newest trick is to raise her hands high in the air when we say "so big." She is fun to show off at family gatherings and outings with friends!

Bentley is as silly as ever and it appears that as Cares is growing and developing, he is anxious to revert back into baby ways and play in the saucer which he is way too huge for. He can even climb into and out of it now which is quite an accomplishment. I actually think he may just have a special affinity for baby saucers since he coveted Tiago's so much last year! Kids are fun.

Valentine's Day

I heart Joseph. I'm going to make a T-shirt that says that on it someday :) He is so good for me and too good to me. This morning he gave me a Valentine's mix CD with all the new songs we've been diggin' the past few weeks. I love it! And now all those songs will remind me of this year's Valentine's Day. The last time he did this for me was the week before we got engaged and I was leaving on a road trip with my family to California. The CD he sent me with had a small booklet in the front which described a memory of ours or something he loved about me for each song. I sat in the car with my headphones on and my music cranked up and reveled in every word he had written about us. It definitely made me realize that I wanted to marry him. I knew he would make me happy with his kindness and selflessness, his strong testimony, his romantic gestures, and his lovely, lovely smile that extends all over his face and into his eyes. I was right. He is my forever valentine and I love him a hundred times more now than I did back in 1999, listening to our music and imagining our future and daydreaming about that perfect smile.

Weekend Away

We spent the weekend in St George at my parents' lovely vacation house. It was overcast on Friday and most of Saturday but it was still 65 degrees outside and it felt wonderful! Mary, Seth and Tillie joined us for our little get away where we relaxed by swimming (and then napping) with the kids, playing on the playground, shopping for bargains at TJ Maxx, watching Cars with Bentley, and letting the boys win at games :) Thanks for hanging out with us Mary and Seth--and thanks for letting us use the house mom and dad! It was a wonderful break from the thick air and cold conditions up here in Salt Lake.

Happy Birthday Tommy

Seems like a lot of people in my family have birthdays this month! Today I'll celebrate Thomas Neil. I love that Tommy always makes an effort to see the family which means he usually attends 2 family dinners each Sunday (oh poor guy!) He is a sweet uncle and my kids love him so much. I love that he checks up on Ruth Ann and Neil several days a week and goes to lunch with my hubby at least once a week. He is a loyal friend and brother and has influenced Joseph to buy yummy smelling colognes. I remember when Joseph and I shared a condo with Tommy when we went to Mexico in 2005. When Bentley was awake at 5:00 am Tommy would come upstairs and watch Baby Einsteins and play with Beans. I like to think it was because he was excited to see Bentley for the day and not that we woke him up so early :) I love that Tommy speaks German and that I can understand his silly German comments here and there. He is a great man and I love that he snagged such a great wife!