Merry Christmas from the Stimpson's!!

Merry Christmas 2011

I am not on the ball enough to send out real Christmas cards this year, except to our family.  And that is only because all I had to do was put an address on them b/c they were included in our family pictures this year! 

This year has been full of really big ups and also really big downs for our family!  I would prefer to only remember the ups, but then how will I learn the lessons I am supposed to if I forget about the downs.  There are things I wouldn't want to relive, and there are things I would love to relive!  Ultimately, I am extremely grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who knows my needs and the needs of my family.  We would not be where we are today if we didn't have His help.  I am thankful that my Savior knows of the struggles I have and that He has felt my sorrow - all because He loves me.  I am grateful for this time to remember His birth, as well as His purpose and mission on earth. 

So, Merry Christmas from the Stimpson Family and may 2012 bring much peace and happiness to you and your family!

(Below are pictures of our Christmas decorations this year.  I haven't even hung pictures or done any other decorating yet in our house.  And the blue walls are probably going to go since I am not totally in love with them.  Someday...)

Loving the red this year and the simpleness of everything.

And LOVING the fresh poinsettas too (I have one in the kitchen too!).  They just bring so much Christmas spirit by their bright red beauty!

Yes, those are Zach's dirty gym clothes he left on the stairs...lovely.  And since we are being honest...I even cropped out a dirty diaper that was left on the stairs from a little 2 year old.  And I am thinking I need to somehow pull up that cord too.  Ahh, maybe next year!

Our tree just looks kind of sad this year to me.  I think it does look a bit better in person than in this picture, but it still isn't quite where I would like it.  Ahh, maybe next year!!

Merry Christmas!!

My new look...

Hi.  My name is Parker.  My mom says I am adorable, and I usually always agree with her.  I like to say, "I'm a nice boy!" to which my mom will agree with me.  I like to sing to her, "I love you too!"  I also like the little jingle my mom made up for me.  She says she has made one up for all my siblings, except for Dallin.  I guess he needs to get a bit older first.  My mom starts out and then I answer...we take turns...

"Guess how much I love you?"

"Lots and Lots and Lots!"

"Guess how much I kiss you?"

"Lots and Lots and Lots!"

"Guess how much I hug you?"

"Lots and Lots and Lots!"

"Guess how cute you are?"

"Cute and Cute and Cute!"

We do this little jingle many times a day.  But now I am starting to change my answers to funny words so I can tease my mom!  I can be quite the funny kid.  But one thing I did about a month ago that my mom didn't think was so funny was "loose" my glasses.  Yes, these ones below.

See how handsome I am in them.  I got these when I was about 20 months old.  They had more lives than my mom can count!!  She says she is amazed at how many times they withstood me bending and mutilating them!  But about a month ago, I secretly bent my glasses when I was bored.  I decided that the best thing to do would be to not tell my mom and forget all about it.  I guess I knew that she wouldn't be happy with me since I have done it SO many times.  So, I just didn't tell her where they were for about 2 weeks. 

My mom decided to question me again on where my glasses were because she had looked EVERYWHERE!  I finally decided to remember what I did with them.  My story went like this..."I bended my glasses and then threw them away in the downstairs kitchen garbage."

My mom was a bit stunned and told me that I should have just let her try to get them fixed.  She told me that the garbage man had already taken them to the dump and I couldn't get them back.  I wasn't too bothered with that though because sometimes they are just a nuisance.

Well, my mom decided that after my upcoming appointment with the eye Dr., that I would have to wear glasses again.  When I went this week to the store to get pick them up, my mom says that the look on my face when they put them on was priceless!  I could see again!!  And my face was full of wonder and excitement!  I could see what was out the window and all around me!  As we drove to the store after that, I just sat quietly looking out the window taking in everything that I haven't seen for a month.  Unfortunately, my glasses are pretty thick.  But my mom still says that I am adorable and just extremely so cute!!!  I think she has a crush on me!  But really - who doesn't?!!? 

I'm just a pretty awesome and adorable and nice guy...well, most of the time.  So here is my cuteness below in my new glasses!  Enjoy looking at my adorable face!  My mom says she is going to kiss it off!!

Julianne...

Meet Julianne.  She is one of my five sisters.  Pretty, huh!!!



Today, Chris and I received a gift from her.  Chris was actually already in bed when we got it (brought back from my parents trip to see her and other sisters of mine), and I just didn't have the patience to wait until the morning to open it.  So, I did, and now I can't sleep.

I have heard it said many times that one of the worst fears of a parent that looses their child is that their child will be forgotten.  I would agree with that.  Not that their child will be forgotten by them, but that their sweet and special little angel will be forgotten by all else because they are simply not on the minds of others like they are the parents.  And rightly so. 

But I know for myself, and I can safely say Chris too, our little Karleigh is never far from our thoughts.  We see her in our other kids, in the things they do.  In their smells.  In their noises.  Especially baby Dallin.  Man, he reminds us of Karleigh more than I think Chloe or Parker ever did.  Chris and I comment all the time to each other on the little things we thought of while watching him or listening to him.  I am grateful for those sweet reminders and glimpses of the past that we can have with our other kids.

When I hear from others how Karleigh is still, to this day, in their thoughts and influencing their actions....man, that sure does make a mother proud.  To know that my little 2 1/2 year old had such a strong impact on others means so much.  To know that others feel her life was important - and still is important - means more to me than I can adequately express.  So, I hope Julianne won't mind if I type out the card that came along with her gift.  I want to remember her words that go along with such a special gift.

Dear Tracy and Chris,

Well, I was in a little shop downtown today looking for something totally different, for someone else entirely.  My eyes fell on this little girl, however, and my breath seriously caught in my throat.

It was like the little girl was whispering to me..."Take me home and send me to my parents.  Every time the wind blows, I'll play my sweet music for them."  Honestly, I couldn't even help it...she jumped into my hands and made me cry right in the store.  I've opened her up 3 more times before wrapping her just to look and listen.  I think she is just so lovely, just like Karleigh Ann.

And so, I hope that this brings some pretty music to your yard or home and that you know - - I truly didn't feel I had a choice in sending her.  It really was a bit of a spiritual moment in seeing and hearing this.  I hope you enjoy her.

I love you...Karleigh has been in my thoughts a very lot in late weeks.

Love,  Julianne

(please forgive my cruddy photos of her gift.  They really don't do justice to how wonderful and beautiful it is.  Sorry Jan.)

I don't think Julianne knows how much Chris and I adore wind chimes.  The light, soft sounds that comes from them just exudes happiness.  And this one fits SO perfectly!  The sweet little angel girl and butterfly flying free reminds me of Karleigh - now out of her body that trapped her for 2 1/2 years. She is free to move and soar.  And then the windchime itself - the music part.  It really is a beautiful sound.  It reminds me of so many things.  It reminded me of how Karleigh LOVED music.  She would often calm down when she heard soft pretty music.  It reminded me of how her sweet little voice is music to my ears and how I wish so badly to hear it again.  Hearing it reminded me of how I would sing her to sleep.  Actually, most of the time I didn't sing.  I would hum...in this order...

I am a Child of God.

I Love to See the Temple.

Teach Me to Walk in the Light.

I am not sure all my reasons for humming most of the time.  But I do know one reason that I often thought of.  I honestly felt like she already knew the words and was singing along with me in her head.  She communicated so much through her eyes.  The gazes she gave me and the way in which she would calm down and listen to those songs as I hummed them is something that I don't ever want to forget.  Her sweet little spirit was singing along with me.  That I know.

One other thing that this sweet gift reminds me of is Karleigh's love for being outside.  She loved to feel the breeze on her face and the sunshine on her face.  She loved to go for walks.

Thank you, Julianne, for this sweet gift.  Tears came to my eyes as I looked closely at her (the wind chime).  But most of all...thank you for remembering my Karleigh girl.  Thank you for loving her.  Thank you for loving me and supporting me.  Thank you for acknowledging her.  I love you so much.

And thank you to all the other family and friends that let us know of your love for our sweet daughter.  It is nice to know that we are not alone in our missing.

I wish I could hum those songs to my girl tonight while I rock her into a peaceful slumber.  How I miss those chubby cheeks and thighs, fingers and toes.  How I miss her loud breathing and the way her body moved.  How I miss caring for her and being next to her 24/7.  How I miss her piercing eyes and her gurgly voice.  And oh, how I miss her beautiful, priceless smiles. 

Thank you, Julianne, for the wonderful tender memories of my girl.  Thank you for the gift.  Thank you for your love.

My beautiful kindergartener

I realized I did a brag post on Zach and his Honor Roll achievements, but I accidentally skipped over doing one for my little Chloe.  See this...

Yep - my darling little girl got to be Student of the Month for the month of October!  Her teacher said that she was nominated for her "politeness!"

How fabulous!  My little girl is being recognized and in the spotlight for something she is so good at!!  I know she was proud of herself.  I also know Chris and I were even more thrilled!  Everyday when she gets home, I ask her, "so, how was school?"  To which she often answers in a very sure voice, "Good.  Loved it.  Loved everything!" 

Way to go, girlie!!  You are wonderful and simply beautiful - inside and out!!!  Your passion for life and instinctive happiness rubs off on all you meet.  I love you and am SO proud of you!!!

Could he get any funnier...

"Mom!," Zach called to me as he came in from the garage.

"What...," I said.

"Um, you might want to come look at Parker!"

Then in walked Zach with Parker and he proceeded to tell me this story...

"Well, the neighbor across the street called out to me to come take a look at my little brother.  She was laughing pretty hard.  So, I walked to the front yard and there he was...standing next to the leaf pile (the kids had just gotten done playing in it) without any pants on holding on to his _____ (fill in the blank)!"

Trying not to laugh too hard, I said, "Parker, why were you out here without your pants on?  What were you doing?!"

"I needed to go potty, so I went pee pee in the leaves."

Like - what's the big deal, Mom?!  Now, you will need to know that our house sits in front of a 3-way intersection.  So when people drive into our neighborhood, ours is the house they see.  So...this is the view they got of our house that day!  My little 2 year old without his pants on, peeing in the leaves!  Oh...and then standing there just watching cars drive by!  So naughty, but so funny. 

You see, Chris was working in the garage and I was working in the house.  Both of us thought the kids were still out jumping in the leaves.  But Chloe had come inside to do some "leaf rubbing" (with crayons) and Zach was busy working on something outside.  So there is my little dude...giving all the neighbors a show! 

So I asked Zach, "So, did the neighbor call out your name?  I didn't know she knew it." (we don't know many of our neighbors yet)

"No, while she was laughing, she just called over to me.  I am glad she doesn't know my name!  How embarrasing!  My little brother is out peeing in the front yard and standing there half naked!"

I then got to remind Zach of times when he too peed outside as a little boy. 

As you may have guessed, that leaf pile is no longer suitable for jumping and playing in.  We are waiting for a fresh batch of leaves to fall for a new jumping pile!

I love them!!!

Seriously...I am so blessed!  What a wonderful job I have!  I couldn't have asked for more beautiful kids!  I am grateful I am able to stay home with them.  It has been hitting me more and more lately how quickly they are growing up and it just makes me get all choked up!  Time is going too fast and they won't slow down!  Each of my children have such unique talents and personalities.  I am thankful for all they teach me.  I am most especially grateful for their other sister watching down on them from heaven.  What a beautiful picture that will be someday to see all 5 of my children together.  For now, I will just imagine it and be grateful that I can have these 4 little people here to squish and smooch everyday!

Hooray!!!

This cool dude has an announcement....

I made the A/B Honor Roll!!!  I have worked very hard and diligently on my assignments and tests and am very proud of myself!

(And might I add, he only has 1 B and it is just barely a B too!  After doing good on a few more assignments and tests...he plans to make it an A!  YAY ZACH!!! Dad and I are VERY proud of you, Zach!)

Buddies...

Chloe and Parker are so adorable to watch interact and play together.  It absolutely makes my heart sing to see the love they have for each other.  I love to sit and watch them play with their "invisible fake friends" and love even more to watch them reunite after a long day gone at school.  With arms out-stretched and huge smiles on their face, they run to each other and squeeze.  "Parker!" says Chloe.  "Girlie!!" says Parker.  They love to have pic-a-nics out on the back porch or on the trampoline (yes, we finally got one!!!).  And oftentimes, it is just a little bowl of goldfish that they are sharing, but they pretend it is more. 

They love it when I make up a story before bed.  I usually ask them what they want to hear about, and it usually is some sort of animal.  Their favorite is the "squiggle fish" and their adventures in the ocean!  I try to put in some kind of hidden lesson into the story, hoping that someday, they will be able to use the lesson they heard and it will help them in whatever they are faced with.  They are simple lessons, such as being nice to others, sharing, being happy, etc.  They seem to remember these stories so much more than when I just open up a book.  And it's fun for me to get to make up stuff and pretend with them!  They will often chime in and help me make up the story too. 

I hope that these two sweet little people will always have a strong bond and friendship.  I hope that they will always be there for each other and that they will find ways to encourage and support each other (along with their other siblings, of course).  I am so grateful that they are mine and that I can watch them grow up and learn new things.  I am so grateful to be their mom!

(Parker calls this his "nice" smile.  I LOVE it!!  I just want to squish him and kiss his chubby cheeks every time he does it!!)

I'm pretty sure....

...that it has been WAY too long since I have posted anything!  I have good reason though...at least in my mind.  I am sure my sister disagrees...right, Amy?!  Unpacking, putting away, cleaning, organizing, and taking care of my 4 cute kids and handsome hubby has taken precidence.  But I feel bad that I haven't been posting pictures of my darling kids, especially Dallin, who is now 5 1/2 months old!  What a crazy time it has been since he has been born!  We've moved twice, bought a house, started 2 new schools and one new job, a new ward and new callings...just a lot of changes!  I can't say I have handled them all with ease, either! 

I am going to try to post often for the next bit, though.  I was going to say everyday...but I don't want to say that and then not deliver!  So...I will post....often!  Here is a picture of my darling kids right after bathtime to hold you over (that's if anyone is actually reading this!). And yes, my little boys are in matching jammies!  I have always wanted twins, but never got them....so I decided that my little boys will occasionally get to dress the same while they are still young enough not to care!  It's fun for me - and for now, it's fun for them!! (even though they look nothing alike!)

Did you know...

I miss her...

everyday.

Look at this!!!

My darling Dallin rolled over all by himself this morning!!

I laid him on his play mat and went into the kitchen to make breakfast for the kids.  When I heard him squawking weird, I came in to check on him.  This is what I found!  He had his arm stuck for a little bit, but then managed to pull it out and look around.  What a stud!!!  (he will be 4 months old on the 17th!)

First Days of School - 2011

How in the world did I get old enough to have a son in Middle school?!! Really?! I'm still pinching myself that this really is reality! My Zach-o started 6th grade this year and is really enjoying it so far. He likes being able to switch to different teachers and be up and moving around to different rooms. He was not too nervous about starting at a new school...because hey...he's been there - done that - plenty of times!

I had to take him something that he forgot right after school started on the first day. I was glad to see him and ask him if the first hour of school had gone okay. I was somewhat comforted when he told me yes, it was all fine. Only somewhat comforted because I was more nervous for him than he was for himself. I never had to experience being the new kid at a school and it always has made me SO nervous every time he starts somewhere new. I left and sent Chris a text saying how I just wanted to hold his hand to class and go introduce him to all the nice kids and tell them to be nice to him and help him make good choices and to be his friend - especially lunch time. That was always the most awkward time for me...finding someone to sit with! But my happy, social Zach has done lovely and has been working hard already on his assignments and friend making and girl flirting!

And another amazing-to-me reality is that my little girlie is a big, full-fledged Kindergartener!! Wasn't she just a little squishy, curly-haired baby?!! Seriously! I thought I would loose it after dropping her off, but Parker did it for me! He had gotten up super early that morning which added to his breakdown, but the fact that his favorite play buddy had just left for the day, was just not ok with him!! He had lots of tears that morning! Chloe on the other hand, was all smiles and excitement! I just LOVE how much excitement this tiny little person can have!

She was a little nervous the first and second day to let me leave. She had to keep running back out in the hall for "just one more hug and kiss!" So after lots and lots, she took her teacher's hand and walked bravely into her class. Then we had to talk all weekend about how brave she would be when she jumps out of the car and walks into school all by herself!! The confidence she had after doing that was just so fun to watch! She is such a happy little girl and I just love it!! I am so grateful that she is mine. Even though I miss her, I am really enjoying watching her grow and experience new things!

Summer 2011 in pictures...continued...

Continued from this post...

July 2011

Chris's parents and youngest brother, Brian, came out for a visit and for Dallin's baby blessing.

Here we are waiting for the ferry to take us out to Peak's Island for the day!  Lots of pictures!!

After being on the island all day and soaking in the beauty all around us, we headed over to show them the lighthouse.

My super good baby just enjoying the day outdoors.

Dallin's blessing was on July 3rd.  He was so darling and fit into Zach's blessing outfit!

Swimming in the neighborhood pool!

Um...she's pretty cute!

So is he...

So is he...

So is he...

Lots of time in the sprinklers on HOT days!!

LOTS of time spent walking to and from friends houses

Summer beach days!!!

...and a mom that needs lessons on applying sunscreen! Maybe i need to not be in such a hurry! Poor little guy was in lots of pain!

Our last beach day in Maine before we moved!

Zach's moving away pool party with all his neighborhood friends!  He was SO lucky to have a bunch of great friends in the neighborhood.  They got to swim and play and eat pizza and snacks...all while the younger kids were at a friend's house and the movers were busy packing up our house!

Our summer has felt very short and VERY busy!  But at least we were able to get some fun activities in while it lasted!