Joy

This was the scripture on the front of the program today at church; I think it's my new favorite:
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
3 John 1:4

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

As I have been compiling some of my favorite pictures from the fabulous Memorial Day Weekend this year, I was tempted to just defer you all to my sister's blogs where they were much more prompt in the postings of this fun event. But I decided to be diligent and share with you some of my favorites.

As a I previously posted, Addi was blessed on Sunday, May 24th. It was the Sunday in the middle of Memorial Day Weekend this year. We planned it specifically for this particular Sabbath so that it would be easier for the family that decided to travel to be here. And to our delight, my parents and all my siblings made the journey! I couldn't blame them . . . who wouldn't want to spend such a weekend in Oregon? : )

Let me get on now with sharing with you some of the highlights.

Here are the three youngest McCracken grandchildren. From left to right: Ryker Thornton, Addi Winter, and Natalie Colton (from top to bottom: Natalie, Ryker, Addi)

On Saturday, we packed up the vehicles and journeyed to Silver Creek Falls. It was a beautiful day for a hike. And to add to the festivities, my youngest sister (Christine, a.k.a. Tino) and I prepared a surprise for everyone. We stayed up late one night the previous week to make tye-dyed T-shirts for everyone. Yep, that's right, we were all decked out in tye-dye, even the babies! Tye-dyed onesies are the cutest!

Grandpa and Ella enjoyed a game of frisbee. It was all smiles until Ella got bonked on the head (as you can see in the lower right). I guess that's what happens when you try to catch the frisbee with your eyes closed.

After the blessing on Sunday, we headed home for a nice lunch and then headed out again. This time we traveled to the beach. Everyone had a great time splashing in the waves. Ella particularly enjoyed digging for buried treasure. Aarrgghhhh maties!

Monday was filled with more adventures. The Oregon Zoo, the Portland Rose Gardens, and Woodburn Factory Outlets.

I hope you have enjoyed sharing in this fun time of ours. I am so blessed to have such a supportive family, and I look forward to making many more wonderful memories as my beautiful family grows.

Blessing Day

Sunday, May 24, Landon blessed Addi in our ward. It was an absolutely beautiful Spring day for that special event.

My Growing Heart

My baby girl is growing! I got to celebrate Mother's Day with my family and Addi turned 2 months old that day! She is such a delight and full of joy. These smiles frequently grace her face. Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's in our lives.

The House of the Lord

This past week, Landon attended the temple with the youth in our ward. When the baptismal session was done, he called home to talk to Ella before she went to bed. She was so happy to talk to her Dad and asked him about his day. When Landon told her that he was at the temple and wouldn't be home until after she went to sleep she exuberantly asked him, "Did you see Jesus?!"

"Stay in Neverland many moons . . . "

Having another little-one in the house has caused me to reflect upon my older child. It has been an absolute joy watching Ella grow up, and Addi is bringing the same joy to our home. But why do our children have to grow up so fast! Addi is really growing and I finally took out some of Ella's paperwork to compare their growth, and yes, Addi is ahead of the curve. : )
Having all of Ella's stuff out caused me to reminisce about all of her milestones and to reflect upon how easy each transition has been . . . except for one. Allow me to elaborate.
Nursing Ella was a breeze. She was born with quite the appetite and also the skill to get the job done. So, she remained in her bassinet in our room until she was 6 months old. At that point Landon had to gently tell me that it was time she moved into her crib. Because she was such a good eater, and silent sleeper, I enjoyed having her close. When I finally caved to the need to transition her into her own room and her crib, it was I that had the difficult time, not Ella. Then again, at 10 months, when it was time to cut out her one and only night-time feeding, it took only two nights to make that transition and she was sleeping a solid 11-12 hours at night. Once again, I think it was more difficult on me than Ella.
Transitioning to solid foods was also a breeze. She literally lapped up anything I gave her. Some of her first favorites were black beans and vegetables (pretty much all of them). To this day, she prefers to have a loaded salad over a hamburger and french fries.
At the the age of 2 1/2, Ella transitioned from a crib to a toddlers bed. I lined the floor next to her bed with several soft blankets in anticipation of the inevitable roll out, but it didn't come. She had no problem at all with her new sleeping arrangements. She also didn't take advantage of the new "freedom." I had feared that she would hop out of bed the moment we turned our backs after tucking her in for the night; she never did.
Just before her 3rd birthday she has transitioned out of diapers (you may recall my post on potty training). Once she was ready, the transition was done. One day she was wearing diapers, then next day she was wearing big-girl panties. She doesn't even have accidents in her pull-ups at night!
Most recently, she transitioned to the roll of big sister. She has been a very caring and attentive big sister. She is very helpful when Addi is "calling for help." It is often that I find Addi snuggled up with her binky and then Ella's blanket and teddybear. When I ask Ella about it she tells me it's because Addi was sad. "When I'm sad my num-num, teadybear and blanket makes me feel better." . . . What a good sister to give her little sister what comforts her.
This brings me to the final transition; the one that has yet to happen. Just before Ella's 2nd birthday, her binkies started cracking. And you may recall that my daughter not only slept with one binky but with three! But as each began to crack, we would have Ella throw it away. She didn't even seem to notice the loss. It was fabulous! But let me just say that we have been down to one binky for over a year! This thing is indestructible! And if you ask Ella, she will tell you that she "NEEDS" it. I have decided that because all of her other transitions were so seamless, this is to be my nemesis. As much as I would love to have my children stay little, this has got to stop!

Expressions

Ella continues to grow in her independence.

Today when she dressed herself she evidently had a theme in mind . . .