Bryant's Baptism

Better late than never, right? And, I mean getting this posted, not Bryant getting baptized.
We had such a great day for Bry's baptism. So many friends and family were able to come and we really enjoyed a sweet program, a great baptism, and a nice afternoon with everyone at a fun woodland area near our home.
We are so proud of Bryant. It is obvious he is a spirit eager to do what's right and to learn. We love him so much and are anxious to see how he impacts the world with his stong personality and giant spirit.

My Grandpa, My Friend

My Grandpa, Wright Capener Hanks, passed away on Monday, May 24, 2010. He was 91 years old.
My Grandpa was such a great man and left a huge legacy in his family. He and my Grandma had 4 daughters, 19 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren (with more on the way). My Emma is named after his mom. Everyone of his children and grandchildren that are married have been married in the temple and are active in the church. All of his grandsons and two of his granddaughters have served missions.
My Grandpa was such a good person. I am sure I have never once heard him talk badly of anyone. He is a great source of strength to all of us and definately was a great example of how to live a good, righteous life. I am so grateful that he is now reunited with my grandma (after 16 years) and his parents and others. However, for me he will truly be missed...for now!
Love you Grandpa!

The Mud Incident

I finally got a picture so I could document this great story.
It was about a month ago and we were up in Idaho for a short visit. It was the middle of April so it was still a little chilly and wet outside.
The kids were all happy to be outside playing at my mom and dad's house. Nick was at his sister's house working on fixing their computer. My sisters (Diana and Kara) were both at my parent's house too. We were checking on the kids about every 10 minutes or so.
Well, on one of my checks of the kids, this is what I found...



It looks innocent enough, I know. In fact, I was checking on them and almost went back to what I was doing thinking they were okay. Luckily I stayed and watched for a minute. A funny thing happened.... nothing. They didn't move one bit. I watched a little longer.... nothing. My curiosity was peaked now. Then, the tears came and the loud cries for help quickly followed. Then, I realized - they were absolutely stuck in the mud.
Like a good mom, I ran out to help them only to stop at the edge of the mud not wanting to get dirty or stuck. So, I was about 20 feet away and they were in tears and couldn't move one bit! I wasn't quite sure what to do - although thoughts of getting someone else to go after them did go through my mind.
Finally, I decided that the only way they were coming out of the mud was if I went in after them and got them out. So, I handed off the baby and took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pantlegs, and in I went. They were so stuck that it took quite a lot to get them out.



Finally, after much pulling, out they popped - without their shoes. The shoes had to be fished out afterward. The mud was quick to get cold - very cold. My toes were freezing. There was no way that I was using the hose outside to wash off. So, it was into my mom's poor bathtub for all three of us.
It took a while, but we got clean, the girls got a good bath, my feet were soft and smooth (what a great mud bath).
The takeaway - now everytime we go anywhere with dirt of any kind, one of the girls will say to me - "We don't go in the mud, Mom." So, at least we learned something!!
And, just so we are clear... we love dirt and digging and mud and usually don't mind the outside messes. However, it was so cold (notice the snow in the background), and Nick was gone (not a good combination).

Maggie's First Bite of Food

We started Maggie on solids!
She did great.
It is always fun to get to these milestones!

Mother's Day 2010

What a great day Mother's Day is! We even got an added bonus at our house when the bishop called the night before and cancelled all of Nick's meetings for Sunday. So, I got help getting everyone ready for church. It was great!
I decided that I don't have very many pictures of me with the kids, so our new tradition is to take a picture of me with each of the kids individually as well as one of all of us together every Mother's Day. So, at least once a year there will be evidence that I am the mother. Of course, since I wear a dress once a week - and usually only for 3 hours - I had already changed into my comfy Sunday clothes!!
I was also lucky enough to get these beautiful flowers!!
Happy Mother's Day!!

Maggie

Maggie is already 5 months old. I think that most of the time I am so grateful to know that she is the last baby coming to our family. Maybe because most of the time I am sooooo tired and lose patience too quickly.
However, there are those moments that I find myself holding her just a little longer, cuddling her just a little closer, kissing her just a few more times, listening to her coo and giggle with coos and giggles of my own, and watching her just a little more intently because I know this is it.
She is such a perfect addition to our family - I just love her!!

Hats, hats, and more hats!!

I am starting a new adventure. I have been busy making these cute hats. I am doing my first craft show with them this weekend. So, as part of the display I took some pictures of the girls with them on. I have still to take some of Abby with some on - she was playing with her cousins when I took these pictures.
I am hopeful that they will sell well. It has been fun making them, so the most I lose is a few dollars of yarn and some time! My kids love wearing them and they are so stinkin' cute (the girls and the hats)!
Wish me luck!!

Easter!!

Easter at our house is always fun!
We do our Easter Bunny festivities on Saturday.
We had fun doing our egg coloring.
We took some before pictures...

Look at how nice, neat, and clean the table looks!


Emma
Grayce (Yes, that is a wisk in Grayce's and Emma's hands. We gave them to Grayce and Emma and they put their eggs inside and then dunked the whole wisk into the dye. A much cleaner, easier experience for the young ones! Thank you Rachael Ray for the great idea!)
Tyler
Braynt
Abby
(Maggie was safely sleeping in the other room)

The finished product..


Then, there were the pictures post-egg hunt. The kids each had their own color of eggs to ensure equality and fairness for all (an important part of life in the Ball home).


Of course, the next morning was also full of fun Easter gifts...






There was also much enjoying of the yummy treats! It was such fun for all of us.

Nursery Concert

After Abby, Bryant, and Tyler sang the song they were asked to do in sacrament meeting a couple of weeks ago for the camera, Grayce and Emma wanted to be part of the festivities. So, we eagerly recorded them singing some of their favorite songs from nursery. I know I am their mom - but they are so stinkin' cute when they sing. And, they love it so much!!

The Sing Along

Our older three were asked to sing in church last Sunday. They were asked to sing "Beautiful Savior" from the Primary Songbook. They did an absolutely amazing job!! We were so proud of them. It was such a beautiful song too - and perfect for the Easter Season! Anyway, we thought we would share.

!

Knowledge Bowl

Abby and Bryant both participated in the Knowledge Bowl. They were on the same team this year where the 3rd and 4th graders combine. The topic this year is Geography. They have studied and studied for the last 4 months. They know so much - much more than I do! It has been so fun to see them learn and study together. They would quiz each other at the dinner table and at night before bed. They really knew their stuff!
Saturday was their competition. There were 3 teams from their school. Abby and Bryant's team won 2 games and lost 2 games. The top 10 teams get medals. The points go by the scores of their games, not the win/loss record. So, we are still patiently awaiting the results.
It was a proud moment for Nick and I to watch them buzz in and answer questions that we knew they had studied. We are so happy with them. The hard work they put in really showed!
Next year the topic is history!!
GREAT JOB ABBY AND BRY!!
The first picture is of their team. The second picture is of all of the teams from their school.

Sunday Movie Night

We have a family tradition at our house. It started when Nick, Abby (our only child at the time), and I flew to Arizona to check out the possibilities of Nick attending the school there to get his PhD. While we were there, we visited my cousin, Rob, and his family. It was a Sunday night and after we ate dinner together, they set their kids up with the Disney movie that came on TV each Sunday at the time. So, when our kids got old enough, we decided to do something similar. So, now, every Sunday night we have what we call "Sunday Movie Night" at our house. Sometimes we rent a movie on Saturday night to watch, sometimes we watch one we like that we already have, sometimes Nick and I share movies we liked growing up, and sometimes we watch ones we record when they come on TV (thank-you DVR). It has been a lot of fun. The kids are always anxious to see what Nick and I choose for Sunday Movie Night. We even have a tradition within a tradition that starts in November - each week a new Christmas movie - until Christmas!
So, each Sunday night we all gather round the TV and watch a fun movie together. Sometimes it is accompanied by a treat, sometimes not. But, no matter what, it is a lot of fun together.
Last week, the kids were so into the movie - I think we watched Monsters vs Aliens - we had to take some pictures!

Ring Around the Rosie... Grayce and Emma Style

It all looks innocent enough.
Grayce and Emma love to play together and often come up with fun games all on their own. This is one of the all-time favorites. We aren't quite sure if it is because of the catchy rhyme, the fast paced movement, the flinging of a sibling around in dizzy circles, or maybe it's the abrupt throwing of your body onto the floor that has now become a blur. Whatever the reason, the joy found in this simple game is evident by the complete joy on their faces. And so the story unfolds...
Two very cute, very creative girls decide to play the ever-popular "Ring Around the Rosie" to pass the time together.

Ring around the rosie,

pocket full of posie.

Ashes,

ashes,

we all fall down!!

Of couse a hug

and a kiss just to make sure we are still friends after such a great game!

Artists Hard at Work

Grayce and Emma have really been loving drawing and coloring lately. They often get very serious about what and how they are drawing. It is fun to watch them and even rekindles the supressed artist in me to sit and color/draw with them. As you can see by their pieces of work - there is a lot of young talent in our home!!