Esther Unplugged

Esther found one of her toys utterly hysterical this morning. Just had to get a picture of that face! Here she is . . . in mid-laugh!

Diaper Cake and a Shower

The sisters in my ward threw me a Baby Shower for Esther. It was great. Esther received tons of diapers, wipes, clothes, and even a diaper cake. That was Shae's favorite (I loved it too)!

Fairy Tale Ball

The Kindergarten classes at Shae's school celebrated the Fairy Tale Ball last week. All of the kindergarten children came dressed to the nines and prepared to dance! Yes, they were all taught how to do ballroom dancing and were told that they must dance with everyone. Shae thought this somewhat antiquated, but determined that princesses must dance with everyone as they are in charge of their kingdoms. What a politician!


Here she is with some of her classmates . . .

The Royal Castle -- all decked out!

Note: On the way into school that morning Shae noticed lots of girls in their princess costumes (i.e. Halloween costumes of Snow White, Cinderella, etc.). Shae took one look at them and looked at Dad and said, "I look so much better than they do." Our daughter, the fairest of them all. And most humble too!

HOORAY!

Esther says, "Hooray! Thanks Aunt Missy for the cute clothes!" She wants you all to know she will be modeling them soon. Stay tuned . . .

The Mighty Hunter

Thanks to our awesome friend Van, Bryton had a chance to go duck hunting. He and Van caught two wood ducks (they are beautiful). Bryton learned how to stay low, how to keep an excited hunting dog calm and the joys of the hunt. Gotta love it!

He got one! (Technically Van shot it as Bryton does not have a hunting license)

As a Vet Student, Van is always willing to teach Bryton about the innards of animals and how to do the proper "dissection." I find this both gross and fascinating (as does my son).

Here's Bryton, after he plucked the duck and is getting ready to cut the meat. He and Van will share some duck steaks in the days to come. Thanks Van! You rock!

A Happy Morning

Sometimes mornings are just like this aren't they? Especially when you have eggs for breakfast. YUM! The kids were amazed by how these eggs just jumped out of their shells. Thought you had to see for yourself! Happy mornings to you all.

An "E" Update

Our little Esther is 6 weeks old. Can you believe it? To be so little and to have a life like a soap opera. Although I cannot get into all of the details . . . it turns out that the judge has ordered that she can stay with us for six months. There are many other details which makes her case more interesting, so call us if you want to know. Otherwise, just know that Esther will be with us for six months (it looks like we will not be having visits with birth mom, but that could change) and we now have a father in the mix (or at least he thinks he is the father . . .). My Mom said I should write a book about this one. I am seriously considering it. Maybe that will help me get tenure. . .

Thanks again for all your prayers. Please keep them coming!!