Channing turned 5!!

Channing Ava Hartzheim turned 5 on April 23, 2016. She was very excited about her big day. She woke up and we had our yummy donuts and we got to spend the day as a family celebrating our little "orange head". She wanted to paint her nails so she could be all ready for the day!

After her nails were ready she went on a date to lunch with her dad. They got lunch and some balloons for her party. We went to Cavin's soccer game after naps and then grandma and grandpa came over with Aunt Natalie, and Aunt Chira and her cousins to have a BBQ with Channing.

Channing wanted "real" earrings, but we aren't ready to pierce her ears. She was pretty excited about her magnetic ones she got ;)

This was her second favorite present. A princess learning laptop. She got many cute presents and was excited.

After presents we sang Happy Birthday and blew out the candles and then they went back out to the trampoline!

She loves the show "Sophia the First", so for the second year we did a Sophia themed party, but this year I attempted to make a Sophia dress cupcake cake. She loved it and that's all that matters. Haha!

Channing is a very logical, matter of fact child. Things have to make sense to her. She is however, very very girly which is new for this mama! Ella and I are much more tame when it comes to being girly, but she is going to go all out for us! She is constantly wearing high heels and wanting to go everywhere in them. She always needs a purse, and jewelry, and she just loves to wear dresses. Some of her favorite things are:
Favorite Foods: Goldfish, Chicken Nuggets, and String Cheese.
Favorite Color: Yellow, then blue, then purple ;)
Favorite Movie: Home
Favorite Treat: Gummy Bears and Popsicles
Favorite Activity: Playing Games
Height: 3'6
Weight: 42 lbs

She has three blankets she sleeps with at night. One that matched her bedding when she was a baby that's pink with a tulip on it, one polka dotted one that has a hole in the top that she puts her legs in, and an Elsa blanket. She sure loves to sleep with them. She sure has a lot of personality and is ALWAYS singing. When she responds to you, it's in song, when she goes to the bathroom, cleans, or plays, always singing. We sure love her and the girl she is growing up to be!

Cavin's Baptism

April 16, 2016 Cavin Ragnar Hartzheim chose to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a special day for him and our family and we are proud of the decision he made. 
We woke up early and he went to play a soccer game as his Grandparents were in town and he really wanted to see him play. He did well and came home and we headed over to the chapel.

These were the couple photos we used on the display table..

Here he is with his father about to be baptized.

I love this picture of the two of them walking hand in hand together.

 Our family before he is baptized.

 Cavin with his Oma and Opa Hartzheim

Sometimes it is hard to wait, but my parents and Ragnar's parents were wonderful with helping with Deacon.

Cavin was baptized and confirmed by his father. His Uncle Chris gave a wonderful talk on baptism and his Opa Hartzheim did a sweet job of giving a talk on the Holy Ghost. Both talked referred to sports as Cavin lives and breathes sports. Daphne helped translate Hellmut's talk from German to English and it was a very sweet moment for our family. It was great to have their grandfather there with his only two name sake grandsons.

Channing and Ella were so brave as to prepare a special musical number "The Miracle" to sing. It was beautifully sung, and I was so proud of them for being willing, brave, and confident up there singing.

He is washed clean and a baptized member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I am so grateful for Ragnar and that he holds the priesthood keys and was able to baptize our son.

We have a wonderfully supportive family.

Aunt Daphne gave a great prayer and we were so glad she could make it.

My parents are always such an amazing support for us here and I am grateful they could make it.

We were also lucky to have Ragnar's Aunt Brigette and Uncle Kent come from Dallas to join us. It was very kind of them!

These are some wonderful men and outstanding examples of who I hope Cavin will emulate.

We also had my brothers family there and we are so glad they live close. My kids love love love being with them. (We didn't communicate the pictures at the church well and Cavin was already out of his clothes by the time we got a photo with them)

We had a little family gathering at the home afterward and had a little party!

We are so grateful for Cavin and the boy he is becoming! He is such a special kid and we sure love him so much!

While the Hartzheim's were here we also got to do some other fun things together like go on walks and play lots of Legos! They spent hours putting them together with the kids. They also made cute little lamps out of napkins. We only had them for a short 4 days, but they sure had an impression on Deacon. He has not stopped saying Opa and Oma over and over since they left.

Bluebonnets 2016

We love to see the bluebonnets in Texas each year. I love getting a picture with each of the kids as it is 3 of their birthdays around the time of the bluebonnet season and I get to compare each year how much they have grown. This year we were a little late in the season, but there were still a few left. We didn't get as many good pictures, but here are this years shots.

 Our beautiful Ella!

Can't believe she will be 10 in a couple weeks!

 Cavin had a suit on because he was taking part of his baptism pictures.

So handsome!

Channing was not interested in pictures but we got a few!

She has so much personality, and is rarely quiet, but we sure love her!

Our blue eyed baby Deacon!

He is so adorable. He was not easy to keep in one place. At one point while I was taking another child's photo, he came sprinting down the hill. He has a nice roll to finish it off..good thing he's tough!

And finally..

This is the best shot we got :/ Not the best, but the sun was shining and we at least documented another year in the beautiful Texas flowers.

Cavin is EIGHT!

Cavin turned 8 years on April 12, 2016 and hit a big birthday at our home. He was so excited to be turning 8. He loves birthdays and we were so glad we got to celebrate him. 

We started the day off with donuts! Our birthday tradition!

Then of course he had to catch a little sports center before school started ;)

He went to school and his grandpa and grandma Speers came to have lunch with him. He was glad they were there. They brought him McDonalds and icecream.

When he got home we ate his favorite meal, taquitos for dinner and opened presents. He got a trampoline basketball hoop we put together!

Practicing his fall away shot!

Per his request we bought him a red velvet bundt cake which was delicious!

It was a simple day as we are saving most of our celebration for his baptism celebration this weekend, but I hope he had fun! 
Here are some tips about Cavin:
He weighs: 78 lbs
He is 55 inches tall
His favorite color is green
His favorite foods are: ritz cheese crackers, macaroni and cheese, chicken sandwhiches, and jello with whip cream!
His favorite thing is still numbers and his favorite present was his watch which he doesn't ever want to take off.
He loves soccer still and plays as much as he can, but also loves to watch the Rockets play basketball. Whenever a game is on, he has a very difficult time sleeping.
He is a great student. He is especially good in math. He has a very strong, silent type personality. He is often expressionless, but he smirks when he is happy. He loves minecraft, clash of clans, and mario brothers.  
He is an amazing big brother, especially to his little brother. We sure love having him be a part of our home!

Easter Weekend

This past weekend we had the pleasure of having Ragnar's sister come join us for her Spring Break and Easter. We always enjoy having her and we get to try new things when she's around! Thursday she did some testing on the kids and we played and then Ragnar and her went to see a movie. On Friday we went to Angel park with their cousins to play. It was a beautiful day!

We had a nice visit and the kids enjoyed running around the playground!

For dinner that evening, Daphne wanted to make pigs in a blanket! Not just any pigs, but real looking pigs in a blanket. 

 She knows I love pigs and thought it would be fun to try!

Aren't these pig bums so cute!

Didn't they turn out so cute!! The kids loved eating them and even Channing had seconds, which does not happen! 

Saturday morning I went to run club and then I came back and we all did a workout video together minus Ragnar who opted to go running. We love to exercise! It makes a heart happy!

After exercising we went down and dyed Easter Eggs. Note for next year.. must have vinegar. Good thing a store was close! 

In the afternoon, Daphne took me to Painting with A Twist. She had bought me a session for my birthday and I had always wanted to try it! The first stroke was the hardest. As the time went on I got more and more comfortable, it was a lot of fun! Not a bad job for the first time!

When we got back we watched the Germany vs. England soccer game. This boy is always so happy and I love it! He was enjoying coming in and out of the house as dad was BBQing hamburgers. He loves to be outside.

This was a picture at the soccer fields earlier this week and since we don't see many pictures of Ragnar I had to include him and his mini me! That evening the girls watched the General Women's Broadcast and had icecream.
The next morning was Easter!

I sure love my family and I am so grateful we got to spend Easter together. I am even more grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross so that we could repent, be forgiven of our sins and live with him again. Such an enormous price to pay for each and every one of us. 

After church we had dinner at our house with my brother Chris' family and my sister Natalie and parents. Then we had a small Easter egg hunt for the kids!

Chris and Crew waiting for the festivities to end!

These cute cousins love each other and I am so glad they are close enough to hang out more often! We had a wonderful weekend and every time Daphne comes we get to try new things. I am grateful for her desire to push us and help us develop new talents!