2

I honestly don't think that I could love Gwen any more than I do. She may be a tough little cookie sometimes and stubborn as all get out, but I love her to pieces and can not imagine life without that little spitfire. She definitely has every single one of us wrapped around her tiny finger, even Stella gives in to her all the time and will let her wear her bracelet or share her treat with her. I think my most favorite thing in all the world right now, is to hug my little Gwenny. She gives the longest, tightest hugs and I cherish every single one of them. I love how she wraps her arms and legs around me and lays her sweet head on my shoulder. I never want to let go. It melts my heart. I just love her. Some of her favorites at 2 include pizza, oatmeal, yogurt, The Grinch, Prancer, ET and Harry and the Hendersons. In fact, she was very intently watching Harry the other day when I sprayed windex on the TV and she wagged her finger at me and yelled, "Don't do that mom, okay?". She loves books, especially brown bear and polar bear. She loves having her nails painted, lining up her horses "eeez", and drawing "bees" (making little tiny scribbles on paper). She also loves the music to the movie Frozen and she tries to sing 'Let it go'. She's a pretty good dancer too. Bo can get her to say just about anything if he bribes her with something. He usually starts out asking her to say "Bo, Hubba, and toot toot". She thinks every little piece of lint or crumb she spots is a "bee" and doesn't want it near her. I love that she calls horses "eeez", monkeys "ooo ooos", birds "tweet tweets", cows "moos", and cats "meows". She is pure joy and I love every square inch of her. Happy birthday Gwen! I'm so glad you came to us!!!

mason turns 14

An interview with Mason at 14... Q. How big are you? A. 53 ½ inches and 114 lbs. Q. What’s your favorite book? A. The Maze runner series. Q. What’s your favorite song? A. Dark horse by Katy Perry. Q. Your favorite Teacher? A. Mr. Garbini. Q. What’s your favorite activity? A. Skiing. Q. Favorite food? A. Crab. Q. Favorite dessert? A. Cheesecake. Q. Favorite movie. A. The Grinch. Q. What’s your happiest memory? A. Living at Nan and Grandad’s house when I was little. Q. What’s your worst memory? A. Having horrible nightmares when I was little sleeping in the king size bed alone. Q. One word to describe you would be_? A. Smart. Q. If you could be an animal, what would you be and why? A. An Eagle so I could fly and wouldn’t have to worry about predators. Q. What do think you’ll be doing 10 years from now? A. Going to Medical school. Q. What do you want to do when you grow up? A. Be a surgeon. Q. What brings you the most joy right now? A. Christmastime. Q. Name someone you look up to and would like to be like when you’re older? A. Pop, but there are some things I don’t like about Pop. Q. What advice would you give your parents to help them be better parents? A. Um, there’s not much. Mom could be more patient and Pop could be more understanding. Q. What is something you will definitely do differently than your parents, when raising your own kids? A. Actually do fun things like boating. Q. What are some qualities and characteristics you want your future wife to have? A. I want her to be joyful, respectful, loyal, honest, have a good body, be good looking, and be a good listener. Q. What do you hope to improve on before you turn 15? A. Be nicer and a better listener. Love this kid. I can't believe I've only got 4 1/2 years left with him at home. That's gonna go by way way too fast :(

stella at 4

This is a only 5 months late... Stella’s 4 year interview Q. What is your favorite food? A. Pepperoni pizza. Q. Least favorite food? A. Omelets. Q. What’s your favorite song? A. Call me maybe. Q. What’s your favorite movie? A. Charlie and the chocolate factory and Lion king. Q. What’s your favorite color? A. Purple, pink, blue and raspberry. Q. Favorite animal? A. Horse. Q. What makes you happy? A. When people play with me. Q. What makes you sad? A. When people hit me like Crew and Josie. Q. What’s your favorite thing to do? A. Go swimming when it’s hot. Q. What are you good at? A. Swimming, balancing and coloring. Q. What makes you laugh? A. When people say funny stuff. Q. How old do you think I am (Mama)? A. 13. Q. How old is Papa? A. 13. Q. What do you want to do when you get big? A. 1st I want to by a doctor, then a dentist, then I want to have a ranch with horses and then be a mom. Q. Who do you think you’re going to marry? A. Justin Beava (Bieber) and my name will be Stella Beava. Josie will say, “Who are you?” and I will say, “I’m Stella Beava.” And we will go to Ty and Crew’s house and he will say, “Hi guys, this is my wife, Stella Beava.” Q. How many kids do you want to have? A. 13. I’ll name them Lucky, Charlee, Shayla, Hamus, and Gwen. (Then Lily told her that 13 is too many and that we only have 5 and it’s hard for Mama to take care of just 5. Lily said she wants 4. Q. What are some of your nicknames? A. Stella bella boo, Jewy (Bo calls her that since she used to call juice jewy), the white lion (because of her hair) and CMG (which stands for chocolate milk girl). Q. If you could have any wish, what would it be? A. To have a chocolate factory. Q. What’s your best memory? A. Swimming. Q. If you could change your name to anything, what would it be? A. Love Power. Q. When you feel sad, what makes you feel better? A. Lily and Mason and Gwen and you. Q. What about Bo? A. No. He’s mean to me. Q. Who is your best friend? A. Josie. (Stella weighs 30 lbs and is 41 inches tall)

Bo turns 11

Bo’s 11 year interview Q. How much do you weigh and how tall are you? A. 84 lbs and 4 feet 11 ½ inches. Q. Who’s your teacher and what’s your favorite subject? A. Mr. Stern and history. Q. Do you have a crush on anyone? A. No I don’t. (Alexis Fisher) Q. Does anyone have a crush on you? A. I’m sure. Q. What’s your favorite restaurant? A. IHOP. Q. Who is your best friend? A. Caleb Fong. Q. What’s your favorite movie and TV show? A. North and South, and all war movies and Pawn stars. Q. Where do you want to go on your mission? A. Russia. Q. If you had to choose an animal to be, what would you choose? A. Tiger. Q. If you could spend the day with anyone living or dead, who would it be and why? A. Hitler. I’d ask him why. Q. What’s your favorite memory? A. Our trip to Oregon. Q. What’s your favorite article of clothing? A. My Vans. Q. What’s your favorite dessert? A. Coconut or banana cream pie. Q. If you won a million dollars, what would you buy first? A. A new TV (flat wide screen) and new entertainment center.

Our sweet baby girl turns 1

Who gave this little girl permission to turn 1? Not me. Gwen’s 1st year milestones: 1st month Lost umbilical cord - 2 weeks 2nd month Got 1st cold, RSV, ear infections and pneumonia - 5 weeks Started smiling - 6 weeks Out of newborn diapers and into size 1 diapers – 8 weeks 3rd month Rolls from tummy to back – 10 weeks Laughed for the 1st time – 11 weeks Starting to make cooing sounds – 12 weeks Discovered her hands and likes to p lay and examine them – 3 months 4th month Is sleeping much better and seems to be less colicky – 3 1/4 months When I come in to kiss her, Gwen will open her mouth – 3 1/4 months Had 1st bath in the big bathtub – 4 months 5th month Recognizes Mama’s face – 4 1/4 months “Talking” a lot 4 1/4 months Discovered her feet! -4 1/2 months Holds her head up well when we pull her up – 4 1/2 months Usually only gets up once or twice at night to eat now but still sleeps in the swing most of the time – 4 1/2months Is really grabbing at things a lot – 4 3/4 months Is “talking” and squealing so much – 5 months 6th month Only wakes up 1 time during the night –5 1/4 months Acts interested in food when we eat – 5 1/4 months Is very ticklish and will giggle when we tickle her, especially on the shoulders – 5 1/4 months Sooooooo grabby! – 6 months 7th month Ate her 1st food which was brown rice cereal and squash. She like it okay but started getting a little gaggy towards the end – 6 1/2 months Can sit up with a little help – 6 3/4 months Can sit alone pretty well alone – 7 months Is really loving toys – 7 months Very very grabby! – 7 months Stopped taking baths because she was scared of the water (I think it’s because we moved and she was in an unfamiliar bathroom) she now takes showers with Mama – 7 months 8th month Will sometimes sleep in her bed (co-sleeper) until 6 or 7 am then sleep in the swing for a few more hours – 7 1/4 months LOVES Prim! She gets so excited to watch her – 7 1/4 months Eating two meals a day, breakfast and dinner – 7 3/4 months She will keep her body straight to prevent you from sitting her down on her bum – 8 months Rolling over from her back to her tummy – 8 months 9th month Says, “Da…da…da” when she’s happy – 8 1/4 months Scouches backwards – 8 1/2 months Reaches for things when she’s sitting and will maneuver her way to get it – 8 3/4 months Gwen cut her 1st bottom tooth – 9 months Clicks her tongue – 9 months 10th month Can get from laying down to sitting on her own – 9 1/4 months Got 2nd bottom tooth – 9 1/2 months Can drink from a straw – 9 1/2 months Started crawling – 9 1/2 months Cut 1st top tooth – 9 3/4 months Says, “wow” – 9 3/4 months Pulls herself up to standing and sometimes she’ll let go and balance for a few seconds – 10 months 11th month Walks along the furniture 10 1/2 months Claps – 10 3/4 months Points – 11 months 12th month Says, “uh oh” – 11 1/4 months Can climb the stairs – 11 1/2 months Sometimes says, “ho” and pretends to answer the phone – 11 1/2 months Can stand alone well – 11 1/2 months Has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth – 11 1/2 months Still sleeps in the co-sleeper at night and sleeps in the swing for her nap – 12 months Still wears size 2 diapers – 12 months Weighs 15 pounds – 12 months

happy 6th

Lily, we love you with all of our hearts. We're so very very blessed that you became a part of our family 6 years ago. You've brought so much joy and laughter into our home and we can't imagine life without you. You are such a special little girl. And since blogger no longer allows you make paragraphs which is super lame, this is going to be kind of hard to follow, but here we go..... An interview with Lily at 6 years of age given by her mommy. Q. How tall are you and how much do you weigh? A. (After measuring and weighing Miss L) 4' 10 14" and 48 pounds. Q. What is your very favorite food? A. Crepes. Q. Your least favorite food? A. Basgetti. Q. What would you say your favorite memory is? A. Our trip to the Oregon Coast. (They sure loved that trip. We need to take another one to somewhere soon!) Q. What do you think you'd like to be when you grow up? A. A zoopkeeper. Q. If you could have one superpower, what would it be? A. That I could shoot fireballs out of my hands at bad people. (Awesome answer) Q. What is your favorite thing to spend time doing? A. Color, go get candy, and pick out clothes at the mall. Q. Why do you like being a kid? A. Because I like my Mom, Pop and baby sister. Q. What is the thing you like best about each person in your family? A. Mason: He doesn't be mean to me. Bo: Oh...........that's a hard one. Bo does a lot of mean stuff to me. Hmmm, he walks me to school. That's the only thing I can think of. (Bo does tease Lily sometimes. But I have to say that he does love her too. I know this because I recently talked to him about what he should do in case a gunman were to ever come into his classroom at school and start shooting. I told him that if he could see an opportunity to get out of his room and out the side door, then he should run and run all the way home since we're so close to the school. He said with a quivery voice "What about Lily? I couldn't leave Lily". What a good big brother. It's such a shame that I even have to talk to him about such a horrible thing.) Stella: We like to run together. Gwen: Oh that's an easy one. I like to play with her. Mama: I love you. Pop: Teaches me a lot about stuff. Q. Who is your best friend at school? A. Suzy and Yvette. Q. What is the best thing about your Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Field? A. She gives me a penny when I clean the floor. Loved your answers Lily!!!

Happy birthday Mase!

Mason, you're one of the smartest, sweetest, and most caring people that I've ever met and I'm very proud to call you my son. I hope that you know how much your Pop and I love you and always will. You're amazing in so many ways. Happy 13th birthday! It's hard to believe we have a teenager on our hands! Mason's 13 year interview by mom: Q. How tall are you and what do you weigh? A. Exactly 5 feet and exactly 100 lbs. Q. What do you want to do when you grow up? A. Be a surgeon. Not sure what kind yet. Q. What's your favorite book? A. Hunger games. Q. What's your favorite movie? A. The dark knight. Q. What's your favorite song? A. Just give me a reason by P!nk Q. What's your favorite singer or band? A. P!nk Q. What's your favorite store to shop at? A. Hollister Q. What's your favorite restaurant? A. Carinos Q. Name one thing that makes your family special. A. All the people in it. Q. If you could grow up to be famous for something what would that something be? A. It would be for doing something heroic like saving a bunch of kids from an evil guy. Q. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do? A. Prank people and scare teachers. Q. What's the best gift you've ever gotten? A. iPod touch. Q. What's the hardest thing about being your age? A. Comparing myself to others. Q. If you had 3 wishes (no wishing for more wishes) what would they be? A. 1) No more suffering in the world. 2) I'd always have money for anything I needed or wanted. 3) I was the best at everything I do. Q. If you could make 1 rule that everyone in the world would have to follow, what would it be? A. The Golden rule. Q. What are 5 words that you think describe you best? A. Smart, determined, kind, forgiving, athletic. Q. What do you think is a good habit that you have? A. I wake up early. Q. What is something that you think you could work on? A. Being more optimistic.

happy 3rd birthday to Stella!

This little girl is the sweetest, funnest, smartest little 3 year old. She can be a tough little cookie sometimes, but it's hard to get too mad at her because she's just so dang funny even when she's being naughty. We've been calling her the white lion lately since she's got a lot of really blond hair like a lion's mane and she sometimes has a temper like a lion too. Yikes. Here are some of Stella's very favorite things to say: "Actually", "So feaky", "Can I....pease?", "That's a MUFF!" When she's being bad and I have to discipline her she says,"Why you mad at me?" when I say, "I'm not mad." She'll then say, "Yes you are!" She says sorry, "Fahhhwy", says, "Gen, you're my best fend." She says, "Yep!" and "Nope!" A LOT. It's really cute. She calls the cabin, "The pavin." She calls ice cream, "Ipes ceam." When she's mad a Mama lately she'll yell, "I'm not yuh mom anymore!" I know she says tons of other funny stuff, but those are some favorites at the moment. I hope I never forget how she sounds when she says that stuff, but I probably will. Sad.

I gave Stella her 3 year interview and this is what she came up with:

Q. Who is your best friend?
A. "Dosie." Josie.

Q. Who do you think you want to marry when you get big?
A. "Dosie." Hmmm....

Q. What's you're favorite food?
A. "The kitchen." Interesting.

Q. What's the food you don't like to eat?
A. "Macemone." Macaroni I think.

Q. What's your favorite movie?
A. "Rio."

Q. What do you want to do when you grow up?
A. "Work at zoo." She does love animals.

Q. What's your favorite color?
A. "Pink." No surprise there.



We sure love you Stella. Have a wonderful year!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

happy 10th birthday Bo!

Man, the kids are growing up so fast. Oh how I wish time would slow down. I'm trying to enjoy every day with my kids at home and my life the way it is now. And as busy and crazy as life can be, I know these are the best years of my life and they'll be over too quickly. It's hard to believe my Bo is already 10 years old. I had him 10 whole years ago. It feels like he should still be a toddler. That's a little sad to me. I wish I could go back in time and spend just a day with him as a 2 or 3 year old. That would be so very fun since I know his personality so well now. But I know that's impossible. I'm so glad I've got lots of video of the kids when they were little and a ton of pictures!

Bo's interview at 10 years old:

Q. How tall are you and what do you weigh?
A. 4 feet 9 1/2 inches tall and I weigh 74 1/2 pounds.

Q. What's your favorite food?
A. Crepes.

Q. Least favorite food?
A. Green beans.

Q.Favorite subject in school?
A. P.E.

Q. Favorite book?
A. The capture.

Q. Favorite movie?
A. King Arthur.

Q. Favorite thing to do?
A. Ski.

Q. What's your favorite NFL football team?
A. Chicago bears.

Q. What are you awesome at?
A. Football.

Q. What do you need to work on getting better at?
A. Football.

Q. What do you want to do when you grow up?
A. Play running back for the Chicago Bears.

Q. If you could pick one person to meet in the meet whole world, who would it be and why?
A. Devin Hester cause he's my favorite NFL player.

Q. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would it be?
A. Hawaii.

Q. Do you have a crush on anyone?
A. Hailee Kotter.

Q. What are you looking forward to most this next year?
A. Going skiing.

Q. What are 5 words you would use to describe yourself?
A. Awesome, quick, athletic, kind and picky.

5 years old

It's hard to believe that it's already been 5 years since we had Lily. She's been such a wonderful addition to our family. She's such a happy, sweet little girl and has been that wasy from the beginning. I'm so grateful that she's our daughter. She's such a good big sister to Stella too. She's so patient with her. I love everything about Lily. I love how she loves to draw and color things for me and that she tapes her art all over the house. I love that she starts out every story she tells us with, "SO...." and I LOVE that instead of saying the word then, she still says, "len". It's my favorite. The boys have been trying to get her to say then instead and it makes me soooo mad! I want her to stay little just a bit longer.

I interviewed Lily last week and this is what she came up with:

Q. How much do you weigh?
A. 43 lbs.
Q. How tall are you?
A. 3 feet 8 inches. (I helped her a little with those 2 questions by the way)
Q. What is your favorite thing in the world to do?
A. Color.
Q. What is something that you're super good at?
A. Coloring, painting, swimming, dancing, helping and running. (She loves to race people)
Q. What's your favorite color?
A. Blue and red.
Q. What's you favorite food?
A. Crepes.
Q. What's your least favorite food?
A. Turkey.
Q. What's your favorite movie?
A. Lion King #2.
Q. What's your favorite animal?
A. Lions.
Q. Who is your best friend?
A. Ryken.
Q. Are you scared of anything?
A. Yes, glow in the dark skeleton pj's.
Q. What do you think you'd like to do when you grow up?
A. Be a babysitter.
Q. What is something you'd like to do before you turn 6?
A. Go to New York. (Hmmm, that one surprised me a little . I didn't know she knew what NY was)
Q. If you won a million dollars, what would you buy first?
A. A stocking. (I guess she wants Santa to fill 2 stockings)
Q. What's the one present you want most for your birthday?
A. A fake reindeer. (Interesting answer, hope she's not too disappointed when she doesn't get that)

happy 12th birthday Mase!

I really am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Mason is 12 years old. Didn't I just give birth to him? He's in middle school this year, he can babysit, his feet are as big as mine.....craziness. Sometimes when I look at him, I can still see that tiny toddler he used to be. I really need to savor this last year or two of him still being a kid and not teenager. I know he'll change so so much over the next couple of years and I'm excited for him but at the same time, it makes me want to cry. I'm actually crying a little bit right now as I type this. (The fact that I'm very pregnant right now may be adding a bit to the emotions I'm feeling.)

I'm very proud of the young man Mason is growing into. He is so kind and strong and lives what he believes. I couldn't ask for a better kid or a better example for the rest of our kids. We're very blessed to have him in our home. We love you Mason!



An interview with Mason on November 3, 2011:

Q. How tall are you and how much do you weigh?
A. 4 feet 10 1/4 inches and 87 pounds.

Q. What are you the most excited for in the upcoming year?
A. Getting the priesthood.

Q. What is the most memorable thing you did this past year?
A. Went to Yellowstone and on Trek.

Q. What's your favorite subject in school?
A. Science.

Q. What's your least favorite subject?
A. Writing.

Q. Who is your favorite teacher this year?
A. Mrs. Gissel.

Q. What's your favorite food?
A. Mandarin chicken and chow mein.

Q. What's your least favorite food?
A. Tomato soup.

Q. What's your favorite book at the moment?
A. The lost hero by Rick Riordin

Q. What's your favorite T.V. show?
A. Terra Nova or Alias.

Q. What's your favorite thing to do?
A. Spending time with family and doing family activities.

Q. What's something you'd say you're really good at?
A. School.

Q. What's something you need to work on?
A. Writing.

Q. What are 5 words that you would use to describe yourself?
A. Helpful, kind, determined, smart, athletic.

Q. If you could go on a vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A. Germany, France and Switzerland.

Q. Where do you think you'd like to go on your mission?
A. Somewhere in Europe.

Q. What college do you want to go to?
A. BYU.

Q. What do you want to do when you grow up?
A. Be some kind of Doctor or an architect.

Q. How many kids do you think you'd like to have when you grow up and if you could choose, what would you name them?
A. I'd want 3 boys and 2 girls. I'd name the boys Walker, Cash and Jackson and name the girls Ashton and Violet.

Q. What is the best thing in your life right now?
A. My family.

Q. What's the worst thing?
A. Cold weather, unless I'm warm in the house.

stella's 2nd birthday

I know this is post is a little late. But I had to share anyways. Stella got to have two little parties this year. She loved every single minute of both of them. She's a party girl!







With Grammy & Nan.


She loves her Grandad.










This little girl has turned into a bit of handful since turning 2. She's become very independent. She has to pick out her own clothes (which usually consists of a "pitty dess") and she has to put them on all by herself. She also has to buckle herself into the carseat and clasp the buckle in the grocery store cart. I'm glad she wants to do things for herself and I think it's great. But sometimes enough is enough and when we're in a hurry it drives me a little crazy. But we love her and she makes us laugh every day. She also LOVES to sing the songs from Tangled. She can really belt it out when we're in the car. She also can't get enough salad. The girl really loves a good salad.

the girlies

These two little girls have lots of fun together every day. They get along really pretty well. Lily is so nice to Stella even when Stella teases her which does happen more then I'd like it to. But Lily never hits her in retaliation. She's too nice for that I guess. They've really enjoyed the new swing set in the back yard and they will usually spend a couple hours a day out there or playing with Prim.















Stella has been getting into my stash of headbands lately. She'll put on 5 or 10 at a time and then go look at herself in the mirror.


Lily really should be taking daily naps but I don't make anymore. She will crash on the couch or the floor and almost always in the car if we go anywhere in the afternoon.


Love that little face so much!

the zoo

Normally the zoo is super hot and super busy and I can't wait to get outta there. But on this particular day I think it was about 70 degrees out, hardly anyone was there and most of the animals were out instead of hiding like they always seem to be when we come to visit. We spent a few hours there and the kids loved it.

soccer

It's amazing how far behind on all my family's pictures. I keep finding CF cards with pictures that I thought I'd already transferred to the computer. So, here is Miss Lily on her 2011 soccer team. She had lots of fun and even made a couple of goals. It's so fun watching her grow and learn. She has many many talents. xoxo

easter 2011

I'm finally getting around to posting a few pictures from Easter. I didn't take very many because I wanted to enjoy watching the kids on Easter morning instead of shooting them. Bo got a new toy gun from the Easter bunny and he LOVED it. Of course part of it broke later that evening and it broke his heart. Stella had the time of her life playing with it too.











All the Farris grandkids getting ready for their big egg hunt!