2016: September - Blessings, Cookies, Birthdays

In September, Cassie and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. We also had a lot of other events to keep us on our toes, such as . . .

This little guy just keeps getting bigger and cuter.

We also blessed him in September. Check out his dapper suit.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the big day!

A special thank-you to Mary who made Nick's blessing clothes.

And just because Halloween's a month doesn't mean we can't indulge in some frighteningly delicious Halloween sugar cookies. Having Grandma with us made the time even sweeter.

Here's Grandma and Nick hanging out.

And here's a birthday gift Beth made for Grandma. It's a pillow case (we left it unstuffed so it would travel easier when Grandma flew back home).

2016: August - Catapaults, Krispy Kremes, and Talking Babies

The kids made marshmallow catapualts. Hijinks ensued. Just watch.

Nick is a good little sleeper. He snoozes through just about anything the kids - and Daddy - can throw at him.

Beth performed in the ward talent show.

Robert and Eric presented their artwork at the talent show as well.

Maggie and her family came to visit.

The kids visited Krispy Kremes to see the doughnut-making machine.

Nick wasn't impressed.

But the other kids thought it was AWESOME!

And Nick learned to talk . . . sort of . . .

He's becoming quite the little performer . . . with some help from Daddy.

2016: July - Visitors, Fireworks, and Backyard Pics

In July, we kept real busy, as you can see below.

Our kids are so photogenic. It's impossible for them to take a bad picture.

Mostly.

Nick started really putting on weight and filling out. We were really happy about that.

Uncle Gordon, Aunt Coren, and their kids Josh, Ella, Ian, and Oscar came by.

Beth got industrious and made herself a sister out of vacuum cleaner and a broom.

We shot off some fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Eric had a birthday and got a LEGO prison set.

The kids made bread in a bag.

We thought this was a cute picture of Grammy and Nick. We were so thankful they got to know each other a little before Grammy passed away.

These are some pictures we took of the kids playing in the backyard. 

This is Robert not being dramatic at all.

Here's Eric, looking like he's up to something mischevious.

And Beth looking cute on a swing we hung from the tree out back.

2016: June - Nick, Nick, and More Nick

In June, we were all still very much enamored with our new little bundle of joy. Nick easily won the "Most Held" and "Most Loved on" baby awards in our house. We were so very happy to have him safe with us. 

Each of the kids took turns learning how to take care of him. He was such a little guy at the beginning, you couldn't help but want to hold and cuddle him.

2016: The Year That Flew By: May

May was the big one. I don't think our family's undergone as much drastic change as what happened in May. For one thing, we moved. Mary and Sam and their family came to help. We couldn't have pulled it off without them.

Here is Eric, Beth and Robert hanging out with Maggie and Anson in what was left of our living room, with almost everything packed up except the big furniture.

Here's a last shot of our home for the past twelve years. This was Cassie's and my first home together, and for the kids, it's the only home they've ever known. It was a good, solid home full of love, and it was so hard to say goodbye to it and the wonderful friends we've made there.

What made the move really difficult was we had to make sure Cassie did as little as possible. She was seven and a half months pregnant, and with our trouble with pregnancies in the past, we were worried what the stress of a move might do. And sure enough, the week after we moved into the new house, we got hit with big change number two.

I was downstairs getting the kids ready for bed when I heard Cassie shouting for me upstairs. I ran up and she told me her water had broken. Of course I was terrified. We still had six weeks before the baby was due, or four according to the revised due date. But once the water's broken, that's that.

We managed to find a friend to stay with the kids (thank you, Rachel!) and to watch them the next day (thank you, Nikki!) and Cassie and I jetted to the hospital. Everything progressed smoothly, and the baby came in the wee hours of the morning.

Here I am with the little guy.

Here he is at home in his cradle.

He was so tiny!

Here's Beth loving on him.

And one more, with Robert feeding the baby.

After we had baby here safe and Cassie was situated, I went to go grab the kids and introduce them to their baby brother, Nick.

Beth made her peace with having ANOTHER brother.

Eric liked him, too.

And Robert was glad to finally get to hold a baby of his own.

We were very lucky that Mary unpacked the kitchen for us before she headed back to Nevada. It was also fortunate that Cassie's mom was able to fly up on such short notice to help us out. Between the unpacking and the baby, our hands were full! Thanks, Lela!

Here's another photo of Nick, to show how small he was. The car seat seemed to just swallow him up. And Nick wasn't too fond of it, truth be told.

It also happened to be my birthday not so soon thereafter. Nick's the best birthday present ever! Of course, in our house, you have to protect your candles from Robert.

Grammy also came to celebrate with us. She passed away recently, so as we looked back over last year, we were especially grateful for the times we had with her, and that we got some pictures of her with baby Nick.

Here was the birthday cake we had.

Eric also made a cake during May.

We also had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Alleman. Grandma really took a shining to Nick.

We also discovered our new city held a big Summerfest celebration right next door to our new place. Even in the rain, it was pretty fun.

Here's Beth and Robert on a ride.

Here' all of us on another ride. Cassie was a good sport and held Nick while also taking pictures.

Like I said, this was perhaps the most tumultous month we've ever experienced. But we received so much help during that time, and the changes have proven to be a blessing to our family.

2016: The Year That Flew By - April

April was a special month. Beth was baptized, we started cleaning and moving into the new hours, and the older two kids participated in the ward talent show.

Beth's Baptism

We were so grateful to all our family and friends who traveled so far to be with us on this special day. Beth practically glowed all day. Here are some highlights:

The proud parents with the baptism girl.

The whole gang after the baptism.

Ward Talent Show

Our ward holds a yearly talent show and silent auction fundraiser to help raise money for the girls and Scout camps. Eric and Beth both wanted to participate the year before, but we didn't have time to put anything together then. So we promised them this year, we'd make sure they were prepared. Here's what we had:

Eric told jokes. He collected his favorites, practiced his timing, and did his best not to laugh.

Beth lip-synched to Adele's Skyfall, with a little tweak at the end.

2016: The Year That Flew By - March

March was a magical month for many of us, Beth especially. It was her birthday, and she's very excited for her baptism in April. Here are a few highlights:

Birthday with Friends

For her party, she was much-loved by friends and family. Mary came and brought Maggie, Anson, and Tommy, and Beth also invited her good friends Alex and Rory.

A good time was had by all.

Beth was also very taken with her big present: a brand new bike. This was her first bike without training wheels, and she took to it very quickly.

And, as dictated by ancient Alleman tradition, she had to wear the Birthday Hat.

Easter Fun

We also had a fun Easter, with the kids chasing clues left by the Easter Bunny, who had been detained by some scurvy pirates.

Party at Uncle Von's

We also had a fantastic Alleman family get-together at my Uncle Von's place in Springville.

Beth likes the swing.

The boys prefer the trampoline.

And here's Cassie looking cute, and getting close to her due date with Alleman baby boy number three.

Perfect Kite Weather

The weather also turned nice enough for the kids to fly their kites.

Moving to a New Place

This was also the month we decided to move. My Grandma Brewer - Grammy to us - moved to an assisted living center, and my folks wanted to buy her old place. They asked Cassie and me if we'd mind looking after it, and we were more than thrilled. It was closer to my work, had more room for baby, and was in a great location near the library and the City Center and Scera parks.

Naturally, we miss our old neighborhood very much. We lived there for twelve years, and it was very nice home while our family was starting out.

Here are a few shots of the new place.

We are enjoying the new house very much. It's a lovely home, well cared for by my grandparents. There are many memories here of fun Sunday dinners with the Brewer side, family reunions, and it was also where Cassie had our first date.

We are very much enjoying our new neighbors, who were very kind a few months later when we needed help moving in, and with the new baby.