Grandpa came!

My dad came out to visit and watch Brock wrestle one weekend.  I hadn't told the babies yet, but when they woke up from their naps I told them that he was coming in a while.  They stood by this window for over 20 minutes watching for him.  They were so excited when he pulled up!  These babies LOVE their grandparents. 

I was grateful he came out, as mentioned earlier we haven't really put in a lot of effort to support wrestling, so I was grateful that Brock got to feel that support and to have someone watch a whole tournament.  

And he took us out to Texas Roadhouse - what a treat!

 

Spying on Maddie - not Madison

Almost everyday the babies and I go to some sort of activity before lunch and naps.  They usually eat their lunch in the car on the way home.  Sometimes the outing is so close that I need to drive around so they have time to eat.  One day we drove past the school and saw Maddie.  We stopped and watched her play volleyball with her friends.  I decided to take some pictures and videos.  She is the one in the yellow shirt.

I entitled the post "spying on Maddie - not Madison" because I have learned that Madison is STRICLTY Maddie at school.  So much so that when I say "I am Madison's mom" or "give this to Madison" people don't know who I am talking about.  We have had some major confusion over it!  It is funny because when Jason and I named her we named her "Maddie" and gave her the name "Madison" just for a more formal name.  We told everyone "but we will call her Maddie".  But it just hasn't turned out that way.  I call her Madison way more than anything else.  "Mads" is more of her nick name.  But we rarely call her Maddie.  Honestly, it kind of bugs me that she is strictly Maddie at school.  I am not sure why.  I like the name.   Maybe it is because it feels like she has 2 identities. 

Madison loves to play sports at recess and after school.  She has a great group of friends and has become very fun, confident, and outgoing.  She is refining her athletic abilities and her love of sports.   

 

Wrestling

We learned a new sport this fall.  With a little convincing from his friend Cameron and his football coaches Brock decided he wanted to wrestle (we was hoping it would help him be more agile and tackle better).  My father's family live and breath wrestling.  My dad was a national champion, as well as his brothers.  All my my cousins wrestled and I went to many wrestling matches all over Wyoming and Idaho.  Despite having grown up around it and feeling like it is "in my blood", I apparently was not prepared for the mental, emotional, time, and physical commitment of wrestling.  Holy, Moly!  Our family has always "gone all in" when it comes to sports.  We teach our children to honor their commitments, not do anything half way, and the whole family supports the athlete at their events.  Well... we just couldn't make that kind of commitment to wrestling.  These events were far away, 6 - 12 hours long and he might wrestle once or twice for 5 minutes several hours apart.  It didn't even seem like it was worth his time to go, let alone ours.  Sometime I made great sacrifices to go, and would sit in a high school gym for 3 hours during the babies naps and not watch him wrestle ONCE.  It was frustrating.

What I will say though was that it was fun to see Brock try something new.  It was fun to watch him be coached.  It was fun to watch him commit, sacrifice, and work hard at something he didn't love.  We learned that he is pretty strong.  If his opponent didn't know the technicalities of wrestling Brock would always win, but if this kid had been wrestling since he was 5 then they would win.  But Brock always put up a fight.  

One time I thought I would take the babies.  I thought they would like it, or at least like running up and down the empty high school halls (I remember doing that) - ummm... they hated it.  Hated it more than they have hated anything.  From the second we walked in they wanted to leave and I couldn't convince them otherwise.  Eve's face says it all.

He was pretty cute though

Grandpa Hanna even came out to watch him.  I put in both of these pictures because they are perfectly my dad.  the look on his face and the gestures of his hands - I can hear my dad's voice, I can imagine what he is saying.  My dad is a coach at heart.

 

Temple trip

Megan got to go to the temple back in January!  This was a vary special day for her and for me.  Megan has always had a very sensitive spirit and has always been drawn to the temple.  As a very little toddler she loved to touch the temple and go into the temple waiting rooms.  She would just sit so quietly in there - she knew it was sacred.  As she got older (ages 4 - 8) I would always find her praying on the temple grounds when we would go there to hang out.  I have watched her grow and mature in her gospel knowledge and her spiritual impressions.  It was a wonderful day to be able to be with her in the temple.

Afterwards - wet hair and all!
 

Noah's a Teacher

Noah was ordained a Teacher to the Aaronic Priesthood in early January in our home.  I hope some things - post covid - stick around.  It was nice for family to join virtually.  Noah has really excelled in his priesthood responsibility and almost every single on of his YM leaders have commented on how much Noah has grown up in the past year.  They love his comments in class and his participation and help at the activities.  He in now a really contributor rather than a distractor.  Not that he was "bad" as a deacon - but all deacons are... well... deacons.  I can not wait to see what the Lord has in store for Noah, but Jason and I have known, since he was a little baby, that it is going to be awesome!

 

First Week of the New Year at Church - Firsts and Lasts

Our first Sunday at church in 2022 was pretty fun.  Here were the happenings:

Eve wen to Nursery the first time.  This was an unfortunate coincidence.  Nursery goes in at 18 months not the new year (like everything else in the church now), it just so happened her 18 month "birthday" was December 27.  And our ward was strangely strict about it this time around.  So her and Dane NEVER went to nursery together (minus a few times I subbed and she came with me).  I was a little heart broken.  And so was she.  Since I am writing this 3 months later I can report that she is my worst nursery kid, by far and away.  All of the other 5 ran right in and never turned around.  They loved nursery.  She hates it.  She cried the whole time the first 2 or 3 weeks.  She starts crying as soon as it is Sunday morning, we walk into church, and when sacrament is over.  I hate it. We have been trying to train her to love nursery, it has helped.  She has learned to say, "nursery, yay!" when ever we bring it up, even through tears.  This last week she willingly went in (!) but then cried as soon as I left, but for only about 5 minutes.  So we are well on our way!  She loves the snack, bubbles and songs (popcorn!).   

Dane went into Sunbeams/Primary.  He was very excited.  Although now, most weeks he complains he doesn't want to go, but he goes and likes it.  His teachers are brother and sister Jensen.  After his first day he came running down the hall "mom, do you know about Moses?" and thus started a deep love for Moses.  I guess they showed him a video and he has decided Moses is the best guy ever.  He spends a good majority of his day reading books about Moses.  It is pretty funny.  He likes singing time and participates really well.

Here are my primary book-ends.  Dane is his first year in primary, and Madison is in her last year of primary.  It makes me pretty happy!

Megan's first week of YOUNG WOMENS!!  She was so excited and very ready.  She is going to rock YW!  I am so excited for her!

Noah's first week as a Teacher!  He helped prep the sacrament and enjoyed being with his old Deacons Quorum.  

Including... this guy!  They are back together and it makes my mom heart happy.

 

Family Gabb Phone

 

Back in August we did a big phone switch.  We got Brock his own phone and the "home phone" became a "gabb phone" (a dumb phone that looks like a smart phone).  The kids really like it.  They can take pictures (which I like) and can text easier.  I am not going to go through and talk about all the pictures because I am not the one who took them.  I wish one of them would come blog about the pictures but they wont.  Maybe one day they will.

The pictures start at the end of the year and goes backwards.

I think this was the Breakfast with Santa day.  I didn't go (Jason was in Utah and Dane had broke his leg) so I dropped the girls off and told them to take pictures.

We love Mrs. Heinimann.

They had a raffle you could enter for some prizes. Madison really wanted these tickets.  She has discovered a love for sports, especially football.  She typically plays it at recess and has decided she likes being able to talk to the boys at school about the games, so she watches them with Jason and stays up to date on all the stats.  It is pretty adorable.

Haloween

This was from when we got the Halloween boxes out