Derrick's Blessing Day

Derrick's blessing day was really nice. I was little sad about two things though. One that my dad couldn't be there since his middle name is my dad's and also that I wasn't able to hear the blessing because Aaron was trying to convince me that we needed to go back to the van and get his car for the quiet book. After church we had some two families from the ward come over for dinner. That filled our little house with lots of noisy kids and great people to talk to so if felt like a blessing day party.

The last two months with Derrick have been busy and of course required a lot of adjustments but I sat in testimony meeting feeling so grateful for him. He is such a sweet smiley baby. He still loves to snuggle up to me and go to sleep. I love the breaks in the day when I sit down and feed him. It is the first time I haven't been completely stressed breast feeding. With this fourth child I've let myself take the time each day to enjoy him even though there is so much to do. In so many ways I feel the happiest I've ever felt and I think it's because I've finally stopped worrying so much about a lot of things that really don't matter. I'm grateful to be married to a wonderful man who I will celebrate nine years of marriage with tomarrow. He is such a great blessing to me and truly loves me unconditionally. He puts up with all my funny quirks. I still love being around him and love when he gets home each night. I am so grateful that he is the father to our four children.

Halloween Fun

For the last three years now I have taken the kids to a fall festival at one of our favorite parks here, HOmestead Park. They pick out pumpkins and then they have a table where they get to decorate them. They also have a bunch of other fun activities that we like to do.
The kids had lots of Halloween activites to go to this year, three parties a friends house, the ward trick-or-treat and of course Hilliard trick-or-treat. None of which were actually on Halloween. On Halloween we went to church like we always do. Trick or Treat night is always during the week and never actually on Halloween. I've been told it is because there are lots of drunk drivers out on Halloween. They also both got to wear their costumes to school which was fun for them. Growing up we never were allowed too. I don't imagine much learning happens when everyone is in costume.

If that doesn't scare you I don't know what will? Steven decided to be a dragon this year and just wore his How to Train you dragon pajamas. He had a spider man costume but he had different ideas I guess.
We had a lot of fun carving pumkins this year. It just gets more fun every year as the kids get older. Aaron carved the owl, Steven the bat, Chris the spider, and Laura the haunted house. I stayed busy keeping the baby happy and helping with tough corners. For the most part Laura and Steven did most of theirs on there own.
It may seem crazy that Aaron doesn't have a shirt on but it really wasn't cold that night and pumkin guts are really messy especially when your two.
We broke out the face paint for Trick-or-treat night.
Being the third child Aaron had a wide variety of Halloween costumes to choose from and decided he wanted to a monkey instead of batman on trick-or-treat night.
Derrick was also a monkey.
The monkey and the mouse.

More Derrick

Derrick update

Derrick started smiling right around four or five weeks. He is such a smiley guy and smiles all the time for us. He is also very snuggley



This picture was taken at an Arboretum.

First Day of school

Welcome Derrick

Derrick Kent Hanks was born August 30 at 8:40 a.m. He was 6lb 8oz and 19inches long.