Last night Bret went home teaching and I went to our Youth Fireside. It was on Missionary work and we had the Senior Missionary couple come speak on Missionary work and then our full-time missionaries came and did role play with the youth. It was a really good Fireside.The spirit was there and we learned a lot and now need to go and apply what we learned. Mark is teething so he was a little fussy. Today my friend needed me to watch her son Mathew (she spells it that way). He is so adorable. He is 2 months older then Mark, so he is more mobile. He is crawling and moving around. I want Mark to be around other babies, so he can learn that it is not all about Mark all the time being the only child. Right now we don't live close to all his cousins, but maybe someday we will. Or maybe we just need to have another baby so Mark will have someone to play with especially since we aren't around all his cousins and we won't be for a while being in the military. Mark needs someone to play with, he gets board so easy and needs to be entertained all the time. We always felt that Mark and our next one should be close in age, so that they can be each others friends especially as they get older. We shall see what happens, but I know that the Lord will continue to lead and guide us. I have come to the point in my life that I am done doing things my way, I want to do the Lord's will and I know that with his help I can do hard things. He will give me the strength and courage that I need. I love being a mom and I just do the best I can and then I rely on the Lord and he helps me do the rest.

Mathew and Mark and now we need a Luke and John--lol

 They wore each other out.

This Wednesday we had our Day of Service for the Primary and Youth. The schools had early release so at 2:30 we all went to assisted living center and the Primary kids sang songs and some kids did solos. Two of my Young Women performed, one sang a song and the other one played an instrument. Then after the primary performed all the Youth played board games with the seniors and they went around talking to each one of them. They would tell us their life stories and we could tell that they don't get a lot of visitors. They really enjoyed hearing the primary kids and talking with the youth. The lady that was in charge in our ward planned two or three months ago to go to another senior center, but a week before they told her that they were closed on that day. So she scrambled and found the assisted living center that we went to and afterwards we all felt that these people really needed us and the Lord made it possible for us. We all had a good time even Mark. All the seniors loved him and brightened their day to see a baby. Then today was our ward's day of service. We did three different projects and had a ward picnic afterwards. We had a good time.

We didn't plan on the red shirts, but other times we do. This is us at our ward picnic.

This is the nice Navy blanket that Bret's mom and sister made for Mark. It is so cute!

Here are some video's of Mark. I hope that all of them will open up on your computer.

This one is dark, but it is so cute of Daddy and Mark playing together.

Mark rolling over.

Here is a video of Mark walking as I hold his hands. He really wants to start walking at 5 months old.

This was a busy weekend for us. On Friday afternoon Bret had a class activity and the families were able to go. I love when the whole family can go to these activities. It was fun, we put Mark in his stroller and we watch Bret played baseball. We ate hot dogs and hamburgers and had a good time. Then in the evening we went to our missionary movie night that we have every third Friday of each Month. We watched "17 miracles" and ate sloppy joes. Then on Saturday was my Young Women's Sock Hop Girl's Camp Fundraiser. Our ward has been doing this for 6 years now and everyone really enjoys it. We had hot dogs/ hamburgers, chips and baked beans. We did a bake sale and a dessert auction. People in the ward signed up to bring desserts to sale in the bake sale or to auction off. The dessert auction is a lot of fun and people really get into it. We have ladies in our ward who decorate cakes or make amazing desserts and their desserts go for $50, $60, $70. We make plenty of money for all the girls to go to girl's camp. We had a fun eventful weekend.

Young Women's Sock Hop

To raise money for Girl's Camp

(only picture I have)

I bring Mark to mutual on Tuesday nights and the young women love him. One of the young women put her sun glasses on Mark. So cute!!!

5 months old

Today Mark is 5 months old! He loves to listen to music. He will move his feet and hands to the music (and on this page there is a video of it). It is so cute to watch him. He loves when I sing to him. I sing hymns and primary songs and he will quiet down and listen. He loves to stand and as you hold his hands he will take 4 steps. He wants to walk before crawling. He shows us how much he loves us by his sweet hugs and how he stares and smiles at us. We love our sweet son Mark.

 Picture taken today at 5 months old

Before and Now

5 weeks being on the propranolol medication for his strawberry hemangioma.

Mark loves his monkey hat and loves when I put it on him. I found a winner, he didn't like any of the other hats I put on him.

Bro. Bankey is our ward mission leader and he is so good with Mark. He has grandchildren who he babysits. Sometime we will sit by Bro. Bankey at church and when Mark gets fussy I'll hand Mark over to him and Mark will stop instantly because Bro. Bankey gives him a firm and loving hold. Mark doesn't dare give him a peep. On Easter Sunday they asked people to join the choir and sing a hymn for Easter. So Bro. Bankey held Mark so Bret and I could go up there and sing. I really enjoyed singing in the Choir. I have meetings during choir practice so I am not able to be in the choir, but we enjoyed it on Easter Sunday.

Mark loves to hold and play with his feet even in the tub. Mark is getting chunky and I just want to squeeze him. So cute!!!

If you saw Marks belly button when he was a month old it was an outie. Doctor's told me that it will eventually go down and it has. His belly button looks great!

 Mark is now able sit up in his walker that we got from his baby shower.

 Mark just loves to be outside and moving. In the mornings I push him in his jogging stroller around our neighborhood. Now that he is able to sit up more I went to one of the parks on base and put him in the swing and he loved it.

I enjoy living on base as we start our family because there are parks and a safe neighborhood to walk around in. Mark loves to be outside just like his mom.

On Friday night April 13th we went to our friend's concert Stephen and Crystal. They use to live by us but then moved off base. We have become really good friends and do a lot of things together. Stephen and Crystal just made their first cd. It was fun to be able to hear them perform. Mark enjoyed it too. In this video watch Mark's hands and feet and listen to the sounds he is making.

A day trip to Savannah Georgia

Bret starts prototype (his last 6 months training in South Carolina) on Monday April 16th. The first 7 weeks Monday through Thursday he will be gone from 7am-7pm and on Fridays they let him out earlier. Then after the 7 weeks he starts doing night shift, sleeps in the day and works all night. So before starting prototype I wanted to do a family vacation somewhere and spend time together. So yesterday we spent the day in Savannah Georgia. Savannah is only two hours away.  We went to Paula Deen's Restaurant. Her restaurant is so busy that they put us on a 2 hour waiting list, but we left and then came back. We walked around and enjoyed being together as a family. Our first family vacation. Mark really enjoyed looking around and being outside his stroller.

 We ate at Paula Deen's Restaurant.

He loves his monkey hat. My friend did a great job.

 

Mark's nose looks GREAT! It is looking better and better everyday. The doctor wants him to stay on the medication for at least 9 months because it is the first 9 months that the Strawberry Hemangioma grows the most. So our doctor doesn't want to take him off it now and give the chances for it to grow back. So we will see, but Mark is doing really well. Thanks everyone for all your love and prayers.

(Mo, this is the quilt that you made. You did a great job!)

Mark loves his seat!

Here is our happy boy who loves his swing because it keeps him moving.

Family Picture!

This weekend we took more family pictures behind our house. It is getting really green here in South Carolina.

This was a great weekend of General Conference. The talks were so good and help us so much to draw closer to our Savior Jesus Christ and to become more like him. Go to www.lds.org and watch and download the talks. I really enjoyed President Dieter F. Uchtdorf talk on Forgiveness and not judging others that he gave in the Sunday Morning Session. I have this quote in my house that says "Forgiveness with love and tolerance accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way" Quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley

Mommy and Mark!!!