Bloom, baby, bloom

This kid is so beautiful. I just got film developed from the last year and this is Gabby in May of this year. It's unbelievable how fast they grow. She's not this little baby anymore. She's become a person with opinions, and a sense of humor and quirks.
Oh my word!!! Check this kid out. I can see her climbing on the dresser, but the chair.......Wow.
And yet, she's so joyous in her mischief. It's hard to get mad. It is hard to believe that she was just Sammie's age just over a year ago. She loves her sisters. She's the primo comfortor in the house when someone's hurt or in trouble. One day I was sitting on my bed feeding the baby while Ellie was whining about something I wouldn't let her do. I looked over at her and noticed that she was swaying rather dramatically from side to side. Upon further examination, I determined that Gabby was "loving" her to death, and had her arms around Ellie's waste and was "rocking" her. Too much fun.
Then there's "lovey." I tried to get a picture of Lovey close up, but that's hard to do when he's (or is it she's) pressed to Gabby's face all the time. The poor animal gets dragged around with a perpetually dirty snout, despite the weekly washings.
The rest of the kids are great. Isa started reading...yes, actually reading by herself this week. It's been a lot of fun to see her do so well. I love the teaching method that Mrs. Wengreen has been using with her. Alanna is sad that her best friend Brooklyn will be moving this month. She's really going to miss her and their "make believe" recesses. Ellie. Boy she is a hard one for me right now. But she has her moments. Still experiencing PPD and yesterday I was crying at lunch time...who knows why. Ellie asked me if I was ok, and then said, "Mom, what makes you laugh?" and started pulling a bunch of funny faces. Bless her heart. Sophia broke up with her "boyfriend" last weekend and its been a dramatic week as they adjust to not "going out" after being together for 2 whole weeks. I don't know why she can't just listen to me when I tell her that boys are not terribly intelligent in junior high (and many of them don't get much better afterwards). Oh, well. Don't I know it that some of us just have to learn for ourselves.
Sammie is smiley and talky and so much fun. She gets so much attention, and I have so many ladies vying to hold her during one of the numerous "time out's" I end up taking during Relief Society. I get up to leave when the nursery leader brings Gabby to me, and have 2 or 3 ladies follow me out asking if they can hold her for me. They mean well and have been really kind to me. I really do love our ward and neighborhood.

In case you're wondering what's up with the magnolias, I just had to include them. I took the pictures of them in the spring this year in the front yard of the house we rented in Orem. I remember the magnolias in California and how huge and beautiful they were. These didn't get very big, but for a couple of weeks in the spring, they were the most beautiful little things in the world. Reminds me of my thought for today.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt

Still working on being the best mom, to MY kids, here where I am. I'm not great, but I'm still here. Hopefully, I'll keep getting better, and hopefully whatever I am will be enough.