Brother of Andrew

Aubree got herself all "dressed up" with a pretty headband and everything, then asked me to take pictures of her.  If you could see her lips up close she even put lip gloss all around her lips and put on her high heels.  Aubree is pure girl.

She wanted a picture like we have of Andrew in front of our orange door.  

Travis loves to hold Jared (Jared is getting huge).

I was putting Jared's 3-6 month clothes away and getting out the 6-9 month clothes and Travis found this tiger jacket.  It is 3-6 month size.  He had used water paint on his face to make himself look like a tiger, and the combination of a little hood on a big head made Trav look pretty ridiculous.  I can't look at this picture without smiling.

Jared is so sweet.  He is starting to be a huge squawker.  He has the cutest, wide open mouth smiles.

We decided to try out the children's museum in Everett.

Tanner's favorite part was the water area.  He could've played there all day.

Getting used to shooting manual indoors.

Another open mouth smile.

For at least the last year, the kids have been earning tickets.  They earn these tickets by obeying our family rules.  When they are obedient, helpful, respectful, and kind they get tickets in their jar.  When they fill up their jar, they get to go on a BIG date with Dad AND Mom.  On Saturday, Aubree got enough and she cashed them in.  She got to pick where she ate (McDonalds Happy Meal), pick a toy at Target (below), and then got to get a milk shake.  She thought she was in heaven.  The whole day she asked me when her Dad was coming home so her date could start.  

This is the doll Aubree picked.  The doll talks and goes to the bathroom.  

I threw in an extra picture of Tanner I took back when he had the wood glue in his hair, because I didn't have enough pictures of him in this post.  I need to slow him down and take more pictures.  Tonight for family home evening, we were talking about following the prophet and we were going through the prophets in the Book of Mormon.  I pointed to a picture of the Brother of Jared and asked who he was.  Tanner said, "The Brother of Andrew."  It was really cute.

 When Andrew passed away our info on the side of our blog said, Our five beautiful children are, Aubree 4, Tanner 3, Travis 2, Andrew 11 months, and Jared is our newborn.  It has been hard for me to finally get the info about our family updated.  I don't know why, it seems like such a weird/small thing.  I miss him!  The kind of grief I feel now is changing.  It is a different hurt.  It is so hard to be forgetting the little details.  I hate that I am forgetting how Andrew felt, his hair felt, the shape of his head, his pudgy hands, his smell and so many other things.  I know it is life.  It is weird how life goes on.

ANDREW MEMORY: Andrew had a special relationship with each one of his siblings.  Aubree and Tanner would always play "house" with Andrew.  Most of the time, Aubree would be the mom of her two boys, Tennis and Bennis.  Andrew was Tennis and Tanner was Bennis.  They would play on Tanner's bed forever.  Andrew would climb up and down Tanner's bed.  Sometimes it would end up just being "Tennis" and "Bennis" playing and giggling at each other.  We love and miss you Andrew!