January - random updates and pictures

Adri is so cute!

She started voice lessons with a fantastic teacher, and she sings always (that's not new).

She loves school (at least the social part - so like me), and easily gets straight A's in all honors classes (so like her dad).

She was just put in as the president of the mia maids (at church), which is not surprising at all.
She is such a good girl.  So kind, positive, happy and thoughtful.  She has so much faith, and works so hard to have a personal connection with her Father in Heaven and Savior.

She also can completely relate to Taylor Swift and says she's swearing off of boys until she's 16 (we'll see how long that lasts!). She can tell you the exact number of days until she turns 16 - down to the minute! (She can't date until she's 16.)  She's tired of breaking hearts and just wishes they could stay friends!  It's a tough life being beautiful and possibly the biggest flirt in the school!

Anna is still the giggliest girl EVER!
She hears or sees something even slightly funny and she will be laughing about it for days.

She has some really sweet friends, and I'm so so grateful for them!

Boys have become a BIG thing in Anna's life this year, she's just too darn cute!
Life of a teenage girl in the Ferrara family (she will be a teenager in exactly 3 weeks!)

This guy here (Adam) is one of her very best friends.
He's over here A LOT, and even calls me his 2nd mom!

Love these crazy kids!

just before going to tumbling

skating with best friend Megan

Mason is adorable.

Hard to believe he's my last baby!

He's just so good and so sweet (even when he wakes up in the middle of the night scared and then ends up kicking me all night because I forget to put him back in his bed.....grrrr!)

I was put in as the nursery leader at the beginning of this month.

I know - I was in shock too.

I mean I'm with 3 littles ALL DAY every single day of my life --- so of course the perfect spot for me would be in nursery right?

I'll admit I cried for several days (don't judge!).

But I do love babies, and the kids are so sweet!

And a bonus - Mason gets to come with me (3 months early!)

I miss being with people my age and having a spiritual boost in my week - but this is only for a season!  And I do happen to have a lot of experience with little kiddos!

Mariah's clogging team got to dance at the ISU women's basketball game half-time.

It was awesome!

And I have to say - LaChere's Fab 5 studio is THE BEST AROUND!  

I love and respect LaChere and the other teachers so much!

I loved that they said a prayer before they performed -- so awesome!

Mariah is super quiet and shy, but she has lots of friends at school.

If you take the time to get to know her she has the CUTEST laugh and sense of humor, and she is the most loyal friend there ever was!

 

ISU's mascot - Bengal tiger

Mariah's favorite boy in the world - Saxton

We got 2 surprise photos this month of our darling missionary!

The 1st one is one of my husband's students from many many (at least 10 years ago but could be more??) years ago in New Plymouth.  She was always one of my favorite girls!  She even wore my prom dress to one of the dances her senior year!  Apparently she lives in Nebraska near the place Akayla serves at, so she went to the Trail Center and found her!!  So fun!

The 2nd was texted to me from the director of the clinic Akayla gets to serve at every once in awhile. The Doctor there loves the missionaries and always takes them out to dinner when they finish their shift.

I love getting surprise texts!

Sister Ferrara is doing so well on her mission!  In an interview recently her mission president asked her where the girl went that he met 9 months ago.  She told him she put her in an envelope and sent her home!  She was recently called as the Trail Center Leader (basically like the AP for sisters) and as 1 of 2 Sister Training Leaders.  We think she's the perfect one for the job, and she is LOVING the new responsibilities!

Tomorrow is her HUMP DAY -- 9 months out and 9 months left!!

Sara Moscrip 

 
Lea and Landon continue to make me work hard for my paycheck (oh how I wish I did get paid!).
They are wild and crazy!

I think it's a little funny that my oldest daughter was calm and so easy, and then I had 2 really hard kids....... and now I have 2 really hard kids and my youngest is calm and so easy.  All the middle kids are pretty darn calm and easy(ish)!  (And by hard I just mean they are strong willed, but also completely awesome.  I love all my kids, and I learn from them.  They all have amazing gifts and personalities!)

This was the BEST Christmas present ever -- scooters to ride around the house in.

When it gets warm they will play outside, but it has been great having something to keep them active and busy (read that "out of mischief") while it's too cold to go out!

And I think I'm a pretty dang COOL mom for letting them ride around the house!

Tanner and his beautiful best friend Katie -- they're completely silly together.

I think they're pretty lucky to have each other!

She even took him skiing (first time ever!), and he now thinks he's a pro.

He needs a job and quick!  

He's turned in some applications, but nothing yet.

Tanner can always make me smile, and he's so nice to let me use him as a punching bag sometimes.

I love that when we talk now I can see the man that he is becoming.

His thoughts are mature, and I can tell that he really ponders important things now.

He is ready to take on the world!  

I have to look on facebook to find recent pictures of Corina since she never sends me any!

We miss her around here, but I don't think she even thinks about us!

She is loving BYU, and now that she has one semester under her belt she's really gotten into the swing of things.

She spends every spare minute with a certain boyfriend, and I'm a little jealous that he and his family get to see her so often.

We do like him though, and they are planning on coming to visit us in a few weeks!
Hooray!

She was a greeter at church (hee hee!) last semester, and she was just put in as a Gospel Doctrine teacher.  I'm sure she's a bit scared about that, but she will be amazing!  She has a wonderful way with words (like her dad), and I think she has the same gift for teaching that her daddy has.

I do have to say - college has been good to her.
She's happy and growing up so much!

out shopping & taking silly pictures

Miss Elli seems to avoid the camera quite a bit --

She is loving school this year (such a difference from the sad sobbing little girl from last year).

She loves reading and math, and she is the fastest reader in her class -- she could seriously sit and read all day if we let her.

She also ADORES her teacher!
Her cute teacher got married over Christmas break and she was able to go to the reception with her friend.  The whole thing got her all swoony about weddings and brides.

Believe it or not she is completely boy crazy (I know - first of the Ferrara girls right?!!  haha!).
But she is a little sweetheart!

My amazing husband and I celebrated our 1st date (21 years ago January 28th) yesterday.
I made scones (our tradition), and we cuddled after we got the kids to bed.

My marriage is one of the most important things in my life.
I'm so very grateful for my best friend that I am still so in love with.

Dave is so good to me, and I am so lucky to have someone that I can tell my deepest darkest secrets to and he still loves me!


And one little confession --- it's January 29th and our Christmas tree still stands in our living room.

It's not there because we're lazy or because we're so obsessed with Christmas that we can't take our tree down.

Nope, it's because 1) We found a humongous spider web on it when we were taking down the decorations, and hidden in that spider web was a HUGE scary spider.  So we had to take some time to kill that spider and rid the tree of any other scary offenders.  And 2) Somehow during the month (that has now stretched to 2) the spot where the tree is supposed to go has gotten filled with outgrown clothes that kids have thrown in the storage room.  I mean piles and piles of clothes.  So I will be spending this next weekend organizing the outgrown piles and putting them into bins for the next kid.
Sigh.  Know any really good movies I should watch while I do it?

Hope your January was productive and happy too!

good things:

scones with honey butter

Parenthood & Downton Abbey

motivational friends