We are slowly but surely weaning Gabe off of his thumb. As a mom, I have gained confidence in the hard tasks and I am not afraid of them (not that we are always successful), but this one has just been so SAD!
You can't see it very well, but Gabe decided to shave just like Daddy and wound up with a few really funny looking marks on his upper lip.
Texting a friend to let her know I was making the brownie recipe she wrote down for me...I think before I even had any kids yet?? (Note to self - she said they were really yummy with real butter).
I have a goal of making better lunches every day. I do great sending my big kids to school with a healthy snack (fruit, sometimes veggies, something homemade-whole-grain). And then I give the same snack to the little ones in the morning. But by the time lunch rolls around I just slap out some PB&Js, like, every single day. Often I just have all that stuff out on the counter and tell the big kids they can make it themselves while I go take a little quiet time! Anyway, we are all sick of sandwiches. So to pat myself on the back a little and to prove it has actually happened before, I snapped a pic of one of our better lunches (and by ONE of them, I mean...the ONLY one). But I haven't given up!!
I sent pics of our decorations to by bro and sis-in-law since they are the ones who sent them. Seriously incredible hand-cut snowflakes (because we have no snow!). The kids were SO excited about this one that looks like the "official" Frozen snowflake - I'm sure Justin did that on purpose....
Because there always has to be a picture of Bryce in such an uncomfortable position that it makes you squirm in your seat.
A salad from our garden that lasted about a month until we went on a long vacation and didn't set up to have anyone come over and water it.
Marty fixing his phone - the tiny screws and big Marty fingers make me smile a bit.
Brynn's dinosaur diorama. She had so much fun making it, that type of assignment is right up her creative little alley.
A birthday date!
On the first cold (not cool) day of winter, you will find us snuggled up in the playhouse outside.
Certainly the most unusual nap I've ever taken.
Meet Jack-O-Lantern Sparrow!
Brynn made BANK at her lemonade stand over Fall Break (lots of bored kids at the park with change burning holes in their pockets). Well...and I knew I'd have friends there that I didn't want to feel pressured so I may or may not have slipped them a little change here and there....
Loooove my Aprils. They are just so much alike.
Just one of the reasons I love reading a book after Marty has had it. This one was "The Infinite Atonement."
Marty took the older two with him to clean the church when our family had the assignment and I stayed home with the littles.
Trying to sort out my brain at a particularly crazy time.
Thumb-suckers. Sigh.
Yep, rain is THAT exciting here in the desert.
Camille's little bff. We have seen quite a bit of this girl while her mom's been in nursing school and they are so funny together! They are just two or three months apart.
Texting a picture of the kids' library to my mom (a librarian - just thought she'd be interested).
Gabe with his weekly playgroup friends! Here they are with a couple of sensory boxes - I think we were on a fish theme that week. These four have been swapping houses together since they were just babies. It's been so fun to watch them grow together, fight, bond, potty-train, play, learn. And now it's time to go our separate ways a little more as a couple of them will be going to preschool. But we are still hoping to get them together often for playdates and outings.
My first ever painted master bedroom. I will never again leave my room to be the last priority, I can't believe how refreshing it is to have my own space be beautiful.
Bryce got to accompany me to the dollar store one day.
