Sledding.

Christmas day Collin took the girls out to go sledding! They had so much fun!

Walking!

Guess who finally decided he wanted to walk...just a few days short of 17 months! If only we knew M&M's were the secret to his success all along...

Ava Turns 8!

My oldest baby turned 8 yesterday. How can that be? I feel like she just started preschool and now she's half way done with the second grade. SO sad. BUT we were anything but sad yesterday...Ava and her friends had a makeover party at Silhouette Salon here in Newton. They had SO much fun getting their hair, nails and makeup done. A VERY girly party.We ended the night with pizza and took some VERY energetic (but hopefully tired) girls home. I think its safe to say this is Ava's best party yet :)

Family Bloopers.

Notice a common theme throughout these pictures? OR should i say a 'common characteristic?' My middle child is something else. She does great for individual pictures, but family? HA! And then there was the squirmy one year old who hated being held down. And then the almost 8 year old who got bored fast.
Once we hit 3 kids I gave up the notion of setting up a tripod and taking pictures myself (i learned after trying that only ONCE!). I've also learned over the past year or two that it's ok to have family blooper pictures. I used to think 'delete!' BUT now i think 'frame!' When i look back these, i want to remember not just the 'perfect picture' because let's face it...those days are gone for a few(well, several) years yet...I want to look back and .....LAUGH. Which is what i did when i went through my pictures (my dear friend Paula Unruh took them-she's great!)....I just laughed. Don't worry-we got a few really good ones, but i'm saving most of those for Christmas :)
Enjoy :)

Marin is 4!

This past Tuesday Marin turned 4! AND there were many signs that she was hitting 4....some good...some not so good...BUT we love her perky personality! Some of things she's into at 4? Pirates. Cowboys. Tea parties. Dancing. Singing. Reading her Bible. Loves being read to. Oh...and i almost forgot DINOSAURS! Which explains the cake below :) I was thankful for extra cupcakes from my sister's wedding this past weekend-perfect timing so this mama didn't have to bake (i know, shocking, right?). She celebrated with treats at preschool and then at Burger King with some friends (and more cupcakes). Yesterday I made a dinosaur cake at her request. I had found an old cake pan at an antique shop and knew with a boy i would use it. Just never thought i would with a girl ;) Don't look too closely-not my best work, but Marin loved it! She chose the head as her first piece and made sure she ate the eyes first :)
Stay tuned for a mini 4 year old photo shoot...