March Madness

My favorite moments have become the everyday moments.  I didn't always know that they would be my most treasured, but they are, because it's a record of our life.  Here's snippets of our life in March...

This was actually a video I took of Caroline snoring, but had to sneak in a still picture so I could record it here too.  She snores SO loud, it's amazing that it comes from such a small person!

Caroline was very concerned about the rips in my jeans...she wanted to take them to the doctor!

Welcome to my life.  I get this pout almost every day.

Yep, she's sassy.  And totally adorable.

These girls are growing up!!  

I love to see them all play games together--they don't always get along, but they still love to be together.

Some mornings Caroline goes running with me, and this particular morning, she just had to hold my hand.  While I ran.  Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds! But...I loved it.

We've been transitioning from nap to no nap, and that's always a tricky thing.  It's been okay most of the time, but sometimes she just can't make it the whole afternoon without falling asleep!

March brought parent week at ballet, and I was so happy to be able to go and watch Emma in class.  She loves it so much, and has really come a long way in the last few years.  I'm happy that she has found something that's "her".

Henry LOVES the game Battleship.  The last time we played, I warned him that I was kind of a Battleship champion, but he didn't believe me until I had taken out four of his ships.  Then he told me that ladies were the best.  :)

Legos, legos, and more legos. We have no place to keep toys, so a big bin of them stay in my family room pretty much all the time.  I have lego creations on several surfaces, and I'm usually stepping on them throughout the day. But...the kids all love them so much, and they've provided many happy hours playing together!

Oh, Emma.  I keep telling her she is going to love her hair one day, but I don't think she believes me quite yet.  

The kids were in bed...this just goes to show that you're never too old to play with Legos!

Henry is usually on the go, and going about a million miles an hour, so it was so fun to capture this picture of him! He looks so serene, with his cute hands tucked under his chin!

That grin.  This one came after the fact that she locked me out of the house when I walked the kids out to the bus. She went upstairs and left me to fend for myself! I went to the neighbor's house to call Rick to come back and let me in, but she soon got nervous and came and opened the door.  Turkey.

Shopping for tractors?  When did I ever think that would be a part of my life? But it is, and I love it! 

Rick and Ryan have a game they play together on their iPads, and they usually play at night after the kids are in bed.  This time, neither of them could make it long enough to play!  

An Unexpected Easter

Easter was not what we expected this year, and we're all glad for it.  We did the usual Easter Basket Treasure Hunt and other activities on Saturday, and had a great day. Sunday morning we headed to church early, and since the weather was going to be so nice, we planned to go to a huge outdoor park/farm to enjoy it.  We packed a lunch and changes of clothes, and and took them with us so we could go straight from church, since it was just about 10 minute away from our building.

I subbed in Primary as the chorister, and right after church I started talking to a girl I hadn't met yet.  We just started attending this ward the week before, so it was nice to connect with someone so quickly. She ended up inviting us over for Easter dinner, and what she coined as an "Easter Walk".  She said that it would be an adventure, and the kids were all for it.

We had time to go to the park first, so we got changed and had a small egg hunt before heading to their house.  They also have six kids, so it was a full house, but so fun!  We had a yummy ham dinner, then it was time to go on our walk.  They live about 5 minutes from where our new house will be, and their property is gorgeous.  In their backyard is a ravine with waterfall after waterfall, so she outfitted us all with water shoes (I can't believe she had that many extra, and in the right sizes!!), we rolled up our pant legs, and we were off.

We had a list of things were supposed to collect--items that would remind us of Jesus Christ--and we were going to come back and talk about them.  The kids just couldn't wait to go adventuring, and discover everything that was to come.  They showed us all of the trees they were tapping for sap, and told us about how they make their own maple syrup.  Then we started hiking, and soon we were walking along the river next to their house.  The kids were in heaven! Fortunately, despite it being the end of March, it was fairly warm day, and it didn't take long before they were all IN the water.

Rick had Caroline on his back, and Jack kept close to me, but it was a constant battle to keep the other kids close.  We hiked, climbed over trees, had to cross the water several times, and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery around us. It felt like we were somewhere else entirely, not in their backyard!  After about an hour or so, we came to the final waterfall, and a small beach.  We built a fire, roasted marshmallows, skipped rocks, and had a fabulous time.  Soon it was time to get back--it was going to be dark soon, and the kids would be getting really cold.  We hiked back a different way, and up three waterfalls to get home!

When we got back, she found enough clothes for all the kids to change into, then we had dessert, and an Easter lesson.  We didn't get home until after 10pm, but it was one of best days (and nights) we'd had in a long time.  Yes, an unconventional Easter, but a wonderful one.

Three.

If I was writing on paper, you would see little watermarks from my tears.  I seriously can't believe my baby is three years old--it's literally flown by.  I've enjoyed every single minute, even the crazy ones, and I wish I could freeze time, or at least slow it down a little.

Caroline is an absolute joy, and she is adored by every single member of our family.  The light she brings is immeasurable, and we are so glad that she came to our family.

She requested "white cake with white frosting and pinky sprinkles", and that's what she got.  She loved blowing out the candles, and ate plenty of cake and ice cream. She was thrilled with her presents--a new Little People house and car, plus a new Supergirl cape--and we all spent the afternoon playing with her and just hanging out.  

For dinner we made "Chicken Chubby Soup", which was named after her when she was just a baby. It was the first food she ate, and she LOVED it. We were actually surprised that such a small baby could eat so much!  It seemed very appropriate that make it on her birthday. 

Happy birthday, darling.  We love you!  xoxo