Princess Elly's 4th Birthday

So... A month later I am finally getting around to posting pics of Elly's Birthday. It has been so busy lately that I haven't been able to sit down and do it. What can I say about Elly.... Hmmm.... She is the cutest little girl you've ever seen. She is just so small and petite. She can be super
sweet or a total monster, but we love her and couldn't ask for more. She is our Little Princess, she's also our monkey as well. For her birthday she wanted me to make her a castle cake, and so I attempted it. Thank goodness for You Tube, I was able to get a good start. It didn't turn out quite as well as I'd like, but it was good and Elly liked it so that was all that mattered. We spent the evening with friends and family and we had a lot of fun.

Paige in the Pots

So Paige's new thing is getting into pots. I know what most of you are thinking....She like to play with pots as in cooking ware, and that is partly true. Unfortunately, she likes to get into another kind of pot, and this pot is not so clean. She likes the toilet. YUCK! Most of you are also thinking wh yare you taking a picture instead of quickly getting her out. I was inclined to and my sister in law was here and said I should take a picture of it, so of course, I had to do it! It's a good blackmail picture. : )

Playing on the Swingset

Yesterday was such a nice day, that we spent alot of time outside. I mowed the lawn, and mulched the garden, while Ryan edged and the kids played. After we were done we all decided to play a little on the swingset that Ryan made for the kids, or so he thought he made for the kids (I think I play on it more than they do). It's pretty fun. Jordan just learned how to pump the swing and swing all by himself. Now I don't have to push him. YAY!!! Elly is still our little monkey. She climbs up the chain on the swing, and Paige.... well she wants to be just like the Big Kids and play too! Here are some pics!

Happy Birthday Paige

So I know that it's a little late but I figure, better late than never, right? My sweet Paige turned a year old on April 9th. I am so grateful for her. I really don't know what we'd do without her. She is, by far, the BEST baby. She's so easy to take care of. She is so happy, she sleeps great, she's been weened from a bottle and pacifier with no problems, I'm telling you, she's perfect! (she is a bit wiggly though, she doesn't want to just sit and let you cuddle with her : ( That's the only downside) Here are just a few updates: First- She is walking. She's been pulling herself up and standing since November and she walks so good now. She started walking at around 11 months, but it was just steps and then she'd fall. It seems like once she turned 1 she had to grow up or something cause she walks SO good! She still only has 2 teeth and I cannot see anymore coming in, so who knows??? She may be "2 tooth" for a while. I think it is adorable. She is my smiley baby. She smiles at everyone and is so friendly. She can get anyone to smile back at her. When people see her smile at them, it's like they can't resist, they just wanna hold her.

Anyways... We had a Birthday party for her and I think she enjoyed it! She loved having all the kids over and wishes she was bigger so she could join them in playing. We are truly blessed to have her in our lives. Thanks to everyone for all the Birthday wishes. She's our angel! We sure love her.

Happy 6th Birthday Jordan!!!

So this year for his Birthday, Jordan decided he wanted to have a dinosaur theme. With this dinosaur theme we had to have a volcano cake. I searched the internet for ideas and then I decided to use a few things from different ideas. It turned out fun! I am definitely no professional, but he liked it and I enjoyed doing it! When we were all singing Happy Birthday, we got Jordan trick candles. The kids thought it was hilarious that the candles kept re-lighting. It was a BLAST to watch! I wished I would have video taped it! Here are some pictures for those who couldn't be there.


Opening Birthday presents! Even Paige wanted in on the action.

My favorite present of the evening. : )

What an excited little boy!!!

Here is my attempt at a volcano/dinosaur cake.

Our Sunny Day

So, as most of you know, I have been dying for a warm day so we could all go outside and play. Well, it finally happened. Yesterday was probably close to 50 degrees and we were loving it. It was sunny and warm and we took advantage of it and went outside and played. We got out some toys, had some friends over, and we hung out! It was wonderful and I hope to have many more. It is pretty sad that on our warm days, you can still see snow on the ground. Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

Spring Fever

So I am super tired of the snow and just want it GONE!!!! I want to be able to go outside and sit in the sunshine. I want the kids to be able to play outside so they aren't so crazy indoors. Is this too much to ask??? Well, things have been getting better. Temperatures have been in the 40's (YAY) and the snow is slowly melting, just not fast enough for me! Ryan,. Elly, Paige, and I went to a HUGE indoor sale at a Sports store. We found some really great deals. We bought some wetsuits for the kids and we got Jess a life jacket so she could go boating with us! We are super excited. We had Elly try her wetsuit on (2T) and it was SoOOOO cute! She didn't want to take it off.

Summer PLEASE get here!!!

Paige's Pierced Ears

Today we got Paiges ears pierced. She is so cute. She did so well too. She hardly even cried.

Updates

Okay... so it's been a LONG time since I have updated this and have gotten some complaints. : ) So for those of you who are interested, here it goes...

There hasn't really been anything really BIG going on, but it has been busy, and to be honest, there's not a whole lot to show for it! Let's start with Christmas. It was so much fun to have almost all of Ryan's family here (we missed you Mindi). We had the privilege of having Julie, Ted, Joe, and Patrick stay with us. We really enjoyed having them here, and hated to see them leave. We also were able to spend some time with Paula, Mike, Nathan, and Ben. Those boys have gotten so big and it was fun to see them and get to know them better. Since they live so far, it's hard. We love them and wish that we could see all of them more. We just played and hung out. We just enjoyed ourselves. I am grateful that I was able to see my mom for Christmas without even having to go to California, although I do miss everyone there. I am planning to make a trip down there sometime in the near future.

Then January came so fast, and that my friends, is a month chalk full of birthdays. There is too many to name. It was also the month we got the most wonderful gift (a new van!!!!) It has been so pleasant. The kids hardly fight in the car and I enjoy it immensely. They do however argue about which movie to watch. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. this is also the month where we started some New Year's Resolutions and to be honest, I have done well in some areas and TERRIBLE in others. I can't believe that there are already goals that I have not accomplished. YIKES! I have however been exercising 6 days a week and have been eating a little bit healthier. I haven't noticed to much of a change though. I suppose it takes a while. I just wished it would happen as fast as it did after I had Elly. I lost tons of weight with her, but this time has been quite difficult. I will continue to try and see what a few months will bring (if anything).

Valentine's Day is next. The kids have been so excited. Me too ( I have to admit) I love all holidays and I love having a reason to do something different! I love fixing a fun Valentine's meal and enjoying it with my family. Today was Jordan's Valentine's party at school and I have been helping with all of the parties and I volunteer in his class every Tuesday to help with Reading groups. It is fun to be in the schools, especially since I am not teaching these days! I am missing it and would LOVE to find someone to do a job share with.

We are ready for winter to be OVER so we can get out of the house and play!!!! There are days when I want to scream because the kids are so bored and want to go outside but can't because it is too cold. Jordan has started to play soccer, we need to teach him how to play so that he'll know a little of what he's doing when he gets out on the field. LOL It is kind of funny, all the kids just kinda run where the ball goes. It is chaos.

Anyways... We are alive and doing well. We just need some sunshine and warm weather. We can hardly wait for summer, so we can go camping, boating, have BBQ's, and play outside.