Kate ~ 5 months

The baby in the family is getting bigger every day, and we just love watching it all happen before our eyes!  Kate's an amazing little angel. 

 

At 5 months old, Kate...

 

...is an OK sleeper.  Yes, she has gone from being a great sleeper, to an OK sleeper ;).  The problem is putting her to sleep.  She'll fall asleep fine in our arms, but the moment we set her down, she wakes right up and cries.  She's getting better at staying asleep...we're working on it.  She is also very spoiled and is probably too comfortable with sleeping in my bed.  I don't care though...I love having her snuggle up with me.  It's the best. 

...is SO happy whenever she wakes, whether it be in the morning or from a nap.  So, getting her to sleep has proven to be a treat, but having her wake up seems to be the sweetest!

 

...loves her jumper and can finally support herself!  Yay!  I love watching her turn around in it and play with all the toys.

...still LOVES bath time and will just laugh and laugh the entire time!  I probably give her more bathes than I should because she loves them so much.  What can I say...I love me a yummy smelling, clean baby!  Mmmm!

...only rolls from her belly to her back.  She has rolled on to her belly a few times, but that's it. 

 

...is still a mommy and daddy's girl!  We love it so much.  She definitely prefers being in our arms and protected from the other little people in the house.

...is a drooler, just like her brothers!  Leah never drooled, so I was hoping that Kate would be the same, but no, she's a faucet.

 

...has the most amazing eyes.  Every time I look at her I think how I can't believe that her eyes are blue!  So pretty!

...chews on her fingers like mad!  She's a pro at cramming as many fingers as she can in her mouth once.

...found her feet, and she LOVES to grab at them any time that she can. 

...has a brother that just adores her!  Yes, Leah and Isaac love her lots and lots, but Noah just can't get enough of her.  He is constantly asking to hold her, and she usually lets him without a fuss.  I can already tell that these two are going to be close.  So sweet!

...loves to go on walks with me in the morning.  Isaac fusses more than she does about being in the stroller...I guess that's normal though :).

...has definitely found her voice and will let us know when she wants to be held by screaming at the top of her lungs!  Oh joy...I guess we have another screamer in the family.  But, the moment that we pick her up, she stops.  Our solution, obviously, is to hold her all the time :).

 

...loves to blow raspberries all.of.the.time!  Seriously, this combined with the drooling...oh my!  But so cute at the same time.

...is such a happy little girl.  We can not get enough of all her smiles and giggles.  Her laugh is music to my ears...it's the best!

 

...is so, SO, pretty.  She changes every day for the better and we just love her to pieces!  Even more than last month.

Lagoon ~ 2012

We went to Lagoon...again...  I guess having kids makes stuff like this that much more fun...right?  RIGHT?!? 

 

This year we went with my mom's work, which was SO much better than last year...in terms of food!  They even had Creamies and other ice cream bars for us to devour...yes, please!  Especially on a hot, HOT, day! 

 

After filling our bellies, we were off for a fun day of waiting in lines, riding rides, walking, walking, walking, and, of course, having FUN!  Noah went with my mom on the WHITE roller coaster and had a *blast*!  He's so happy to be big enough to go on BIG rides.  That's my boy! 

 

So, all in all, going to Lagoon was a success...again.  We'll just have to wait and see what next year has in store.  At this rate, I'm sure we'll go...again ;). 

 

 

As always, I have to get *one* family shot!  I keep telling the fam that they will appreciate it one day!

First ride of the day!  Leah and Isaac were SO excited!  Noah...not so much!  Since when does he think that he's too big for the kiddie rides?!?!  Whatever...he had better get used to it cause he's Isaac's buddy and likes having him along for the ride.  Cheer up little guy!



As always, Kate was a little dream baby.  So sweet, that girl!

Woo to the hoo...the carousel is always a favorite.  Even for Noah...go figure! 

Me and my girl :).

Leah wasn't big enough to go on some of the bigger rides that Noah was able to go on, but that didn't bring her down.  She was thrilled as can be to go on the little rides with Isaac.  Sweet girl!

We ended the day by sending these three on the tire ride!  Yay!  I wasn't too sad to stay with Isaac and Kate...I had a grand time watching them get drenched though :). 

My life...

I love looking back on my life over the course of the past six years and to think about how much it has changed. Being a mom and changed everything...and definitely for the good! I seriously wouldn't want my life to be any other way than it is at this moment. My kiddos and Doug are my life right now, and I absolutely love living in the moment with them.

I have also learned to embrace the chaos...and by golly, there is a lot of chaos. From keeping track of the children when they are out playing, cleaning the house, doing laundry, doing the dishes, feeding kids, dealing with tantrum-throwing-two-year olds, wiping sticky faces, kissing sticky faces, taking Noah to and from soccer, going to the park, playing with the kiddos, tickling the kiddos, teaching the kiddos right from wrong, breaking up disagreements between the kiddos, getting Noah and Leah ready for school, etc, etc, etc...

My life it totally focused on raising these kids and being there for my family in any way that they need me. This is what I signed up for, and I wouldn't have it any other way! Yes, there are days when I just want to throw in the towel and be done with the day. But I can't do that...I have to press on because these kids need me. They are so dependent on me, and I kind of like it. Even when everything is falling apart, they need me to help them, and, in a way, helping them, helps me! I love it...really, I do.

I especially love watching them learn and grow every day. In fact, I love it so much that I don't want it to end. I have a bad habit of getting sad when good things are over. For example, I was SO sad when Noah graduated from Kindergarten! That year was hands down the fastest year of my life! I couldn't stop thinking that every year was going to be that fast from here on out. I wasn't sad about his accomplishing this year in school, just the fact that it was over. I recently came across this quote, and I have to often think about it so I can be more in the moment and *happy* about this kind of stuff...

Isn't that such a great little quote?!? I love it, and I really do think of it often. Noah, Leah, Isaac, and Kate grow so much and learn so much each and every day...of course they're going to grow up fast at the pace they are learning. Yes, sometimes I do wish those hard days would go by a little faster so that I can move on to the next and have a better one, but the reality of it is that I need to embrace the good, the bad, and the ugly and appreciate all that goes on.

I also have a bad habit of thinking of all the things that I should've done with the kids, or with Doug. Like, maybe I should have played more with them instead of focus on all the little things around the house. Or, maybe I should have taken them to the park, and if I would have done that we wouldn't have had such a grumpy evening. I'm a pro at making myself feel guilty, and I know that I need to STOP that! My kids are happy, I know this. I see it in their faces. They don't need do to arts and crafts every.single.day. Or go on an outing every.single.day. All they need is me...that's what they are going to remember, and that is what makes us all happy. Sometimes just sitting outside doing nothing at all is what they need. And I don't want them to think that they need to be entertainted by something, or by going somewhere, all the time. It's OK to just sit in your room and play alone sometimes. We all need our own time to reflect...even if they are little people :). The little things are what's important.

That said, I think that I need to focus a little more on me. Of course, my family comes first, but sometimes I need to have my own little outlet. I think that it would be really good for the children to see me do things that I enjoy doing. I do believe that it will benefit them and give them memories of me as their mommy. I do sew, but I don't do it often enough. And, when I do, it's usually when they are in bed. Same with scrapbooking, and doing any other craft for that reason. I absolutely LOVE to create things...it's what I'm good at. But you'd never know cause I hardly do it. SO, I've decided that I need to do more creative things, and I do believe the kids will benefit from it. Mostly because what I want to do/make is for them!!! I'm totally addicted to PINTEREST and I have posted so many things that I want to make, and I'm going to start going and doing. I'll figure out a way to do it with the kids around too. I've figured out how to balance the needs of four little ones, I'm sure I can figure this out too.

I love blogging, and reading blogs, so why not have a blog to document some of this stuff. I don't aspire to being a well known blogger at all...but it's nice to have a place to document what I'm doing aside from my "real" life. I'm going to keep my personal family stuff here, and everything else here. So, come on over and check it out every so often. Hopefully I can get into the groove of creating soon. I know that it will make a difference in my life...as well as my sweet little family. After all, they are my everything!!!

Summer Vacation

We have not gone on a family vacation since March 2011! I was definitely in need of some sort of getaway with my family...well, maybe we were all in need of a little getaway! Having a new baby makes taking a vacation a little tricky for obvious reasons, plus the fact that Kate doesn't like going on long car rides makes it a little difficult...so we decided to go to Midway and Park City for a few days. It wasn't too far away, yet it was far enough away to make it feel like we were away from our normal surroundings. It really was just what I needed :).

When we arrived, the kids had to scope out our room. I swear, going into a hotel room for the first time on a trip never gets old. We had an awesome view and they loved looking out the window at the scenery.

They also had to try out the beds! Love those smiles!After unpacking our stuff, we headed into town for a bit to have dinner. The kids were begging to go swimming, so we headed right back to the hotel so we could do just that. The pool was perfect for the kids and they LOVED it!

Kate was asleep when we went down, so I opted to sit with her. Once she woke up, she was so happy and calm. She really is the perfect baby and she was fabulous on this trip!

The next morning was full of snuggles and eating licorice for breakfast ;).

Once we were *finally* ready, we jumped in the car and headed to Park City for the afternoon. I think I have said this before, but Isaac has been the worst teether ever! I thought Leah was bad, but she has nothing on Isaac. And, lucky for us, he was in major pain our entire trip...and Tylenol, or any other pain relief for that matter, wouldn't help the poor guy out! Our outing to Park City was not the best for him, but he pulled through. Here are the boys getting ready to go on the Alpine Slide. Isaac wasn't too sure about what to expect, but he was happy once he got on the lift and realized that it was *fun*!I hung out with the girlies and bought Leah a ticket to go on the Carousel. She was grinning from ear to ear the entire time...so I guess it was worth $3?!?!Here are my handsome boys at the top of the lift.

And here they are at the bottom! Noah was thrilled that he was big enough to come down by himself. Doug and I were indifferent because that meant we had to pay more for him to ride it...the joys of having your kids grow up. It's burning a hole in our pocket already ;).Then it was my turn! Noah was lucky enough to be able to go down the slide twice...lucky duck! Seriously...that ride was so FUN! Leah and I had a blast!And here's a shot of Doug and the kiddos...Isaac wasn't into it...poor little dude.After Park City, we went and did a little shopping, which the kids just loved {not!}, then we headed back to the hotel for some more swimming! My kiddos are little fish and would have swam all day and all night! Turns out Isaac was actually a little sick that night, so I took him and Kate up to the room. It took us about 45 minutes for he, Kate, and I to shower and get ready...and all the while, Doug, Noah, and Leah were still swimming! We ended up going back down to just watch them for another hour! Seriously...they LOVE to swim :).

I love how Isaac has floaties, a tube, and a noodle. We're very safe!When we went shopping, I bought Leah these red glasses, and it turns out Isaac loved them too! I had to convince Leah to let him wear them, which was not an easy feat, but she finally obliged when she saw how happy it made him :).The next day, we went shopping, again, and found him these stylin' glasses ;). He LOVES them and still wears them all of the time! I seriously can't take the kid seriously when he's wearing them. So...these glasses were the good that came out of our trip for Isaac :).So, aside from having sick kid, we had a great time. Noah and Leah needed this getaway just as much as Doug and I did. It really is so much fun to just get out of our normal routine and spend every hour together. I thoroughly enjoyed not worrying about cleaning and my normal day to day stuff at home...it was GREAT! I definitely look forward to our next family vacation. Man, oh man, I love my family so much and special time together like this is time well spent!!!

Leah's in Preschool

I finally come to terms with Noah being gone to first grade...then Leah decides it's time for preschool! The nerve ;).

Leah has been looking forward to preschool since Noah was in preschool! Seriously! The girl has been waiting for this day for a loooong time. And just cause I love looking back on pictures, check out these pics of Noah on his first day of preschool two years ago...

That was two years ago...TWO YEARS AGO! Boy, oh boy, has that kid grown. He went from a little boy to a big boy in one blink! Crazy talk. But check out this picture...Leah was set on going to school with Noah, and, as you can see, he wasn't impressed by that idea! Today she got her turn...My darling little four year old princess got her wish, and boy was she excited! Last night we had a big party to celebrate her going to school, which was so much fun! As soon as she woke up this morning, she ate her breakfast and promptly got ready for her big day. Then, of course, we had to take some pictures outside :). I have never really had a problem leaving Leah with people, and this was no exception. I knew that she would go willingly. She was grinning from ear to ear when we walked in the door. She somewhat familiar with her school, so she let go of my hand the minute we walked in, hung up her backpack, and found a seat on the table next to her cousin, Ryan! How lucky are they to go to preschool together! Lucky ducks! She gave me a kiss and hug before I left, then I headed home with the two littles. I totally didn't think I'd get emotional, but I totally did! As soon as we walked in the door at home, I got a little teary eyed. Not because she's gone...because she's growing up so fast. Our little Leah is such a mature little girl and she is growing up way too fast for my liking. I guess I cried because it made me happy that she adjusts so well to being away from me, yet I'm not ready for any of that. Oh well...she's growing up, whether I like it or not. So, ya, I guess I did cry a little because she was gone too ;). I think I've comed to terms with the fact that I'll always be a little emotional on the first day of school...and that's OK ;).

After putting Kate down for a nap, playing with Isaac, getting ready...it was time to go get Leah! I guess I had forgotten how fast 2 1/2 hours goes by! I was so happy to see my girl when Miss Tanya opened the gate......and even more happy to have her run towards me! That girl makes me so happy...I mean, who wouldn't be happy with that sweet thing running at you :).She had a WONDERFUL time and was so excited to tell me everything, including all the kids names! This girl has a crazy good memory!It makes me feel SO good that Miss Tanya is teaching Leah this year. She's AMAZING! I know that Leah will learn so much from her, and I'm so thankful for that!I'm also so thankful that Leah gets to go with Ryan! I know that these two will have a fabulous time this year...and then it's off to kindergarten! Yikes!

Football Season!

It's here! Football season has begun, which is a big thing around here :). We especially LOVE the first home Utah game of the season! Oh my...it was so much fun to dress the kids up in their Utah gear and go to the game! Fall is in the air now that football has begun :). I love it!

These two have become especially close lately. Seeing this makes me grin until my cheeks hurt! Plus look how dang cute they are!!

I was feeling ambitious the day before the game, so I made this cute skirt for Leah. I've been wanting to make her a Utah skirt for sooo... long, so I finally just dropped what I was doing and made it. It only took me about an hour to make, and I'm so glad that I did! I made one for Kate too...a little simpler design, but so darling :).

I love my little UTE fans! It's in their blood, and I think they are starting to like it just as much as their daddy and I :). **Sidenote: Isaac LOVES wearing that shirt and pretty much insists on wearing it every day! Whenever he gets dressed, he says "I wear my GO UTAH shirt!". Love it!

Doug and I after the game! We won...hope they keep up a good streak! I seriously LOVE this time of year! GO UTES!!!