Surprise!

My personal favorite

I totally LOVE these kids. I mean, look at them. How can you not? They are hilarious and so fun! Blake took off a day in February and we surprised them with Chuck E Cheese. We told them we were taking them somewhere special, and they were going crazy trying to figure it out. When we finally pulled up and got out, they immediately started dancing, and celebrating. Blake and I were cracking up. I love that they are expressive, and joyful, and not too concerned with what others think...yet. I know that day is coming...but until then I'm gonna relish these sweet moments of pure freedom!

Change isn't always bad

Last time sharing a room...for now anyways. (Sort of staged. I forgot that morning)

About to be 3 and ready for a big girl bed

New roommates at Aiden's request. He and Evie are sharing a room now.

Hello Gracen--looking at the "big" girl room

Grier's 1st night in a big girl bed. *Sniff, sniff. They are VERY excited to be bunking together.

So in February and March we did a lot of changing around here. We switched so many things around that it made my head spin. We decided to make our 4th bedroom a playroom, and so we combined kiddos. It's been several months since this took place...Aiden and Ev are still loving being together...and it's adorable to hear my 17 month old say "Aiden". She loves him SO much. Grier and Gracen are now in bunk beds. We wanted to start Grier lower to the ground. She was ready pretty quickly for a "real" bed. We had bought this adorable set of bunk beds unfinished (from Furniture in the Raw) in someones yard who needed to sell them quickly..for $30. Yes...$30! Isn't that ridiculous!? So, Blake painted them white and moved them into the girls room...pics later. We're still mixin' it up over here...although it's slowed down a bit...thank goodness.

Get Away

Look at that handsome guy!

Yes...I brought my crock pot. Can't leave home without it.

In February, Blake and I got to get away for a few days sans kids. We headed to Fredericksburg to a B & B. We've been several times and always stay somewhere different...but this place might be seeing us again. It had every thing we could have wanted...it was romantic and cozy, and it was right off of Main St...so we could walk everywhere. We had such a great time. The purpose of our time away was to pray about the year, set some personal and family goals, and think through ministry commitments, our calendar, our vision for our family...you name it, we covered it. It was very productive...we talked, and talked and talked...and prayed and prayed and prayed. Both of our tanks were overflowing as we pulled out of there to see our precious children. The time away really recharged us. I can't wait for next year.

Freak Snow...in February

It's in his DNA to throw things.

Don't eat the YELLOW snow! (I've always wanted to sat that)

Adventures to be had

*Out of order...this should be #1. First time to be in the snow (That they remember)

Snow Princess

Then something goes terribly wrong

And we scared the neighbors. I'm sure of it.

Okay, okay....so we might have been a LITTLE unprepared. I mean, we DO live in Central Texas. We don't get snow often enough to be outfitted for the rare occurrence, much less know what to do in it. And we might just be in our pajamas, with a little hoodie...and no gloves. It started off a fun adventure, but it wasn't long before we were all soaking wet, cold, and a little weepy. Well, just one of us...ahem. From the sounds of the wailing and the screaming, I'm sure our neighbors thought a child had been abandoned on the side of the road. Do I feel a little guilty for our lack of warmth...nah...we eventually went in and returned to our normal color with a little hot chocolate. And look at the memories we made...AND, bonus...now I have some footage for a certain person's rehearsal dinner video. Isn't her crying face adorable??

The Tribe Sees the Dentist

Tag Team Cleaning

Brave Aiden--off by himself

Clutching the Side

Starting to relax

Whatev...


So, my question to you is...have you ever been to the dentist with 4 children 5 and under before? Well, I wouldn't recommend it. It's an adventure to say the least. Actually this trip was fantastic! First off let me just say how AWESOME Dr. G is at Kids Dental Smiles. Not only was he willing to see all 4 of my kids on the same day, BUT he and his staff are always so kind and patient too! And as a side note, Dr. G is opening up an office in the RR area, so he'll be closer to us!! Check him out if you need a pediatric dentist.
Okay, so back to our adventure...Aiden and Grier love the dentist. Aiden goes off by himself...no big deal. And as you can see Grier feels right at home. This was Evan's first time, and she apparently loved it as well...then there's Gracen.
Wow...where do I begin...Well, I have taken her to the dentist every 6 months since she was 12 months old...and now she's 5. So, if you do the math, she's been...a lot! That doesn't seem to matter. We role play EVERY single time starting about 2 weeks out. We talk about the benefit of healthy teeth. We talk about ALL the prizes she'll get when she goes...because they LOAD you up. But every time we get there we are met with a HUGE meltdown. You would think we were trying to pull all her teeth out. Anyhow, I think her file is marked at Dr. G's office, because the hygienist that came to take her back seemed to breath deeply before calling her name and asked me to come back, which they usually don't offer up front for the "older" kids. BUT to my surprise AND the hygienists, Gracen was AMAZING! She was brave (for the most part) and cooperative. I couldn't believe it. I did have to hold her hand the whole time...but hey, I'd gladly do that. I smothered her with kisses and praised her ALL DAY long for her bravery...It's only looking up from here.

Girls

The lighting is weird on this picture...I still don't really know what all the buttons do on my camera...obviously...BUT I thought this picture was so sweet. I adore these 3 girls.

P.S....I'm now in "February"...I'm just chugging a long.

Our own little playground

The kids got a trampoline and a swing set for Christmas from both sets of their grandparents...and it has CHANGED my life. I love that I can send them in the backyard and they have stuff to play with. I mean, it seems like a no brainer...but it took us awhile to figure this out. Before our backyard resembled a neighborhood park, the kids would find trouble quickly...very quickly. It wouldn't be but a few minutes, before I would hear either crying or "MOMMY!" Not only have they gotten along so much better, but it has made for some really fun playdates...and made it SO easy to have other families over. Thank you Grandparents...you made my year!