Birthday Season Begins!

Around here birthday season opens on April the 17th and ends on May the 8th. Anna Lea's birthday is first. She turned 4 this year. I was hoping the terrible twos, wich have stayed with us through the threes would magically disappear, but they didn't. Though we have made some major steps of improvement, we are still working hard on self control when angry about something that doesn't go our way, and going to bed at bed time. Anna Lea has great manners, always remembering to say "Thank you" and "Your Welcome". She is also quick to give out compliments. For example, she told the lady in the bathroom at Target, "Your shirt is pretty".

We decided to do something a little different this year for the kids birthdays. In the past we have had one big party to celebrate everyone's births. This year we had a "Princess Party" for the girls where they were able to invite two friends each. Wyatt spent that day with Daddy on a backhoe they rented to play with for the weekend. I will do a separte post for these special events, because of the volume of pictures:)

We tried to make the actual day of our children's birthdays special as well with cupcakes, balloons, and a present or two. Below is Anna Lea's special day.

And this was BEFORE eating the cupcake!

Pop, Marmee, and chil'ren (Wyatt has recently grown a goatee:)

Excited to open presents!!

Spring has Sprung!

When I find myself all alone, and no one is crying or screaming at one of their siblings, one of two things is usually happening. One, my three are into something they KNOW good and well they are not supposed to be into, or two, something along these lines is going on........

I am VERY happy for warmer weather. Wich means we can get out of the house, and get outside! My favorite place to be!

Sisters

Ready for Church??

He absolutely loves his "new" hat from Daddy

You'd better watch your toes out here!

If you need ANY help with fashion for this spring, you might get some ideas from Anna Lea, our fashion queen around here:)

I have had a couple of successes with some whole food sweet treats this past month. Below is a picture of something the kids enjoyed. They are called, "Meringues." You make them with egg whites, vanilla, maple syrup, and arrowroot powder. I also made homemade vanilla ice cream with out using ANY sugar, and it turned out DELICIOUS!! To make it we used our raw milk and cream, our own homemade vanilla, arrowroot powder, egg yolks, and maple syrup!! It is exciting when you find something sweet that is made with all whole foods, and tastes Yummy!

Wintertime

What have we been doing this winter? Well, let's see.......

Making homemade biscuits and playing with the leftover dough.

Adding a few sprinkles to make it more interesting.

Wyatt's little hands

Anna Lea's little hands

Pulling all the luggage and sleeping bags out to play with, or take a break in

Making our own vanilla for baking (SO EASY! Hope I never have to buy it again!)

Everyone got to make their own afterschool trail mix snack

Driving trucks and trains over pieces of tape, taped to the living room floor

Having a real-life sleepover with our cousin, Eveley who came for a visit

Just to name a few.

Our Christmas Celebration

Found Goldfish in our stockings

The only thing Wyatt asked Santa for this year...a TRACTOR!

Anna Lea's dress up clothes

still loving it

Layla's "Belle" dress

Beautiful Snow White

Layla getting ready to use her Easy Bake Oven for the first time

Oops...I found another "Snow White" sneaking around

"Snow White" and her new kitty at Gram and Poppy's

Wyatt "rocking out" with his new guitar...he was cracking us up jumping around with this thing from Aunt Jeannie and Uncle David! He says, "I'm a Star Rock!"

Thanksgiving Trip and Christmas Advent Calendar

Our family traveled to my Mom and Dad's in Clarksville, TN for Thanksgiving this year. We enjoyed a DELICIOUS, traditional, Thanksgiving meal (including my favorite - sweet potato casserole!) and spending quality time with "grandma" and "grandpa". We also traveled to Bowling Green, Ky to see my dad's extended family, including my grandmother. We had a great time. The kids especially enjoyed Grandpa's miniature farm wich includes several goats, a bull, turkeys, chickens, and a cat or two.

Grandpa and kids

Wyatt

Layla and Anna Lea on the haybales

This Christmas season, I was motivated and inspired to try an Advent calendar for our children. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, yet something that they would look foward to each morning. Almost all of the ideas that went into the envelopes were traditions that we would have done any way (like ice sugar cookies) but, doing it this way adds anticipation, and makes us more intentional in celebrating the days leading up to our Saviour's birth! Below is a picture of what I came up with that is working well for us this year. The first day we decorated our Christmas tree. Today we enjoyed cups of hot chocolate. On Sunday, we dressed up for church and tried for a family photo in wich everyone is smiling....with little luck.

Our "Advent Calendar" (made using envelopes clothes-pinned to a little rope)


Family Photos:)

Layla

Anna Lea

Wyatt

The Happy Little Family

(Many thanks to our photographer who managed to capture the stairs, cluttered with clothes in the background;)

Another thing I added to the calendar was making a birdhouse with Daddy. Rob, was not too thrilled with my awesome idea at first, but came through (as those of you who know him well, knew he would) with a perfectly cut, perfectly aligned, perfectly squared, solid-as-a-rock, birdhouse!

Couldn't resist posting this pic of Wyatt working in his cute lizard undies and socks!

The finished product!