Party Day!

Micah turned 2.  It was an exciting day.  Jolie and her friends volunteered to plan and execute her party.  I was stoked because parties are not my thing.  I really don't decorate. 

These 12-year-olds had a vision.  They planned the menu and the theme.  It was so fun to watch them work.

It turned out great and Micah loved all of the attention she got from the big girls.  I think we might make this a tradition.

Jolie making a delicious cake.

 

The girls putting the trifles together.

Messy but delicious!

They did it all on their own.  It was wonderful!

The moment Micah spotted her new plays set.  She was running!

Slide!

Life with 3 brothers is so much fun.

Oh Asher!  I think those are your color.

Weebies, you crack me up.  He begged me to take this picture.

The table was so cute.

BOO!

Little goofy.

I was so proud of these girls.  They worked so hard to make Micah's party special.  Thank you!

:)

More pictures requested. :)

By popular demand, (with the grandparents) I am posting more pictures of the family.  :) 

Gampy came to visit.

The hours at the ballpark have made an impression.

Keep your eye on the ball Levi!  Nice shorts and boots Daddy.  ;)

Matt got the boys belt-making kits.  I had no idea there was such a thing.  So they now each have  a belt that Matt claims will last them through high school.  Matt has had his current leather belt for 13-14 years!

Asher chose a grey color for his belt.

We were blessed with several days of rain which turned our yard into a mud pit.  Jolie lead the pack into a mud fight.

Crazy kids!

Zaddy was a policeman for career day.  He looked very handsome! 
We had a sweet officer friend lend us a hat!

And finally, Miss Micah!  Someone help the poor child.  Nobody is feeding her.

Not sure where the double chin came from.  :)

Jolie's turn!

So my sweet daughter and I got to have our photo date this morning.  It was a perfect overcast morning and she, a very willing subject, did great!

Awwww, my baby girl.

This is the look she gives her brothers.  :)

Gotta jump! 



You know you're a mom of a girl when...

you have to say, several times a day, "Just take a deep breath."

you have resorted to hiding your  "important" jewelry.

there is a real fear that you will lose the opportunity parent your newest baby due to older sister ownership.

there was a period of time when pink and fluffy was the only acceptable state for any purchase. 

you still have to avoid the strong smells.  These just come in spray bottles.

you always check your lipstick before you use it.

you get that, "I totally disapprove of your behavior." look and it's not from your mom.

everything is better with sparkles

your sons won't fully believe you about anything until they have checked with their sister.

you frequently try to put on socks or underwear that are several sizes too small.

you cannot hide any emotion.

there has never been so much glitter in the world, EVER, until now.

you think you have had a private conversation only to find out she, somehow, has heard every word.

you have lost ownership of most of your high-heeled shoes.

you no longer have to ask your husband's opinion about an outfit or nail polish color.

there is inspiration for a real reflection of your own hormonal highs and lows.

you are amazed at how far eyes can actually roll back into a head.

there are brushes and hair things in every room of the house.

you have formed an alliance against stinky smells coming from the boys in the last post.

kitties and best friends are the most wonderful thing to happen to humanity.

you are so happy to see your husband give his and love attention to another female.

you are amazed that one human could be so sweet, silly, goofy, sassy and spunky all at the same time.

there is a friendship and a love that cannot be described that you know will be there forever.


I love you Jolie Kay.  We will have a new list of things to write when your baby sister gets here.

 

Mom and daughter road trip!

Matt and I know that having a large family means that each kid get less of mom and dad's time.  While we make an effort everyday to give moments of special attention, we also have made plans to have "coming of age" trips for each child. 

We want to make each trip a special one-on-one experience with each child.  Our hope is to start with local trips for younger kids and then progress to bigger trips as the kids get older.  We pray these are times where each child gets a chance to be who they are apart from our herd. 

Our first trip was with Jolie.  She turned 10 this year so we did an out of town trip to Ruidoso, NM.  I grew up in Roswell, which is an hour and a half away from there, so I knew a bit about the town.  The drive was about 4 hours to get from the prairie to the mountains.  It was a long drive but it was worth it.

We didn't plan anything special.  All I had on the agenda was spending time with my girl.  That is just what we did.  She got to choose what we did and when we did it.  She had a blast and I treasure that time we got to spend together. 

Being the oldest child is not always easy.  She has a ton of responsibility but is held to a higher standard because of her age and ability.  Then, when she tries to take care of (or boss) her brothers, she gets in trouble.  It's a hard station to be in.  So I pray that all of the time we get to spend with her, whether it be a trip to the grocery store or a trip to the mountains, will reinforce how special she is to us.  I pray the same for our sweet boys. 

Here we are in our lovely hotel room.  I have a little bit of a hard time relaxing in hotel rooms. (I'm just never sure of the cleanliness factor)  Jolie however was so excited and rolled around all over the beds and used every amenity they offered.

She just had to practice her ballet on the beds.

Little monkey.  (Every kid has to do this at least once on a hotel bed!)

The best part of our stay was the pool. 

There were many tricks preformed.

My sweet girl heading back to the room for some cookies and a movie!

Here we are starting our day of shopping and lunch.  It was so fun!

We finished shopping for treats to bring home to our boys and had lunch.  After that we got to visit a museum which was very cool.  Then, we left Ruidoso and went to Roswell to spend the night with my sister Heather and her sweet girls.  I will post more about that later!

10 years in the pumpkin patch

To my 10-year-old girl at the pumpkin patch...

We created this celebration in honor of your special day.  Friends, cousins, dirt cake.  It was all planned.

Your girlfriends were just as crazy and funny as you.

Your baby brother had so much fun (and looked really cute) in your honor.

Your Aunt Amanda made your night with a Justice gift card.

You went down the slide 500 times.

So did everyone else.

You other baby brother nearly broke his arms playing with the giant volleyball, in your honor.

You contemplated moving into this quaint little home.

You conquered your fears.

Baby girl, you are my precious treasure.  I am so thankful to be a part of this whole growing-up thing.  You are such a unique and beautiful person.  I can't wait to see what the next decade brings.  Love you sweet baby!