{Little Things} April...

We kicked April off in the best way- watching General Conference and being spiritually filled. I love watching our prophet and apostles every six months! While the dads were at the priesthood session, the moms and the kids made kits to keep in our car and pass out to homeless people. It was a neat idea but I'll admit that Jase ate most of the contents one day while he was waiting for us in the car. oops.

The Guzmans stayed with us for a week and we all had a great time but Ellie especially loved it as she bonded with Merrick and the two became best buddies.

We were constantly watching giant tom turkeys fan our their impressive feathers and strut around the field. We get to see so many animals here- it has been really fun for us all.

The kids really treated me on my birthday. Brig made a checklist: kiss, hug, flowers. The best things ever! But I have to say that the homemade confetti that was thrown at me as they hid was probably my favorite part. And breakfast in bed is always a fun surprise too! We also ate at the Chinese Café for dinner...which means no dishes...another treat!

I love when the kids and I are ready in enough time for church that I can snap a picture of these four cuties. Ty fell (a very normal occurrence) and had quite the scrape on his nose.

These two little boys love their milk and although they might drive Cory and I crazy...we sure do melt from their cuteness.

Cory helped the kids weave their own Easter baskets. He cut hundreds of willow branches and we weaved and weaved. They were all so unique and turned out really cool. The kids loved them!

Ellie and Brig played soccer with the teams in Sweet this year. They did great. Brig made 3 goals in one game and Ellie was the best cheerleader ever and was far more aggressive than I thought. It was worth braving the chaos at the Island to watch them!

Ty still isn't walking but doesn't let it stop him from playing and exploring just like his siblings. He thinks this little spot was made just for him.

Brig had a music program at school. So cute! And he learned Old Man Tucker which they had heard on Old Yeller and it is now a very common tune sung by all three of the older kids.

We spent and evening at Willow Creek which is always a favorite since it feels like it has been so long since we could do anything outside.

Ellie and Ty both got really sick.

Brig wants to be just like his dad and mimics everything he says and does.  

Little Things {December}...

^^25 Weeks. I always wonder what I looked like with past pregnancies and so I am trying to be a little better about taking pictures more. I feel huge!^^

 

 

^^Poor Ellie got hit with a stomach bug. It was so sad and happened to be the day that Sydney's baby Avery was blessed. So the boys and I went to Sweet and she stayed with Dad. They came up a little later that day when she was feeling better. But it wore her out! She fell asleep on the way home and just looked so sad!^^

 

^^As we watched the Christmas Devotional we played with Legos. Brig's FAVORITE thing to do (inside activity).^^

 

^^I found this little selfie on my phone. Good grief. Flash forward to my little teenager!^^

 

^^A little family picture that I had my dad take before we headed to our Ward Christmas Party. I love family pictures SO much!^^

 

^^At the Christmas Party we got to see Santa... and it cracked me up when Little Miss Ellie just got all comfortable and reclined right on his lap.^^

 

^^One of the best things to do in the winter when the weather is so terrible and we are stuck inside is to head up to the gym at the church and let the kids run around! Especially when we invite or are invited by cousins! (I don't think any of my kids are even in the picture above...but we sure have fun!)^^

 

^^I made my first quilt! it wasn't anything tricky or fancy but it was so fun! Cory's mom got all kinds of fun and crazy fabrics and we made iSpy quilts. It is the perfect picnic quilt!^^

 

^^Another day that Brig was at school and Jase was napping Ellie asked if we could go play in the snow. It was so fun and we made this SnowGIRL. I sure love my Ellie-Girl and her silly, playful nature!^^

 

 

^^My kids have watched way too much TV since I have been pregnant. They climb on my bed and get comfortable and would watch until their eyes glazed over*!

*I typically stop the watching BEFORE this happens;) ^^

 

^^Cory has played pick up games of volleyball on several Saturday mornings and so we ride along in our PJs and watch. The kids love it and I love it when they start chanting "GO DAD! GO DAD!" for everyone to hear!^^

 

 

^^He is really good. I try to convince him that he should find a league in Boise and play on a team but he refuses (for now!) saying that he doesn't want to take them time from our family and this and that nonsense...but I am still working on him! He loves playing!^^

 

^^The dreary morning that Copper was butchered...right outside our window. Luckily the kids didn't see until he was mostly done. Growing up in the country really exposes children to some of the realities of life!^^ 

Little Things {November}...

 

^^I love when our kids are all dressed up for church- I especially love it when we have some element of matchiness! I tried to get a picture of these cute brothers but Jase wasn't going to have it and Ellie wanted in too...so this is what we got!^^

 

^^Ellie and Brig (especially Brig) love to color and draw during Sacrament meeting (we make them wait until after the Sacrament is passed but they are begging for paper and crayons as soon as it is over). One Sunday Brig asked Cory to draw a house and Ellie asked me to draw one. Then they colored them. I thought the comparison was pretty indicative of their little personalities and the difference between boys and girls!^^

 

^^I will post more on this later but just to make sure it is on the record. Brig and Ellie have their first real job! They are hauling wood for an elderly lady in a wheelchair that lives near us every Monday. They get paid $5 each ever week and their savings is adding up fast! It is more of a family affair but they have to work hard- and it isn't always pleasant. It has been so good for them!^^

 

^^When I am pregnant I usually start to feel pretty frumpy and want to change my hair. So my friend chopped it off for me and I LOVE it! (I guess this technically happened at the end of October)^^

^^One day while Brig was at school and Jase napped, Ellie and I made cookies. She made her cute little ones in her easy bake oven and loved it. She is such a little homemaker already. She loved that Brig preferred hers to mine!^^

 

 

^^Just a snapshot of victory! Taking 3 kids grocery shopping is no small task...in fact I think it could be an Olympic sport. Especially with our almost 2 year old little ball of independence and energy!^^

 

 

^^Great- Grandma Jensen made pillowcases for each of the kids. They love them and are spoiled to have so many grandparents and great-grandparents that dote on them!^^

 

^^One day we got to church and as we were getting out of the car Ellie announced that she didn't have shoes! The crazy girl walked out of the house without them! Luckily the weather was still quite pleasant so it wasn't a big deal!^^

 

^^The kids were pleased as punch when they looked out one morning and saw the ground covered in snow! They hurried and put on some warm clothes and made a cute little snowman before Brig had to rush off to school.^^

 

^^Jase can be so sweet when we put him down (most nights) and will give me the cutest looks. It just melts my heart sometimes.^^

 

^^Cory had left his shoes outside on our back porch for some time and one day he went to put them on and found this Black Widow hiding inside. Creepy!!!^^

 

^^Our kids have loved playing hide and seek in our rental. Cory gets really creative when he helps them find good hiding places. This was one of our favorites because it took Brig quite a while to realize why he could hear them giggling but couldn't see them in the closet.^^

 

^^Probably one of my favorite traditions that we have started with our little family is our Thankful Tree. This year we renamed it our ThanksGiving Tree so that we could include not only leaves of things that we are grateful for but we could fill the trunk with as many different services we had given that month. I loved keeping track- it pushed us to do more than we would have normally!^^

Little Things {October}...

^^Our old house was for sale (the one before The Riverhouse) and we stopped by one day to see if our old tire swing was still there. Sure enough! We called the real estate agent and asked if they wouldn't mind if we took it for sentimental reasons. The kids were pleased as punch! They were so excited to swing on it!^^

^^Some friends let us come pick pumpkins from their pumpkin patch so we had quite a few pumpkins this year- however we only carved one! We intended to do more another night that wasn't quite so busy but never got around to it- the kids were still pretty excited over their spooky pumpkin that they helped dad carve.^^

 

^^Brig's school does the "Husky Hustle" as a fundraiser each year. They run around the track as many times as possible and get pledges for each lap. We all went and watched/participated. Ellie helped blow bubbles for the runners to  pass through in one spot.^^

 

^^Brig ran 7 laps...and so did Cory:) Brig said he loved having the loud music playing in the background and that it made him feel like a champion. It was sweet. I am so glad we can be a little involved in his school!^^

 

^^We all dressed in blue to watch the homecoming parade. Even Ellie wore jeans...which was a first in months! Emmett Football did super well this year and even won State! I have quite a bit of school spirit still left in me (I was, after all, voted Most School Spirited girl!) so it made me super happy to see my little people all dressed in blue and white! Ok, but lets be honest...I love when we all dress in any color for any holiday or event and are all matchy matchy!^^

 

 

^^Grandma Walker broke out several Twister games one day after a family dinner and this was scene from above. It got pretty tangled!^^

 

^^Brig got to dress like a cowboy for Red Ribbon Week. This was the only day that he wanted to participate in and we didn't have a ton of cowboy clothes for him (surprisingly).^^

 

^^On the way to Taylor's wedding, Brig had my phone and I heard him say "smile Ellie." and then took a little selfie of the two of them. It kind of made me laugh."

 

^^Here is Ellie loving on her little brother, again. Going to Utah can be such a long drive but thanks to portable DVD players...the kids do pretty well!^^