Birthday Girl!

Happy Birthday to our Desi girl!  I can't believe she is 4 years old!

We are so blessed to have her in our family!

Our birthday date at Auntie Pastas.

We enjoy Saturdays where we get chores done and spend the rest of the day enjoying each other, which included an adventure.  This particular Saturday we spent the afternoon at the park and going to eat.  Derek and I have been focusing on mindfulness and really being present with our kids and this day was a very special day that we will remember!

This cracked me up and I had to take a picture of it.  When we have to wait a very long time in the car, Derek will put his phone like this and let the kids watch a show.  While we were at the park, I went to the trunk to get the stroller and look what I found.... ha ha.

We have some great artists in the house!

We love our family walks and the girls saw these rocks and wanted their picture taken.

We saw this amazing dentist in town for our check-ups!

Birthday Girl!!!

Thanks Nana and Grandpa for the fun tent castle!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for this backpack and many other girls.  We called it the Mary Poppins bag because we continued to find presents (seriously it was like a total of 4 hours of discovery).  We didn't know that much could fit into this backpack.  It really added to the magical day!

We love picking flowers in the Spring

Hiking

Running/racing

This is my new happy place...seriously everyday I go to the car and say how grateful I am for this van!

"Look, I'm like daddy!"

Claire's class picture

Desi's Class picture

The girls were invited to Paige's birthday party and had a blast!  I think we found a new hobby.

Desi is such a sweet sister to Emmett.

For young women's we had another huge event as a dinner/dessert auction fundraiser for camp!  I wanted to raise enough for each girl to go to camp and then have extra for a ropes course that I think will be a great experience where it will build the girls self confidence.  My presidency thought I was absolutely crazy and we were just hoping we would make enough just for the girls to all go to camp paid for.  Well the night was a huge success and we got all the girls paid for and raised enough for the ropes course.  I am beyond grateful!  Our young women and leaders worked so hard to make this a success!

I was doing one on one mommy time with Brinley and Ashlyn.  After our mommy time I like to write on their hand 5 things that I love or admire about them.  It was so sweet that they did it to me in return.  It melted my heart!

Daddy's crazy hair-dos

A renewed desire to learn to draw has been fun for the girls.  We learn from a youtube channel

I have been teaching the girls how to do meditation and then we write in a gratitude journal.  It has been fun and  they look forward to doing it together!

Ashlyn loved roller skating at her friends party, she spent her own money to buy these roller blades.  She is having a great time learning to roller blade.   We are so proud of how she spends her money wisely and how much time and effort she puts into learning a new talent.

Lunch date for February

They all lined up to go to Brinley's class.

Claire gathered all of these flowers up from outside and then she put it in our neighbors mailbox for him to find it.  The wife came over and said that the girls put them in her mailbox for her husband- she was so flattered that they would think of him.  Such a sweetheart!

Nana and Grandpa sent us a thank you card with a giftcard to Olive Garden.  So we went as a family to celebrate.  Thank you!

Brinley begged and begged to go to her friend's birthday party at a trampoline park, but we told her probably not because it was Derek and I's date night (which is our #1 event for the week).  Our babysitters last minute cancelled on us and so she was able to go- boy was she excited! She is definitely our ms. social girl!

True confession: I don't know how to french braid.  Derek as been doing braids in the girls hair this week before school.  The principal of Brinley's school came up to me and said with a weird face, " Brinley said that her daddy did her hair, is that true?"  I laughed and confessed that I don't know how to french braid and he does the girls hair. ha ha. 

I guess it is time for me to attempt to learn again.

Park fun

I am trying to be more in the moment with my kids and less "productive" with my unless to-do list.  I have really enjoyed it, but it does take a lot of work to be present and in the moment. ha 

smoothie face

I married a man of many many talents!

Moment I want to remember when I am older and how fun it was to be in a line at the grocery store.

Emmett is so proud of his preschool work!

He was so excited and happy after preschool!

When he first got into the class, he gripped me so tightly and cried.  I was at a moment of changing my mind of putting him in and then his sweet teacher took him.  The teacher would send me pictures of him throughout the day and when I got there to pick him up, he was so happy.  But he was happier to see his mama.  This boy has my heart wrapped around him.  

Brinley got Student of the Month in Feb.

My project of the week. My mom had all my siblings and I stock our houses up with food for 2 weeks worth.  It was time to clean and organize my pantry.  I found food from 2015!