Home Sweet Home!

Several months ago, Jason and I decided it was time to look into buying a home.  We had three kids with a fourth on the way, and it was time to settle down.  As fun as it's been to move eight times in the last ten years (I am being sarcastic here) . . . we were ready to lay down some roots.  We found some beautiful town homes being built in a nearby town, and we fell in love with them.  The neighborhood was perfect for our kids (a splash park being built across the street?  yes, please!) and we got to pick out all our own colors and design our basement (Have I mentioned we are a wee bit on the picky side?)  We closed on our new home in April.  The last few months have been a complete whirlwind . . . but we made it!  We're home, and we love it!  We're looking forward to making lots of good memories in our home sweet home.  Woo Hoo!

The Princess is 5!

Our princess turned five on May 3rd!  She was looking forward to this birthday for a long time . . . turning five means going to Kindergarten after all.  To celebrate, she chose to go to Kangaroo Zoo and the kids had fun jumping on all the blowup toys and running around like crazy . . .

Earlier in the day, I told Olivia she could choose ANYWHERE she wanted to go for her birthday dinner.  She chose . . . Costco.  (My kids are all about the gourmet) . . .

After our super-fancy dinner at Costco, we went home for cake and presents.  Livi picked out a Hello Kitty cake, and she was exceedingly proud of her choice . . .

Opening presents . . .

Jason and I gave her the scooter she has been praying for every night for the last three months. She's been riding it 24/7 since . . .

We love our little princess.  She often says to me, "Mom, what would you do if you only had all these BOYS in your family?!"  She is my drama-queen sweetheart, and our family wouldn't be complete without her.  Happy Birthday Livi!!

Happy (Really Late) Easter!

We had a fun and busy Easter this year.  The kids were more than a little excited to get a visit from the Easter Bunny.  (As a side note, Joshua asked me for the first time if the Easter Bunny is real.  I totally lied to him . . . I'm a terrible mother, but I was caught off guard and I'm just not ready for him to be all grown up yet!  Later Jason told me what he would have said.  It was way better than what I said . . . I think my kids are going to need therapy.)

Some pictures of our fun:

The Easter Bunny brought legos, bubbles, and loads of candy . . .

All dressed up for Easter Sunday . . .

 

Showing off the eggs they decorated . . .

 

Ready for an Easter egg hunt at Grandpa and Grandma's house . . .

 

Happy Easter everyone!  We hope you had a good one!

10 Years!

Jason and I celebrated ten years of marriage on March 30th . . . ten years!  Looking back at our wedding photos, I can hardly believe we're the same people.  Actually, we aren't the same people.  We've changed and grown in so many ways, both as individuals and as a couple.  But some things will never change . . . he still makes me laugh, he still makes me blush, he still makes me smile . . . and for those things I will always be grateful.  Happy ten years babe!  I will love you forever!!

Party Time!

Joshua turned seven on the 29th of March.  We just happened to have a lot of family in town at the time, so we decided to throw him a big
Star Wars/Lego/Pizza/Root Beer Float Birthday party (all his favorite things in one night)!  At first I thought I'd keep things simple.  Then my sister Jesica came to town.  Anyone who knows my sister knows the word "simple" does not exist in her vocabulary.   Our simple party turned into a big event, and Joshua had SO much fun.  He said it was the best Birthday he will ever have!

Setting Up . . .

The amazing cake Jesica made for the party . . .

She also MADE him a piñata. (Who does that?!) . . .

 

We had the kids wear a Darth Vader mask while they hit the piñata.  It was hilarious!

 

 

 Opening Presents . . .

 

Jason and I surprised him with a new bike . . .

It was an awesome birthday!  Thank you to all our family for making Joshua feel so special.  It was so good to have you there.  Happy Birthday to our favorite little seven-year-old!

Extreme Couponing!!

OK, so a few months ago I started watching "Extreme Couponing" episodes on TLC.  At first I thought the ladies on the show were total weirdos.  I mean, who needs 47 bags of potato chips?  But then I started thinking to myself, "I could totally do this, and I think I could actually be really good at it . . . maybe I'M one of those weirdos!"  And so it began.  I bought a binder, I joined a class, I ordered multiple copies of the newspaper, and I started doing my grocery shopping in the middle of the night with the other weirdos . . . I was hooked!  Don't get me wrong . . . I don't have some huge stockpile stuffed under my couch.  If you know of Jason and my hatred for clutter, you know that would be our worst nightmare!  But I am saving us $300-$350 a month on our grocery bill, and I'm getting lots of free stuff like toothpaste, bandaids and gum. Let's hear it for free stuff . . . WOOT WOOT!

He's 2!

Our little Ethanator turned two on Monday!  Jason took the day off work (a true miracle) and we had so much fun partying together.  We took the kids to a place called Kangaroo Zoo.  It's basically a room filled with inflatable toys for kids to ride, bounce and slide on.  Oh my gosh, they had so much fun . . .

I swear to you, Joshua and Livi put themselves in this pose and then said, "Mom! we're ready for a picture!"  Are they well-trained, or what? =)

Once the kids were sufficiently worn out, we headed home for a Toy Story party.  Ethan has two favorite movies (and by favorite movies, I mean he NEVER gets tired of watching them . . . EVER!)  He loves Tangled and Toy Story.  Since all things Tangled come in pink and purple, we settled on a Toy Story theme . . .  

This is Ethan's "I'm trying not to smile" face.  He cracks me up!

Opening Presents . . .

 

 

Loving the cake . . .

 

 

 

I can't believe he's two!  Oh, how I wish time would slow down just a bit . . . We all know how blessed we are to have Ethan in our family.  He is pure joy.  The other night when Joshua was saying his prayers, I heard him say, "Heavenly Father, thank you so much for letting Ethan be my brother."  We love him more than words can say.  Happy Birthday Ethanator!