Growing up tooo fast!

"Catching butterflies" in her bouncer (there are toy butterflies on it so that's what the kids call it) and Chillin with her baby. She loves this little mommy doll. Eva loved it too, but Elena uses the poor thing for a binky.

Pretty Easter Dress from Mommers

"Look how strong I am!"- she loves being more mobile I'm pretty sure she's dying to run around with the other kids.

VERY FIRST BITE! Hilarious, Mary's feeding her so I could take pics but I was laughing really hard so they're not gret pics:)

Our sweet Baby Ellie is growing so fast! in these pics she's six months and pushing up on her tummy, eating her first bite of baby cereal (and absolutley hating it!), rolling over and babbling to dollies. She was on the 75-90th for head (hooray she's growing into it!) and her weight and off the charts for her height. She's gonna be tall like her Daddy.

Eva's 6th!

When we asked her what she wanted most she said "dangly" earrings- now I was never allowed to wear "dangly" earrings and I wasn't so sure this was a good idea but . . .I absolutely love them now and so I bought them for her, and she loves them! :) Funny the things we do huh?

She also wanted stuff from the "American Girls Magazine" accessoried to go with her American Girl Doll "Lori" she got for Christmas.

The vanity chair came with fake scissors, hair dryer, styling cape and a brush so fun:)

Hooray for new littlest pet shops!

So Eva turned six April 16th and I am really behind --but here are some of the highlights:) We are so blessed to have this sweet little princess in our family. She is always the first to say I'm sorry, give hugs, write little encouraging love notes and draw pretty pictures/cards for everyone. She is a great peace maker and has a big loving heart. I'm so grateful that I am blessed to be her mommy! For her birthday she wanted to take pumpkin chocolate chip cake to school with pink, purple and blue cream cheese frosting. It was a hit! I didn't get a picture because of the morning craziness with a newborn, baking and getting two kids off to school, but it was cute and everyone in her class loved it and had seconds! Her teachers all asked for the recipe and she was completely thrilled:) That was Friday and her birthday wasn't actually until Saturday so we opened presents and had her "real" cake and family party the next day. She got a bucnh of accessories for her Lori doll ( thank you Wal-mart/Target:) and she asked for a littlest pet shop cake which turned out pretty cute too. I LOVE THIS LITTLE GIRLY GIRL!

Scouts and School projects

Okay this isn't a great pic -I got him just as he was looking down- but it was the only one I took- his end of the year science project was on the STYRACKOSAURUS and he did awesome! Got an A+ and he felt pretty special too:)

For the Scout banquet all the scouts were assigned to make a cake. Jax wanted to make one of a scout shirt. It turned out really cute and he won an award at the banquet! This is just as we were going to the scout Blue and Gold Banquet. ( This cake was the first thing we cooked in our new kitchen Hooray! Look at the pretty counter tops! I just love them) I also love that my dad found an extra small scout shirt for Carter so he wears it to all the scouting events- so cute!

A close up of the scout shirt on the cake (the left side is supposed to say rank- for advancing toward rank- but I smeared it)

This is the Scoiut cake. How fun and it turned out darling! We are all loving cake decorating as a hobby these days.

Jaxson at the banquet with all his awards

Tater tot Casserole

So the other night I made a tater tot casserole for dinner. We've eaten this simple dish for years it's easy and quick to make, cheap and of course- yummy. Well the other night it was just another tater tot casserole but not just another night! I finished setting the table and called the kids in from the yard for supper (same as always) and then when we were sitting down to eat- Jax freaked!

It was crazy, he was so upset- apparently he loathes tater tot casserole now and he absolutely refused to eat it. So that obviously wasn't the funny part- he was clearly sent to his room without supper for getting so angry and disrepectful. He spent his time in 'time out' and eventually got hungry enough to come up and eat the oh-so-horrific-"stinky-ugly"casserole.

So, later that night, I was down in Jax's room putting away laundry and I noticed he'd written on the headboard of his bed- in black marker- "your tatertot casserole smells like poop even tastes like poop!" I know I should have been furious! But I laughed and I laughed hard- I still laugh just thinking about it! I showed Dave and he actually laughed too, it was so funny in his little-kid-chicken-scratch handwriting. I, of course, put on my serious-mommy-face and called him down for a chat after which he apologized and cleaned it up (it was a dry erase marker so thankfully it cleaned right off- I do wish I'd taken a pic first though) What a funny kid. I never would have thought of doing something like that- not now or when I was kid! Not that I'm condoning it or whatever- but Dave and I have been striving in our companion study to take advantage of the little moments and enjoy the journey and I really think that helped me not to be angry.

I really feel that the spirit helped me to appreciate the small joy in that moment. I am so greatful for that. I typically would have been upset in the initial moment and looked back and laughed later. To me this was a tender mercy. We all need to take ourselves less seriously and laugh more. My kids are the BEST! I love that they teach me humility, paitience and joy- I especially love JOY. Maybe someday Jax will read this and laugh- in the meantime hopefully he learned something. . . we'll see!

I'm grateful to be blessed to be the mom of such a sweet, passionate, determined and spirited little boy. We talk all the time about his many talents. I think those characteristics are all some pretty special talents, and with a little refining, I also think those very talents will help him be a huge influence for good in the Lord's hands and I am so thankful he's mine!