A Picture is Worth...

I absolutely love taking pictures.  My favorite thing to photograph is my family.  These days, there is always a lot of backlash when I bring the camera out, which means I have to decide if it's worth it.  Sometimes the answer is "no", but usually (in my mind at least) the answer is an irrevocable "YES."  Yesterday, I was a bit on the fence about the whole thing.

Christmas Sunday pictures are always worth it...

 ...as well as Christmas present shots....

(Here is one of the best present shots of ALL TIME)

...and Christmas jammies shots....

Santa pictures...not as crucial 

(EX. I did not force the girls into this picture nor did I force the kids to take pics with Santa when they were scared).

 Birthday cake pictures...always worth it. 

Back to school photos, very important...

(Tyson's first day of Kindergarten--eek!)

Easter pictures are one of those non-negotiables. 

 

Well this year, Easter Sunday was a week before Easter.  Kya and Tyson had to be at church 30min early and we did not get pictures done before we left...I did get a couple of Summer. 

 

By the time we got home from church, Summer was asleep and the kids changed out of their Easter clothes, promising next Sunday they would put them back on for pictures EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T HAVE CHURCH.

Fast forward to the following Sunday and it was a FIGHT to get them back into those clothes!! Believe me, there were multiple times that I questioned whether it was worth it, but in the end IT WAS....at least to me:)

Things I Forgot

It's been a while since we've had a little one in the house...and I had definitely forgot a few things!!

I forgot...

...about this absolutely horrendous stage of refusing to lay still while getting a diaper change!

...how every article of clothing you wear becomes a kleenex/bib/washcloth for baby...and you don't even notice.

...that sweet yet slightly annoying stage when baby wants Mama and only Mama--all the time!

...how incredibly, breathtakingly beautiful my little babies are:0)

...that my heart melts instantly when I see that sweet gummy smile.

...once a baby tries grown up food, they will never go back to baby food--shoot.

...how poorly I function on no sleep.

...how glorious it is to have a moment to yourself:)

...how much fun and excitement comes from watching a baby learn about the world!

...that my hubby is amazingly wonderful with little babies.

...that there comes a day when your little girl pulls those adorable head bands and hair bows out of her hair!

...earrings can't be worn to church anymore...unless you want them ripped out!

...what a miracle it is to create life and watch in grow.

 

 

These kids, they just keep growing!!

Kya came home from school on Monday with a course selection sheet for JUNIOR HIGH!!  Then on Tuesday night we were up at the church for NEW BEGINNINGS!!  What an exciting year this will be for my little (ok not quite so little anymore) Kya.  Young Womens, Girls Camp, Junior High...before I know it she'll be coming home with boyfriends and college catalogs!!

Here she is with a couple friends at New Beginnings

Back-Rub-Worthy Weekend

It is a rare occurrence in our house these days for someone to get a back rub from Mom.  It's even rarer to get a LONG back rub, and even more rare to get an "icy hot" back rub from Mom...you really have to earn it!  After Jordan's last weekend, I handed the baby over to Daddy and Jordan got a good, long, "icy hot" back rub.  Here's what she did to earn it!

The last day of mid-winter break was the much anticipated snow-caving overnight excursion.  I was so nervous about Jordan sleeping in a snow cave that I insisted Mike go with her.  Well, I ended up getting sick so Mike had to stay home to take care of Summer.  It turned out that only a couple of the kids ended up sleeping in snow caves because of how much time and effort it took to build them.  So Jordan slept in a tent, but they spent hours digging snow to make 3-4 foot walls around their tent to protect it from the wind.  She also had to hike up a slippery path carrying a backpack that was practically bigger than she was!!  She had a ton of fun, spent all day Friday and then got back Saturday around 1pm.

Steven's Pass--So beautiful!

  

This is their tend insulated by snow walls!

Here's their tent after it snowed!

 Look at those gigantic backpacks!!

  

Here's a few more of the kids that went.

At 5pm Saturday night, Jordan had to be at dress rehearsal for Inspire.  Inspire is a dance show put on by Jordan's dance studio for the upper level dancers.  They have guest choreographers come in and teach the girls some pretty fun and advanced dances.  Jordan was in three dances.  After 2 hours of dress rehearsal, they had a 30 min. break and then it was time for the 90 min. show.  The show was fantastic, but the first words out of Jordan's mouth when it was over was "I am so tired."  

After the show...

What a fantastically fun, yet exhausting weekend!! 

 Definitely needed to end with some icy hot and a good rub down:)

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy days of Mid-Winter Break

 Last year at this time we were in Hawaii...and I almost don't mind that we are just hanging out here this year for Mid-Winter Break.  BECAUSE, we get to sleep in, catch up on laundry, make the kids do extra chores, stay up late watching movies and...take spontaneous trips to the beach.  Oh, and did I mention the weather is so FABULOUS that is almost feels like summer!!!

 

All she wanted to do was eat sand, rocks, and sticks....

Basketball

One of my favorite things about living here is that all the kids play every sport.  The same kids from your school are on your soccer team, your basketball team, and your softball team...well usually they are split up to a couple teams, but there is definite overlap.  It makes for some good friends and some fun teams.  We just finished off a great basketball season with a couple pizza parties!!

Tyson's season was great.  He scored quite a few baskets and had a lot of fun and improved a ton.  Boys that age are rough!!  He had lots of super close games and there was lots of fouling and kids fell down a lot.  We just signed him up for a 12 week skills clinic, so we have more basketball starting in two weeks!

This was Kya's very first season of basketball and she did awesome.  A couple of parents even told me that they couldn't believe she hadn't played before.  She is just a natural athlete and tries really hard--even though she is one of the shortest (if not the very shortest) girls on the team!  I watched her score 3 baskets in one game (that they ended up winning 60-10)!  I'm sure she'll be playing again next year, but now we are on to softball!!

My baby turned FOURTEEN?!

Jordan wanted a DIY Spa Party this year!  So we transformed my bedroom and bathroom into a little spa for her and 7 of her friends: 

 

They soaked their feet in the tub....

Picked out nail polish...

Tina helped me paint all their fingers and toes....

Then it was time for facials....

 After they were all pampered, they came downstairs for cake...

(my first attempt at a rose cake)

 
And EXTREME craziness!!

 I think it was the perfect party for my FOURTEEN year old!

Under the Tree

You know how sometimes people get obsessed with things?  Well, this Christmas, I admit, I was absolutely obsessed with taking pictures of Summer with the Christmas tree.  Jordan could tell you that I am normally obsessed with taking pictures of Summer, sometimes even making us late for church...but hey, I can't resist this adorable face...and this adorable outfit, right?!

Right.

 

 I am still not sure I got the perfect shot under the tree....but these are my favorites:

Do I really need to take down the tree?!