Tulip Festival 2016

If there was ever any doubt that my husband loves me, there isn't anymore.  He actually went with me and Summer to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon...and he took pictures...and Summer did not do well on the hour drive there or home.  

We had to walk through the dafadils to get to the tulips.  It was a long walk for Summer, but she did NOT want to be carried.  Thanks goodness it was a nice sunny day and there wasn't too much mud!

Tulips as far as the eye can see...well, not quite, but SO BEAUTIFUL!

Daddy and Summer

Mommy and Summer

Summer with the purple tulips...she would not smile.

 Looking for bees and smelling the flowers.

Summer stepped in some mud and wouldn't walk after that!  Here she is being carried by daddy in a position that didn't get his clothes all covered in mud...

Summer wouldn't pose with me, so I got one with the pink tulips of just me.

 More colorful tulips...and a baby who was DONE taking pictures!!

The whole place was so beautiful and we had gorgeous weather!  Can't wait to go again!!

The Best I could do (Easter 2016)

These days it's getting harder and harder to force everyone to go along with what Mom wants....everyone is busy...and everyone has there own opinions.  So this Easter didn't come together as it has in years past:

The outfits:

My older girls are long past matching dresses, but normally I can at least coordinate them or at the very least pick something from their closet that looks spring-like.  My plan was to get the older girls white dresses (which was impossible to find since they are picky about what they'll wear), and then I had a light pink and white dress for Summer.  Well Easter morning came dark and rainy and Summer's dress was just too bare for that kind of weather and since I never found white dresses for the older girls, they just picked out what they wanted to wear.  Tyson did wear the tie I picked out (which you can't even see in the picture) and they did pose for a picture...well all except Summer--geesh.  (And we tried for about half an hour to teach Tyson how to hold Summer so it looked nice, but obviously we were not successful)

The baskets:

Somehow I managed completely unbalanced baskets this year.  Usually I try to be fare...didn't work out so well this year.  And somehow I only bought one solid chocolate bunny.  And Jordan didn't hunt for eggs so she got way less candy than everyone else.  And Summer tried to unwrap and eat all the foil eggs, claiming Kya's basket as her own!!

The dinner:

This was actually the part that was perfection!!  I made cheesy, bacon, potatoes in the crock pot which were so yummy and then my ham in the oven, with asparagus.  So good!

Let's hope I can get my act together for next Easter...

Modge Podge

Our mid-winter break this year was a modge podge kind of trip:

First we headed to Portland to see our friend that moved away...this was planned as a b-day present for Jordan, but it was really a treat for all the kids! (4.5 hr drive)

Jordan with Emily

 Jordan with Kyla

 

 Kya with Lynelle

Somehow no pictures of Tyson with Dylan...

Then Mike, Summer and I headed down to Salem to visit Mike's old roommate from BYU...who we hadn't seen since Jordan was a tiny baby.  It was nice to see him, his wife and their 3 adorable little kids. (1 hr there + 1 hr back = 2 hr drive)

Mike with Stan...we realized when we were visiting that they have been friends for over 20 years!!!(although they haven't seen each other for almost 15!)

Then we grabbed the kids and headed up to The Great Wolf Lodge.  Lots of swimming!! (3 hr drive)

With their wolf ears:)

We were in love with this amazing king-sized log bed!!

SWIMMING!!

After coming home for one day (2 hr drive), Kya, Tyson, Summer and I headed up to Canada to see Becca in The Whiz (Jordan was snow camping with the youth so she couldn't come...although they ended up coming home early because of poor weather conditions, so she could have come after all--hmph.) (2 hr drive)

The kids reminded me that I promised next time we drove to Canada, we could stop at Edaleen Dairy...even though it was POURING rain!

Mom made me a new afghan and I LOVE it!

Here's Jordan snow-caving

Now we are home and the kids are back to school tomorrow. (2 hr drive)

Is that really 15.5 hrs of driving?!  Oh and Summer, Jordan, Mom and Dad all were sick somewhere along the way...luckily just with a head cold and not the stomach flu!

Jordan at 15

Here's a little about Jordan at 15...

She is all about her friends!  Every minute she has free, she wants to be out with her friends. 

 She is adventurous.  She doesn't want to just sit around...she wants to go do as many things as she can...like building and sleeping in snow caves this weekend! 

She is on the homestretch of her braces wearing days, and somehow she has been the most beautiful "brace face" ever!!

She is smart.  This is her first year of high school classes, and she is starting to see a little heavier work load, but she seems to be handling it very well.  She is working hard and still keeping her grades up. 

She hates getting up for Seminary.  I can't really blame her since she has to get up at 5am!  But it's a real struggle.

She is about to start Driver's Ed!!  This is one I am definitely NOT excited about--she's way too young!

She loves shopping.  Wonder where she gets that one:)

She loves music...especially blaring it up in her room while she cleans or gets ready.

She loves to dance.  I think she would take a dance class every. single. day. if we let her!

She is anxious for more and more independence.  I can really see how the next few years are going to be a challenge to find the right amount of freedom to give her and trying to stay sane in the process. 

I am so grateful to have Jordan as a part of our family.  The two of us battle on rules and what not, but she is my buddy and I love her so much and miss her like crazy when she's not here.  She is beautiful, smart, and hilarious all at the same time...and she's mine...although most of the time she thinks she is "hers", I feel like she's still mine for a couple more years at least!

This year on her birthday, the weather was gorgeous (which NEVER happens, even when we lived in California).  We hung out in the backyard after school, opening presents and talking until her friends came to take her out (to Cafe Rio--jealous!).  Now we need the next year to slow way down so we can prepare ourselves for "sweet SIXTEEN"!!!

Keeping it Real

I sit here tonight, with a couple blog posts in my mind that I've been meaning to write for the past few weeks.  But instead of journaling about the fun and exciting things we've done (which honestly isn't much) or the thoughts that have been on my mind, the overwhelmingness of my life is spilling out of me instead.

Here I am in my mismatched jammies at 8:30 on a Wednesday night completely exhausted.  I have been nursing a split lip, stiff neck, slightly kinked back, and incredibly sore eye for the past couple days.  I was dreaming of a hot bath, in our over-sized tub, where I could finally finish up my book for book club next week.  Yes, that would do the trick...with some quite music, sweet smelling candles...ahh, I can just feel myself feeling better.

Well, hubby got home half an hour ago in desperate need of a shower, and once he mentioned the word "shower" our little Summer (or Subba, as she calls herself) ran up stairs yelling adamently "showah, showah".  So as I sit here typing, all the hot water for my much anticipated bubble bath is literally going down the drain.

Of course, this is my life.  I've got a teenager who is always asking for something, and usually mad at me about something, and always wanting to go somewhere.  I honestly have no idea how to be the parent of a teenager.  I thought, I'd be good at it...I thought wrong.  Most of the time I feel like a jerk.  I've got a toddler who wants to be carried around the kitchen all day or walk in the middle of the street or mess up absolutely every speck of the house that might just be a little bit clean.  I've got a kid that wants to watch tv all day and another who wants to play on the computer all day.  And the toddler who wants to play with them all day.  And a husband who rarely gets home before 8o'clock at night.

Life is hard...in an easy kind of way.  I can't begin to think that I have it rough...I know I don't.  But some days it feels like I'm at my limit.  Some days I just wish I could take a time out of my own.  Don't get me wrong, I know I am blessed.  Every. Single. Day. I thank God for the gifts He has given me.  But it doesn't mean it's not hard.

Motherhood...it's not for the faint-hearted--for real!

Christmas Sunday

Much to my dismay, our family wasn't together for Christmas Sunday this year.  So instead of being sad and crazy about it, I decided just to force the kids into their Sunday best and take a picture on Wednesday when we were all together again.  Okay, that might be a little crazy...but I don't care.  Traditions are at stake...and my children are beautiful...and they are growing up so fast...whatever, I don't need a reason, I'm the Mom.

You would never know from these pictures, but Summer was ridiculously uncooperative.  It is seriously a miracle that they turned out as good as they did!

Look at these beautiful children!!

 And my wreath!!

Merry Christmas 2015!!

A few fails this year...like PJs that didn't fit, and somehow I forgot to buy batteries...oh and the gravy.  But it was still a magical, exciting, wonderfully full Christmas.

 This year, Summer and I were the first ones up...at 7:15am!  I was shocked!!  By 8am, we couldn't wait any long, and so we went and woke everyone else up!!


 

 I think Tyson had the most presents this year...

 

 This might be my favorite picture of Christmas this year...it's just so Christmas to me.  The slippers, the mess, the toys...LOVE.

 

Kya got her remote control helicopter, even though the last two we've owned didn't last longer than a couple weeks.

 

One of my favorite gifts...

 

One of Tyson's favorite gifts...

Jordan opted out of present pictures this year:(  But she got a lot of clothes...and had a wonderful Christmas too!

It's coming...

It's funny how Christmas seems forever away, and then all of a sudden its FOUR DAYS away!!  I love this time of year!  We managed to get the most beautiful tree again and our house feels magical.

Summer insisted on climbing the ladder to decorate the tree.  She has been pretty good about leaving the ornaments alone...except the Mickey Mouse stuffed ones, which I am totally fine with her playing with.  The nativity sets are another story...all three baby Jesus' are carried around, fed, kissed, and put to sleep multiple times a day. 

 Tyson could barely reach to put the star on top...actually we had to cut the top a little to make it so he could reach!

My favorite room in the house now.