Trimming the tree

This year getting the tree up was a bit of a process.  Daddy and Lilly went and picked out the tree while the rest of us worked on crafting Christmas presents.  Then the rest of the evening was spent trying to get the awkwardly shaped (and as a result, super unbalanced) tree to stand upright.  We tried a bundle of things and ended up with a combination of bungee cords and rope tied to a door knob.  We always do things the most conventional ways around here, ya know.  It's for the safety of our babies.

Lilly and Owen helped me decorate the tree once everything was fast and secure.  (Everett took a nap. Gibby and Daddy did some outside work.)  

So, if you are in our home this Christmas season, you will have the pleasure of seeing our ugly tree made beautiful--just as we are all because of God's Greatest Gift. 

A trip to the fire station

We took the kids to see our fire station on Monday for a mini field trip.  They got a personal tour of the fire truck.  Lilly was super extroverted and talkative to the fireman.  Gibby was completely unsure and wanted held the whole time. And Owen was in the middle of the spectrum.  

Everett's new thing

Everett has been clapping like crazy this week.  He is so darn cute.

P.S. Gibson helped me get Everett dressed in his camo pants this morning. As of 2:00, Gibby has informed me probably 100 times, at least, that Everett wants to go deer hunting. Ha!

Meet the band

Maybe someday, we will be official...

But seriously, low key time together hangin' as a family = the best evenings ever

Splish Splash, Everett's takin a bath

Up until about a month ago, Everett despised his baths.  Screamed and cried bloody murder through every single one.  But for some reason, he's had a change of heart.  Thank goodness.  He LOVES to splash splash splash. And splash some more.  No more tears. Yay!  Lilly joined in the fun tonight. 

Spin spin spin

Turn on some music at our house and you will probably find Gibby preforming his signature move. I was looking through some videos and found a couple of his debut.

Advent Prep

Owen and Lilly helped me put the finishing touches on our Advent-Jesse Tree for the Christmas season. We start tomorrow, so we are finishing just in time! The excitement for Christmas is already starting to build around here.  Let the countdown begin.  And, may we, by God's grace, teach our children the true meaning of the season...and that it is more blessed to give than to receive.  

  

Everett is already enjoying them.

Happy Birthday song--big brother love

I just love it when my kids do something sweet for one of their siblings.  It melts my heart when they think of their sibling and show them love.  Owen wanted to play "Happy Birthday" for his sis on her big day yesterday.  Lilly, as you can see, soaked up every note. After all, who doesn't like to feel loved?!

Happy 4th Birthday, Lillian Grace!

Literally, from the moment her 3rd birthday party ended last year, Lilly has been planning to have a "pink" party for her next birthday.  After 365 days, she had not changed her mind--not even for a split second.  She told just about everyone: "I already had my purple party, now I am going to have my pink party!"

So, pink it is. For our dear sweet Lilly Lou....the girl I willed to be a tomboy while she grew in my belly and swore was not gonna be a "frilly-pink-princess-kind-of-girl" is exactly that. Now, don't get me wrong she can hold her own with the boys.  But, goodnes gracious, this girl LOVES anything girly, pink, princessy, and frilly.  And I love her for it.  I love the dynamic her little girly self adds to our family.  

Our cousins got to join us for the pink party.

The birthday girl in the headband she saw at the dollar store when we went to get her "pink party stuff" and just had to have. 

Present time.

 Now, get ready---and believe me when I tell you the next two pictures were taken literally 2 seconds apart. I am not kidding. 2 seconds.

 She can work it. Let me tell you. 

Games with the cousins after all the birthday happenings were complete.

Happy 2014 Thanksgiving!

Here are our pilgrim and indians.  We learned about the history of thanksgiving that last week or so of school. We did some fun projects, a nice break from the normal school routine.  We made hats, indian and pilgrim paper dolls, mayflower boats, read lots of thanksgiving books, and other thanksgiving themed activities.  

It is a job to get a picture of all four of these kids together--Whew!  Here's the best I got.

Got alot of this. 

I did remember to take pictures of our Mayflower boats.  We even tried floating them in the bathtub. And.....

 it worked!! Yay!!

Everett prefers to feed himself.  He had the privilege of indulging in oatmeal all by himself.  I kinda had second thoughts when it was clean up time. Yikes. 

Gibby wanted a picture of hi eating oatmeal too.  Silly, silly boy.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Forts

Doing some rearranging around these parts has provided some out of the ordinary fort making supplies for the kids.  They have been enjoying draping blankets and creating new spaces.

And this guy is crawling and pulling up on everything! Simply crawling only lasted one week.  Everett is trying his best to be like his big siblings. 

Birthday Celebration Day

Lilly has been looking forward to her birthday since the minute her last birthday party ended...last year.  She tells almost everyone: "I already had my purple party.  Next I am having a pink party.  It is coming soon!"  For her celebration day, she wanted to go to a "yail yayon" (nail salon).  She couldn't wait for the day to come.  Oh my goodness.  She took her cousins for a girls day out.  They had a little spa day and loved every minute of it. (Just look at Lilly's face on EVERY single one of these pictures--I swear she was in absolute bliss.)  

So here's the story of the day in pictures: 

On the road

First step- nails--picking colors--oh the choices.

Tryin out the runway being careful not to bump her pretty pink nails.

Time for hair!

 ...and some makeup

All done!!  Pampered Pretty Lilly.

Addi, Lilly, and Josie all dolled up.

Posing on the runway

 Next stop--lunch, of course. Lilly picked Wendy's. A perfect lunch for a 4 year old birthday celebration.

One last surprise....

 Pink cupcakes with flowers--just as Lilly requested.  Pink inside outside upside down and all around. Pink pink pink.

Happy 4th birthday, Lilly bird!  You are loved so very much.  

Big Girl Puzzles

Typically puzzles frustrate Lilly to no end. She hasn't cared for them much.  But we may be turning a corner. In the last month or so, she has initiated getting puzzles out on her own and sitting down and working them successfully.  She feels so accomplished and proud of her self for doing it all by herself!! Go Lilly! 

Guess who is crawling?!

and into everything!