Four Jingle Bells

 What can I say about Hailey? She has been with us the longest and I feel like I have known her forever.  She is always my daughter, but starting to get older and becoming interested in things I am interested in. She loves writing and has notebooks filled with drawings and stories.  She reads in bed at bedtime, when she should be sleeping.  Blake says, "How can you get mad at that?" So true.  She can be a real pain too.  The pre-teen hormones, I guess?  But she always comes back with an apology and tries to do better.  She is an excellent swimmer and runner.  She is fast for being kind of short.  She has a great imagination and can make up tons of stories and make believe games.  The kids love it.  She still acts her age and is not afraid to be who she is.  She hasn't cared or even noticed really what other people think about her, not too much, at least.  She is very excited about being a mom.  She always...

 Spencer is so expressive.  I have always enjoyed his faces.  He looks like such a big boy here. Ready to take on the world.  He starts kindergarten this Fall and will often tell me, "I am going to miss you when I go to kindergarten."  And I try not to cry and tell him about all the fun he will have.  And he will, because he is so friendly and warm.  He understands the importance of kindness.  He is a teaser too.  So much, in fact, that I feel like he is my little brother sometimes! He loves to push buttons.   He looks so old here!  Much older than 5 years old.  He has always been tall for his age.  He loves riding his scooter. He loves anything with John Deere, cars, legos, video games, dinosaurs. He is all boy.  He has had his first crush on a girl in preschool, Olivia, who I am pretty sure I would be ok if he married.  He does not like wearing "up pants" (shorts) and wants to wear "down pants" (long pan...

 I have always loved photography. I took a class in high school and learned how to work my dad's manual camera and loved it ever since.  I have never sprung for a fancy camera, but maybe someday I will.  For now, my pink kodak will do the trick.  I don't need a fancy camera to remember these days.    This post is about Brooke, but I had to put two sisters pictures in it because Brooke is a great sister.  She cares about what Hailey is up to.  She is an annoying sister as well.  She keeps Hailey up some nights (Hailey also does her part of being a bum).  She is a great cleaner.  She has a lot to say, mostly loudly and with a little lisp.  She is a lover AND a fighter!  How often do you get that combination?  She is sweet and sensitive.  Many times if she sees a sad part in a movie, she will get upset and near tears.  She cares about people.  She loves to snuggle.  She loves frogs.  She l...

 Our Easter was pretty normal, as Easters go.  We painted eggs, which got the kids on a huge boiled egg kick, so we have been eating a lot of boiled eggs recently.  Spencer and his green egg.  He just loves green!  Brookie really feeling the moment??  After we finished eggs, Blake had to fix this door and the boys helped. I loved this.  William knows his place, right next to dad and the tools.  Spencer is always willing to help and eager to work with dad.  Blake is very patient!  A fun shot  Easter egg hunt with Grandma Barb and Daryll and their great grandkids.  We found all 78, except 1. I am sure the lawn mower will find that one!  Barb helping Brooke out.  They are such good friends.  Pizza and lemonade I love Brooke.  She is a sweetheart.  She has a huge heart and is full of hugs and kisses.  She is also very sensitive and protective of everyone in her family...

Our Iowa baby turned one March 30.  He has been a ray of sunshine in our family.  He is always willing to smile and love.  And the kid just wants to be held all day and be close, hence he is not walking, but trying!  He is a turbo crawler and it is so fun to watch his little bum shake as he goes.  He waves and says "mom" and "dad" and lots of other jibber jabber.  What a blessing to have him come at such a wild time in our family.  He has been someone for me to hold on to.  Someone who needed me just as much as I needed him.  He was a wonderful distraction, in a way, for me to get through the move and to adjust the family.  For a few months, it was just us.  Just our little family and we didn't know many people.  And we could truly enjoy him.  For his birthday, we let him do his favorite things all day:  climb the stairs.  He can do forwards and backwards. Show off.  I couldn't really get any good pictu...