christmas at grandma debbie’s (2019)

I’m still catching up on the Christmas posts, and I’m hoping to be done here in the next week or so. I used to feel like I had to blog every single memorable thing we did… but now, I’m really just trying to highlight the big stuff so the girls will have it when they’re older.

We got to spend a couple of days before Christmas with my side of the family, where we enjoyed my mom’s amazing home cooking, relaxing and watching Gomer Pyle with my Dad, and opening some Christmas gifts!

My mom always does such a great job on her tree.This was Nella’s face through most of opening things. She doesn’t like to show emotion, so she’ll get super serious. Clearly, everyone else was excited about her Elmo ornament.Grandma Debbie always gives the girls matching Christmas jammies! I hope we’ll always be able to find identical sets in all their sizes, because this is quite possibly my favorite part of Christmas. Calico Critters! Kaya and Kaelyn were hoping for these buses for a long time. Koalas for a Nella who blinked.Hatchimals!A Care Bear (who she named “Cherry Bear”) for Nellie.Eve got really into opening gifts this year. She loved her Duplos!Michael received a couple of signed Greg Olsen prints! So beautiful. Ponies! My mom really wanted this “inside out” umbrella. It was pretty cool, actually!And a Chewy gift card for my Dad so he can spoil his favorite Buddy.I’m looking wiped out here, but happy with Fantastic Beasts 2 and some pretty hair clips. My mom knows me well!

32

I turned 32 this week! We’ve been dancing around and changing the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “22”, eating too much chocolate cake, and partying with Lelia and Bryce! It’s been a good birthday.

I always get introspective around my birthday, and when I saw this idea from here to share one fun thing for every year of your life, I just had to jump in. I had SO much fun writing this! I spent a whole lot longer doing it than I’d planned, mostly because I went right down memory lane looking at all these photos.

Here we go! One fun thing from each of my years (and writing them all out this way makes it feel like a lot of years!):

0 years. Clearly, I had a pretty good first year of life, being the oldest and only child. Haha. I love this picture of me and my mom on my Dad’s boat.1 year. Apparently, I was really happy when I had spaghetti!2 years. I have one clear memory around this age of visiting my Great Grandma’s home. She passed away when I was nearly two, so my memory is probably just slightly before this age. I wish I could remember more about her.

3 years. We went fishing on my Dad’s little boat a lot when the weather was nice. I had this cute little fishy life jacket, and sometimes my Dad would let me “help” him drive.4 years. I became a big sister! I was in love with Karl from that first moment I saw him.5 years. I went to kindergarten and loved my teacher. We always had graham crackers and honey at snack time, and I refused to try honey the entire year.

6 years. In first grade, we put on a play of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”. My teacher had a piano in the classroom that she used to play for us regularly, and it really was the best.7 years. Apparently, I lost and grew a bunch of new teeth. And don’t we look adorable in our Easter clothes?8 years. I had a really strict third-grade teacher, and I always finished my work early and asked for jobs I could help with.

9 years. We got our Shar-Pei dog, Barney.

10 years. I was obsessed with Pound Puppies!

11 years. I finally got to be in the same class at school as my childhood best friend, Heather.

12 years. We took a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure with our friends! (I’m in the Pokemon shirt. Haha!)13 years. I got really interested in singing and participated in the school choir as a second soprano.

14 years. We moved from New Jersey to Virginia!

15 years. I took guitar classes in high school.

16 years. We adopted our dog, Sockie!17 years. I got my guinea pig, Maggie, as an early birthday gift. She was my pal for her entire life.18 years. I went to Virginia Tech and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

19 years. I showed a sheep for the first time!

20 years. I met Michael! I also studied abroad in Switzerland and traveled all over Europe!

21 years. I married my best friend, moved into our first apartment, and got our guinea pig Juni.

22 years. I found my lifelong friend Lelia… who became my sister when she married Jeff a couple years later!23 years. I graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Animal Science and a BA in French.24 years. My world totally changed for the best when I became a mom for the first time (to Kaya)!25 years. I took some cake decorating classes!26 years. We had our sweet baby Kaelyn!27 years. We got Freyja and Claire!28 years. We added Nella to our family and bought our first house!29 years. We adopted Scout!30 years. I brought Eve into the world and traveled to Spain!31 years. I had my best running year yet. I PR’ed the half marathon and won my age group in three races.This little post filled my heart with so much gratitude. There have been hard things, too, of course, but focusing on the good was a really good exercise. I’m so thankful for all of it.

christmas parade (2019)

Ready for Christmas to come back in full swing? I’m going to be doing some more catching up on here, and I’m excited to get to relive it all through my photos. I tried to keep our holiday season relaxed this year, but there’s still always a lot going on and some stress involved with getting everything done. It’s so fun to take a break afterward and come back to the memories anew.

As per tradition, we went to our town’s Christmas parade! It was quite a cold one this year, and of course, since it was pitch black, the photos aren’t the best, but I love remembering this. All the girls were so incredibly excited to get there and watch!

For the first time ever, we were up near the front of the parade, so the girls ended up with a bunch of candy and even some coloring books.

Some of our favorite floats included:

A giant fish!Mickey and Minnie!Classic cars!A minion!A monarch butterfly!And a poo emoji, of course! Haha.

Watching my family enjoy it is the best of all. Toward the end of the parade, we saw some little kids (who were part of a float) carrying these huge armfuls of stuffed animals down the street. They saw all the kids sitting in our area, and started handing out brand-new unicorns to my girls! This was one of the happiest days of their lives.

Kaya said over and over, “I can’t believe I got a unicorn!” It was a lucky moment for sure.

Santa came by at the end, like he always does!

Everyone went home happy.

five favorites (02/03)

I didn’t get this done on Friday, but what better way is there to start the week than with a “Five” post? These always put me in a good mood. I love sharing my joy.

ONE. Last week, Michael had a business trip out to Utah! We missed him so much, but we made it through. The girls were all such HUGE helpers the entire time he was gone. They even kept lists so they could show Daddy their good deeds. We took them to Sweet Frog for frozen yogurt as a special treat when Daddy came home.Just being all together is the best ever.Eve was really happy about getting something sweet.We sure missed our Daddy!TWO. In addition to the conference he went to, Michael had a whole lot of fun in Utah. He got to see Kevin and Jack, visit with some of his cousins, and stay the night at our dear friends’ house. To be honest, I’m totally jealous I didn’t get to go and see all of them, too!He was able to visit some temples. This one is Manti!He was also able to do some work in the Provo City Center Temple. We saw this being built about 6.5 years ago. It’s so beautiful! Look at these amazing clouds he flew through on the way home. The fact that humans can fly at all is still so amazing to me. This is breathtaking.THREE. What’s better than a baby fresh out of the bath? Those big blue eyes and cute hooded towel over her head just melt me.Also, these pruney little toes!Tickles from Kaelyn. Kaya loves to help give Nella and Eve their baths lately. She even made a mohawk for Nella! This was too funny and cute.FOUR. Kaelyn might still be in Kindergarten, but she completed her math books back at the beginning of December, and has moved on to her first grade curriculum. Math comes so easily to her, so she’ll just do as many pages as she can in a day. It feels crazy to already be going through this book again, since Kaya did the same one a couple of years ago. How does time go that fast?I’m so proud of these girls and all their hard work.FIVE. Kaya is getting really good at using my camera. She took this in manual mode, using back-button focus. She’s done it a few times now, and I’m really impressed. She keeps filling up her own camera’s memory card, too. I’m sure she’s going to get into photography when she’s older.Happy Monday!

thanksgiving 2019

We stayed home for this past Thanksgiving. It was only the second time we’ve ever done that, so it always feels a little strange, and I definitely missed my mom’s cooking (no matter how good mine turned out) and hanging out with my aunts and brother. We were also still sick with some kind of upper respiratory mess, so all I really wanted to do was sleep, but I still tried my best to make it a memorable day for my family.

Kaya worked really hard making a homemade garland so she could decorate for us. She comes up with these projects all on her own. I love that she loves contributing to our holidays with her art.We spent the morning watching the Macy’s parade while Michael played football with some guys from church, despite the crazy wind we were having. Kaya and Kaelyn made a bunch of turkey handprints! Waiting for turkey dinner is so exhausting that you have to feign sleep……until it actually leads to real sleep for someone very little.Those lips and cheeks. Ahhh! I did get to nap while the turkey was baking away, only to get it out of the oven and realize I had totally forgotten to put water in the pan for gravy. I panicked, but my mom told me on the phone that I could still add it. It worked, and I think it was actually some of the best gravy I’ve ever made.YUM. I love a turkey with a lot of spices.Michael has been made the official turkey-carver.I told the girls about the tradition of breaking the wishbone, and how whoever gets the bigger piece gets to make a wish. Kaya wanted to do it, but was so grossed out by the thought of touching the bone that she let me stand in for her.Kaelyn won it!Kaya also made these little placemats for all of us to use.We had some delicious dinner, followed by chocolate cake.These two and their faces. Always cracking me up. Kaya was really tired by this point and still disappointed that I didn’t win the wishbone for her.Eve had her first-ever taste of turkey, since she was too little last year. She gobbled it right up! I was amazed by how much she ate. We called our families afterward to end the evening. It was a simple, but sweet day together.

five on friday (01/24)

We’ve had a lot going on the past couple of weeks, and to be honest, I haven’t felt much like writing here. I thought doing a “Five on Friday” might help me get back into gear. I have two memory cards full of DSLR photos to go through, but for now, I’m just going to share some quick and easy pictures from my phone.

ONE. We battled the stomach flu! By the time it went through all the kids, it was a whole week of sickness. It’s just awful seeing your babies feel so horrible, not to mention the amount of extra laundry and clean-up required. We made it through, and here’s to hoping we don’t see another stomach bug for a long time to come.TWO. Kaya has always loved Eve, but lately, they’ve really been playing together a lot more. Eve will jump into her arms, give giant hugs, and apparently, even enjoy a ride on her back. The older girls sometimes say, “I miss when Eve was a little baby”, but they really have been having a blast with her now that she’s a little bigger. THREE. Michael has been amazing in his recent calling as counselor to the Bishop, but he’s still adjusting to a new schedule. Meetings at 6:30 am mean that he is completely wiped out by 1 pm. He’s not a napper, but he has taken a few here lately. FOUR. What’s better on a cold, wintery day than a warm, snuggly puppy? Scout has really been my pal these past few weeks. She also turned 3 years old on January 9th (we have yet to get her a birthday gift)! FIVE. This little sweetie always keeps us smiling. She gets so excited over everything, even eating cereal! She’s such a good reminder of how even the simplest things can bring so much joy. HAPPY FRIDAY!

halloween 2019

Our Halloween was a little different this year because we were out of town due to Karl’s wedding, which was the night before. We were able to visit with family and trick-or-treat in my parents’ neighborhood, which was a fun opportunity. Since we weren’t home, we did miss a few of our usual Halloween activities, like trick-or-treating at Daddy’s work and the annual church trunk-or-treat.

Kaya also woke up with a fever, aches, and chills on the morning of Halloween, so she missed out on most of the trick-or-treating. Kaelyn was really lost without her best buddy, which you can see in the group pictures.

Everyone was also content to wear costumes we already had, so we didn’t buy anything new this year. I was grateful that they were fine with keeping it simple.

Eve wore the lion costume that Nella wore two years ago, which is still just as cute as ever. She wasn’t very interested in pictures, but she was fascinated by the leaves. Oh my heart. Too much cuteness.Nella wore the elephant costume! It’s so fun to think of my three oldest all having worn it now.This was the first year I couldn’t really get everyone on board with a family theme, and then when Kaya ended up sick, Michael stayed home with her and didn’t worry about a costume. I’m glad I still got this picture of him with Nellbells!This giraffe costume always makes me giggle a little. Kaelyn was almost too tall for it! This is her giraffe face, I think. Haha.They weren’t really into group pictures without Kaya.I have always wanted to be a witch for Halloween, so I created my own version of the Wicked Witch to go with Eve’s lion costume (although there is absolutely nothing ”cowardly” about this brazen girl)! I had so much fun doing some different-than-usual make-up.My Dad had this brand-new wolf mask that  he was so excited to wear. The mouth really moved and everything, which made it a little scarier than it’d seem.My Dad, Mom, and I took all the kids except Kaya out around the neighborhood for a while. They were so happy to take their grandkids trick-or-treating for the first time ever, and I’m glad we could all do it together.Eve ate any candy she could get her hands on before we figured out that she shouldn’t be allowed to hold her bucket. She came home with a very chocolatey face! Kaya stayed home with Michael and handed out candy on the porch. She finally felt well enough to eat something, and so when we returned with the younger girls, she said she wanted to try to go out for a bit. It was just her and I, which felt really special. She also got a lot of candy, because by this time, people were wrapping up and just dumping all the candy they had left into her bucket. Toward the end of our time, a thunderstorm started, so we ran home just before the rain poured down.My mom baked some sugar cookies that everyone decorated at the end of the night. It was the perfect way to finish the day.We traveled home the next day, and as it turned out, our town had postponed Halloween due to horrendous weather.  Kaya wasn’t up for going out, but I took Kaelyn and Nella around our neighborhood for a bit and had a lot of fun. I was excited we got to have a second, unexpected, Halloween.

pumpkin picking (2019)

It’s the final day of 2019- I can’t even believe it! It might almost be 2020, but I’m still determined to get caught up on all the fall holidays and winter activities from this season. I’m really hoping I’ll be able to make more time for blogging and sharing photos in 2020. I’ve realized that it’s a much-needed creative outlet for me, not to mention, I love writing all of these posts for the girls to read someday. It’s been a little easier to work on posts since we’ve been off of school most of this month.

So… back in October, we went to our favorite pumpkin patch at Joe’s Trees! We took our traditional hay ride up to the field! It wasn’t busy at all this day, which was really nice. I like it when we have the place mostly to ourselves.Those rolling hills just take my breath away.We found the farmer-face cutout up by the corn maze this year! I love seeing how much the girls change every year they do this!We went through the corn maze, which turned out to be the perfect challenge. There have been years when it’s been way too easy, and other years when we’ve been lost and going in circles. We figured this one out in a decent amount of time and were still happy at the end, haha. Nellie was afraid of all the bats and ghosts hanging in the maze, but she fell in love with every single scarecrow. Kaya, Kaelyn, and Nella all wanted pictures with each of them.Eve wasn’t a fan of getting out of the Ergo (we also realized she lost a shoe while we were in the maze, so we spent a while looking for it. Turns out, we had lost it on the hayride and someone else found it for us)! We headed over to a patch of pie pumpkins and let each girl choose one. Again with the scarecrows! Nella was really happy that this one was a girl with bows.I was happy to get a picture with all my girls, even if not everyone is looking and smiling. This is real life, guys.Eve was obsessed with holding every pumpkin she could, but she wasn’t into pictures until we were about to leave. Seriously, a baby with pumpkins is always one of my favorite things to photograph! We had such a great time, like we always do. I’m already looking forward to going back!

mill mountain zoo

Back in the fall (when the weather was still warm and glorious!), we went up to Mill Mountain Zoo for the first time ever. It was the morning of Kaya’s birthday party, and we thought it would be a really fun activity to do with the Grandparents in town. Luckily for us, our friends, Ben and Brittany, were also in the area, and agreed to meet us there. We had quite a group! It wasn’t crowded at all, and it also happened to be a special-event weekend, where they had different booths set up by various nonprofits. The girls ended up getting various free things, like sunglasses, bouncy balls, cups, pencils, and bubbles. They even received several quality books courtesy of the public library.

Eve really knows how to rock a pair of sunglasses!Blowing bubbles kept Nella occupied for quite a while.The actual zoo was incredibly small, so we really only saw a few animals, but I really enjoyed the simplicity of it. Some favorites included this Snow Leopard……the Red Panda (who we also got to observe during feeding time!)… …the Bald Eagle……the Red Wolf…
…the Eastern Screech Owl……and some turtles! The girls loved seeing all of these in real life so much.There were also some fun crafts, like this paper Red Panda and some pinwheel flowers! While the older girls did crafts, Eve had some Grandma snuggles and snacks.She also loved having some extra play time with Daddy. Her cute little belly button peeking out in this one really gets me.We all went to an “Animal Encounter” show, where we learned some facts about ferrets, and the girls even got to pet one. Afterward, we waited for the zoo train, which only runs once an hour. Ben read a book to everyone while we were in line.I also took a bunch of pictures while we waited, because why not?Yay! So happy I could spend some time with Brittany.And my mom!Baby switch! No one was quite ready for this picture.We squeezed onto the train, all except grandparents because we literally took up the entire thing. It was such a fun little ride!We went around the zoo twice!Ben and Brittany headed home, but we stayed a little longer so we could do some of the extra activities. We met a giant Red Panda!Kaya and Kaelyn both had their faces painted. This might have been the highlight of the trip for them. I loved watching their reactions when they looked in the mirror for the first time. Cutest little kitty. Sweetest little Dalmatian.This is surely one of my favorite memories. I’m grateful for all of these amazing Grandparents and our wonderful friends. Those smiling faces are everything to me.

five on friday! (11/15)

We’re halfway through November already. I really can’t believe it! I’m trying my best to get caught up on here before the holidays start.

ONE. Our beloved Kangaroo Kids class has officially ended until next year. I have just as much fun as the girls do, and I really could make a whole post out of it, but I’ll just keep it to the highlights here.They loved this new inflatable pizza.Kaya and Kaelyn ask about these hopper balls nearly every week. These were one of my favorite things in my elementary school gym class, too.Bubble time is Evie’s favorite! She is also obsessed with the bounce house now that she screams when we get out of it!Eve is also now a pro basketball player. Her little ponytail and headband made this even more adorable!

Michael got to come with us to an evening class (unusual for us, but it was a make-up class), so I had extra time to bounce around with the girls. This is one of my favorite things for sure.

TWO. Michael went to a conference at Cornell University last week. He even had the opportunity to present! I’m so proud of him for all the amazing presentations he does and how well he represents his team at work.He got to enjoy some snow, but thankfully, it didn’t affect his flight home at all.So pretty! I love seeing other university campuses.The girls had a very hard time with him gone, which meant they were constantly waking up at night and crying. It was rough. We did do quite a bit of Facetiming with Daddy (and when you have four little girls, it’s totally normal to have a unicorn on your head)!Kaya sent Daddy this text, and I thought it was just the sweetest representation of how much she loves him.We’re happy to have him home!

THREE. Our children’s museum closed at the beginning of the year in order to renovate a new space and move! We really missed going, and it seemed like forever until it was finally done, but it opened last week! We went for the first time and had so much fun with all the new play areas.The girls loved the vet clinic and had to play there first, of course.Eve loves guinea pigs, so this piggy was her best friend for the rest of the day. (Also, those fuzzy boots on her just melt me!)Daddy had just as much fun building tall towers and knocking them over.Kaya became a builder!They had these benches that you could decorate with markers. Kaelyn surprised me by writing this on the bench, and I hope they never paint over it.Kaya made a cat, of course!FOUR. This one was from a few weeks ago, but I love time with our friends so much that I had to put it in here. We had a few play dates with Aaliyah and Talyah at the playground before it got so cold. The girls play together so well, and I am grateful for friends.FIVE. After a rough week with Michael being gone, and then the girls taking turns being sick, everything felt hard. Sometimes, I feel like I’m doing this whole motherhood thing wrong, and I get discouraged. Without ever knowing how much this means to me, Nella took the special sticker she got at Kangaroo Kids (hearts are her very favorite), put it on a paper, and added some yellow scribbles. She gave it to me and said, “I luh you”. My heart melted.These precious little moments are what get me through the hard days.Happy Friday!