father’s day 2019

We had a really relaxed Father’s Day, but I still wanted to post something about it. These girls sure love their Daddy, and they definitely wanted to make the day special for him.

At church they sang, “I’m So Glad When Daddy Comes Home”, and then all the dads got to eat (lots and lots) of pie. I know Michael loved it.

The girls surprised him with all the cards and drawings they made for him. He was covered with art!

We had tacos for dinner and made him a Hershey’s chocolate cake! Kaya, Kaelyn, and Nella were really into helping, but not so into getting a picture taken this time. Michael unintentionally fell asleep on the couch while we were doing this.I don’t know what it is about this cake recipe, but I am obsessed with it. I put a simple chocolate glaze on top instead of frosting.

Of course, we had to do a Father’s Day questionnaire with the older girls (based off this one). Here’s what they came up with:

What is Daddy’s name?
Kaya and Kaelyn: Michael!
What is his middle name?
Both: I don’t know what his middle name is!
How old is he?
Kaya: 31 years old!
Kaelyn: But almost 32!
How tall is Daddy?
Kaya: 61 feet tall.
Kaelyn: 61 feet! The same as Kaya.
How much does he weigh?
Kaya: 430 pounds.
Kaelyn: 430. I don’t know.
What is his favorite food?
Kaya: Pizza, hotdogs, spaghetti, and burgers!
Kaelyn: Spaghetti and pizza!
What is Daddy really good at?
Kaya: Tickling us!
Kaelyn: Riding his bike. And he’s really good at riding his moped, because he’s been riding it like forever! For like 7 months.
What does he love to do?
Kaya: Play with us!
Kaelyn: Play with us!
What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
Kaya: Pillow fight!
Kaelyn: Play games! All the games! Except for the scary ones.
How are you just like your Dad?
Kaya: I don’t know.
Kaelyn: We both have bluey eyes! And we like playing games together.
What makes Daddy happy?
Kaya: When we run to him when he comes through the door from work!
Kaelyn: Giving him cards!
Anything else you want to say to Daddy?
Both: WE LOVE YOU DADA!!!

five favorites (05/19)

Happy Monday!!! I’m still making an effort to make these posts simpler so that I’ll write them more often. Here are a few fun recent moments!

ONE. We have been studying plants for the last few weeks and just wrapped up today! I decided to do something different than using a regular textbook for this unit, so I bought this set of lessons, labs, and powerpoints. It’s been a whole lot of fun for all of us! The girls are growing some lima beans in a bag, have learned about the plant life cycle, and are fascinated by carnivorous plants. They also really loved doing this pollination lab, where their fingers were insects, the juice box was nectar, and the cheese puff residue was the pollen.
The life cycle of a plant, according to Kaya. Notice the seeds dropping off on the last plant!TWO. We had our final Kangaroo Kids class last week. I’m always so sad to see it end for the summer! No one else in our class showed up, so we had the whole place to ourselves. Kaya built this little “ice cream shop”, and served her sisters (and me!) desserts for nearly the entire time. The balls were the scoops of ice cream. The green bucket was even “dairy free”, special for me. I just love her creativity.Kaya even built this little “seating area” you could go to after getting your ice cream. Nella was having a good time!THREE. The pink castle tent usually stays in the basement, but it’s been back in the living room for the past couple of weeks, so there’s been a whole lot of playing “house” and just generally hanging out in there. Even Evie loves it! Nella and Eve have been doing a lot more together lately, so I loved seeing them having a little party together in there.Nella is always taking care of a baby doll!FOUR. When you’re the size of a baby doll, you might just get a (nice, slow) ride in a doll stroller… Being the littlest sister seems to be the most fun!

FIVE. We watched the new Christopher Robin movie a couple of weeks ago. The girls loved it, and I cried the whole way through it. It was really well done! I found this sign in the big girls’ room after nap one day, and I just thought it seemed like something right out of the movie. The girls kept asking me if Heffalumps were real for a few days afterward, although they said this sign was to keep sharks away.

blueberry hill (2018)

One of our very favorite summertime traditions is picking blueberries, so while we waited for little Evie to make her appearance, we passed one evening out at our local berry farm. I love supporting a local business and spending some time with my family out there as the sun sets.Kaya was so good at picking the very bluest berries on this trip. She and Kaelyn each had their own baskets to fill up as much as they could, and then we combined them all to make one gallon at the end.Kaelyn is our biggest blueberry lover. She talks about going picking all year long, and now that we have berries in the freezer, she’s excited to make muffins and jam.Daddy taught Nella how to carefully get the berries off the bush…She picked a lot of green ones, but she had fun wandering through the rows and grabbing what she could.Grandma Gina lead everyone to the biggest berries…When Kaya wasn’t picking, she was taking plenty of pictures and videos of our excursion. It’s so funny to watch her because I feel like I’m seeing a mini version of myself most of the time.I had to jump in one picture with all my girls (10 days before Eve was born)!Bump, blueberries, baby girls. So many of my favorite things.Nella eventually resorted to picking these little flowers and bringing them to me, one in each of her little clenched fists. Her sweetness is immeasurable. We ended up with a very full gallon, and the farm owner let each of the girls pick out a special surprise- a free book- for successfully filling the bottoms of their baskets. We had some very happy kids.Until next year, blueberries!

baby #4: 37 weeks

(written June 21st)Baby’s size: Supposedly over 6 pounds and about 19 inches long- the size of a honeydew melon or a striped skunk! My fundal height was 34 cm this week, so I’m growing, just still small. Her heart rate was in the 130s.

Maternity clothes?: Yes. And I almost feel like she’s dropped, at least a bit! It seems like I look down and the largest part of my belly is further away than it used to be.

Gender: Girl! And I think we’re back to one of our original name choices. Watch us completely change our minds again when we see her for the first time!

Symptoms: I sometimes think I start to feel the sciatica coming down my legs, but then it never actually does. I’m definitely not complaining.

Labor signs: For about 24 hours (late Sunday night into Monday night), I had the constant “pre-labor” symptoms that I had with my other girls (extreme nausea, spending a lot of time in the bathroom, and even body shakes), so I honestly thought something was starting to happen. We called in and they told me that since I was technically still preterm (36 weeks and 5 days), I needed to come in if I felt six contractions in an hour. I felt what I thought were a few weak ones (in hindsight, probably Braxton Hicks), so we ended up going in to get checked around 11:30 pm (mostly because the shaking episodes were scaring me).

Thankfully, my cervix was hard and closed (apparently my 1 cm dilation from last week was/is no longer accurate), and the baby looked great. She was kicking the monitors the entire time! Even though we were super tired by the time we got home, I’m really glad we went so I could gain some peace of mind and finally sleep. The nurses attributed all of those symptoms to a potential stomach bug, but I’m the only one who has been sick at our house, so I can’t be sure.

Sleep: Once I pass out, I am oblivious to the world. I still really really need a nap every afternoon.

Movement: She’s still completely crazy in there, and I’m thankful that she is so strong and healthy. It brings me a lot of comfort to feel her movements and know she’s doing okay. She still reaches waaaay up into my ribs, so I’m wondering if she’s taller than I thought she might be, or she’s just really great at stretching!

Cravings: None, just trying to eat what I can.

What I miss: I miss feeling like a functional human being. I keep thinking of all the fun things I want to do with all four of my girls once pregnancy is over.

Anything making you queasy or sick?: After all that false “early labor” stuff on Monday, I’ve still just felt incredibly nauseous. It’s kind of unreal how hard it’s been. I’ve been lying in bed for most of the day all week long, which is so unlike my normal self. I’m actually writing this from my phone because it’s at least something I can do without sitting up.

Belly Button in or out?: Super weird…

Exercising?: I count my miles from the previous Monday to Saturday (and my pregnancy weeks change over on Wednesday, so these were all before the sickness hit)- Ran 20.8 miles (longest run was 4.3 miles); walked 1.9 miles. Best average pace this week was 11:07 min/mile. Fitbit total steps: 72,502.

Mood: I’m anxious for labor to start. Knowing it could be any day (or still 3 weeks out) is keeping me a little (ok, a lot) on edge.

Best moment this week: The midwife I saw for my appointment (Rebecca) has always been one of my favorites, and she made me feel a lot better about my growth. She can see that I’m struggling to eat, but at least recognizes that I’m trying hard. I also found out that I tested negative for Group B strep this time, so at least that’s one thing I don’t have to think about!

Looking forward to: Kaelyn’s birthday! I think seeing her very happy smile is going to be such a relief after such a challenging week.

Big sisters: Kaelyn keeps telling me that she wants a birthday buddy. I guess we’ll know by next Tuesday if that’s the case! Kaya has also been asking if we’re going to get a baby for her birthday, too (in September). Sorry kiddo, nope!

Comparison: 37 weeks with Kaya; 37 weeks with Kaelyn; 37 weeks with Nella.

five on friday (05/04)

Happy May! I can’t believe we’re already in the fifth month of 2018!

ONE. You know your kids have some great imaginations when they can play with a cardboard box for hours and hours. We ordered some patio furniture, and the box was just the perfect size to create a little house for the girls. They spent so much time decorating it with markers and tape, pushing it around, and pretending to “send Nella off to China!” (where do they get these ideas?)
I love seeing them be creative and come up with their own ways to play.TWO. The sunset light hit the blooming tree in the back yard so perfectly that I just had to take a picture of these pretty white blossoms. Spring is in full force (and therefore so are my seasonal allergies!), but I couldn’t be more excited about the warmth, sunshine, and all of nature seeming renewed. THREE. Right along with great weather comes photoshoots! I’ve been waiting for a warm day to put my little ladies in their matching dresses and get a few updated portraits.Being squished by kisses from both sides… this pretty much sums up how life is for Nella these days. I can’t believe we’ll be adding a fourth set of pigtails to the picture so soon!FOUR. We’ve spent every single afternoon out on the deck this week, and I don’t think this will ever get old. My hammock buddy! I think I might just stay out here until it’s time for the baby to come.FIVE. Even with all the sunshine and playing outside, we’ve still been doing some schoolwork. Kaelyn has really surprised me this week by learning to spell and write her name on her own! She can do it freehand, but this tracing page has been really helpful, too.She’s also turning into such a great little artist (this is her, Mommy, and Daddy, with hearts).Happy weekend!

Linking up herehere, and here today!

father’s day 2017

This already feels like forever ago, but we had a sweet, simple Father’s Day celebration for our one and only best guy. Michael is the most amazing Daddy. His girls are his whole world, and I’m so grateful for his love, patience, and guidance when it comes to raising our daughters.

Each of the girls surprised him with one of his favorite candies…
…and subsequently begged him to share everything with them!Kaya made him a custom pipecleaner-pony-bead bracelet. He’s actually worn it every day for the past two weeks, and it’s surprisingly still holding up!I think the pictures just get crazier as this post goes on…
We ended up having our church’s stake conference on Father’s Day, which made our Sunday schedule a little different than usual. The primary kids sang “I’m So Glad When Daddy Comes Home” the previous week, and at the end of church, all the dads enjoyed some pie.

Of course, we still wanted to make him a special treat on the real holiday. We mixed up some homemade brownies. Kaelyn is always the first to jump up and help me bake!
If you can’t tell, the girls got completely sugar high on the brownie batter. Needless to say, they didn’t eat any actual brownies.

Kaya came home with one of those “my dad” surveys from primary, too. Here were her answers:

My Dad is… 29 years old.
My Dad’s favorite thing to do is… tickle me.
My Dad’s job is… helping me take a bath.
My Dad’s favorite food is… pizza.
My favorite thing to do with my Dad is… play hide and seek.
My Dad is really good at… volleyball.
My Dad makes me laugh when he… tickles me.
I am so happy when me and my Dad… hug each other.

Happy Father’s Day, buddy! We sure are lucky to have you.

five on friday (05/12)

ONE. We had a church picnic last weekend, and after everyone ate, the kids headed over to the neighboring playground. Michael ran around with the big girls for about an hour- including going down slides, climbing up onto the playground itself, and really, just being the ultimate dad. I’m so grateful for him and how much he loves spending time with our daughters.I had the easy job and got to just hang out with this pretty, blue-eyed baby! 🙂

TWO. We spent some time at the library this week, and the craft station there had supplies for making Mother’s Day cards. Kaya and Kaelyn absolutely love creating things, and I think they would make projects all day long if I let them, but I somehow convinced them that we should leave some materials for other kids to use. I hope the library stays just as fun and exciting as they get older.

THREE. Kaya is becoming quite a little photographer- she snapped this photo of Nella and me this week and I love it. It makes it a little easier to get in photos when someone else can take them for me!

FOUR. Sometimes, you just can’t stay awake long enough for your big sisters to finish lunch so that nap time can officially begin! So, you just have to use your ducky as a pillow and sleep wherever you are instead. Nella’s got the right idea- I’ve felt this sleepy all week!FIVE.  Someone has been channeling her inner Shia LaBeouf… Seriously, I don’t know where she gets this stuff. I think we literally watched that viral video one time, over a year ago… but Kaelyn has recently, and randomly, started saying, “just do it!”, so of course I had to encourage it.

Happy Friday!!!
Linking up here, here, and here today!

a rainbow horse birthday party (kaya’s 4th birthday!)

Kaya had been saying that she wanted a “rainbow Chance party” for the majority of the past year. Like most people, you probably have no idea who Chance is… Well, he’s a horse who lives over at the barn I used to volunteer at during college. His pasture was right behind our old neighborhood, so Kaya saw him fairly frequently. I don’t know what it is about that gray horse, but he’s been her favorite for quite a while!

She loved her rainbow party last year, so she requested that again, too. What’s better than rainbows and horses combined?

We kicked off her party day with her favorite donuts. Daddy took the girls to our local donut shop to pick them up, and of course, Kaya chose mostly chocolate cake donuts or chocolate-frosted ones with sprinkles!
_mg_5162 This cake… oh this cake. It might not look like much, but it turned out to be a major labor of love. I actually ended up decorating the entire thing twice because it fell apart overnight… and then it started drooping again before she blew out her candle._mg_5176I think the decorations failed to stay on because I used a new death-by-chocolate recipe that was incredibly moist (and also called for using cooking spray and no flour on the cake pans when baking). It was the easiest cake ever to remove from the pans… but that also meant that the frosting didn’t stay on well at all. It tasted amazing, and I’d definitely use the recipe again, but not for a birthday cake with any kind of buttercream decorations.

The horses are from Playmobil. They really are so cute and well-made, and I’m glad I chose these!_mg_5189This little girl loved her cake so much (and couldn’t wait to play with the horses, of course)!
_mg_5170 _mg_5174 She was so excited for us to sing to her!_mg_5200 _mg_5202 Seriously… this cake was almost as fudgy as a brownie. Mmm._mg_5206 _mg_5208 Some of her presents included undies…_mg_5211 …a Hello Kitty shirt…_mg_5212 … and a “Chance” stuffed animal. She had asked for a “Chance snuggly animal”, and her reaction was just as adorable as I had hoped._mg_5216 Chance has gone everywhere with us ever since. I think he’s going to be a long-term favorite!_mg_5217 Her big gift was this horse stable from Grandma Debbie. I think Lelia and I enjoyed playing with it just as much as Kaya!_mg_5225During all the present-opening, Kaelyn had a good time goofing off with Uncle Jeff. These girls sure do love their aunts and uncles. 🙂
_mg_5220 We kept the decorations as low-key as ever, but we did surprise her with these cute horse balloons!_mg_5232 She also got to wear a fun rainbow tutu, which pretty much made her day!_mg_5237 _mg_5240 Jeff and Lelia brought their puppy, Fallon, so my girls had a great time playing with her all weekend._mg_5246 After the party, we cooked breakfast for dinner. French toast…_mg_5248 … scrambled eggs, and bacon!_mg_5249

Kaya even had a perfect day in Primary at church on Sunday. She got to stand up in front of everyone with her special birthday card while everyone sang to her (and I might have teared up watching from the back of the room… motherhood does crazy things to you!). They also had a lesson about God’s creatures, so her teacher brought in a cat for them to visit with (if you know Kaya, you know she loves cats)!

With all her rainbows, horse gifts, playing with Fallon, and holding a cat in Primary, I think she really had the perfect birthday weekend.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! I hope this is one you remember!

playing daddy’s trumpet

When Michael mentioned to Kaya that he has a trumpet, she begged to see it! He used to be in the marching band during high school, but he really hasn’t had many opportunities to play since then, so it’s been in the closet for a while.

She was so very excited to hear him play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”!_MG_9493Of course, she was anxious to try it out for herself!_MG_9487 _MG_9495  Kitty had to have a turn, too. 🙂_MG_9488If she really ends up playing the trumpet in band one day, these pictures will make for a fun comparison!

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kaya’s first haircut

Kaya’s hair has been so unruly lately… and because it’s curly/wavy/frizzy, it’s been so hard to tame. Yesterday, I decided it was finally time to even out the back a little bit.

She was super cooperative while I took a few “before” photos…
_MG_6476 _MG_6477 And she sat so very still the entire time. When I was cutting close to her skin, I told her “freeze!”, and she did._MG_6478I’d love to let her hair grow out, but for now, we’re just waiting for the top pieces to catch up to the bottom.
_MG_6482 Bye-bye, mullet!kayafirsthaircut02172015 - Copykayafirsthaircut02172015_2 - CopyKaya really enjoyed the entire process. She turned into a puppy once we were finished! Who knew that grooming a little girl would transform her into a canine? Haha.
_MG_6492Love this sillyhead so much.
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