five on friday (10/15)

It’s been about a month since I wrote one of these, and we’ve had a lot of bigger happenings (*ahem* three birthday parties pretty much in a row) that I hope to get to soon, but chronicling these small moments throughout the week means so much to me when I look back.

ONE. My mom came up for Chandler’s birthday party, and she brought a bunch of my old toys that I thought had been long gone. These Littlest Pet Shops and Pound Puppies were some of my very favorite things, and pretty much defined the 90s for me. I was so happy to see the girls play with them for hours on end.

TWO. The girls and I watched The Wizard of Oz last week, and they all loved it so much. Eve thought the Wicked Witch was hilarious and kept asking for her to come back, and Kaya seemed to understand the true makings of a classic movie. I caught them riding brooms around the driveway this week, saying, “I’ll get you my pretties!”

When you’re the littlest, your big sisters can really help you “fly”!

THREE. My three oldest went to church tonight to practice for the upcoming Primary Program, so it was just Eve, Chandler, and me. I snuggled Eve while we watched Daniel Tiger, let her share some of my special Lindt chocolate, and took them both on a walk to the playground. It was so very special just having that time with them. Having a big family is wonderful, but sometimes, it can be complete chaos, so stealing these little one-on-one moments feels so invaluable.Yes, she’s wearing a skirt over her overalls. I love her style.Eve said, “Watch, I’m gonna go fast!”Chandler throws his head back in the swing and laughs like crazy.

FOUR. Being a kid around Christmastime means one thing: you scramble for the yearly toy catalog when it arrives! Seeing them all poring over every toy in that book reminded me of when I was a kid, meticulously paging through the JCPenney holiday catalog, circling far too many items. Christmas is still magical at their ages, and I’m so excited for it. Also, I love my goofy dog in this one.

FIVE. Cousin Jack sent us a box full of Halloween goodies this week! The girls have loved wearing the glasses, fingers, and vampire teeth. They also painted some wooden Halloween decorations! We’re counting down the days until we can wear our costumes!

I told them to make “monster faces” for this one! Haha.

Happy weekend!

pre-christmas celebrations

The weekend before Christmas, we made the trek back home to spend a little time with our families. It was the shortest stay we’ve had in a long time, but we definitely enjoyed every minute of it!

We went to my parents’ house first and were definitely spoiled._MG_0572 My mom has almost all of the Hallmark singing snowmen. It wasn’t long before Kaya figured out how to get them working (and of course she danced)!_MG_0563 _MG_0574 _MG_0578 She was in love with opening gifts this year and even helped rip the wrapping paper!_MG_0580 She also kissed almost every toy she received…
_MG_0583Her big gift from my parents was a shopping cart. She screamed when the last piece of wrapping paper came off!
_MG_0590She immediately knew how to use it, too.
_MG_0591 _MG_0603 We decorated cookies again (although it was a bit more difficult this time, since my mom only had spatulas instead of the usual paint brushes…)_MG_0606 _MG_0610 My mom made a pot roast feast (and Kaya actually enjoyed the meat)!_MG_0608 We went to the Irwin house too, but I didn’t take nearly as many pictures. Kaya enjoyed more present opening/yelling!_MG_0613

She got some toy food, but her ultimate favorite was these little toy tupperware cups._MG_0620And that was part one of our Christmas! 🙂

puppy

As sad as I am that this post is not about us getting a REAL puppy, I’m still pretty excited- yesterday, I went to Target and got this Fisher Price dog for Kaya for $5.19! It’s usually $20, but thanks to a sale and $10 in coupons, I got a pretty great deal. It was also the last one on the shelf, so I really lucked out._MG_3012 And she loves it._MG_3027 _MG_3040

I love how she can hug the whole dog with her entire body._MG_303903082013photogridHappy weekend everyone!