She's Almost 11!!

Abby came over for her B-Day sleepover last night...We colored and watched a flick before dinner...Carter even joined in (this is a big deal...he usually never wants to color!) and said, "I color toooooo!!!" He was so pleased with himself! So fun to have him color for a bit with us!

Then we went to CiCi's Pizza...A's choice and she ate off the 10 and under discount for maybe the last time before her actual BDay! She was such a help to us during dinner...taking M up for 2nds, 3rds, you get the pic...she is a helpful and patient cousin...
After dinner there was a TORRENTIAL down pour as we left the restaurant and headed to Target to pick out a gift...we had to take a pic of the craziness once we got inside! It will def go down in the BDay history books...people prob thought we were crazy going shopping during such a big storm...all in good fun and the search for the perfect gift!

We when we got home A helped me bathe her cousins (Carter is currently not a fan of baths and he let's you know it...this too shall pass right?!?!) while Mike set up a fort in the living room for the girls to sleep in...A's idea since it was toooooo wet and rainy for outdoor camping!
We had a great time celebrating with you and can't believe you are almost 11 Abby!!! Time is flying!!!!!

Tomatoes!

Check out those tomatoes Pepere! We are loving watching them grow! Thanks for our plant!

Each day when we water we notice a new little guy growing! Can't wait til we can eat some of them!

One of our little ones loves the camera...one not so much...he has much more important things to do! :)

Silly face! :P Just like Cousin E...she loves looking at the pic in our kitchen of cousin A and E and making a face like E now! :)!

Our Graduate!

Our little guy graduated Speech on Wed...they said it was one of the quickest turn arounds they have ever seen...a month in...and he's out...We love chatting with him more! Language just clicked for him! YAY!!! All he needed really was a little more time...it's so hard as a parent...so much of it is a balancing act...trying to be proactive and trying to be patient (key word: trying)...But I love as a teacher and as a mom all these great resources that are offered before age 3 to get kids the help they need before they get to school...and that the help is FREE! He is going to miss his teacher...he would get excited to see her each week...and she had a lot of great tips to get him talking more..

We love having real conversations with him now...His vocab has really exploded! I love to hear him talk! He loves "super-hew-whoahs"...(super heroes) and Mike is so excited to have a little one excited about what he loved as a kid! We love our little guy! Now we really can't get a word in edge wise with 2 "Chatty Pattys"...it is funny to watch things change around here as he gives his opinion more and more...he was a go with the flow kinda brother...now he will let big sis know when he would rather do "B" when she suggests "A"...it's good for both of them! And we are seeing his humor come out more too...On Mother's Day I said, "How old are you Carter?" and he said, "I 3!" with a huge grin and a chuckle..."No you aren't!" I said, "You are 2!" Then he said, "No I 4!!!!" I think we have a little jokester on our hands! :)

4.5

Can't believe our little lady is about to celebrate her half b-day...

Some things about her that I don't want to forget as of late:
*Her fav number is 12 she informed us one day...wow! Didn't know you had a fav #...hmmmm...wonder what makes it her fav I thought to myself? It's in the Bible a lot, there are 12 #s on a clock (and she loved clocks), there are 12 eggs in a dozen (and she loves eggs), the numbers 1 and 2 look cool next to each other in a number so that's why she picked 12...I thought and thought about why...so I asked...why is it your fav #? "Because it's my favorite!"...well there you have it...love that at this age they just pick things to like just because!
*If you say anything to her as a compliment like:
You run fast!
You have long hair! etc...she will respond..."I'm 4! (With 4 fingers up)...well that explains it right??? She makes us chuckle...
*She and Maggie are still "the BEST of friends spending so much time together" (cue the music from Fox and the Hound)...since the end of Jan she has even been able to sleep with Mags at night...we thought she was finally old enough to handle a cat coming and going in the night...both kids used to sleep with doors shut before this so cats wouldn't be bothering them while they slept...she also gets to have Mags in her room for Rest Time...BFF I tell you...see Mags snuggled up with her in the pic above?...I snapped it without the flash the other night before going to bed myself...hard to pick Mags out from all the other stuffed animals M has right?!?! But I love that they are such close buddies! :)

Cat Nappin'

Carter isn't the only one around here that takes Nap Time seriously... :)

Mother's Day

We had a wonderful Mother's Day! MiMi and PaPa came out to our church and then we headed back to their house to cook out and hang out for the day...We are so grateful for you MiMi and the love you shower on all of us!! And Happy Mother's Day to Grandma too (wish we could see you on more holidays!)!

Snuggles with Aunt Susan...

Just so grateful and humbled that God gave us these two...

My arms and heart are full! :)!!!! Thanks for spoiling us Mike and PaPa on our special day! It was just such a nice weekend of celebrating! M brought home some sweet things she made at school for me too that I received in the carpool line (she was so excited!) and then Mike and M went shopping for me on Sat. and let me take a 2 hr nap while Carter slept...(Can't remember my last 2 hr nap! Such a treat!) and they found a fun wind chime for me...such a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend! Thanks for making me feel so special! :)

"The Mysterious Beyond"

The kids and their loyal companion (aka Mags) are off to "the mysterious beyond" (Land Before Time II)! It is "beyond" our property and it is "mysterious" so kinda like the movie...just minus the dinos... :) We had a lot of rain on Wed. so the kids wanted to grab their boots to splash in the puddles on Thurs...

Adopt the pace of nature:
her secret is patience.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love just being outside more with the nicer weather...everyone is happier and the pace is slower...

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,
through which God speaks to us every hour,
if we will only tune in.
~George Washington Carver

We reached what we like to call the "Hatch" from LOST...what on earth is it?!?!

And Mags is being carried...such a sweet and patient cat with our little people...

Carter has a stick...Mal has a cat...very typical!

Nature does not hurry,
yet everything is accomplished.
~Lao Tzu

I just love being out in nature with my kids!