..::Easters::..

The kiddos all ready for the Easter Egg Hunt at our community park!

Barrett enjoyed finding some eggs!

So did Payton!

Check out Alexa's haul!

 

We had a lot of fun at the Easter Extravaganza put on by our community association today.  We're so grateful to live in such a fun and family-friendly community!!



Happy Easters everyone!

In Training?

We're not quite sure yet what exactly it is that Barrett is training for...but with all those muscles in his legs, there's gotta be some Iron Baby competition we can enter him in, right??!!!

Who Doesn't Love Taking A Bath??

Okay, so I am not the biggest fan of taking baths...but my kiddos sure love them.   The girls have always loved them and now Barrett is no exception.  He starts bouncing in my arms as soon as he knows we're heading upstairs for a tub!  I'm surprised I was able to get a happy picture of him right after his bath as he's usually quite upset to have his tubby time be over!!

Sometimes...

...he actually SITS in the rocking chairs too!!

(very rarely though...standing is just more fun!)

~Beauty~

We have a tree in our backyard that apparently wasn't getting enough sunshine.  Until last summer anyways, when our neighbors cut down a huge tree in their yard that was shading this little guy in our yard.  Never had we seen these blooms...we didn't even know this tree would blossom like this.  But this morning, the girls and I looked out the back sliding door and saw all this brilliant red in our backyard.  I just had to take a picture.

And now I'm looking forward to every spring to see this tree in bloom again!

Are boys and girls different???

YES!!!

My girls were never interested in opening up cupboards or drawers and pulling out all the contents.  They never had the urge to climb up onto things without knowing how to get down first.

But Barrett...well, he's a different story!  Is it because he's a boy?  I'm sure that's probably part of it, just like I'm sure there of those of you out there that have had girls do these things or had boys who didn't.  In our house though, the difference between having girls and boys is HUGE.  Barrett is much more coordinated at this age than the girls, he's much more adventurous, but also more laid back.  He loves to climb, loves to make messes, loves to get messy.  I'm sure it won't be long before he's climbing out of his crib (cringe!!!) or outside searching for worms to scare his sisters with! 

Have I enjoyed having a boy after only knowing what girls were like???  OH. YES.  Very much so!

I AM...

A SOCCER MOM!!

::Sisters::

..::Barrett: 11 Months::..

 

Only ONE more month until Bubba's big birthday!!

Let's see...what has happened this past month???

*Plays peek-a-boo - February 20th

*Climbed up one stair - February 21st

*Starts nodding his head "yes" - February 29th

*Crawls up multiple stairs - March 5th (we now have a gate up all the time)

*Took his FIRST steps - March 10th (at Great Grandpa Brown's funeral)

*Took 3 consecutive steps - March 16th

*Says "Uh-Uh" for Uh-Oh - March 17th

*Took 4-5 consecutive steps - March 18th

We had a busy month!!

My Birthday

Another year has come and gone....how does it do that so quickly these days???

I cannot believe I am 34...I so do not feel like I'm in my 30's.  I know I've had a few years to get used to it, but it still seems weird.  I have no issue with getting older...you can't have birthdays and NOT get older, and we all know I LOVE having birthdays, so the two go hand-in-hand.  But I just don't FEEL old enough to be IN my 30's, does that make sense?  I actually love where I am, what my 30's has brought me, and choose it hands down over my 20's...but deep inside, a lot of the time, I still feel like I'm 18!  And then reality hits and BAM!, I'm back in my 30's wondering how the heck I got here!

Anywho, I digress...I had a wonderful birthday!  Kevin took me on a date last night.  Dinner at Oregano's and a movie, a chick flick no less!  He must love me!! :-)  Then today we went to church and then came home and opened presents and then Kevin made me a yummy steak dinner, complete with a cheesecake for dessert!  Yum...I'm so lucky to be loved so much by my handsome husband and adorable kiddos!

Outside...

The kiddos LOVE to be outside this time of year.  Whether it's at the park...

...or in our own backyard!

Springtime in Arizona is AWESOME!!!

Pretty Payton

This girl cracks me up.  On a daily basis.  The things she comes up with sometimes just make me laugh.  Today, she decided to put on her "pink makeup".  When I saw her, she said, "It's pink mommy! Do I look pretty?"  Oh my!  Silly girl!  Glad it was washable marker and came off in the tub that night!!  Life is NEVER boring with Payton around, that's for sure!!

Mommy/Daughter Date

Alexa and I went on a mommy/daughter date tonight.  One of my Beehive girls from church, Maddy, who also happens to be our FABULOUS babysitter, was in her school play, Annie, and we wanted to go and support her.  So off Alexa and I went.  She felt pretty special since she got to stay up WAY past her bedtime to attend!  Maddy did a great job and Alexa and I had a fun night out.

(Thanks to Maddy's mom for taking this picture on her phone since I forgot my camera at home!)

Inside looking Out

I came down the stairs today to see this in my living room! I thought it was adorable...so I ran back upstairs to grab the camera!

Woops....they caught me!!!

I sure love these three stinkers!!

LOVE

When my mom came to visit, she brought a project she has been working on for some time.

This painting of Alexa.

My mom did the painting from this picture (below), taken of Alexa when she was 18 months old. She was intrigued by something on our little balcony of the apartment that we lived in at the time. Didn't my mom do a fabulous job??

I. LOVE. IT!

The painting needs to be framed but it's already hanging in my upstairs hallway, the first thing I see as I walk upstairs. And I smile each time!

I've already sent her a picture of Payton at about the same age so she can begin working on another painting for my upstairs gallery!! :-)

Thanks mom, I really love it!