A little Quiet.

Things have been a bit quiet here. 

2 weeks ago close friends got some life changing news. 

It has been 2 weeks filled with sadness, heartbreak, determination, and ultimately peace. 

It has had me asking many of lives un-answerable questions.

Add on having to register Bristol for Kindergarten and screening, having 3 babies sick with high fevers, and still FREEZING temps = It been a rough few weeks. 

Matt has started the outage so he will rejoin our family in May ha. 

Boden has started talking in sentences, Bristol has encountered her first friend drama, and Brooklyn is slowly trying to walk and climb the stairs. ( I say slowly because I am not encouraging either too much ha) 

Happy Thursday everyone!

Busy!

Call it Spring Fever but even as we are having snow flurries out my window I am making things and the kids and I are preparing for Spring. 

First up- Grass for our faces hair. 

 Next up - proper Easter baskets for the kids. 

For those of you who wonder if Brooklyn ever gets anything new... 

A little Summer prep...

to go with her first mani. 

( Don't worry its non-toxic piggy paint.) 

Yes Spring is inside even if it can't decide to be outside. 

Its Spring?

Happy First Day of Spring! 

We woke up on this day with another 3 inches of snow and ice. 

Sweet. 

 So far we have started tapping trees and will try our hand at making syrup this year. 

Should be a fun experiment ha. 

Also I have continued sewing for the girls. I have ordered a new book for boy patterns so hopefully Bo will be getting a few new things too. 

Matt and I are continuing to work together to meal plan and choose healthier options for our family. 

( Such a growing pain haha - I love my pasta) 

I think the soon coming farmers markets will help. 

Im looking forward to family walks, picnics, and getting these kids outside haha. 

I think if I suggest painting again I might have a riot. 

It has been a long winter. 

So... Happy Spring! 

Right Now. March 2014

If you asked me about my day right now I would first say " What is today?" 

They tend to run together. 

Second I would probably say, 

" Today I changed diapers ( and more diapers) resolved countless sibling fights, buckled and unbuckled 3 carseats no less than 6 times,  and fed ( and fed, and fed) a household of 5, when in public was told " You have your hands full." 100s of times, and gave out kisses and hugs. 

Im sure I did other things too but those stand out ha. 

Sometimes in the routine of things I forget the moments that are NOW. 

The moments that may be just a memory come Summer or Fall. 

Things like:

 Boden insists on holding my hand and cries whenever he can't see me. 

How curly his hair is after a bath.

How he says " I love you" by putting his head on mine and looking into my eyes grinning. 

He only uses " Brook-win" when he's really mad at his younger sister - any other times it " Maye Maye" 

The blankie. Oh, the blankie. 

How Bristol is so observant and thoughtful when it comes to our family and friends. 

That she is starting to have an opinion about what she wears. 

She loves to play pretend. 

She is always singing and dancing. 

Her love of apples. 

Her goal of growing her hair out like Repunzels. 

Brooklyn. This crazy little baby of mine. She is always on the move and does not like to be left alone. She could eat blackberries and raspberries all day long. 

How TALL she is. 

She loves Patty Cake that her Nana taught her. 

She still wakes up once a night ( arg!) 

Her baby temper haha. 

These are things that in a few months Im sure will be different but I want to remember - even as hectic as it is. 

My Home.

I have a few favorite spots in my home. 

Im currently re-vamping and just making it more " me." 

While I love homes that are beautiful - right out of magazines beautiful- they aren't us or our life. 

Im a color, quirky person. I love antiques with a good story. 

Here are a few of my current favorite areas. 

Mostly in my kitchen - where I spend 90% of my time. Ha. 

And for good measure - my favorite pics of the week. 

She posed like this all on her own. She's a pro. 

Catching Bo hugging Brooklyn while watching Curious George. 

Happy Friday! Ill be spending my weekend carting 3 kids solo to a birthday party, Target, and trying to keep order. 

Attitude.

It is no secret that Bristol is the hardest of my children for me to parent. Maybe because we are so similar but we butt heads more than not. Its been that way since the day she was born ha. 

Lately, I have been having a hard time with her and her attitude etc. 

To the point that I have been very frustrated. 

Last week I was on Pinterest while Matt was watching The Walking Dead and saw a pin 

" How to improve your child's attitude. " 

Perfect! 

I clicked over to the link expecting a few miracle tips. 

Instead it read... 

" Step 1 is to improve YOUR attitude." 

Whaaaa?? 

Yes. It explained how your child can sense when you are frustrated and short with them and they feed off that - negatively. 

Makes sense. 

I read the rest of the article and felt like it was the reminder I needed to improve B and I's relationship and move forward more positively. 

I would love to say following some of these tips its now been smooth sailing. 

It hasn't. 

BUT- the day after, I tried to remember to practice patience and not be harsh/ frustrated with her - she came up and hugged my leg saying 

" Mama I love you. I think Ill keep you." 

Ha - small victories- at least now I have a permanment home. :) 

Welcome to the Circus!

This past weekend we celebrated "the babies" birthdays. 

( I guess I can't call them "the babies" anymore since one of them is 2!) 

Being only a month apart we decided to do a joint party. It was actually a lot of fun to plan and pull off - coming from someone who hates kids parties ha.) 

Bo seemed to get the day was for him and loved it. 

Man how I love these two and what they bring to our family. 

Party prep. 

Chalkboard Wall.

Our Ringmaster. 

Roar! 

Making Lions...

We love you "babies!" 

Boden is ... TWO!

 This weekend we will be celebrating this guy turning 2.... TWO! 

And the fact that 2 years ago I could do this on my deck. Right now its currently under a foot of snow.  ( This is 2 days before I had Boden.) 

Simple Sewing.

With hopes that someday Summer will be here I did some simple sewing with Bristol. 

We made two new play skirts for lazy summer days playing outside. 

These were super easy and fun to make and I think gave both our spirits a lift as we were getting MORE snow. We talked about running barefoot in the grass, playing in the sprinklers, swimming, and  having picnics. 

We also discussed how big she is getting!! 

Im Crying Because...

Boden has strong feelings about many things... here are a few. 

" You folded my sandwich." 

" You won't let me eat a rotten apple." 

" I have to wait in carpool line to drop B off." 

" They put the hat on the dog," 

" Im having to take a picture with my sisters." 

" I want a banana." ( THE banana Im holding trying to give him.) 

" I can't see." ( Maybe a valid point.) 

" You are making me play in the snow and get fresh air." 

More to come... :)