Aubrie's 4th Birthday

This year, Aubrie wanted a Bubble Gum Birthday! Fun, right?! 

I can't believe how fast Aubrie is growing up! It seems like just yesterday she was a baby, and now she is making her own decisions, wanting to play with my makeup, and wears dresses when I ask her to dress herself!

She LOVES bubble-gum, so it seemed like the perfect birthday party for her! We had a great time celebrating her 4th birthday with friends and family.

Aubrie's friend, Addyson, from daycare was able to make it!

Look at these photos... Dovie was screaming the entire time we were taking pictures! Also, look at Evan's face in all of the pictures; he cracks me up!!!!!!!

These two didn't plan their attire, but maybe they should have?!

Aubrie, We love your smile, laugh, and fun personality! Thank you for bringing laughter to our lives! Sometimes your emotions get the best of you, and we do our best to understand you, but I know that that trait will serve you well when you are older! You have such a sweet heart, and love taking care of your sister, Elise. You make an amazing older sister, and I'm so thankful for you! I am excited about the time ahead that I get to spend with you, and am constantly amazed at your beautiful spirit. Thank you for giving me the gift of being your mother!

Evan's Kindergarten Field Day, April 2014

This post is out of order, but oh well. :)

Evan had his first Field Day back in April, and it was so much fun! Chris and I both took the day off of work to be with him, and we all had a blast! We love Evan's school, and am thankful every day for the chance to send him there. They put together a really great day for the kids!

Evan got to participate in all sorts of games and relays! Parachute games where you had to bounce everything off but the chicken, alphabet relays, running, stretching, balancing, hula-hooping, and water relays, just to name a few. Evan's favorite thing to do lasted all of 5 seconds, and was the hurdles. He had to jump over 2 small hurdles, then crawl through a large tunnel. I didn't even get a photo because he was finished with it so quickly! I thought it was funny that it was his favorite activity! Oh, that, and eating snocones. :)

Evan has made a lot a great friends this year, but his best friend is Noah. Noah is a cute little rambunctious boy, and the two of them have become really good friends. I was told my Evan's teacher this past year, that Noah's Mom said, "Noah, if Evan's not doing it, then you don't do it!" That made me happy to hear that Evan was being such a good influence on his friend. I'm excited to see how their friendship gows over time.

Mrs. Martinez was Evan's teacher this year, and she was fantastic! I'm sorry to say that she has had to find another school to teach at for next year because of student numbers, but she did a really great job with Evan this year! Evan loves school, and is reading REALLY well, and I think she did a great job in handling her class and teaching everyone this year. 

Update On Evan's Arm

Evan has almost made a full recover from his broken arm! After his surgery, he had to wear another cast for 3 weeks, and then a brace for another 2 weeks. Every day, we had to take the brace off and do some excercises in order to get his muscles back to normal. He's been going to physical therapy a few times a week, and I hope that he only needs to go one or two more times. Except for that, we don't even think about his arm as broken anymore! After going through all that we did, I'm happy to have everyone pretty much back to normal!

I know that this picture isn't of Evan's arm, but it shows how much fun we've been having this summer without his cast!

How Do They Do It??!!

I found all of these while cleaning out the kids' beds recently! How do they sleep with all of that, not to mention all of the toys, books and blankets, in their bed?! I'm an organized type of person, and I like a nice, clean bed. So, it drives me crazy to see all of their stuff in the bed with them. I guess they don't mind it, though!

10 Wonderful Years

Wow! 10 years of marriage, and it feels like we just got married! After 10 years married, known for 14, 3 children, 2 houses, 19,000 changed diapers (math is so much fun!), and who knows what else, we are still as much in love, or more, as the day we said "I do." Thank you for loving me through everything, and I'm excited to see what the next 10+ years hold for us!!

Elise, 9 Months

As of today, our wonderful Elise is 10 months and 4 days old, not 9 months as the title implies. However, I started this post a month ago and am just now getting around to updating everything; that's how life goes these days!

Elise is so full of life! My Mom says that Elise reminds her of me because she is just smiling all of the time. Even if she cries for some reason, it's usually only to let us know that she's tired or hungry. Once someone goes in to get her in the mornings and she hugs us, she greets us with a huge smile!

Elise absolutely loves her brother and sister, and they love her! No matter what the older two are doing, they flock to Elise when she comes into the room. They both take such good care of her; Aubrie loves to try and keep her happy when she cries, and Evan is constantly wanting to carry and hold her. Elise is a bit rough with them, and we are working on her being more gently. The older two think it is funny when she pulls their hair, though! It's a work in progress. :)

Something else that Elise loves is animals! Anytime there are animals nearby, she is one happy girl! She is in love with Charlie and Patty, my Mom's two miniature dachshunds. She starts making these cute huffing noises anytime she sees them, as if she's communicating with them! It doesn't have to be a dog, though; any animal can make her smile!

A few of her traits this month are that she is eating like crazy! Anytime she sees food, she basically crawls over whatever is in her way to get there. She's still nursing, and I'm doing everything I can to build up my milk for her after working. 

She still points to everything with just one finger, and then tries to pick it up and put it in her mouth. She's not really talking, but she does try to say "Da-da!" It sounds more like "Ga-ga," but it's still super cute! I thought for sure that one of my children would say Mama first, but no luck. Oh well! Next one, right Chris?!

She may be my happiest baby, but she is definitely my most stubborn and independent child, as well. If there is something that she wants, she doesn't easily forget about it! I know that quality will serve her well one day.

Lisey, we love you more than life itself! Our family is complete because of you. It is hard to believe that in just two short months you will already be one year old; time is flying by so quickly! Every stage is so much fun with you. Thank you for keeping us on our toes, but bringing us so much joy at the same time. We love you, and can't wait to keep learning your personality as you grow into a beautiful little girl!

Mom, Dad, Evan and Aubrie